Ok This is what I purchased, Tell me what you think

[1mark]

Took as chance with an online auction. I ended up with the following:
Springfield M1903 s/n 1,265,xxx
Barrel dated, 9-30 and is star gauged.
No rear sight base
NS Bolt polished, no s/n on bolt
Lyman rear peep sight long slide
Lyman front globe sight
Gas escape hole on the left of the receiver
C stock NRA sporter type
Drilled and taped receiver and barrel, approximately 7+ inches apart

I will try and get pictures up tomorrow.

[musketshooter]

People will be a lot more helpful if you post the entire serial number.

[joem]

I think you should send it to me for a evaluation.

[cplnorton]

Post the full serial and we will check the SRS for you for a hit. There are a lot of DCM sales in this range in the SRS.

[1mark]

It is not in SRS I checked.

[Rick the Librarian]

Pictures would help ...

[Major Tom]

I noticed your signature line of a Mark Twain quote. There is alot of truth in that. That is Hillary's modus operandae.

[cplnorton]

With no SRS hit, it's sort of interesting it's drilled and tapped, and then has the hatcher hole. As Rick said get us a lot of pics. :)

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

It is not in SRS I checked.

There are more lists than SRS. There are people on this forum that have been collecting serial numbers for years and years. The only person that loses by someone not posting a complete serial number is the owner. I don't have much interest in match rifles, but I have multiple searchable databases that include pages of match rifle SN's I found in the Quantico archives (Marine team rifles) while researching other Marine scoped rifles - not one of them appears in the SRS database. Just so you know, SRS isn't the only horse on the trail by a long shot. SRS contains about 380 or so SN's for scoped 1903's, whereas my current scoped '03 database contains over 700. I have over 4000 SN's for USMC 1903's (non-scoped rifles). Although I do not publish the databases, I will tell anyone if their rifle is contained within.

jt

[Johnny P]

Maybe it's going to be multiple choice.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

:wave:

[1mark]

Ok you make me get pictures on Christmas eve, holding up the festivities. But here they are.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/LM7/Springfield%20M1903%20Rifle/Springfield%20M1903%20-A_zpshcodzsd5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/LM7/Springfield%20M1903%20Rifle/Springfield%20M1903%20-B_zpsq7dqcihq.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/LM7/Springfield%20M1903%20Rifle/Springfield%20M1903%20-C_zpsnshyr9kg.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/LM7/Springfield%20M1903%20Rifle/Springfield%20M1903%20-D_zpsuvomcmmf.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/LM7/Springfield%20M1903%20Rifle/Springfield%20M1903%20-E_zpsrr8td4ni.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/LM7/Springfield%20M1903%20Rifle/Springfield%20M1903%20-F_zpssndkr8ho.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/LM7/Springfield%20M1903%20Rifle/Springfield%20M1903%20-G_zpslgup2yog.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/LM7/Springfield%20M1903%20Rifle/Springfield%20M1903%20-H_zpsqor3tdd5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/LM7/Springfield%20M1903%20Rifle/Springfield%20M1903%20-I_zpsr3dzreef.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/LM7/Springfield%20M1903%20Rifle/Springfield%20M1903%20-J_zps1qzca3yb.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/LM7/Springfield%20M1903%20Rifle/Springfield%20M1903%20-K_zpsqmw5bcbi.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/LM7/Springfield%20M1903%20Rifle/Springfield%20M1903%20-L_zpskid6w4np.jpg

[louis]

Well you've got to excuse everyone we are like children waiting to open a Christmas gift!!

[Cosine26]

There are two things about the stock that causes me to wonder if it is truly a NRA sporting rifle stock. It has no cross recoil bolts and it does not have a recess in the left hand of the stock to allow for the cutoff to be put fully into the OFF position. I wonder if the stock may be a M1922 .22 stock? I have been told that all Sporters had the Lyman 48S sight, while this one has the 48C sight. Obviously the NRA rifle, as issued, did not have the rubber recoil pad.
Just a couple of questions for the experts.
Just wondering.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

It lands in the middle of a whole bunch of USMC match rifles. Barrel has been replaced, stock probably not original, but one nice looking rifle. I'll wager it has a very nice trigger pull and shoots like a dream. Marine paper punchers were given a lot of leeway with their team rifles in those days.

I'll let the real experts chime in.

jt

[Dick Hosmer]

Real one (front sight temporarily changed to a Lyman 17A for shooting - I have the original blade)

[John Beard]

Seasons' Greetings!

You appear to have a gunsmith-assembled amalgamation of three different rifles:

National Match Rifle - Receiver
NRA Sporter - Barrel, Bolt, Band, Trigger Guard, and Floorplate
M1922 Rifle - Stock

The receiver was probably purchased by a military officer, perhaps as part of a complete rifle, since it doesn't show up in the DCM sales records.

Hope this helps. Merry Christmas!

J.B.

[dave]

I do not understand the reluctance of people to list full serials---are they afraid the rifle may have been stolen at one time? If so would they not want to return it to the rightful owner? Of course the claimant would have to have proof and be willing to compensate to get it back which I am sure they would be willing to do, rather then hire lawyer, etc.

[1mark]

Merry Christmas John, thank you for the information. I now know what it is. I have a M1903 target rifle so I might change some of the parts to build a better rifle from the two.
Thank you

[John Beard]

Merry Christmas John, thank you for the information. I now know what it is. I have a M1903 target rifle so I might change some of the parts to build a better rifle from the two.
Thank you

Seasons' Greetings!

Please be aware that, absent reinforcing crossbolts, your rifle's stock is highly subject to splitting when fired.

Hope this helps. Merry Christmas!

J.B.

[1mark]

Yes I know that is why I will look for another stock. I have a M1922 project that is just screaming for a stock.

[cplnorton]

You know this one intrigues me. As Jim said, I also have serials recorded around this one that are Marine Match rifles. I didn't have time today to look at the pics in great detail, and I hope to look more at it this weekend when I have more time. But looking at what I did, I instantly thought of a description I saw in Marine Documents that really sort of reminded me of this rifle.

Going through the Van Orden report on the recommendations of a Marine Sniper rifle for WWII. In the report, he recommends a Winchester model 70 with the 8X Unertl scope. But there are couple 1903 test rifle descriptions in the report that sound familiar to the set up of this rifle. Especially the first one seems pretty accurate .


1) An M1903 Less fixed base, fitted with a lyman 48-C Rear Sight and mounted in a M2 Stock - Lyman 8 Power Junior Target Spot Scope in Lyman Mounts

2) This one I think is a heavy barrel 1903. But again is in a M2 .22 stock. This is the description: M1903 Receiver fitted with a 24 inch F.H.P. Barrel and mounted in an M2 stock - Lyman 12 power Super Target Spot Telescopic Sight in the Lyman Standard Target Mounts - Lyman 48-C Rear Sight and an 03 Front Sight Adaptation.

Your rifle has a Hatcher hole and looks like the correct drilled pattern to mount a set of standard lyman blocks. It also sound like the correct spacing for the scope at the 7.2 inches.

You know before I did anything to that rifle, I might just hold onto it a little bit. Several of us really digging into the Marine Match rifles more and maybe one of these days we will come up with some more serial lists or maybe some more info on the setups above. I thought too I should go back through that Van Orden report and see if it describes those 1903's in more detail somewhere else in the report.

I'm not going to say for sure what it is because these are always hard to prove who did what, and when. But I would sure do some more research on it. I would love to honestly tear this one apart myself and go over it piece by piece for clues.

[1mark]

cplnorton, pm sent
Thanks
Mark1