Got a RIA 1903

[zaugau]

Won this on GB and picked it up last week.

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIte...Item=133969148

It's my first straight up 1903, to go along with the 03A4 and SC 03A3 I picked up earlier this year. I figured it was looking like a good price even if its a fair to midding 1903, since it came with the 1918 dated sling and grenade boot.

I guess this serial number is too early for any original parkerizing? So the whole thing must have been parked when it was rebuilt with the SA 31 barrel, right? I was going to ask about the bolt but I think I figured it out; I thought it was marked on the lug with an I and a cursive J, but that J must be a 5.

The sling had so much of that green crud on the brass it took a long time to get most of it off. The sling is actually in pretty good condition, but I took it off to not damage it with any use, as this will be a shooter. It looks like it's had the sling attached to the stacking swivel for so long that if I tried to put it on correctly it would be bending and cracking the leather in a new place.

I wasn't planning on putting the boot on, but the seller shipped it that way, and I think I'll keep it on. My shoulder gets pretty sore shooting bolt rifles from the bench...

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