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What did I buy ???
I recently won a local firearms auction in which I purchased what I thought was a 03A3 that had been converted into a target rifle. The action has been knurled on top of both receiver rings and the rear receiver ring appeared to have the rear sight base milled off. It has a 2 groove barrel marked RA 05 43 and an 03 trigger guard. It wears a Lyman long slide graduated to 150 receiver sight that has a case harden finish and a Lyman globe front sight with inserts than can be switched. It is setting in a rollover cheek piece stock with a 2 1/4" wide forearm that has a flat adjustable rail with a hand stop. After taking it apart to clean it I started finding things that needed fixing and started me wondering what exactly I had bought. The rear screw to the receiver sight was stripped out. I thought no problem, I will just tap out the hole to 8-40 and dremel the sight to fit. After I do that, I find out a Lyman 48 long slide NOS brought $405 on Ebay. The front guard screw would tighten up, so a trip to the LGS for new Forester 03A3 guard screws, And then I find the holes in the receiver are 1/4 x 28 instead of 1/4 x20. What's going on here ? After doing some investigating I find the serial # 5031930is after all the 03A3 serial numbers and serial #5010000- 5020000 are for Nation Ordinance cast receivers. After looking last night, I have definitely determined that I have a cast receiver but it is beyond the range of the Nat Ord . So before I do anything thing else stupid or waste anymore money. I thought I would ask for advice on what to do with this piece. Thanks
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03-31-2017 10:42 AM
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Contributing Member
Take some photos of it and post them here. Then the experts can let you know what you have. Descriptions only go so far.
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here is some quick pictures
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Advisory Panel
It's a complete sporterization of something, some of your pics are out of focus and hard to see.
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Legacy Member
Looks like a rather cheap 1950-60's shooter. Very likely a Nat Ord rifle. You have an expensive parts kit there and you need to stop the project right now. Try to find a 03-A3 receiver and begin again. Good luck.
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Thank You to Calif-Steve For This Useful Post:
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Please "unblank" at least the manufacture information on the one picture!
People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
--George Orwell
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Deceased May 2nd, 2020
Rick, I believe that he originally indicated that both receiver rings were "knurled" - probably to blank out the manufacture's name.
JMHO
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Advisory Panel
Yes, that's a crosshatch. Done to the steel.
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That's what has been done to the receiver. It has some cross hatch lines machined into the top of the front and back receiver bridges. I thought at first some one had also machined off the stripper clip slots but the found out that the National Ordinance receivers were cast without them. I am pretty sure that is what I have because there is a casting line in front of the rear tang screw on the under side of the receiver. Barrel is in good shape and shoots real well with cast bullet loads. I think I will take my time and tried to find a deal on a receiver or parts gun to make something out of this because I already have too much in it. Also from what I have read this gun should be safe shooting light cast bullet loads as head space is not excessive now.
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Contributing Member
Action screws are a giveaway for a National Ordnance, if it shoots decent I wouldn't break it up and enjoy it until I ran across a cheap receiver.
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