Trying to restore a sporterized 1903, need help.

[awq134]

It was a gift from my father last year for christmas. At the time i was going to keep it as is for a hunting rifle for my wife. Lets just say that she doesn't want anything to do with gutting or skinning a deer, so it looks like she will never use it. I Know that the metal has been refinished and that it won't be a 100% accurate restoration, but i'd like to get it as close as possible.

I was looking at new production stocks from CMP, but am not sure if i should get the 1903 "S" stock or just the 1903 stock set. Also, what all metal parts do i need as well. The CMP website says it only comes with stock bolts/cross bolts and bushings only.

This is what i have as of now:











Any help or information about this rifle would be greatly appreciated.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Chuckindenver]

i would opt for a genuine G.I. C stock, you can find them on Ebay some will come with a handguard, some stock metal and your in business, i would avoid the repro stocks.

[Salt Flat]

In addition to the stock you will need a buttplate with screws, rear sling swivel with screws, handguard, lower band with screw and swivel, upper band with screw and stacking swivel, and a lower band spring. Sarco sells this as a kit but you don't always get the best parts from them in my opinion. Ebay is good but people want to sell you one little piece at a time. With the exception of the bluing your rifle is a good one to convert back to military. It hasn't been shortened, drilled or stripped of the original sights. It also is a high serial number so should be a safe shooter as far as the heat treating goes. (how's the bore?) It looks to be a High Standard barrel. It should have the headspace checked. Not to confuse the issue but remember that it is going to cost you around $200 to restock this rifle with the hardware previously mentioned and the stock that is on it now really is a nice piece of work! Hmm, I know-- it's your rifle--have fum! Salt flat

[awq134]

I Knew it would cost some money to bring her back, so the guestimate of $200 actually sounds pretty good to me. I haven't had the head spacing checked but it has had 20 rounds put through it recently. Seemed to shoot pretty good. The bore looks amazing for it's age. I'd put it up there with one of my new hunting rifles.

Someone else mentioned how nice the current stock is, which i won't argue with, i think it looks nice. I think that's why i thought it was just a hunting rifle when i first got it.

just out of curiosity, have you ever had a rifle bluing removed and something parkerized? Just wondering if you might have a rough cost in mind. Heck, i might even be able to make a deal as i have an old .22 bot action that needs refinished.

[browningautorifle]

Just message Chuckindenver and he can give you full details. It's what he does.

[highpower3006]

I always like to see one of these brought back to life. While it will never be "original" again, you can still make a fine shooter out of it. I did much the same thing earlier this year when I managed to acquire a 1942 vintage Remington '03 that had been sporterized by Bubbas Custom Gun Works. It is a fun project and you will learn a bunch about your rifle and '03's in general. Thanks to Rick the Librarian, I was able to find a correct early Remington stock. As in all such projects, the devil is in the details, and frequently it is the little parts that require the most patience to to find.

Before pic of mine:


After I was finished:

[awq134]

Nice job, that looks pretty sweet after the resto. Hopefully i can start acquiring parts to bring mine back to life soon.

[Calif-Steve]

Give DuPage Trading Co. a call and speak with the owner. Good guy! He can look for a Scant Stock (original WWII) and start there. The milled parts do add up. Call Springfield Sporters and The Dealers Warehouse for odd'n ends. Good luck. (Avoid Sarco as they sell Chinese parts.)