Restoring my Sporter ?

I have a Remington 03A3 Sporter, bought it this way.
Anyhow I would like to restore it best I can.
Is this a pointless Escapade ? be honest
I'm figuring the cost under $400 that should cover the Stock and all Hardware, I'm I correct ?
Its either this or I make a Sniper out of it, but I really like Milsurps.
So What say You ?
By the way, this thing shoots under .57 MOA :D

These are the Stocks I'm considering.

http://www.e-gunparts.com/DisplayAd....11905&mySort=2

http://www.thecollectorsource.com/pr...903NOS%20scant

I would like to have the receiver Re-Parked but do not know the cost.
Obviously I would leave it D&T'ed and just install some plug screws and would install the rear sight or get a repro scope mount and scope.
I have a Correct bolt.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/imported/deleted.gif[/IMG]

well,
here what you need.
weld the holes shut. all 4
weld the notch shut for the bolt.
parts needed...
stock, handguard.
all the stock metal.
rear sight.
bolt.
correct stamped trigger guard.
barrel if yours has been cut short.
then have it refinished..
STAY AWAY FROM GUNPARTS JUNK...
its cast or rusty crap.
if you contact me, outside the forum, i can give you a cost rundown on the work..i have a couple A3 stocks avaialble...

IMHO "restoring" it would be alot of trouble and money to make it "look" original, which it will never be again. Especially if you need an original barrel.($50-100)
Welding all 4 holes to try and make it look original after a repark seems like money not well spent.
Re-parking receiver and barrel - $150
Original barrel installed - $150 (barrel and install)
Replacement stock $50-150 depending on cartouches
Front and rear sights - $45
What is your correct bolt for 03a3 or 03a4?
If you make a 03a4 clone out of it you will still need to repark. Barrel? And I wouldnt worry about the 2 holes on the side from the peep sight.
Replacement C-stock or scant - $50-100, original sniper stocks are outrageously priced.
Repro scope, mount, and rings - $160
All these prices are round-abouts you will find.
Your getting into a lot of money to make it look like something its not.
It looks like you already have a nice sporter.
Shoot it, enjoy it for what it is, and keep collecting milsurps.

I'd second that. If you want a sporter to restore, look for one where the only thing they've done is cut the stock down. They are out there if you look. My 2 centavos.

-Jeff L

At ,57 MOA, you have an excellent hunting rifle. Keep it, and buy something else. - JMHO

I made this from a sporter. My barrel was full length and the whole thing cost me $400. PD

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...standard-6.jpg

best advise...
dont mess with it if it shoots well,
buy a rifle thats not been messed with, heck a nice A3 shouldnt cost more them 750.00 tops.
or.
trade the rifle in or sell it.. it wont bring much, but you can put the cash into a nice original A3 or 03, whatever flavor you like.

OK:
Scraping this Restore Project.
Its going back into a Sporter stock, if I can find a good cheap one or put it in a Scant stock but leave the rest alone and use it for Hunting.
After much research, cost is to high and outcome won't be
what I really want.
So I will look for Nice unalterd A3

Thanks for the Input :thup:

You have a very nice sporter, leave it alone. Try a big gunshow. You should fine 3-4 nice 03-A3 keepers. Avoid the Drill Rifle trap!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Calif-Steve

You have a very nice sporter, leave it alone. Try a big gunshow. You should fine 3-4 nice 03-A3 keepers. Avoid the Drill Rifle trap!

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What do I need to look for to avoid the Drill Rifles ?

Drill rifles were deactivated in varying degrees. But I think all of them had the mag cut-off welded. To reactivate, the weld would have to be ground so the mag cut-off switch could be replaced, which in the process removed the finish on the receiver in that area. Thats your first tell-tale sign. I'll let the serious collectors go into further detail!;)

if you look at the picture, you can see the dark area were the cut off was welded.
common of a recovered Drill rifle

Some drill rifles were only spot welded on the mag cut off which you could chip off with a chisel. Look for discoloration around the mag cut-off. I believe that even if the rifle has been re-parked that area will still have the discoloration from the heat. chuckindenver can confirm this. Some rifles were torched on the under side of the receiver only viewable when the stock is off.

-Jeff L

they used a stainless steel rod to weld these.
so it will normally stand out like a sore thumb...or finger if you like:}

I have an SC sporter that I had done in 1966 when it was OK to do that. Accuracy is right at, or maybe a tiny bit more than 1 MOA, i.e.; at the limit of my ability. I have not kept track of the game killed with it but it has been considerable over 44 years of use. I have an Air Service magazine (OK; not just cheap, and hard to find...) and have used the rifle in 3-gun "combat" matches; definitely a FUN rifle and highly useful. Gosh they're just so smooth and shoot so well! My personal inclination would be to leave it as is and put a good Leupold 3-9X on it. By the way my rifle is set up a good deal like yours with milled TG and Buehler safety.

Beware. I bought a very nice sporter 03 off GB that came with a Weaver V12 at a very fair price. Bought it because of the scope. Couldn't put five shots in a 6" circle. Had wild flyers shooting from a rest. Put it away in the safe for about a year. Got it out one day and decided to find the problem. Everything checked out. Was shooting at 100 yards and couldn't seem to keep it in focus. Turned the parallex adjustment bell and it came off in my hand (broken). Found the problem. I now know why the scope was included at such a low price ($300). Need new scope or repair of this one. Uggg.

Good luck.

Jim

Trade your rifle and the $400 for a real 03A3.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...1457d2d3-1.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MJ1

Trade your rifle and the $400 for a real 03A3.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...1457d2d3-1.jpg

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Is that an Offer ?

Better jump on that one!

Having been duped once I now know most of what to look for in a reworked drill rifle. First off the barrel is welded to the receiver at the bottom. So even if done well there will be a difference in the finish at the bottom edge of the receiver. If done poorly you will still see part of the weld metal on the bottom edge.

The other place is at the magazine cut off. This is welded up so that the bolt cannot be removed from the receiver. Usually a dremel is used to cut it loose. Even if there isn't a lot of weld metal there will be places in the finish where the weld had to be ground off. Another place to look is in the track that the detent in the mag cut off rides. It will usually be marred up in some way. Look at a regular receiver and you will see that this groove is nice and smooth and has a couple of stops in it.

The welding can take the heat treatment out of the metal causing the metal to be too soft. I tried to rebarrel it and the receiver rails bent. I would stay away from these unless it is going to be a wall hanger.

Bill R.