Caliber: .30-06 Springfield. | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Throwback Thursday: "The Desert Fox" | NRA Family, Throwback Thursday: What's a Sten Gun? N Introduction of improved heat treatment at SN800000 Introduction of nickel steel at SN1275767. The demand for sniper rifles was too great to permit lengthy delays in developing a M1 Garand-based new arm, so the War Department contracted with Remington for a sniping version of the M1903 rifle. 2023 Civilian Marksmanship Program. The U.S. M1903 and M1903A3 Springfield rifles are the greatest of all U.S. military issue bolt action rifles. The rather rough-hewn 03A3 could be manufactured much faster and at a lower cost than the earlier rifles, yet boasted a strong action and a more efficient combat sight than its predecessors. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Although nearly identical in configuration, there are several rather subtle differences between the Smith-Corona and Remington stocks. This early example (top) has a straight stock and grasping grooves in the fore-end. Large numbers were also utilized for stateside training and for supplementary use by sentries and other personnel. Plans were made to increase M1 rifle production at Springfield Armory, and the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. was granted a production contract for the Garand. 24 inches. Remington ceased production of the M1903A3 in February 1944 and continued with M1903A4 production until June of the same year. Numerous World War II vintage photos depict 03A3 rifles employed in overseas combat zones. Total production was 1,056,276 rifles, which included about 345,000 M1903 and M1903 (modified), about 711,276 M1903A3, and just 26,653 M1903A4 (short of the 28,365 ordered) = > G 9 : X 5 6 7 j k S T U y a e f hO. in the bolt action rifle's history, the introduction of the Pederson Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903A3 was standardized. Final approved rifle production based on Ordnance Dept., Small Arms Branch, Industrial Division record summary dated March 10, 1944. By the time that the M1903-A4 was the Army's first All parts are correct Remington "R" marked parts. After the conclusion of World War II, some of the M1903A3 rifles were sent to various and sundry foreign nations. From its establishment in 1794 up to 1968, the Springfield Armory was the primary R&D and manufacturing facility for the small arms used by the armed forces of the United States. Smith-Corona was eventually assigned two blocks of serial numbers. x You also appear to be missing the rear sight slide binding knob (or it is broken off, not uncommon). With the adoption of the 03A3, simplification of the M1903 was taken as far as feasible without adversely affecting the accuracy, strength or efficiency of the rifle. It proved impossible to determine, without destructive testing, which receivers and bolts were so affected and therefore potentially dangerous. Remington began deliveries of the new variant in December 1942. New made M1903 A3 Rifles are original U.S. issued, hand selected & inspected, drill receivers of the highest quality and bolts married to new manufactured walnut wood "C" stocks and accessories. As had been the case with Remington, some problems with procurement of rear sights from subcontractors resulted in the delay of initial deliveries. For Remington 03A3: Is it correct to have all of the parts parkerized, or should some be blued? Also, it is noted that final rifle assembly followed receiver serialization by an approximate average of 2 weeks. In March 1944, with receiver Z4002290, production of the M1903A4 was ended. Other changes included altering the stock (and muzzle) to allow use of the Lee-Enfield No. Some of the Type C stocks were supplied by Springfield Armory (stamped S in the cut-off recess) and some later stocks were procured from the Keystone Company (stamped K in the same location). While Remington was struggling with increasing its production rate, the Ordnance Dept. In June 1943, the Ordnance Department ordered an additional 8,365 03A4 rifles from Remington. Despite these slight modifications, like Remington 700, 870 or 1100 serial/barrel . In addition, large numbers were shipped to various ordnance facilities for inspection and overhaul prior to being placed in long-term storage, typically after being coated in cosmoline. | NRA Family, Polands Pride, The VIS 35 Pistol | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Preview: Burdette Custom Holsters Detective OWB SA-35 Leather Holster, The Keefe Report: True Velocity's Leap | An Official Journal Of The NRA, The Keefe Report: On The Range With An American Hero | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Trust But Verify: Function-Checking Your Guns | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Rifleman Review: Winchester Wildcat 22 SR | An Official Journal Of The NRA, WATCH: 2022 National Sporting Clays Championship | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, WATCH: Colt Python Revolver History | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, I Have This Old Gun: Colt Military 1908 Pocket Hammerless | An Official Journal Of The NRA, I Have This Old Gun: Terry Carbine | An Official Journal Of The NRA, I