Jim:

Be aware that a number of 1903/A3 offered for sale today are converted from a "Drill Rifle". The Army converted many 1,000s 1903/A3s into Drill Rifles by: welding the barrel to the receiver; the weld is on the bottom, near where the guard screw fits; driving a steel rod into the chamber; cutting a hole into the chamber, also on the bottom of the barrel; welding the magazine cut off shut so that the bolt may not be removed; welding closed the striker hole in the bolt face and grinding off the tip of, or removing the striker.

The CMPicon sold Drill Rifles and many have been "recovered" to make them fireable again by grinding off the welds, replacing barrels, bolts & mag cut offs. You can spot such a recovered rifle by examining the bottom of the receiver ring & the mag cut off area. Any sign of welding there means it's a Drill Rifle. Pay particular attention if the rifle is newly refinished. The welds on the receivers I've seen appear to be stainless steel & do not take a finish well. Welding may have weakened the receiver, making it unsafe to fire. Many sellers do not mention they are selling a recovered Drill Rifle. Insist on a 3-day inspection period for any rifle you get and then have a1903-competent gunsmith check it out.
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.