03A1 Handguard?

[Johnny Peppers]

Not a star gauged barrel. Has COL Samuel P. Green's inspector initials - SPG.

Did the info on COL Samuel P. Green come out of Poyer? Stanley Samuel Ployart Gibbs (S.P.G.) was a civilian inspector in the Ordnance Department at Springfield Armory.

[DMark]

.... Glad someone on Jouster's got it. Looks like it will be a good shooter.

Yea I was shocked to find it on ARFCON, even more so on that user unfriendly "new exchange." I kept looking at this rifle thinking "why hasn't this gun sold?" Then I remember that alot of the black rifle crowd really don't deal in these dirty old bolt guns.

Seller was a straight up good guy and was honest that he really didn't know much about 03s.

I took a chance that the rifle was what it appeared to be - - - A pre-war 03A1 with a correct C stock. It looks like it is. The stock has the normal amount of dings and dents, but I think it will clean up well. Looks to have the SA park and that not black paint that the Greeks used. Wonder if it came out of the CMP (or maybe the DCM earlier).

Oh....., and I didn't pay $550!

[DMark]

Did the info on COL Samuel P. Green come out of Poyer?

First I did a quick inspector initial sreach on m1903.com. It came back as...

"SPG = Samuel P. Green Col. USA M1903, M1 .30 Rifles 1938."

Poyer on page 405 also has SPG as Samuel P. Green.

[Johnny Peppers]

Bad information has a life of it's own. S.P.G. was Stanley P. Gibbs.

[DMark]

Bad information has a life of it's own. S.P.G. was Stanley P. Gibbs.

OK. Maybe so.

For me what is important is that the stock is correct for the time period that the receiver and barrel would have gone together.

[John Beard]

So, are both numbers correct?

No. Both numbers are not correct. The correct drawing number for an M1903 service rifle handguard is D28179. Poyer has an error (one of many).

J.B.

[John Beard]

Did the info on COL Samuel P. Green come out of Poyer? Stanley Samuel Ployart Gibbs (S.P.G.) was a civilian inspector in the Ordnance Department at Springfield Armory.

The earliest reference to "S.P.G. = Samuel P. Green" that I am aware of is Bruce Canfield's first book on the M1903 rifle.

I concur. Misinformation quickly takes on a life of its own.

Hope this helps.

J.B.

[DMark]

.... Misinformation quickly takes on a life of its own. Hope this helps. J.B.

J.B.

Thanks for the insight.

I'm more of a accumulator than a collector of firearms. I'm military and buy my weapons to shoot. My taste is all over the place, i.e. I found this 03A1 on ARFCOM while searching for a Magpul UBR stock for a 3-Gun AR that I compete with.

That's not to say that I don't want my firearms to me "honest."

My 1903 library is a bit dated. What do you consider the best reference?

Regards,

[Chuckindenver]

sometimes, you need to put the books away, and just enjoy the guns..
books like the net, are full of bad info.
i for one think your rifle is fine, and a fair example of a 1903A1.

[DMark]

sometimes, you need to put the books away, and just enjoy the guns....

I couldn't agree more. This 03A1 is a shooter that I intend to use at a local military bolt gun match.