1903 Springfield NRA sporter

[gustav1901]

Thank you, that's good advice. I will leave it as found ... Jeff

[browningautorifle]

Yup, nice rifle. You really can't return that to anything but what it is.

[Herschel]

That rifle appears to be the workmanship of a good gunsmith. The makers name may be under the buttplate or in the barrel channel of the stock. There are people who collect these fine custom rifles. This is certainly not a rifle that an amateur assembled with an aftermarket stock. The late Michael Petrov wrote two books about just such custom rifles as this. I have the books. If you find a makers name on it I will be glad to see if it appears in the books.

[gustav1901]

Here's a couple

[Allen Humphrey]

Really a good looker. The butt plate, cheek pad, and the recess cut for the cut-off look similar to some James Howe rifles that have been discussed here.

https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=54144

https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=8827

The pronounced pistol grip and comb drop don't seem to match those examples. Hopefully someone with Mr. Petrov's book can link up some of the features. In the end, it may just be a rifle built by a good gunsmith.

[Promo]

Extremely well made rifle. You should not follow the advise to restore it to a NRA sales rifle, this anyway won't be a NRA sales rifle again. And if I saw it correctly the bolt handle is swept back - so it either had been modified, or already being replaced with a later bolt which then would had been another thing to restore...

[browningautorifle]

This rifle can't be changed back to anything...it is what it now is...

[gustav1901]

Herschal ... I checked under the barrel and the butt plate, but don't find any name ... There was a few neat parts and cleaning items in the butt stock. extractor, firing pin and a piece marked Marble 30 US ... I'll add a couple pictures of these items .... Thanks for the suggestion. Jeff

[butlersrangers]

'gustav1901' - That is a very handsome sporting rifle built from a 'low number' 1903 Springfield.

I'm guessing your 'part' from the butt-trap, marked "Marble .30", is the "broken-shell extractor", that I have taken the liberty to crop from your photo.

These were manufactured by the Marble's Gun-Sight Company (Gladwin, Michigan) for various calibers in the early 1900s. If the 'Head' separated on a fired cartridge, this tool was used to extract the remains of the cartridge case from the chamber.

(The irony is, in a low number 1903 Springfield, in the event of a 'complete Head-separation', other problems, like a blown up receiver, would be likely)!

Attachment 74897

[browningautorifle]

Yes, that's a separated casing tool. There's a nickle oiler, remnants of a pullthrough, bore brush, new firing pin and extractor...quite a few goodies.