Have This Old Gun: U.S. Army M1871 Rolling Block | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Armed Citizen protected by Smith & Wesson, NRA Women | The Armed Citizen April 28, 2023, The Armed Citizen April 28, 2023 | An Official Journal Of The NRA, The Armed Citizen April 24, 2023 | An Official Journal Of The NRA, The Armed Citizen April 21, 2023 | An Official Journal Of The NRA, #SundayGunday: Smith & Wesson Model 350 | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Whats in the Washington State Gun Ban | An Official Journal Of The NRA, NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum | Hunters and Beyond: NRA Women Are All Under One Roof, NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum | Colorado Bill Defining Wolves as Experimental Population Heads to House Floor Today, Hardware: Henry Single Shot Turkey Shotgun | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Review: Duke Cannon Supply Co. It has been said that those late M1903A3s may have had a few Parked parts. It is normally easy to differentiate between a rifle remaining in its factory configuration and one that has been overhauled. Cold Shower Face And Body Wipes | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Review: Taurus G3 Tactical | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Video Review: Browning Citori Hunter Grade II Over/Under Shotgun | NRA Family, Video Review: Savage 93 Minimalist Rifle | NRA Family, Video Review: Springfield Armory XD-M Elite 4.5 OSP in 10mm Auto | NRA Family, Make Mine Metal: The Alloy-Frame KelTec P15 | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Preview: Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P9 M2.0 Competitor | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, NRA Women | New for 2022: 20-Gauge Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus, Preview: Springfield Armory 1911 DS Double-Stack 9 mm Pistol Lineup | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Find More Great NRA Publications Perfect For Every Interest, Discover Everything That The NRA Has To Offer. Eventually that problem was resolved and sufficient quantities of the sights were procured, and increasing numbers of 03A3s began to flow from the Syracuse plant. By the year 1900, the Springfield Armory has its first The substantially modified rifle was standardized as the U.S. hO. The receivers with these duplicate numbers were stamped with a C next to the serial number for identification and inventory control purposes. The last of the M1903 "Modified" rifles was completed the following March 1943. Barrel Date: September 1943. The top of the receiver is marked "U.S./REMINGTON/MODEL 03-A3" over the serial number (highlighted in white) and the barrel is marked "RA/flaming bomb/9-43" (highlighted in white). was reluctant to agree to such a proposal and, logically, took the position that Smith-Corona should be named prime contractor with High Standard serving as the subcontractor for barrel production. To this end, in January 1942 the Ordnance Dept. gd3 gd3 gdO. The British desired certain modifications, primarily related to modifications required to utilize the standard .303 British cartridge. The firm was assigned the serial number block of 3,000,000 to 3,599,999 for its initial production. M1903 - changed several times By this time, the 03A3 was about to go into production, so the specifications were changed to develop a sniping version of this variant instead. Model 03A3 rifles were used in combat in virtually all theaters of the war, including the European, Mediterranean, and China-Burma-India (C-B-I). The Smith-Corona Model 1903A3s by Bruce N. Canfield, Field Editor posted on March 12, 2010 News, Reviews, Rifles, Bolt-Action Rifles On the eve of America's active involvement in World War II, it. Model: 1903-A4 (Sniper Version of the 1903-A3) Serial Number: 3409163. Is this what you were referring to? The new rifle was designated U.S. The recess on the Smith-Corona stocks had a rounded profile while the Remington stocks had a square profile. The British were pressing for new rifles as soon as possible, and passage of Lend-Lease legislation opened up other avenues of arms procurement. Smith-Corona and Remington rifles used the same type of stamped sheet metal furniture, including barrel bands, band springs, screws, pins, floorplate/magazine assemblies, and buttplates. SOLD FOR: $1876. In early 1942, it was determined that production could be increased even more if the rear sight base and related parts could be dispensed with, as these components required a great deal of time-consuming machining. This warning is an update/addition to the Ammunition section in the Read This First manual enclosed with each rifle shipment (M1 Garand manual-page 6 and M1903 manual-page 10). The year of manufacture for serial number 4168420 is 1942. No such comparable statistics are known to exist beyond February 1943. The markings on the stocks were identical to those of M1903A3s of the same vintage, and the only real difference was the inletting for the concave bolt handle. Remington 1903A3 Serial numbers, barrel date. Thereafter, all internal accounting controls were removed, and both. My 1943 1903a3 Stock Stamps The stamps were put on the rifles to show that 3 