1903a3

[Suo Gan]

Does anyone remember what the CMP sold 03A3's for the last time they were in stock? They state on their website that the soonest they will be recieving some more will be 2011. Maybe I'll have enough pennies saved by then.

[zomby woof]

I think it was around $500-550

[Maj Dad]

My high number RIA was around $400 in 2001. Anyone remember what the NRA sold them for in the mid-late 50's? My friend's dad got him one & removed the firing pin (we were around 10-12 years old). I didn't get mine until around 1977 & had to give $190 for it (DCM Rem A3, just beautiful & still is). Only paid $122.50 for my DCM Winnie Garand in 1986; they would have auctioned it off now...

[R.C. Hatter]

I obtained a 1903A3 Remington rifle through the NRA in 1959. It has the "high number", double heat treated nickle steel receiver, and a barrel marking of 8/43. The
rifle has a 4-groove barrel and was shipped full of cosmoline. I know my mother and I has an awful time cleaning it up. The rifle appeared to have been unissued, but has provided many enjoyable hours of shooting over the years to date. I rarely shoot anything but cast boolits in it. As I recall, I paid $27.50 for it.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I bought a Rem. 03A3 around 1962 from the DCM and I am sure the price was less than 17 dollars, I paid 19.50 for the M1 carbine and the same for the 1911 45. The 1911 was a WW1 model in excellent condition. These figures sound really cheap but put in context of the time they were difficult to sell. You could buy a 03 SPGFLD. in excellent codition for 35.95 in surplus stores all over Los Angeles. If you doubt these prices just look thru some of the old American Rifleman ads from the period. Do any of you remember Ye Olde Hunter from Alexandria Va.? Remember those were silver dollars we were dealing in, not this Monopaly money we have today.

[Char-Gar]

I got my 03A3 (DCM) about 1961 and the M1 Carbine about three years later. Both were less than $20.00 each.

Yes, those were the days when a dollar was as big as a wagon wheel.

[Freischütz]

I purchased a Red River Arsenal reconditioned 03A3 from the DCM in the late 50s or early 60s. It was either $15.95 or $19.95, and that included Railway Express shipping.

[NoDakJak]

In the late fifties and early sixties I probably owned a dozen Springfields. Everything from Low Numbers through O3A3s. Most of the mail order houses were advertising the Springfields for $39.95 and the 1917 Enfields for $29.95. I bought a half dozen of the Enfields and they appeared to be new. I really enjoyed shooting the 1917s. Since they were heavier there was less recoil and I really liked the peep sight. A almost always shot better groups with them than I did with the Springfields. Neil

[bob208]

i was buying springfeilds in 72 because i could not aford to buy winchesters. i was paying $75-$100 for them.

but there was this one the had a pistol grip stock and a weaver 330c scope on it with the stamping moved so it was not under the mount. i paid $150 for still have it.

[Will]

I got 2 03-A3's in the 60's for about $16. Also a carbine for $20 and passed up on a 1911 45acp for $20. Ive always regreted that last one.

[PatMarlin]

Was just at a gun shop looking at one. A DCM with very nice- even exceptional grained wood. The rifle looked in excellent condition. All parkerized green and the price tag was $895.

I don't know much about these accept I always wanted one.

What are the safe- sot after serial numbers, and are these stocks supposed to have cartouches? The two rifles had no stock markings, and looked like replacements even, but the owner swore they were orginal.

[shotman]

pat most 03s had them and many 03A3 didnt. the soft receivers were on the early 03s I dont have nos in front of me . maybe someone does

[dominicfortune00]

but there was this one the had a pistol grip stock and a weaver 330c scope on it with the stamping moved so it was not under the mount. i paid $150 for still have it.

Sounds like you got a very good deal on a '03A4.

[Suo Gan]

Pat, the serial number info is in here
http://www.thecmp.org/m1903.htm

[NoDakJak]

The early recievers were not soft! They were glass hard and could shatter. If you don't believe that just hold the stripped reciever by the barrel and tap the reciever with a ball peen hammer. There was an article concerning this in an old copy of Rifle magazine. It is not the only hard reciever. The pre-98 Mausers tened to be soft. I have a 91 mauser that some butcher attempted to remove the barrel with a pipe wrench. He finally managed to horse the barrel out but much of the threads came out with the barrel and the reciever is twisted about 35 degrees through the side rails. The heat treat on most 98 Mauser is satisfactory although some early versions may be a bit soft. During the closing era of WWII many prduction shortcuts were taken with Mauser production. I have owned a couple 1944 production 98s where the machining was getting rather crude but there was no problems with heat treat. At the very end some extremely crude 98s were produced with no heat treat. I figure that the rational was that when the Russian troops were in the next street that a green rifleman wouldn't last long enough to wear out the rifle. 98 recievers that are too hard appear to be very unusual. I had never heard of them until when attending gunsmith school another student dropped a stripped reciever onto a concrete floor. It shattered through the side rails and I now have a three piece 98 reciever in my collection. It was not a last ditch reciever either. I would judge it to be early to mid war production due to the finish. Neil