1903 From Cabelas

[pcaru1]

Here's a 1903 I bought on the floor from a Cabelas about two years ago for 279.00. How it looks is how it was purchased. The finish is beat and the muzzle is, well, worn. I only have a no-go guage which it closes on but I know thats SAAMI spec and military would be more lenient. Seems to have all correct parts unless I am missing something. My only question is the S29 on the bolt safety lug?? Any thoughts on that one? Comments and critiques welcome.

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[Chuckindenver]

nice rifle, sometimes you win,, looks to be a low numbered reciever, and not to be shot, if you look at ViShooters web page, it will explaine the heat lot code on the bolt, very well could be the original.

[pcaru1]

I know low numbered rifles are said to be dangerous ( I am not going there) but the muzzle didn't get like that from cleaning. I have not put any down range yet...I might some day. For now it's nice to just have a great piece of history. I still can't believe a rifle like this was just sitting on the used gun rack. It was in a group of Scmidt Rubins that were in "like new" condition and all pretty. I saw a gentleman pick this up and then "stalked" the aisle waiting for him to put it down. Then pounced.

[pcaru1]

nice rifle, sometimes you win,, looks to be a low numbered reciever, and not to be shot, if you look at ViShooters web page, it will explaine the heat lot code on the bolt, very well could be the original.

According to ViShooters tables, this bolt was from 1/08-10/08 from ser.# 227022 thru 342194. My serial # is 600364. Would a bolt this old be used in an arsenal rebuild? JSA is for J.S. Adams who worked from 1897-1920 at SA, which would make sense for this rifle that has a build date of 1915. But there are no armorers marks on the stock. Could this possibly the original set-up with a different bolt?

[Rick the Librarian]

For $279 you did well. One thing I've noticed at Cabelas is that their military rifles are either grossly overpriced (most of the time) or occasionally underpriced.

[Kirk]

Stock appears to have been lightly sanded & refinished. The JSA cartouche looks like it has been sanded. The wood has discolorations that to me look like old oil/grease stains. One would expect a circled P behind the trigger guard; this is missing & I suspect sanded off. The metal looks like it has been corroded and there is quite a bit of light pitting. Worst of all, I have seen rifles that have been through a fire. I can't really tell from the pictures but the mottled finish, rough/pitted metal on your rifle is similar to what a rifle looks like after a fire. If you are not going to fire it, that's not a problem. It is a nice looking, historic piece. If you have any intention at all of firing it, have a competent gunsmith give his opinion about fire damage and check the headspace.

[Rick the Librarian]

Hmmmm. That may explain the low price. Did Cabela's say anything about it? Probably not.

[pcaru1]

Stock appears to have been lightly sanded & refinished. The JSA cartouche looks like it has been sanded. The wood has discolorations that to me look like old oil/grease stains. One would expect a circled P behind the trigger guard; this is missing & I suspect sanded off. The metal looks like it has been corroded and there is quite a bit of light pitting. Worst of all, I have seen rifles that have been through a fire. I can't really tell from the pictures but the mottled finish, rough/pitted metal on your rifle is similar to what a rifle looks like after a fire. If you are not going to fire it, that's not a problem. It is a nice looking, historic piece. If you have any intention at all of firing it, have a competent gunsmith give his opinion about fire damage and check the headspace.

Even though it looks severly pitted, it is baby smooth to the touch. Reciever, bolt, all internals, except the safety and bolt sleeve which do have some minor pitting, look bad but that's it.

And no Cabelas didn't know a thing.

[Harlan (Deceased)]

It's a very nice rifle, and I'd love to find one like it at that price!

~ Harlan

[Mike D]

Doubt it would have that old one-bolt stock if it went through a fire. Everything looks too original for that.

As far as the finish, alot can happen in a hundred years. Being subject to the elements can produce a wide variety of results.

At one point, some owner decided to spiff it up by sanding the stock. Does the handguard have a fixturing slot?

I would have bought it for that price.