My first '03

[Jim]

HERE'S THE PICS. (http://floydpics.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/my-first-03/)

[UBER7MM]

I'm drueling.....

What a beautiful rifle.

Congratulations!

[catboat]

First: Nice rifle. I love the reddish hue to the walnut stock. Metal work looks very nice.

Second: That's not a Williams receiver sight. It's a Lyman 48, and looks like a "long slide" (more elevation adjustment). It's just about the best you can get. Easily a $100-125+ receiver sight.

Third: SIX groove barrel? Are you sure? Must be aftermarket (maybe Criterion). I thought '03/03a3 barrels were 4 or 2 groove.

Don't forget to post your range reports (loads, accuracy, etc).

Enjoy it. It's a beauty.

[elk hunter]

Nice.

Great score.

I see someone set it up for serious target work.

Back in the late 50's and early 60's many of the younger 30 caliber shooters that I knew were shooting 03's set up like that as they couldn't afford a Mdl 70 bull barrel. They were quite competitive.

[Haggway]

Nice rifle there.
Don't let yourself get too spoiled shooting it.

[Jim]

Coupla' mistakes:

Not thinkin' when I described the sights. And the barrel is 4 groove. CRAFT Syndrome.

[6.5 mike]

Ya done good Jim.

[Multigunner]

Third: SIX groove barrel? Are you sure? Must be aftermarket (maybe Criterion). I thought '03/03a3 barrels were 4 or 2 groove.



High Standard made a few six groove 03A3 barrels from blanks supplied by Savage, these are sometimes found on Smith Corona Springfields.
Savage also made a few early No.4 MkI rifles with six groove barrels. I've heard several theories on why they had six groove barrel blanks suited to .303 or .30 rifles available at the time, but nothing definite.

The six groove barrels were considered more accurate, and many Savage made rifles with the six groove bore were converted to No.4 (T) sniper rifles.

PS
From the American Rifleman


The barrels were marked “SC” and the month/year of barrel production. Reportedly, very early in production, High Standard (the maker of the barrels) acquired some unfinished barrel “blanks” from Savage Arms Co. These had six grooves and were initially produced for commercial rifles before being diverted to the ’03A3 production program. High Standard completed the machining of the barrels and marked them “SC” along with the month and year of manufacture. The Ordnance Dept. granted the company a waiver for use of these non-standard barrels as their utilization would permit High Standard to deliver barrels to Smith-Corona sooner than would otherwise have been possible. The number of six-groove barrels used in Smith-Corona ’03A3 production is estimated to be about 5,000. After using up the six-groove barrel blanks, High Standard began manufacture of four-groove barrels, which were used for the balance of production except for a few two-groove barrels that were used for about a one- or two-month period in late 1943. Regardless, the majority of Smith-Corona rifles had four-groove barrels.
Probably no spare six groove barrels around but a takeoff salvaged from a wrecked Smith Corona might end up on another make of 03A3. Unlikely though.

[Bob S]

Nice rifle!

I can see the "RA" on the barrel just behind the front sight. All Remington '03 barrels were four-groove cut-rifled. Two groove barrels didn't come out until after the transition to the 03A3; all barrels made by High Standard were broach cut.

I recommend these inserts for your Lyman front sight:

http://www.buffaloarms.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=274253&CAT=4083

The existing Lyman inserts date from the 1930's when the aiming black of our targets was much smaller. The apertures are way too small for modern American (or International) targets.

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[Crawdaddy]

Jim,
Very nice rifle. I have a Smith Corona 03A3 that I inherited from my dad. He never fired it, nor have I. Seeing this makes me want to shoot it.

Congrats on the new gun.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[atr]

hey Jim,
great looking rifle !...
glad you got what you were looking for !

[smoked turkey]

Jim that is a very nice rifle indeed. No wonder you are so happy with it. That is an itch I have too. Just haven't scratched it yet. Maybe someday. Enjoy it as I am sure you will.

[leadman]

If it shoots as good as mine you will be very happy.

These are what some call the 1903 Modified as mine as well as yours have the stamped triggerguard. Some had stamped bands and swivels.
When Remington finally put the sight on the rear receiver bridge it was named 1903a3. Two groove barrels came in there after yours was build sometime.

My Remington 1903 is serial #3059xxx, my 1903a3 Remington is 3596xxx.

My 1903 & 1903a3s shoot great with the 311041 and 19grs of SR4759.

[Jim]

The barrel is stamped with the Remington Arms flaming bomb and "2 42". I got the barrel cleaned the other day and got it 'on paper' by bore sighting it at 200 yds. I took a pot shot at a clay pidgeon on the 200 yd. berm and hit it!

Next thing is to work up a load for it and get it dialed in on paper. I bought the new Lee 309-230-5R mold and made up a bunch and got 'em GCed. Now I gotta set my butt in front of the bench and get to work.

[gnoahhh]

Looking good, Jim. I never had a lot of luck with super heavy bullets in my 03's. Ok, but not spectacular. My rifles really started to sing with cast bullets in the 160-190 range, and I would be hard pressed to say which powder among 4759, 2400, RL-7 work best. Good luck!

