Pics of my first M1903

[John Beard]

Your rifle has the correct serial number. The "1" at the front has not been added.

The "W" in the stock is a Remington factory subinspection mark.

Your rifle's barrel was originally made for a rod bayonet rifle.

Hope this helps.

J.B.

[bigduke6]

Thanks for that JB and thanks to everyone else for all the info provided, you will all be pleased to know it shoots like a dream, i managed 6 rounds in a 3" group and 3 of these were in a 1" group at 100m.
Cant believe the accuracy, am very impressed, anyone know where i can pick up a M1903A4 ?

[Lancebear]

Hey Bigduke,

Good shootin'. Guess you'll be leavin' that barrel alone now.

Took a look at my '03 with an '05 barrel on it today. It is exactly fourteen hundred and ninety numbers higher than yours. Pretty close. Has AAG on the left of the stock, Augusta Arsenal. Does your's have any inspection marks on the left?

Wonder if anyone else here has an 03' close to our two with an '05 barrel?

Happy Fourth,

Lancebear

[bigduke6]

yep the barrel is staying , no marks on the stock only mark i found is the W in previous pics.
1490 is not a lot, i wonder what the time difference was between them in days or weeks ? some pics to compare will be good.

[Lancebear]

Hey Bigduke6,

The difference could actually be years, since in the thirties, Springfield was not churning out rifles like they did between 1903 and the early twenties. Believe they were putting rifles together with new receivers and good old parts on hand. Though I think John Beard has posted that many thousands were put together in the thirties, could be wrong though. He'll sure let me know about that.

Our rifles could have also been assembled or reworked in the early forties. Yours wears a Remington stock, mine a Springfield Scant stock manufactured in the forties as a replacement stock. Who knows? Maybe J.B.?

Anyway, both rifles could have receivers and barrels mated in the thirties, used in training, and in the early forties had the stocks replaced with the WWII wood they wear now.

Think I can post some photos for you. Always lookin' for a project.

Were you ever in the service? Bigduke6 kinda' sounds like a call sign. Or maybe you are a John Wayne fan?

Regards and death to tyrants,

Lancebear

[Arisaka99]

Makes one wonder if old stock barrels from SA that were taken off when Rod Bayonet rifles were converted weren't hauled out for this small SN range??

[Lancebear]

That's what I was thinkin'. Could just be a coincidence though. My barrel is an altered one also.

LB

[bigduke6]

LB,
Not in armed service but am coming up to 20 years As an Engineer officer in the Merchant Navy (Merchant Marines as you would say over there).
Bigduke6 was, Kilgore(Robert Duvall) in the film " Apocalypse now

[Griff Murphey]

"Put on heading 270. Assume attack Formation... Getcha a case of beer for THAT one..." (for your group, that is!)

Yes, one of my favorite movies as well. I'm glad the rifle is a shooter and that I was wrong about the S/N being altered. Must have been the lighting in the pic. John Beard is he ABSOLUTE authority.