Smith Corona 1903A3 rifle info

[TDH]

Oh and about the bayonet. That was cut down from a 16" bayonet into a spear point. The were also cut down to a drop point and the scabbards were also cut down. I have 2 one each of a spear point and a drop point and the scabbards seem to be cut down differently as well. One was cut off the bottom and a metal cap was put on the end and the other seems to have been cut off the top and reattached to the piece at the top that locks the blade in and has the clips to attach it to the web belt or side of the pack.. I have seen some samples with numbers stamped on the side of the tang though none of my samples have it. My drop point does have a serial number on the side of the blade with manufacturer and the flaming bomb

[mike radford]

Nice rifle Craig. The bolt is DuLite blue, as are most small parts on the 03A3s. They will appear dull and black if the parts were not polished well before finish and shinny blue if well polished. Speaking of which, Rick and others, were any late SC trigger guards originally parkerized as I have seen claimed on other forums? Thanks.

[Rick the Librarian]

I believe John Beard they were late in production.

[Fozzybear]

Hi Craig,
First of all a very, very nice rifle. Was it one of the ones advertised recentley??.
I know of a dealer down south who had a couple of nice SCs.

I to have some 03s...I have a pretty tidy Remington 1903a3 with what I think would be the original barrel.
And a real scrappy Rem 1903a3...but low and behold has a brand new SC barrel on it.

And last but not least a 1903 MK1 with a 43 HS barrel on it. This one is quite tidy{considering it's age} the metal work is very good.
None of these are the so called rebuilt ones that have been getting sold thru Lawrance Ordnance and Cleavers.

Yes I know....pretty rare to see a person with three Sprinfields in Australia.

Cheers mate
Dave.

[Craig Eberhardt]

Hello there,

Yes it was advertised on abused guns recently. I paid a good price for it but it seems in very good nick.

They are pretty thin on the ground aren't they?

Do you know of anywhere in Australia where parts can be sourced?

Can't wait to shoot it.

Craig

[Fozzybear]

I recently picked up a couple of spare bolts from a guy on abusedguns.
Colin Green had some stuff a while ago but not anymore.
I have bought a 1903a3 rear sight complete and other odds and ends from Numrich in the past.
There was no problems doing this.

You certainly did pay a pretty penny for it.....but in saying that it's a fine looking rifle.
I picked up my 1903 Mk1 for $500 from a guy in Proserpine {NQ} not so long ago.

You can get away with using Swede stripper clips, they work fine.
One thing for sure is that you'll enjoy shooting it..and you'll be amazed at how well they shoot.

[Craig Eberhardt]

Hello everyone,

Well I have this in my hands now. It looks pretty good.

Does anyone know what the stamped letter E on the front end of the stock ( in front of the bayonet lug on the timber) means? There may also be a stamped O but it is not as clear and may just be a machining mark.

I will take it apart and have a look for other marks on the internal pieces when I have a bit more time.

Thanks for your interest and help.

Craig

[Craig Eberhardt]

Took this apart today.

There is remnants of cosmoline on the bottom of the receiver and magazine box.

There are no r stamps on the trigger or sear.

The magazine follower and spring are unmarked and blued.

The action is finished in an olive green colour which is very uniform. There is no evidence that the barrel has been replaced; the finish where it joins the action is seamless.

On the front left of the recoil lug the are some stamps including the letter p and the figure 82. There were some other figures in this location but I didn't pay close attention to them.

The barrel has a dull grey/ blue finish.

There is an 8 on the bottom of the stock just behind the barrel band and an E on the end of the stock in front of the bayonet lug.

Interested to hear your thoughts on any/all of these markings.

Thanks for your help.

Craig

[sakorick]

Speaking of which, Rick and others, were any late SC trigger guards originally parkerized as I have seen claimed on other forums? Thanks.

I finally found my data sheet! My SC rifle SN is 4727460 and according to the data sheet John Beard gave me, my SC triggerguard is supposed to be parkerized. Here is the complete list. Parkerized parts are barrel/front sight base, Bayo band, Stacking swivel, trigger guard, cocking piece, safety lock, magazine cutoff and receiver. Blued parts are front sight blade, stacking band, lower band, handguard retaining ring, mag follower, bolt body, extractor, bolt sleeve, rear sight assembly, buttplate and butt swivel. Since your 478 is older I would guess the TG's were all parked at least after 4.72. Hope this helps. Regards, Rick.

[Craig Eberhardt]

Rick that is so helpful; thank you!

All of the parts that should be blued are; and all that should be parked are. The receiver and stacking swivel have the same greenish hue to them; I read elsewhere that this is caused by a reaction between cosmoline and the parkerised finish. Any thoughts on this?

Kind regards,

Craig