things had been done: 1. (known for their typewriters). Original USGI 1903 Springfield Firing Pin Spring . NOS REMINGTON 1903 1903A3 03-A3 FIRING PIN STAMPED R. $11.99. It was mounted on the rear of the M1903A3 rifles receiver. In any event, the M1903 Modified designation has come into widespread use today to differentiate the Remingtons that incorporated the manufacturing modifications from the original, finely crafted 03 rifles that were turned out during the first few months of production and will be used in this article to identify this variant from the earlier and later variants. h3 >* CJ( hO. These had six grooves and were initially produced for commercial rifles before being diverted to the 03A3 production program. Even after adoption of the M1, however, the 03 remained the primary American service rifle until production of the Garand could meet the demand. Other than the manufacturers name on the receiver ring, the Smith-Corona 03A3 rifles were quite similar to those made by Remington, but differed in some minor aspects. The final inspection marking format stamped on the left side of the stock was similar to the type found on the Remington 03A3s but lacked the RA (Remington Arms) mark. Model: 1903A3 (03-A3) Serial Number: 4021898. inspection report data used for monthly invoicing for services rendered under contract. Stamped metal components were used wherever possible, such as on the trigger guard (l.). Replacing Bowlin was Col. Frank J. Atwood, FJA, who inspected the majority of the M1903A3 (below) and M1903A4 rifles produced by Remington later in the war. You might look on another part of Vishooter's website which lists the dates of manufacture - this is just a data base of reported rifles. enable_page_level_ads: true The receiver rings of the new Remington 03s were stamped U.S./Remington/Model 1903/Serial No., and the barrels were marked RA (Remington Arms) in addition to the month and year of manufacture. Rifle, Cal. Following the conclusion of World War II, large numbers of M1903s and M1903A3s were refurbished (overhauled) at a number of ordnance facilities. I found this: RA3 40969xx RA 9-43 RA3 40975xx RA 8-44 2g RA3 409792x RA 12-43 RA3 4098281 RA 11-43 RA3 4098456 RA 11-43 4g RA3 40989xx RA 9-43 Here: http://www.vishooter.net/RA3.txt usually with a weaver mount and scope. g To this end, in 1941 the U.S. Army Ordnance Dept. Several avenues were explored, including discussions with Remington Arms Company for the production of rifles under British contract. While these changes were marginally helpful, further modifications of the basic design were deemed necessary. Most of these parts were originally blued although a few components made later in production, such as upper bands, may have been Parkerized. The M1903, up until the United States involvement in World War I was This series of rifles was originally issued to the many proud and selfless Americans that answered freedom's call during World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. 5. Authorization was also granted to eliminate the grasping grooves on the stock and other features to reduce production time for the stock and handguard. Such was the situation at the beginning of World War II. Remington's original Model 762 designation was changed to Model 760 on May 22, 1950, to avoid confusion with the 7.62 mm Russian cartridge. There were also some serial numbers used for M1903A4 sniper rifle production from this final block as well. Representatives of the British government turned to the United States for the acquisition of new arms. Remington sought to increase production by reducing cosmetic touches such as careful polishing of the metal prior to Parkerizing and eliminating some non-essential features. Most, if not all, of the scant grip stocks were utilized for replacement purposes, except for some that were used with M1903A4 sniper rifles (to be discussed later). (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({ Watch American Rifleman staff with the BFT47, a semi-automatic rifle chambered for the ubiquitous Russian cartridge, 7.62x39 mm, and its a rifle that is specd out by Americans, built by Americans, for the American market by Century Arms. By the time manufacture ceased, Remington had delivered 348,085 M1903 and M1903 Modified Rifles, 707,629 M1903A3 Rifles and 28,365 M1903A4 Rifles. A circled P proof mark was stamped on the grip behind the trigger guard, and various cryptic Remington internal inspection markings were stamped on the stock forward of the trigger guard. Through its partnership with TALO Distributors, Glock is now making its G28 pistol, a subcompact, double-stack .380, available to U.S. consumers. If the milled upper band is marked with an "R" it'll be a Remington. The barrels were marked SC and the month/year of barrel production. began negotiations with High Standard Mfg. Currently, M1903 and M1903A3 models are not available, and CMP is not accepting orders. The last of the M1903 Modified rifles was completed the following March 1943. "Block" for these rifles and possible future orders were 49220015784000. All parties concurred with the proposal and on Feb. 25, 1942, Smith-Corona was granted a contract for M1903 rifle production. Remington was initially assigned the serial number block of 3,407,088-3,427,087 for 03A4 production. In October 1942, Remington was given permission to produce two-groove barrels for the M1903A3 as prior testing at the Aberdeen Proving Ground revealed that satisfactory accuracy could be obtained with them. Some but not all Remington 1903A4 serial numbers have a . Remington (and Smith-Corona) turned out ever-increasing numbers of M1903A3s, and they provided valuable use for our rapidly expanding armed forces. