New to me 03a3, original?

[bczandm]

Hi Neal,

Good points. I did pull it out of the safe and the rust on the barrel was some sort of orangeish grease, it almost looked like it had sawdust in it. The rust on the upper barrel band looks much worst in the photos....the screws are trashed and there are one or two others that are the same. Is there a place I can pick up original screws that will match the rifle?

[bczandm]

I need to touch up the stock slightly as well, what should I use?

[Neal Myers]

Bill Ricca may have the screws:
Bill Ricca's 03/03A3 Parts and Accessories

And, Numrich is worth a try.

Neal

[sakorick]

I need to touch up the stock slightly as well, what should I use?

Don't use anything on that stock but Raw linseed oil, light coats rubbed in with the palm of your hand, wait 24 hrs between coats. Very nice gun. Regards, Rick.

[NRA]

I like it and think you should use it the way it was meant to be used. It is no virgin. I would shoot it in a heart beat.

[Patrick Chadwick]

It is a rifle in good condition, but looking at the bolt body and bolt face, it has certainly been used and is by no means what I term "armory mint", so I do not see why further careful and occasional use should make any difference to its value. It's not an automobile, there's no mileage counter, and what counts is how it performs and avoiding dinging it up at the range.

P.S: Looking again at the wear marks on the action components, dinged upper band and chewed-up screw slots, indicating that it has been dismantled on at least one occasion ... are you really, really sure that is the original stock?

[Johnny Peppers]

At one time the rifle was absolutely brand new, and more than likely it was a NRA/DCM sale rifle and in as new condition when sold. At the time they were sold they were not collectible and the owner shot it just like any rifle he would have bought at a store. Today it is highly collectible, and the better the condition the more collectible it is. Making it a shooter will put more wear on it, so no need to continue the process of of putting needless wear on it.

There are any number of things that have value today way beyond what they were originally made for. Silver coins were made to spend, but does anyone still spend silver coins?