View Full Version : 1903a4 redfield base
I recently bought a 1903a4 rifle from a pawn shop for what I thought was a bargain. However, the rifle did not come with a base. Instead, It had a a3 rear sight & standard 03 front sight. the front sight was held i place with a small finishing nail. the rear sight was an unmarked smith corona. both were removed, & the grooves on the barrel were parkerized. However, I cannot find a small punch mark at the 6'oclock position , instead having 1 around the 3 'o'clock...hmmm...the gun is refurbished marked SA/O( i think). I don't believe it to be a keystone stock, but it is lacking of the random varying marks on the belly forward of the trigger guard. It is marked FJA w/ crossed cannons.Barrel is 8-43 RA. Bolt is blued.
I bought a redfield base to restore it. However, upon review, the front screw was differently threaded ( not fine enough) & has a larger head. That screw is parked. It appears the base was reamed to accept the larger screw head, now displaying two fairly distinct sizes...I feel that it could be a bubba job, but it is done very neatly and doesn't have a bare metal look. repark to hide the reaming? Or, could this be a post war armorer job? I changed the thread size to fit my rifle...the rear screw was a perfect fit all along....need opinions, & possibly a new base. thoughts?
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Cosine26
04-12-2015, 04:00
03A3 is drilled and tapped for 8X40 screws not 6x48
what do you mean? the problem I am having doesn't seem to be the screw holes in the actual rifle itself, but in 1 of the holes in the base to allow for a larger screw head as in picture 3.
Cosine26
04-12-2015, 06:35
Is that a real GI base? I had one years ago and it did not have the large screw head, just the standard like your rear screw. Mine was a real surplus base
I believe it to be G.I. also, it does have a keystone "K" in the magazine cutout, i was wrong... see attached:304763047730478
The specifications for the A4 mount base screws are:
Front Screw SCREW, MACHINE FL, FIL-HD No. 8 (0.164 - 40NS-3 - .510")
Rear Screw SCREW, MACHINE S FL FIL-HD No. 8 (0.164 -40NS-3 - .250")
In other words the heads of both screws should be identical they only differ in the length - One is a quarter of an inch & the other is a shade over half an inch.
On the plus side your rifle is one of the last 1500 or so A4's built.
It is bit late for an Aug 43 barrel so I suspect the barrel is a replacement. That could account for the missing pouch mark. Coincidentally there was a "bumper crop" of 8/43 and 9/43 barrels manufactured.
The inspection marks may have been obliterated during a rebuild.
I would like to have the full serial number for my database if you would care to share it it confidentially by PM or Email. Thanks.
Regards,
Jim
what barrel date have you seen on this late of a rifle? Notice the small ping at the 3 o'clock position in the picture with the front sight portion still in place. I bet the gun was an old dmc release that didn't have a base and someone added the sights to shoot, after all I wouldnt call a finishing nail left in the white armory work...haha. Also, what doesn't S.A. "O" mean?
Is there any chance that the base was retrofitted for this size screw in the refurb process? It is a perfect fit and finish to the base and rifle minus it's obnoxious sized head. It also had the wrong sized threads, that is until I changed them. I guess I am some what of a bubba in that regard, but the rear screw was perfect thread wise for both holes in the rifle, so my guess at the time was that the screw was already a bubba piece. Either way it aggravates me that it is not matching.
Dough( in Homer Simpson voice) dcm not dmc...;)
what barrel date have you seen on this late of a rifle? Notice the small ping at the 3 o'clock position in the picture with the front sight portion still in place. I bet the gun was an old dmc release that didn't have a base and someone added the sights to shoot, after all I wouldnt call a finishing nail left in the white armory work...haha. Also, what doesn't S.A. "O" mean?
.
Virtually all the examples of 499XXXX M1903A4s have December 43 or January 44 Barrels. Barrels that date much later in 44 (May, August etc.) typically have other indications of a rebuild. I do have one rifle in the data, 4995408, with an August 43 barrel. That record came from one of peter Senich's reference books on USMC snipers.
The "SA/O" is a rebuild mark of Springfield Arsenal with "O" being the initial of the inspector.
I have no idea why the counterbore for the head of the mounting screw would have been changed. I suspect the front screw was an ill-fitting civilian replacement.
My a4 has a 1-44 barrel and ser no 4998267 pretty much orig untouched from R A rebuild. Just a parked bolt the rest as it should be, mount still with orig staking.
chuckindenver
04-13-2015, 05:51
http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Pack-Slotted-Fillister-Head-8-40-x-3-8-Blued-Screws-For-Sight-Scope-Base-/301582504514?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4637b7d242
To be honest I have not actually checked the hole diameter with calipers, I just assume that it is larger being that the larger screw head seats in it. I figure that the screw head itself is supposed to sink in slightly but still make contact with the inside edges of the socket. If I am correct in the larger head socket having been drilled, then those screws would do me no good, as the screw head would undoubtably not contact the socket walls.
Can anyone post a picture of their barrel punch mark? I believe my barrel is a 4 groove.
Any one have a base that they are willing to part with? Or need a rifle?��
Did they refinish rifles during the rebuild process?
Did they refinish rifles during the rebuild process?
Not in every case but usually they did. Rifles coming for overhaul were appraised and each given what it needed. In later years i believe refinishing became more automatic. Typically the parts which were originally blued like the stock metal, TG/magazine assembly and bolt were parkerized.
Thanks Jim, I tried sending you a private message on the forum but your mailbox is full. I then sent it using the email function but I am not sure if you ever got it.
Looking for a front base screw. Any ideas?
Sbl
Looking for a front base screw. Any ideas?
Sbl
Send the base to chuckindenver and have him weld the screw hole and redrill to fit the screws that he listed above. Then have him repark. The base has been altered and reparked so it will never be original. Or send it back to where you bought it for a refund and find another.
Found another base, but the screw I have for the front is too short. It barely mated with the receiver ring when installed on the old messed up base, but since the new base I found is still in the correct shape, the screw won't fit.
Brownells has the correct head 8-40 screw, they're long so cut to length.
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/small-hardware/metal-screws/long-6-48-8-40-screws-prod19929.aspx
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