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({ Even though large numbers of M1917 American Enfields were manufactured and issued during World War I to supplement the supply of M1903s, the Springfield 03 remained the standard U.S. military service rifle until the adoption of the semi-automatic M1 Garand rifle in 1936. The company was assigned the serial number block of 4,000,001-4,015,000 for the additional 03A4 rifles. All end-of-month SNs are calculated approximations only. To this end, the Smith-Corona Typewriter Company was granted a contract for production of M1903A3s. These changes included less machining to the rear sight fixed base, elimination of the bolt stop, replacement of some milled parts with stamped, sheet metal components and elimination of the grasping grooves on the rifles stock. between 1903 and 1906, M1903 NRA - sold only to NRA The rebuilt examples can be identified by the arsenal rebuild stamps on the stock, the presence of parts with mixed contractor codes and Parkerized furniture (including bolts). 6/26/18 - This is a1943 WWII US Remington 1903A3 Springfield Rifle in 30-06 caliber. Concurrently, the original contract for 100,000 rifles was increased to 380,000. You can also locate the serial number on the rifle's receiver and request an age approximation by emailing Remington support. Answer: Your rifle is a nice sporter made up from a U.S. 1903A3 military rifle. Description: This is an excellent example of a WWII production rifle as manufactured by the Remington Arms Company. Remington began production of the M1903 in September 1941, at serial number 3,000,000, using old tooling from the Rock Island Arsenal which had been in storage since 1919. The stocks were stamped with an Ordnance Department escutcheon (crossed cannons) and the initials RLB on the left side below the magazine cut-off recess. Make: Remington. Inspectors cartouches are found on the left side of the stock. Those Springfields made before this change are commonly called low-number rifles. In addition to the changes made in the rear sight, there was also more extensive use of stamped parts. Watch American Rifleman staff with the BFT47, a semi-automatic rifle chambered for the ubiquitous Russian cartridge, 7.62x39 mm, and its a rifle that is specd out by Americans, built by Americans, for the American market by Century Arms. Remingtons started production in 1941 with serial number 3,000,000, it was during this time that the finger grooved walnut stock was replaced by cheaper versions and the M1903-A3 was born. fulfill the war demand. high speed projectile and its accuracy. members and stamped with NRA logo, M1903 Air Service - had a SPRINGFIELD ARMORY US MODEL 1903 RIFLE SERIAL NUMBER RANGES (Including Rock Island Arsenal, Remington, and Smith-Corona production) SPRINGFIELD ARMORY PRODUCTION OF MODEL 1903 [Dated by calendar year: January - December] 1903-1-16000 1904-16001-67000 1905-67001-119000 1906-119001-2694501907-269451-337861 1908-337862-358084 1909-358085-398275 ! Generally speaking, low number bolts can be distinguished from high-number bolts by the angle at which the bolt handle is bent down. This report reconciles in finality all rifle inspection approval issues that may have remained after close of each monthly billing period. The number of six-groove barrels used in Smith-Corona 03A3 production is estimated to be about 5,000. Some of these changes were not readily apparent while others were quite noticeablesuch as the elimination of the lightening cuts on both sides of the rear sight base, the elimination of the small gas escape hole on the right side of the receiver and the drilling of the rear guard screw hole completely through the receiver tang. All rights reserved.Site by West Edge Collective. On the eve of Americas active involvement in World War II, it was apparent that there would be a serious shortage of service rifles for its rapidly expanding armed forces. to the list of makers of the M1903, namely Remington and Smith-Corona The U.S. War Department agreed to lease Remington the somewhat worn Rock Island 03 manufacturing equipment and provided some 600,000 walnut rifle stock blanks also in storage. Remington was initially assigned the serial number block of 3,407,088-3,427,087 for '03A4 production. GunCollectionsOnline - Privacy Policy years prior (the Krag Jorgensen). cartridge) occurred and modifications to the ammunition and sights were This total Remington production includes 348,085 M1903 Modified rifles. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. The company offered to accept the contract if it would be permitted to manufacture only the barrels and subcontract the rest of the production, including assembly of the rifles, to the L.C.
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