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ORIGINAL: PA Bow/Flinter
Anybody have some information or know where I can get some information on this rifle? I was down at my grandmas today and finally got to looking around at what my grandfather had for guns when he passed away. I was intriqued by this one. It seems to be in pretty good condition still and I just wondered what the story behind it was.
Thanks for any info you can give.
Steven
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The US Rifle, Caliber 30, Model 1903-A3, (and it's brother the M1903-A4 sniper version) was the very last bolt-action rifle issued toUS forces, beginning in 1942 at the start of WWII. It was a substitute standard, issued because there were not enough M1's yet to equip everyone. It was used by the Army and the USMC, with more of them being used in combat bythe Marines thanthe Army.
The basic difference between the M1903 Springfield and the M1903-A3 is that a number of the A3 parts are stampings rather than forged, machined parts, (like the magazine/triggerguard), and theA3 parts were not polished before being Parkerized. The reason for these changes was to make the rifles faster and cheaper. In addition, the A3 dispensed with the original Springfield rear sight, and had a peep on the rear of the receiver bridge. This was a much better combat sight than the original 03 sight, which we learned in WWI from using the 1917 Enfield vs the original Springfield rear sight.
Some A3's had two-groove, rather than four-groove, rifling. The two-groove barrels shot GI ammo just as well as the four-groove barrels, and could be made faster.
The A3's were made mostly by Remington under contract, and I believe some were also made by L.C. Smith-Corona, the typewriter company. I have seen, and once owned, a very nice sporter made on a Remington03-A3, but they require a lot more work to make into something special than the older 03's, because they are basically much cruder to begin with. They are plenty strong enough for '06-length magnums. Mine was a .308 Norma Magnum. The work was done by Paul Jaeger, Jenkintown PA. It had a French walnut stock, and was every bit as nice as the current Dakota Arms products.
IF you want more detailed info on the M1903-A3, I recommend you read pages 8-10 in
Hatcher's Notebook, written by Major General Julian S. Hatcher, an
ARMY general who was a graduate of the
Naval Academy!
Remington 03-A3
