It spoke to me

[ElWoodman]

Well, they all do, but I bought another 03....Remington,8-42 RA barrel,Sn31699xx....It came in a dingy C stock with an inverted K (Keystone?) in the cutoff well and a most peculiar broad arrow on the foretip....Lend-Lease perhaps? Dark black finish, with a few bright blue parts. Bolt has a R underside of handle, and a squared off safety lug....Any info helpful.....

[p246]

Pics really help the experts here.

[Merc]

Your Remington 03-A3 rifle was made early in WW2 and may have seen the kind of rough service that made extensive rebuilding necessary. It would be interesting to know the rifle's history.

The S/N 31699xx indicates that it was originally assembled by Remington in 6-42 so it has a later Remington barrel if it is stamped RA 8-42.

Mixed finishes on the mechanical parts probably means that they began life on other rifles. Remington stamped an R on their parts while SC left them blank.

The C stock is a replacement. The K in the cutoff well could have been an inspectors mark. The broad arrow was the British acceptance mark. A photo of it would help to determine if that's what it really is. The US did make lend-lease rifles for the Brits, however they were made by Savage in the US and Longbranch in Canada and were the Enfield No. 4 Mk 1* that fired .303 caliber ammo.

The SRS guys on this forum can tell you if there are any hits on the S/N that would trace the rifle's activities.

Good luck,
Merc

[Merc]

EI,

The stamped symbol on the fore tip of the stock on my 03-A3 is the flaming bomb. It's very crisp but small making it difficult to see without a magnifying glass or eye loupe.

The stock on my minty 03-A3 was also dingy when I bought it a few weeks for ago. I could see that it was in really good shape with minimal nicks, dings and scratches but the linseed oil finish had turned into a dark sticky coating. After I taped some metal parts and removed others to prevent scuffing, I removed the old linseed oil finish by rubbing the wood gently with 00 steel wool dipped in acetone. Once the old finish was removed, I used dry steel wool to gently polish the wood surfaces to a low luster that revealed the original color and wood grain. I thought about applying another coating of linseed oil but have decided to leave the stock the way it is. What a big difference. I should have taken before and after pics.

Merc

[Punch the Clown]

The inverted "K" is Keystone. The non-scalloped safety lug and an "R" stamp at the root of the handle was discussed here before. I had one show up on a purchase and was mystified. I think John said they were really late replacement bolts but I'm not sure. Pictures are always nice.

[pickax]

The serial is too early for an 'A3. I'm seeing 7/42 production 1903 which makes the barrel correct.
It might have some "modified' features. Pictures would tell the story.

[Rick the Librarian]

I agree - a correct barrel. The bolt, if described correctly, is a replacement. The serial number is too late for a British Land/lease (Sales) rifle.

[pickax]

Mr. Woodman, A nice Remington in a C stock speaks to me as well. The later square lug A3 bolt is fine too!

[Merc]

The serial is too early for an 'A3. I'm seeing 7/42 production 1903 which makes the barrel correct.
It might have some "modified' features. Pictures would tell the story.

Now I'm confused. According to www.vishooter.net/ra_serialization.txt the serial numbers beginning with 3,000,000 were assigned to A3s. Was this during the period before the term A3 was used? 7-42 is correct, my error on 6-42.

[Johnny P]

There was an overlap in production of the 1903 at they transitioned into 03-A3 production. You will find some late 1903 Remingtons that show where the boss for the 03-A3 sight was milled off. From memory the 1903 production went into the 3.3 million range, but don't remember closer than that.

[blackhawknj]

Uncle Sam's Ordnance men were more concerned with getting a rifle back in operation than in keeping it "correct." I have a 1918 made M1903 with the "scant grip" stock. Not correct for 1918, correct for WWII.

[Darreld Walton]

Now I'm confused. According to www.vishooter.net/ra_serialization.txt the serial numbers beginning with 3,000,000 were assigned to A3s. Was this during the period before the term A3 was used? 7-42 is correct, my error on 6-42.

Must be some confusion somewhere. Remington M1903 s/n's start at 3 million. I own Rem. 1903 s/n 3,002,XXX, unfortunately sporterized, but with all of the very early features present. Some of the other fella's would have a lot better idea of where the Rem. A3's serial numbers started.

[pickax]

Yes, the serialization charts are a bit confusing as they list both together. However the serial/barrel charts just below them separate the rifles by model/manufacturer a bit more definitively.
So although in constant transition, The A3 starts in the 33K range around 12/42.
I'm really grateful for the VI shooter site, it's mighty handy. Thanks JB and all contributors.

[Rick the Librarian]

Remington M1903s start in the 3,000,000 range. The first M1903A3s appear in the 3,320,000 range and they both are serialed from there until about the 3,360,000 range (although a few M1903s appear in the 3,370,000-3,380,000 range. After that, all M1903A3.