I was at an estate auction and bought a 1903 SA #1135797 for $500. On first inspection it was missing the elevation locking screw. The entire rifle was covered with grease and the barrel was marked SA 10-19. When I got it home and cleaned it I found that the bore had rifling but was very corroded.
I took it to the range with some light loads and they were difficult to extract because of corrosion where the cartridge neck swells. The bad news is I have fell in love with the rifle, it just feels right at home when it comes up to my shoulder. The gun overall looks good. The action is slick as glass and tight with almost no wear.
So what do I do now???
I researched what I have. It is correct except:
It has a 1910 straight handle bolt.
The firing pin knob is knurled instead of serrated.
The straight grip stock has been sanded on the left side and is missing the cartouche.
I replaced the missing elevation locking screw with a flat sided one (not dimpled).
Do I need to search for the correct era parts or is that a waste of time and money or do I make a shooter out of it and rebarrel it with a Criterion and make a shooter out of it. Would this kill the value?
1903 barrels are hard to find on Gunbroker. I have called a few gunsmiths about removing my rear sight and putting it on a new barrel and it scares them off.
Can anyone recommend a good 1903 gunsmith. Sorry for the long post and thanks for any help you can give me.Information
![]()
Warning: This is a relatively older thread
This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.