Remington 03A3 purchase

[smle-man]

Does the difference run the full length of the stock? Can you post pictures of the stock (bottom??) where the two colors meet? It may be that when the stock blank was cut, part of the wood is the sap wood & the rest heart wood. They would be different colors. Sunlight fading the stock is another possibility.

It starts to darken past the wrist and forward past the lower band and on the bottom about 1/2 way around.

[Arisaka99]

Sounds like the wood itself. I would not mess with it any further; originality is key.

[Kirk]

Sounds Like sap wood/heart wood. A clue that would rule that out & favor being sun bleached is the hand guard. Is it two tone or all one color?

[smle-man]

I took some photos of both Remington 03A3s today. I have had one of them since 1980 when I bought it while on leave from the Army at a combination auto parts and gun shop in Washington PA. It is the one with the Boyt 1943 dated sling which it came with. The other is the one I picked up this weekend.

[Arisaka99]

You sir, have both a good eye and good luck. Two real beauties! Your earlier purchase has a Smith Corona safety housing.