Remington 1903A3 03-A3 .30-06 WWII Bolt Action Rifle MFD 1943 C&R Search this site > > Go to content. 1903 Remington how original is it? - U.S. Militaria Forum CMP does not recommend firing any Springfield rifle with a low number receiver. Year of Manufacture: 1943 (Page 375 of Joe Poyer's book, The M1903 Springfield Rifle and its Variations, 3rd Edition). M1903/M1903A3 Rifle Information - Civilian Marksmanship Program No such comparable statistics are known to exist beyond February 1943. Representatives of the British government turned to the United States for the acquisition of new arms. In addition to the straight grip stock, Remington also manufactured some stocks with semi-pistol grips, often dubbed scant or scant grip stocks today. US Model 1903 Springfield Rifle Serial Number Ranges - Muzzle First. The rear sight of the M1903A3 rifle was actually a better battle sight in many ways than M1905 pattern sight. Remington 700, 870 or 1100 serial/barrel . Year of Manufacture: 1943, C&R (page 374 of Joe Poyer's book, The M1903 Springfield Rifle and its Variations, 3rd Edition) Barrel Date: December, 1942. This was commenced at Springfield Armory at approximately serial number 800,000 and at Rock Island Arsenal at exactly serial number 285,507. The U.S. M1903 and M1903A3 Springfield rifles are the greatest of all U.S. military issue bolt action rifles. h3 CJ (REMINGTON ARMS PRODUCTION OF M1903, 1903A3, 1903A4 194230000013348085 (M1903) 194233480863607999 (M1903A3) 194237080004707999 (M1903A3) 194249920015784000 (M1903A3) 194334070883427087 (M1903A4) 194349920014997045 (M1903A4) 1943Z4000000Z4002920 (M1903A4) TOTAL: 1084079 (SMITH CORONA PRODUCTION OF M1903A3 194336080003707999 194447080004992000 TOTAL: 234000 On 18 January 1943 Remington directed to divert from production 20,000 M1903A3 rifles for conversion to the U.S. Rifle M1903A4 (Sniper's). RLB represented Col. Roy L. Bowlin, Chief of the Rochester Ordnance District. Many are not aware of the rifles of this type turned out by Remington during World War II. >* CJ( 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. Another minor difference was the configuration of the recess for the spring on the lower barrel band. Typical receiver ring markings for the main three Remington 03 variants are shown above (left to right): M1903; M1903 Modified and M1903A3. g g g ! Also during this early time They can be decoded to find out when your shotgun or rifle was manufactured. Even so, it was apparent that more rifles would be needed. The last of the M1903 "Modified" rifles was completed the following March 1943. Stamped metal components were used wherever possible, such as on the trigger guard (l.). According to a recent Federal Emergency Management Agency report, fewer people are "prepping" today compared to previous years. 5 J _ t 8 9 W X d t gd3 @ f 5 6 j k # D S T x y gd3 gd3 h a b c d e f gd3 gd3 , 1h/ =!"#$% @ @ @ N o r m a l CJ _HaJ mH sH tH @ ` @ 3 H e a d i n g 1 $@&. years prior (the Krag Jorgensen). gd3 gd3 gdO. Remington was initially assigned the serial number block of 3,407,088-3,427,087 for 03A4 production. Civilian firms that had never produced war material or arms were soon turning out vast quantities of desperately needed items with which to fight the war. The Remington and Smith-Corona M1903A3 rifles provided yeoman-like service to U.S. armed forces during World War II. During WWII, however, the urgent need for rifles resulted in the rebuilding and reissuing of many low-number as well as high-number Springfields. Currently, M1903 and M1903A3 models are not available, and CMP is not accepting orders. Still, this could be the barrel original to the receiver, as there was often some mixing and matching at the factory. The early Remington M1903 and M1903 Modified rifles (r.) were inspected by Col. Roy L. Bowlin, RLB, chief of the Rochester Ordnance District. The U.S. government ordered 134,000 M1903s from Remington the same day that the British contracts were canceled. This so-called last SN is an approximated end-number only. 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. Large numbers were also utilized for stateside training and for supplementary use by sentries and other personnel. The factory shop-assembly process resulted in final rifle production in no particular SN order or sequence, therefore rifles with higher SNs than the number of rifles produced may exist for any given month. Such bolts, while historically correct for display with a rifle of WWI or earlier vintage, may be dangerous to use for shooting. Smith-Corona was eventually assigned two blocks of serial numbers. "Block" for these rifles and possible future orders were 49220015784000. 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. 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. LSB#: 210324DL76. }); granted the company a waiver for use of these non-standard barrels as their utilization would permit High Standard to deliver barrels to Smith-Corona sooner than would otherwise have been possible. Look up a Remington serial number by using Remington Serial Number Lookup. 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). This sight, and its barrel-mounted fixed base, required a great deal of machining. For example, the Remington 03A3 rifles were stamped with a 7/16-inch circled P proof firing mark on the bottom of the grip (behind the trigger guard) while the Smith-Corona rifles had a 1/2-inch proof stamp in this same location. Visually they can be Original M1903A3s had Parked barrels/receivers and most other parts were a blue/black. (known for their typewriters). contracted with the Remington Arms Co. for new production of the Model 1903 bolt-action rifle using machinery and some raw materials (mainly stock blanks) in storage at Rock Island Arsenal since manufacture of the 03 rifle ceased at that entity in the early 1920s. x 9 In addition to the changes made in the rear sight, there was also more extensive use of stamped parts. a 2 piece firing pin, Mauser filed a lawsuit against the US government, rifle so closely that many say that it is actually a Mauser design with Remington Model 1903A3 03-A3 .30-06 WWII Bolt Action Rifle MFD 1943 C&R The substantially modified rifle was standardized as the U.S. | NRA Family, Guns & Loads for Self-Defense Against Animals | NRA Family, 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. Smith & Corona Typewriter Co. of Syracuse, N.Y. 1919: 326,936-348,414 **Introduction of improved heat treatment at Serial Number 285,507 and nickel steel at Serial number 