[TNsailorman]

I love the 03 and the 03A3. I bought a slightly modified 03 after years of shooting mausers in the early days of my youth. I believed everything the gun writes had to say about guns back then. The prevailing theory in the 50's was that the firing pin/rod set-up on the 03's & 03A3's was weak and subject to failure, and with money very tight, I hesitated to buy one. I finally bought my first one in the 60's and so far, I have owned several and no failures of any kind. For me, they balance better than about any other military rifle I have owned. I do like the sights on the 03A3 better; especially in low light conditions. I was lucky enough to get to serve with WW II Marines and one was on the Canal. His take was the 03 sights were fine as long as light was good but tended to wash out in darkness of the jungle. He stole a BAR off an Army guy when the first Army re-enforcements arrived. I have owned 2 groove and 4 groove barrels and have found no real advantage in one over the other. I do however prefer the 4 groove, just a matter of personal choice based on my old dinosaur traits. I only have two left, 1 with 2 grooves and 1 with 4 grooves and at my advanced age, I can't hold close enough to see any difference these days. Excuse an old man's ramblings but I do like to look back these days. Jim, if you don't already have a copy of Brophy's book on the Springfield 03, you need one. James

[HiVelocity]

Jim-

What a fine looking 03. Better keep that one close to you all the time.

I, too, have an 03' sporter. A good friend called me one afternoon and said he had some weapons to liquidate and offered them to me to sell. In the batch was a Springfield 03' sporterized, I'm guessing, back in the 50's. Dropped into a beautiful maple Bishop Monte Carlo stock, high gloss rich blued, jeweled bolt, fully adjustable [aftermarket] trigger, and, original sights long gone, wears a "like new" 4X Lyman All American scope.

I got it for a song, his asking price. I almost felt guilty racing to get it home. (I said, ALMOST). I'm now working up handloads with the 311407 cast bullet.

Enjoy, and good shooting,

HV in SC

[sd95B]

You will have an awful lot of fun with cast bullets in that gun!

[leadman]

So far subsonic loads with the new Lee mold is just ok. I have had more consistent groups up around 1,600 to 1,700 fps.
I'm going to push this 230gr up to around 2K next week to see what happens.

These old rifles shoot amazingly well.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Cool Bananas!

[Multigunner]

I have owned 2 groove and 4 groove barrels and have found no real advantage in one over the other. I do however prefer the 4 groove, just a matter of personal choice based on my old dinosaur traits. I only have two left, 1 with 2 grooves and 1 with 4 grooves and at my advanced age, I can't hold close enough to see any difference these days.

Seems to me the two grooves are adequate for open based FMJ bullets, but sometimes aren't quite as well suited to closed base commercial hunting bullets.
Mainly depending on bore size and throat diameter and/or wear to either.

The open base bullets tend to bump up from the base forwards, in large part due to direct gas pressure, but from flouroscope images of sporting bullets in travel up the bore it appears some at least bump up entirely through intertia and swell in the middle rather than at the base.

No reason a good tight two groove shouldn't be as accurate as a four groove if milspec ammo is used, and as you say the difference if any is not noticable unless carefully many measured groups were compared.
As with any barrel some bullets work better than others.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Jim, I had the same Lyman peep sight on a Mauser sporter I had a few years back. I think you`ll like this sight as the increased amount of elevation that can be done beyond what the standard model has makes it a gem. I `m afraid I must agree on the barrel groove number to probably be 4 groove. Try bullet weights of 173 gr. up to 200 gr. for starts, you may be surprised.Robert

[30cal]

Very nice!Makes me wanna get mine out.

[madisonvalleywapiti]

Nice looking rifle! I have a Remington about 3000 numbers higher than yours.

[lcclower]

OK I'm slobbering like one of Pavlov's dogs. Where'd you pick it up?

[leadman]

When I got my Rem 1903a3 from the CMP I just had to get out and shoot it so grabbed the ammo for my Savage and went to the range. 180gr Hornady BT with a healthy charge of surplus 4831.
First 2 bullets almost went thru the same hole right in the X. Got excited and pulled the next one just a little. Never even touched the sights.
Someone in Greece had this dialed right in.

So Jim. Range report?

[Jim]

OK I'm slobbering like one of Pavlov's dogs. Where'd you pick it up?


A friend and I were chatting and he mentioned he was headed for the gun show the next morning. When he told me what he was going to sell, I asked him to hold it for me so I could buy it.

I'm almost ashamed to tell you this, but I payed two boxes of range lead and $140 for it. I kept asking him "Are you SURE that's all you want?"

I've been doing six 10 hour days with my range lead business and haven't had (taken is more the truth) time to put it on a rest and/or work up a load for it. This heat is killin' me and when I'm done at the end of the day, all I wanna' do is sit in the A/C.

[Leslie Sapp]

I payed two boxes of range lead and $140

I've seen the sight go for almost that much. Nice rifle - enjoy!