New to me 1903a3 Remington

[bkjr]

Hi, I'm new to the forum.

I have been looking for some input on a 1903a3 I just picked up.
I hope you can help.

I've been getting some mixed input on some things.
And I've been going through some discovery, like just after I took the pictures, what I thought was a partial finish (worn) on the receiver,

turned out to be dark green park under what I think maybe is lots of layers of LO or BLO that someone kept coating the stock with..

someone else thinks maybe it's cosmoline... ??
Same with the barrel section between the front band and front sight mounts.. thought the grey park was mostly gone and just some left

near the above mentioned spots, but it turns out the surface of the barrel is layered in the same that the receiver is.

I just had a chance to test fire it, and it's a tack drive.
The TE was a 1, the muzzle was a 1, and it passed the head spacing go/no go tests.

S/N 3377xxx

Barrel RA / bomb marking / 7-42 . underside of barrel is a P.
4 groove, looks bright and sharp, just dusty.

All metal in the receiver and bolt had a light coat of oil on it, seems in the barrel too.

Everything has an R on it, but the milled butt plate, no R to be found. No letters.



I left the pix pretty large, so as not to kill the loading of the thread, I'll supply the links to the pix...
I gave up for the week hoping to get time during the day. So I did my best with diffused lighting. Some better than others.

Shots of entire rifle...
(tried to get the color of the stock as close to as it looks in real life with adjusting the whitebalance and compensations levels such on the camera)

Rifle 1

Rifle 2

Rifle 3, close up of receiver area of stock




Stock markings...
What can you see in there? I feel most was lost to someone sanding the stock down some real long time ago.
But there is some faint marking(s), at least one.

Near receiver -lighting 1

Near receiver - lighting 2

These are much stronger still, but since I don't have any familiarity with them, they don't ring any bells for me from any reading I've done.
Bottom of Stock infront of magazine plate


Butt plate shots...
Butt--plate-installed
(it's not brown, just the lighting. It's just plain metal grey, no finish.)

Butt-plate-top-markings
Does the markings mean anything??
Should there be a milled butt plate in this 03a3?

Butt-plate-removed

Butt-plate-removed-underside
That is not rust, it's cosmoline.

Butt of-Stock-with buttplate-removed
??? Someone was digging... or is that factory work??



Magazine plate and trigger guard, bottom view..
Sorry, the best one I had came out too dark.
Trigger Guard and magazine plate




Swivel Markings...
Swivel-Front-markings

Swivel-mid-markings

Swivel-butt-markings



Sight Markings...
On the blade itself, it looks like a large A.
On the blade holder, there is a small R.
Sight-Front-markings

There's a small R near the lowest elevation setting.
Sight-rear-markings


Mag on/off marking...
Mag-on-off-marking



Entire receiver top view... (photoshopped out the last 3 digits)
Receiver 1

Much better lighting and color true (before some cleaning to see what was below the layer of "varnish") to what I see, closer up shot as well of the chamber opening, bolt in battery, and receiver markings...
Receiver 2



Barrel Markings... (colors did not come out well).
Barrel-top-markings

Barrel-bottom-markings


Bolt Markings...
Bolt-safety-marking

On here the bolt is blued, and the block holding the safety assy maybe a lighter bluing than the bolt itself, or maybe a very dark grey park - I'm having a hard time telling.
There is a small R on the right side of that block, to the left is a faint marking.
I got the impression it's a square, but barely make it out, and maybe a number "4" in there... I don't know. very very hard to make out.

Bolt-undersidemarkings 1

This portion of the bolt is a very dark blue. There is an R in a circle.
Bolt-underside-markings 2


Cleaned the barrel the night before I went shooting.
Just dust came out... clean as a whistle, doesn't seem she was put away used.

Thanks for checking the pix out, looking forward to the input and discovery.

[40x513t]

Looks good, But it should have a stamped butt plate with a "R" the one you have is for an o3 (milled)not an a3

[fredtay]

Why does it have a trigger lock on it? if it isn't used for security just keep ammo in a safe CONVIENIENT location. A fire arm used for security that is locked is only a club or rock.

