New Zealand Lend-Lease Remington 1903s

[Roy]

I see about the lightening cut, I have never actually seen a trigger guard with one I have only seen the interiors of two R marked trigger guards and they are both mine.

[BryanJ]

Roy. Have you ever run across any 1903A3 rifles that were lend leased to NZ or 1903A3's having NZ lend leased stocks?

[sakorick]

Roy. Have you ever run across any 1903A3 rifles that were lend leased to NZ or 1903A3's having NZ lend leased stocks?

Bryan, by the time the 03A3's came out the US 03's and Canadian Long Branch Enfields had filled their needs. I do not believe any were issued to NZ.

[Roy]

I have never seen a NZ marked 1903A3. A3's sometimes pop up in NZ but they are far less common than 1903's

Sent you a email too Howard.

NZ only received No4's after the war had ended. The NZ army in Italy maintained use of the SMLE until war end

[BryanJ]

Thanks for the info and I believe what you are saying is correct. I have a beautiful 1903a3 with a NZ lend lease stock (NZ 8387, boxed RLB stamp, 5/43 barrel consistent with serial number). And I know in all probability someone swapped the stock out at some point, and that the barrel date is after RLB's career by a year or so. Just a puzzle why someone would take a beautiful stock off a legitimate NZ rifle and put it on a '03A3. This is what makes collecting these rifles so interesting and puzzling.

[sakorick]

Thanks for the info and I believe what you are saying is correct. I have a beautiful 1903a3 with a NZ lend lease stock (NZ 8387, boxed RLB stamp, 5/43 barrel consistent with serial number). And I know in all probability someone swapped the stock out at some point, and that the barrel date is after RLB's career by a year or so. Just a puzzle why someone would take a beautiful stock off a legitimate NZ rifle and put it on a '03A3. This is what makes collecting these rifles so interesting and puzzling.

As you know, a nice boxed RLB stock is worth at least $800. I would keep that stock for a early 1903 Remington restoration and replace it with the correct 03A3 stock.

[BryanJ]

Here's the mystery rifle I mentioned. Beautiful NZ stock on a 5/43 rifle.

Album — Postimage.org

[Roy]

Just a puzzle why someone would take a beautiful stock off a legitimate NZ rifle and put it on a '03A3. This is what makes collecting these rifles so interesting and puzzling.

That beautiful NZ Remington may have gained a Monte Carlo stock and a scope around 1970 and someone would have been very happy with it.

[MGMike]

In the FWIW Department:

After being repatriated to the U.S., many of the NZ 1903 Springfields were thereafter supplied as Military Assistance Program material to Greece, along with other M1903s and M1903A3s from U.S. inventory.

These served for many years in Greece. They bear no special Greek markings, but can be identified from the Greek practice of electropencilling on the bolt root the last four digits of the rifle's serial number. On most, the floorplate was pinned in to prevent inadvertent release (and stamped with a "B"). Eventually the majority were refurbished in Greek Army workshops, and many were re-barreled, sometimes with Sedgely "USMC" barrels. Stocks were commonly swapped, and relatively few remained with all their original parts.

These all were repatriated a second time in the early 2000s when Greece returned them to the U.S. Army for transfer to the CMP. CMP received about 45,000. Quite a few original NZ-marked stocks were found among them, though usually mounted on a different rifle.

M

[Roy]

Thanks MGMike

Do we know know when the 1903's went to Geece? because its not known for sure when the rifles went back to the US, it though that they went in the 1960's, I remember seeing a NZ marked bayonet for sale in Greece, wish I bought it even though it was expensive.