Remington 1903 Springfield

uncle jimbo

Well-Known Member
My dad's original hunting rifle has come back into my possession after many years. Model 1903 Springfield. Not sure when he acquired it, but I think it was just after the WWII when he got out of the service. It has a stamping on the bottom side of the barrel just behind the front sight that reads 10-42. My guess is that was the production date. As you can see from the pictures, he bubba'ed it up to suit his needs for a hunting rifle.
As the possibility of restoring it to the original configuration it almost nil, I think I would Like to fix it up and shoot it if possible. The barrel has a machined spot that looks like it was made with dremmil back by the receiver. My father said that it was always there. It is hard to see in the picture.
What I would like to do is have the barrel removed and turned down if possible to make it look good and have it re blued along with the receiver. If it can't be turned down, I might have a new barrel put on it. I would just like to keep it as close to original as I can. Have a new stock fitter to it and mount a scope to it. I have the mounts that were used on it before. As can be seen, the mount holes don't seem to be in a straight line.
In 1970 the bolt handle broke and my father bought a WINCHESTER MODEL 70. Sometime after that he found someone to weld it back on. See the pictures. I was told that these old military rifles had to have the bolts heated and bent to allow the use of a scope. So I was told, but don't really know.
I would have to have the smithing work done and the fitting of the stock. Never done any work on a rifle and I did try to fit a new stock on an action once. It was not a pretty sight.
I am seeking some input and opinion about this project. If it is feasible and worth it or just to leave the rifle in its present condition.
Thanks, Paul
 

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KeithB

Resident Half Fast Machinist
A real barrel maker or gunsmith with experience with barrels might well disagree with what I will say next, and that's fine. But my experience with machining long, slender, heat treated/heat-cycled tubes is that you can never tell what will happen when you take a tool to them. I would suggest trying abrasives to see if that will deal with the blemishes/marks.

I've used a hand held belt sander on a metal lathe before.
 

JSH

Active Member
The notch in the barrel is an index mark for the rear sight sleeve.
From the photos what I can tell, you have a bit of work ahead of you to get it back to some what of an as issued appearance.

I have my dads DCM rifle. It is all correct and almost as an as issued condition, asper a couple of collector friends of mine have told me. Turned down over double of what going rate was several years back. They were shocked I was shooting it, lol. After some talking with them the put me into an excellent 1903 Remington shooter. Nothing had been done to it other than butcher the stock up some, a new unissued surplus stock was aquifer along with proper hard ware.

I had also picked up a couple of other 1903's wanting to make a shooter out of. The pieces and parts can drive one nuts when chasing them down, but there is still a fair amount available.

Yours is a for sure project. I would tend to want to make sure it shoots well before I were to invest a lot in it. I would guess a stock and hardware will run you around $350-450. Your action being drilled, I would say it's a $300 rifle as is.
Ymmv have fun with it as it is a treasure in itself.
Jeff
 

Ian

Notorious member
If it we mine I'd clean it, make sure that line on the chamber srea of the barrel isn't a crack, then if ok I'd oil it and shoot a lot of cast bullets through it.
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
Agreeing with JSH, it is my experience that it will get expensive restoring an ex-military rifle to its original configuration. Parts are available from Sarco, Numrich, Springfield Sporters, Hoosier Gun Works, eBay etc. Such projects are fun, but cost is a serious consideration.

If it were me, I'd keep it as is and treasure it as Dad's hunting rifle, and use it to shoot a ton of cast bullets, as Ian mentioned.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
I think I agree.
fix up some scope mounts, re-do the sling, and maybe get the bolt handle clearance fixed, and go to town.
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
The rifle was originally made to be a 03A3 with the rear sight on the receiver. They were several months late in getting the rear sights into production, so the actions had the rear sight dovetail recontoured and 1903 sights put on the barrels. All of that grinding on the rear of the barrel was to make it smaller enough to fit the rear sight base. It was done by hand on a wheel at the Remington factory.

I would keep it and shoot it as is, and think of your Dad.
 

uncle jimbo

Well-Known Member
Thanks to all for giving me some insight as what to do with this old rifle. I just thought that it would be fun to get the rifle back to a semi-state of what it use to be. But as I have no skills as a gun smith or wood worker, this would have relied on many people to accomplish this.
So I think I will put a scope back on it and just shoot it. I think I will try to work up some cast loads to use it it.
And yes RicinYakima, I think of my father all the time.
Now that I think about it, I will have the most bubba-ed rifle at the range. :rofl:
Thanks again, Paul
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
if I'm there your probably in a distant second for the most bubba'd rifle award.
I used to have a penchant for picking up orphan this and orphan that plus a few basket case type rifles.
I got some real horrible [what the hell is that?] ones along the way.
 

JSH

Active Member
Don't feel alone on picking up the orphans. I have a bad habit of that, some good some bad. Last one I got was a 788, rebarreled to 444 Marlin, I would suspect it was an original 44 mag. It is now a single shot and shoots very well.
When I was looking around for 1903 pieces,parts and shooter grade rifles I would end up with a lot of what I did not need or was searching for. 8mm-06 and a 6.5-06 were a couple of old ones, I got those with no other interest than trading fodder.
Also how I ended up with my 6.5x55 swede, last day of a gun show at the VFW and the gent all but forced me to take it. As I recall I had been on a duck hunt that AM and stopped on my way home. Truck was way low on gas and it was about 50 miles home. Gent wanted all I had as far as cash for the rifle, it came with a pile of ammo,brass,dies and extras. He said he had never fired it, I believe that as there was a fair bit of cosmoline all over it still.
Ended up with the rifle,gas money to get home and he threw in lunch at the VFW as well.
Then we had the Winchester lever gun I bought at a garage sale. Tang had been broken, top and bottom and welded. Stock had been made from a piece of yellow pine. Saddle ring, but no stud or ring, chambered in 25-35. I was told a horse fell on the gun while it was in the scabbered. Hey for $75 there was that in parts there.
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
I have a nicely sporterized 1903 and the barrel was recontoured and all blued. The front sight is
a long Lyman ramp, and a nice Lyman peep at the rear. The gun shoots very well. Sadly, I got this
one back from the estate of my nephew. It had been a Christmas present to him and was a prized
possession.

That barrel can be recontoured and shoot very well.

Bill