Remington 1903 request

[Chief]

folks,
I have a Rem 1903 SN 31427xx with a Rem barrel dated 5-42. There is also the ord stamp with a punch mark in the "bomb". I checked VI shooters site and found that the SN dates to July '42. So here are the questions:
Could the barrel be the original?
It has a rear sight base without lightning cuts, correct?
What type of bands would this rifle have had?
It also has a milled TG stamped with an R, correct?
what was the overall appearance of this rifle as to finish? What parts were blued/parked?
Thanks,
Chief

Information

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[Emri]

Hey Chief,

I'll be kinda brief like John Beard.

1) The date is OK, so I'll say probably original bbl.

2) Yes

3) Milled

4) Yes

5) Parked reciever, barrel, front band, safety. All other parts would be "blued"


HTH,

Emri

[Chief]

Emri,
So the trigger guard would be blued also?
regards and thanks,
Chief

[Emri]

Emri,
So the trigger guard would be blued also?
regards and thanks,
Chief

Every time I think I know an answer, I screw up. Going on memory which is going fast.

The milled triggerguard and floorplate in addition to the milled buttplate would also be parked.

I was thinking of slightly later rifles which have those parts stamped: the stamped parts would have been blued.

Sounds like you might have a nice rifle to show. Any chance of pics of it??

Rifles in that SN range in original condition are somewhat hard to come by. Not your usual "run of the mill" rifle.

HTH,

Emri

P.S.- When Rick the Librarian and John Beard see this posting, they will set both of us straight.

[John Beard]

Hey Chief,

I'll be kinda brief like John Beard.

1) The date is OK, so I'll say probably original bbl.

2) Yes

3) Milled

4) Yes

5) Parked reciever, barrel, front band, safety. All other parts would be "blued"


HTH,

Emri

I concur with the first four answers. The answer to 5) is as follows:

Parkerized:

Receiver
Barrel with sight bases
Upper Band
Trigger Guard
Floorplate
Buttplate

Blue/Black:

Front sight
Stacking swivel
Lower band with swivel
Handguard clips
Rear sight assembly
Windage screw
Magazine follower
Bolt assembly
Magazine cutoff
Ejector
Sear
Butt swivel
Screws & Pins

Hope this helps.

J.B.

[Chief]

Thanks John and Emri. That is just what I was looking for.
Emri I could get some pics of the rifle but you wouldn't like it. It is but a shadow of its former greatness. Some long forgotten "owner" took it apart, apparently looking to make a sporter out of it, and then changed their mind.
There is no finish, no patina and no rust, just a nice bead blasted effect. It sits in a very nice A3 stock and the stock mountings are all SA/RIA. The rear sight base is a Rem but it is not the original one as it does not fit well. When pined up it sit about a business card width from flush with the receiver. The bolt is, I believe, a Rem A3 also but it does not have the heavy under cutting that is typical of that model. There is some undercutting but it is less than usual. The bolt is also parked a faded grey green. The basis for a nice rofle is there but its collector interest has been severely impacted. I think that about all I can do with it now is make a nice representative piece out of it. On the plus side it does shoot nice as the bore is near new.
Any ideas on how to fix the rear sight base?
regards and Thanks again,
Chief

[lenb]

J.B., thanks for the detailed rundown on the part finishes for the Remington 1903.
When you show the list that says blue/black, would those all be blued parts, or could they also be the early dark black colored parkerizing? Also, would an earlier 1903 Remington (for example an early 1942 rifle) possibly have more of the small parts parkerized than you show as blued on your list, or would all 1903's pretty much have the same parts finished the same way? Thanks much.

Len

[John Beard]

J.B., thanks for the detailed rundown on the part finishes for the Remington 1903.
When you show the list that says blue/black, would those all be blued parts, or could they also be the early dark black colored parkerizing? Also, would an earlier 1903 Remington (for example an early 1942 rifle) possibly have more of the small parts parkerized than you show as blued on your list, or would all 1903's pretty much have the same parts finished the same way? Thanks much.

Len

The official nomenclature in Remington documentation for the finish I listed as "blue/black" was "black oxide". Some parts came out blue (magazine cutoff, follower, bolt assembly, rear sight assembly). Some parts came out black (lower band, butt swivel, some buttplates). But supposedly, all had the same finish. The black finish, however, was not parkerizing. It was black oxide.

Some early 1903 Remingtons did indeed have a smattering of parkerized parts that should have been blued! I know I have seen early olive parkerized bolt sleeves and safety locks. But such odd parkerized parts are the exception, not the rule.

Hope this helps.

J.B.

[lenb]

Great info, J.B. Thanks very much. That helps clarify what I've been reading n several of the books on these guns, as they don't paint as clear a picture on the finish of the 1903 Remington parts as they do on the 03-A3's.

Len