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Thread: Need help IDing 1903A3 bolt sleeve/safety

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    Legacy Member Freestateguy's Avatar
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    Need help IDing 1903A3 bolt sleeve/safety

    Hello, I am documenting a RA 1903A3 serial 35831xx with a 8-43 RA barrel. It has a boxed RIA/EB rebuild stamp on its scant stock. I have everything identified except the bolt sleeve and safety. The rifle has a properly marked Smith Corona bolt body, extractor and collar with all other bolt internals "R" marked. The collar / safety look Remington to me but are unmarked. Sleeve is not scalloped and the safety has serifed letters like Remington. This is a CMPicon gun with one owner before me. Id like to call it something other than USGI. Can anyone shed light on who may have manufactured this A3 unmarked sleeve and safety?

    Thanks for any help
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    Legacy Member m1903rifle's Avatar
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    Not marked usually means SA or RIA .

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    Legacy Member Freestateguy's Avatar
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    Thread Starter
    Thanks for the info m1903rifle

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    Legacy Member Garandy's Avatar
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    With the center detent position, that bolt sleeve may be M1903 rather than M1903A3.

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    Legacy Member 1903Collector's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Freestateguy View Post
    Hello, I am documenting a RA 1903A3 serial 35831xx with a 8-43 RA barrel. It has a boxed RIA/EB rebuild stamp on its scant stock. I have everything identified except the bolt sleeve and safety. The rifle has a properly marked Smith Corona bolt body, extractor and collar with all other bolt internals "R" marked. The collar / safety look Remington to me but are unmarked. Sleeve is not scalloped and the safety has serifed letters like Remington. This is a CMPicon gun with one owner before me. Id like to call it something other than USGI. Can anyone shed light on who may have manufactured this A3 unmarked sleeve and safety?

    Thanks for any help
    Regarding Safety- with serif letters and no "R" stamp it, but top not shown whether there is a cleaning hole on the top thru to the spring hole, it is either SC (with hole, this is the most likely ID), RIA Type 5 (all RIA production and SA 1927 - 1928 (?)), or SA Type 2 (SA 1905 - 1915). By the way, Ive never been able to notice ANY difference between type 5 and type 2! Anyone know?

    Regarding Bolt Sleeve - with no markings (and not the same as SC geometry) it HAS to be a Type 2 (SA & RIA 1903 - 1945)

    ---------- Post added at 05:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:52 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Garandy View Post
    With the center detent position, that bolt sleeve may be M1903 rather than M1903A3.
    "center detent position"???

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    Legacy Member Garandy's Avatar
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    I'm not sure what else to call it, but the divot in the track the safety plunger rides in that would hold it in the straight up position.

    I'm not sure any of the A3 bolt sleeves I've got have that, but my '03 bolt sleeves do.

    If there is a proper term for that, I'm not aware of it.

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    Legacy Member 1903Collector's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Garandy View Post
    I'm not sure what else to call it, but the divot in the track the safety plunger rides in that would hold it in the straight up position.

    I'm not sure any of the A3 bolt sleeves I've got have that, but my '03 bolt sleeves do.

    If there is a proper term for that, I'm not aware of it.
    Odd, I never noticed...Ill have to check that out! If its there, I would not know what to call it either, so the name you used will stick! :-)

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