The Wait is Finally Over...

[oldfoneguy]

... and has paid off double. An older gentleman on a local firearms forum has put his collection of over 40 years on the market and it has given me what I've been waiting for all these years. A 4 - 43 Remington 03-A3 in beautiful not messed with ever condition and a 1 - 14 SA 1903 in very good condition for 110 years old. Both have excellent bright bores with excellent rifiling right to the muzzle crown. I was one of only a couple of people who responded to his ad and the only one who was actually serious not asking stupid questions and posting ridiculous offers. I don't have them yet but will by tomorrow. I'll post the photos I have so far. Both rifles had incorrect bolts in them in these pictures. He took them out to oil them all and mixed up the bolts. I have corrected that since these pictures.

I'll start with the 03-A3: 4 - 43 Remington in a nearly immaculate stock with the full complement of cartouches strong and easily visible. Parked barrel and receiver with blued bands, bolt, trigger guard and floorplate. No bayonet, sling or buttstock complement.

Secondly is the 1 - 14 Springfield 1903. I wanted a WWI era 1903 and this definitely fits the bill. Most bluing worn and it has some battle scars just like it should. Excellent bright bore with good rifiling up to the muzzle crown. Has lots of cosmolene under the wood and in various spots up top which is good. No bayonet sling or buttstock complement. It should be a good shooter however I will be loading light 150gr rounds for it.

I'm very excited and can't wait to get my hands on them. A good cleaning for both then a trip to the range is in order for them. Then I'll be breaking them down for the deep cleaning and stock oiling. I can relax now and get to work on them.

I would appreciate any educated opinions on what is seen so far.

[oldfoneguy]

Current update. After the initial cleaning I took these shots of the muzzle of the 1903. The rifling is still very strong in it. The recoil lug recess in the stock has no splitting or splintering a very good sign. Although showing cosmolene on the outside in spots there wasn't a sticky mess inside the stock that I had expected. Lots of solidified cosmolene on the metal that will take some soaking and scrubbing to get clean. Surprisingly there was some recent light rust on the underside of the barrel. Not a real problem it was gone by the third swipe with oiled 4/0 steel wool. Overall I'm impressed with the condition of this rifle.

[oldfoneguy]

Well apparently this rifle was re-arsenaled at some point in its life because the trigger guard is parkerized over some deep pitting. Honestly I don't believe that it's original to this rifle. For it to have that degree of pitting there should be equal evidence in the mag well in the stock. Also the bottom of the receiver would have similar pitting as well. All its related parts are still blue though.

Currently in the process of boiling rust conversion and degreasing. I've found it to work very well and makes the job much quicker and easier. Works amazing on cosmolene filled coil springs and other small parts. You just have to scoop off what collects at the top of the water or it will re-adhere to the parts as you remove them from the pot.

Edit: the pots are old and dedicated to this task. The water is collected rain water from the winter months when it has no organic compounds in it. Yet my wife still manages to complain about the smell. I happen to like the aroma of old oil and grease.

[oldfoneguy]

A light 4/0 steel wool buff of a nice but dirty stock revealed an excellent cartouch. It's a night a day comparison compared to what it looked like when I first got it.

I'm liking this piece more and more as I work on it.

[oldfoneguy]

Sorry guys I couldn't have been more wrong about the trigger guard. Once properly cleaned and in daylight the green hue is gone and it shows itself to be a blued and Springfield part. I am going to rack up the pitting to a poor quality casting. It is all over the part inside, outside and in back of of the magazine box.

[browningautorifle]

I am going to rack up the pitting to a poor quality casting.

Are you sure that's not a refinish? I don't know whether it's supposed to be blue or park originally but it looks like refinish over rust pits...?

[oldfoneguy]

Are you sure that's not a refinish? I don't know whether it's supposed to be blue or park originally but it looks like refinish over rust pits...?

No not sure and no way to be. A 1-14 built rifle was blued. My daughters boyfriend has 5 1903's and every single one of his has the same pitted look to them both the blued ones and the parked ones. Are they all refinished too...probably. There is no evidence in the stocks mag well that a magazine corroded heavily and adhered itself to the wood which would be evident. But it had to have seen an armorer at some point in time, perhaps it was switched out then.

[John Beard]

Your 1914 Springfield Armory rifle has a pre-1907 stock on it. So it's not entirely original.

J.B.

[oldfoneguy]

Your 1914 Springfield Armory rifle has a pre-1907 stock on it. So it's not entirely original.

J.B.

John I'm going to ask you a purely speculative in your opinion question.

With no arsenal stamping for it to be an official replacement stock would this have been done as a field repair or post government ownership?

I had no illusions that the rifle was all original an untouched and i didn't pay that kind of money for it either. I certainty didn’t realize that the stock was that old. I saw a JS Adams cartouch and figured it was legit to the rifle because he was with Springfield at the time the rifle was made.

[oldfoneguy]

So here it is the 1914 low number 1903 in a 1907 era stock.

The stock was buffed with 4/0 steel wool and nothing else. You can see on the picture of the handguard the buffed on the right and the dirty side on the left. Without oiling and sitting in 70° ambient temperature 117 years of oil just seeped right back up to the surface giving a beautiful honey color to the stock.

The rifle is sans its bolt as I haven't found it's match yet but I will be digging through the collection for it tomorrow. I left the front sight off as I'm waiting for a taller one to arrive.

On to the 4-43 Remington 03-A3 next. It's in cleaner and nicer condition for sure and will need mild cleaning and a buff of the stock as well because there's lots of solidified oil all over the surface. It should be an easy peasy one day job. See the first post for markings on both.