319,921. Remington Fed Ord 1903-A4 03A3 Sniper .30-06 Bolt Action Rifle 1943 C&R The first pilot batch of 20 Smith-Corona M1903A3 rifles was completed in October 1942, and mass production began in November, a month ahead of Remingtons initial delivery of 03A3 rifles. }); To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. CMP also does not recommend firing any Springfield rifle, regardless of serial number, with a single heat-treated low number bolt. By the year 1900, the Springfield Armory has its first Caliber: .30-06 Springfield. It has been reported that a number of Remington M1903s were utilized by the U.S. Marine Corps in some of the early Pacific campaigns. Some of the earlier M1903 Modified rifles will have few stamped parts and later production will exhibit more stamped components. The rifles with the changes were termed the M1903 Modified although, as stated, there is some indication that this term was in use as early as November 1941. This rifle was mainly phased out of service before the The 1903 Springfield Sporter | Sports Afield The salient features of the Smith-Corona M1903A3 rifle were: The receiver ring had the same marking format as the Remington rifles except for the name of the manufacturer, U.S./Smith-Corona; and Smith-Corona was assigned two distinct blocks of serial numbers: 3,608,000 3,707,999 and 4,708,000 4,992,000. in the bolt action rifle's history, the introduction of the Pederson Original USGI 1903 Springfield Firing Pin Spring . 2023 Civilian Marksmanship Program. It is considered the U.S. Governments official production record. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Model: 1903A3 (03A3) Serial Number: 4743824 Year of Manufacture: 1943 (page 375 of Joe Poyer's book, The 1903 Springfield Rifle - 3rd Edition). enable_page_level_ads: true The stock furniture (one-piece upper band assembly, lower barrel band, band spring, sling swivel, buttplate and trigger housing/floorplate assembly) were constructed of stamped sheet metal. All end-of-month SNs are calculated approximations only. does not have any markings on the rifle, as many were produced in haste to The receivers with these duplicate numbers were stamped with a C next to the serial number for identification and inventory control purposes. Springfield Models 1903A3 & 1903A4. U.S. MILITARY DATES OF MANUFACTURE U.S. Military M1903, & M1903A3 Rifle: Remington: Covering numbers: 3000001 - 5784000. 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. His pump-action rifle, based on the dimensions of the . enable_page_level_ads: true or Best Offer. The03A4s bolt handle was concavely forged to provide clearance for telescopic sight, and the stock was inletted to accommodate the bolt handle. As Remingtons production continued, an increasing number of changes were made to the original specifications in the interest of reducing production time. 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. 9-43 and 12-43 were VERY popular months for Barrels. 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. device (which was used to allow the M1903 to fire the .30 caliber pistol 6/26/18 - This is a1943 WWII US Remington 1903A3 Springfield Rifle in 30-06 caliber. There were also some serial numbers used for M1903A4 sniper rifle production from this final block as well. The last of the M1903 Modified rifles was completed the following March 1943. Reportedly, very early in production, High Standard (the maker of the barrels) acquired some unfinished barrel blanks from Savage Arms Co. 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. As with the preceding Remington 03s, the barrel had the RA and flaming bomb markings as well as the month and year of production. Interestingly, Remington over ran some of Smith-Coronas first block of serial numbers. This early example (top) has a straight stock and grasping grooves in the fore-end. 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. Several avenues were explored, including discussions with Remington Arms Company for the production of rifles under British contract. All low number bolts have the bolt handle bent straight down, perpendicular to the axis of the bolt body. . This service uses the two-letter codes stamped on the barrel of Remington rifles and shotguns to determine the age of the firearm. This report reconciles in finality all rifle inspection approval issues that may have remained after close of each monthly billing period. However, the Remington rifles were every bit as valuable and serviceable as the 03s that were made by the government-owned and -operated entities of Springfield Armory or Rock Island Arsenal. Answer: Your rifle is a nice sporter made up from a U.S. 1903A3 military rifle. $ The front sight was omitted on 03A4 rifle barrels, although the milling cut was present in the event that the barrel did not prove suitable for sniping use. The second "block" of "03A3" numbers was used only to about 4168800 before cancellation of contract ended "03A3" production 28 February 1944. 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. To this end, the Smith-Corona Typewriter Company was granted a contract for production of M1903A3s. Even with this increase in M1 rifle output, the anticipated supply of service rifles would be insufficient to meet the demand. | g g g g $ 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] 1903116000 19041600167000 190567001119000 1906119001269450 1907269451337861 1908337862358084 1909358085398275 1910398276456375 1911456376502045 1912502046531520 1913531521570560 1914570561595600 1915595601620120 1916620121632825 1917632826761757 19187617581055091 191910550921162500 192011625011211299 192112113001239640 192212396411252386 192312523871261486 192412614871267100 192512671011270300 192612703011274764 192712747651285265 192812852661305900 192913059011338405 193013384061369760 193113697611404025 193214040261425933 193314259341441811 193414418121491531 193514915321496022 1936PRODUCTION TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED 193714960231510387 1938193915103881532878 Total: 1340000. This huge increase in demand coupled with production problems stemming from use of the nearly worn-out Rock Island machinery resulted in something of a dilemma for Remington if the ambitious production schedules were to be met. Springfield Models 1903A3 & 1903A4 - Shooting Times High number bolts have swept-back (or slightly rearward curved) bolt handles. between 1903 and 1906, M1903 NRA - sold only to NRA 5. 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).