Original/Refurbished/Restored? (Remington 1903A3)

[BoulderChris]

Hey everyone, first time poster here. I recently acquired a Remington 1903A3 from my grandfather (he did serve in WWII as part of a BAR team) but I don't know much of anything about it. I'm hoping most of it is original, but you can never be too sure with these things. When I received the rifle, it was contained in a hunting stock but I was able to find what I think is the original stock pieces and most of the original hardware in his "spares" box up in the attic. What I'm most concerned about are the finishes on the Bolt body and the barrel as they don't appear to be parkerized as a 1903A3 should be? Also, I'll have to order a lower band. The stock looks to be in good condition at least.

Pictures are worth a thousand words, so here goes:

Overall Rifle (missing middle/lower band and upper band not installed)


S/N (3988262) and CC stamp on Extractor


RA stamp (5-43)


Bolt


BP mark on Bolt Sleeve


Bolt


Upper Band


Magazine well and trigger guard


K stamp on Stock


R stamp on lower/mid band spring


Butt Plate


So, it looks like I have a mix of blued and parkerized parts. Hoping this forum can lend some of their expertise to identify what exactly I inherited.

Information

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[WarPig1976]

No expert here but let me point out some things I see "wrong"
Polished and blued barrel and receiver.
Polished bolt.
Bubba goo i.e. Truoil or equivalent finish on the stock.
Get the parts you need and take her out and have a blast!!
Others with more to offer will be along....

[twh]

The front band is off of a 1903 not an 03/A3. The barrel and receiver appear to have refinished in a commercial bluing of some kind. The bolt has been heavily polished and then forged or ground down to clear a scope. I wouldn't spend a whole lot of money and time on it if it were me because to make it look original the receiver and barrel would need to be re-parked and I expect that the process would further wash out the markings. I would just buy a new bolt body, an 03/A3 front band and strip the varnish from the stock.

[Salt Flat]

I agree with twh. Also, the front band that is shown is actually a Krag band and with the screws and swivel is worth about $75 on Ebay or Gunbroker. The bolt body is very sellable as well. The bolt sleeve looks to be from a Smith Corona so could be sold to fund the correct parts too. Salt Flat

[BoulderChris]

Thanks guys for the replies. You've just confirmed my fears...

So, do I need a new bolt to safely shoot it? Or will it be safe as is if I get the right bands for it? If it's that far out of "original" I'm planning on just getting the front bands and then using it as a shooter. No sense in making it "more correct" seems to me. The scope would make sense since I pulled the "guts" of the rifle off a hunting stock.

SaltFlat - What do you mean by a "Krag" band?

I also inherited a Mauser K98 and Enfield MkIII* from my grandfather. The Mauser appears to be in good condition, but the stock has been sporterized and the bolt is white. The Enfield might be the closest of the three to original. I'll see about posting pictures in the relevant forums.

Thanks again, Chris

[Cosine26]

It appears to me that the bolt handle is hitting the stock before the bolt is fully seated. The "sporter" stock was probably cut for the modified bolt handle. The safety lug should lie on the receiver rail when the bolt is fully closed. If the bolt is not fully closed, the firig pin may strike the cocking cam causing a misfire. The butt plate is off M1903 instead of an 03A3.
FWIW

[Salt Flat]

BC The bolt itself is likely fine as is, but as Cosine states you can't really use it with the original stock. Also, it just wouldn't be right to modify the stock to fit that bolt. Unaltered bolt bodies can be had for $20. Look at the sticky threads at the top of the 1903 forum page for a thread on what a correct 03a3 should look like. Have the headspace checked though by a gunsmith. A Krag is the U.S. service rifle that was used before the 1903 Springfield. Salt Flat

[Chuckindenver]

some observations.
rifle itself was polished and blued...should be parkerized..bolt,,,well, the obvious...a replacement Remington A3 bolt can be found easy enough..buttplate is a 1903 type and not an A3..those can be found as well.
the bayonet lug you have pictured is from a Krag and not a 1903 variant...wont work on your rifle.. rear sling swivle is from a 1903 as well, and not a 1903A3
all these parts are available via Ebay or Bill Ricca...
your missing.
R marked A3 bolt
buttplate,
lower band,
stacking swivle band,
bayonet lug and screw.
handguard ring.
lower swivle,
correct finish on those parts would be black oxide {blue}

[BoulderChris]

Thanks everyone for helping to educate me on this rifle!

[emmagee1917]

I agree with the above.
Because you have $0 in the rifle and have already acquired the most expensive part ( the stock ) , I'd go ahead and get the rest and restore it as a shooter. You might be able to do some gunshow trading of parts or list the parts you replace for sale. You can always redo the bbl and reciever finish down the road if you choose to.
A lot of fun is in the hunt of proper parts and stock refinishing .
Chris