[bkjr]

Why does it have a trigger lock on it? if it isn't used for security just keep ammo in a safe CONVIENIENT location. A fire arm used for security that is locked is only a club or rock.

ya lost me.......

[woodstock]

"Stock markings...
What can you see in there? I feel most was lost to someone sanding the stock down some real long time ago.
But there is some faint marking(s), at least one."


Inspectors Stamp. Looks like it could be FJA. The FJA stands for Frank J. Atwood, Lt. Col.

Sweet rifle! Any plans on shooting it in CMP type events? I got one similar last year but have yet to use it in a match. Are you using surplus ammo? I'm still on the lookout for an original bayonet to make it more complete. These rifles are way cool!

[bkjr]

woodstock,
Yes on the side I think I see what's left of an FJA and part of the ouline of a rectangle.

On the bottom, while to me they look very present, they are too blurred, to my newbee eye to make out what they really are.
I was hoping someone that was use to looking at them, would recongnize what the symbols or letters really were.

I bought it through a armorer that had it one commission from a collector, who had it for a long time. But I don't have any history on it.
Yes, I can see some poor sanding marks in the stock. Darn.....


I'm on Long Island, no access to CMP matches.

But I just learned yesterday of an appleseed course being held for the 1st time on LI this weekend. With such short notice, I'm not sure I can make it.

After 20 years and 1 copy of a 1911 from colt (a colt mdl 1991a1 - but it really looks like a 1911 not an a1), I finally started buying 1 of each WWII weapon , a good shooter of each that I've wanted.
SA Garands, WWII s/n.
Carbine
19093a3.

Left is:
Replica , shooter of a 45 thompson smg, of course in semi auto to be legal.
But haven't been too keen on getting a 16", since it seems they weren't what was used in WWII.

A replica of a 1911a1 . I like the GI parked version one from SA.

Thanks for the feed back.
I agree, way cool.
I love shooting the old stuff a whole lot more than the new black stuff.

[woodstock]

Don't forget the M1917! It too is a mighty fine rifle. It's hard for me to choose between the 2.
I always wanted to participate in an Appleseed event. You'll have to let us know how the Remington performs.

[bkjr]

Don't forget the M1917! It too is a mighty fine rifle. It's hard for me to choose between the 2.
I always wanted to participate in an Appleseed event. You'll have to let us know how the Remington performs.

I have to admit, the 1917 was never on my radar till recently, and didn't know much about it.
Still don't , but at least now I know it's there and it's a different animal.
I've only seen one in person soo far.

I signed up for both days, going for sure on Sat, lets see how the homestead is - if I can leave for the Sun too.
I'm think I'm going to start with the Garand, I'm bring the 03a3 as a back up, and the carbine as the sore shoulder back up.

I had the 03a3 out a few weeks ago at a 50yd range, really had to bring back the rear sight, up around the 250 yd mark, but it shot flawlessly and 3rnd touching groups... I know, it's not 100 yds or 200 yds, but I'm just the cook.

Looking forward to appleseed, I've never had any official marksmanship training in my life.
And I'm making a point of going since it's their 1st time on Long Island, and hopefully not their last, but if it is, at least I was able to experience it.

My daughter had to work, but hopefully appleseed comes back next year. My wife will going shooting with me once in a blue moon, but she wont spend an entire day for this, forget 2 days.
I'll buy some tech-sights for my 10/22, and get a sling for my marlin bolt action 22 (which is scoped).
I have a mini14, but frankly, after shooting all the WWII stuff, the sights just plain old stink on the mini14 by comparison.

[avery53]

They are great shooters, and lookers.
I have a couple 03's, and a couple 03A3's. I shoot the 03A3's best, probably because of my old eyes and the peep sight.
Woodstock is right, the 1917 is also a great shooter, and to me, the recoil is much less noticeable.
It is hard to tell by the picture, but is the handguard off an '03.
It just looks a little high. Probably my eyes again.
Congrats on a fine rifle.
avery