Now for you old salts ( Meaning old billie goats)

[Randy]

Now that I've got my 03A3 home, I need some advice from some of the old salts on here. If it were you ,what kind of spare parts would you get?
Firing pin striker? Ect and so on. All advice is sincerely appreciated.........................Randy

[Lee T.]

Who're you calling old?? kidding.....
for shooting or display? Both? Lots of accoutrements to collect for display.
Books, bullets, belts, bayonets. Yes on the extra pin striker - check for old cosmoline inside the bolt body. Raw linseed oil for the wood - some say boiled, traditionalists like me use raw which never fully dries but allows the oil to soak in. Chamber brush (good for Garand too). Be careful with tight screws - they're easy to bugger up and reduces resale value. Clean the bore from the breech end.
In CA where we both live, load up on ammo before April. lee

[Randy A]

Almost afraid to ask... what happens in April? Oh, maybe a spare extractor too.

[Randy]

Randy A.....Starting next year those of us who live in Ca have to go through background check to buy ammo.

[Richard H Brown Jr]

Randy:

Get a copy of the WW2 FM and TM for the 1903's and look in the maintenance sections.

FM 23-10 Basic Field Manual U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1903

TM 9-1270 U.S. Rifles, Cal. .30, M1903, M1903A1, M1903A3, M1903A4

D/l at www.90thidpg.us/Referernce/Manuals/index.html

Also the manual 'Description and Rules for the Management of the United States Rifle Caliber .30, Model of 1903 references most likely to break parts on
page 41:

The Armorer's Chest of 1910, included for the M1903 Rifle: 2 bolts; 7 firing pins; 2 cut-off plungers; 2 cut off springs; 2 ejector pins; 2 mainsprings; 1 safety lock, complete; 2 slide binding screws; 4 slide cap pins; 3 slides and slide caps, assembled: 5 Front sight covers: 2 lower band screws; 1 stacking swivel: 2 stacking swivel screws; 15 strickers.

Page 44: Parts which are most likely to require repair:
Bolt Stop.
Cocking Piece.
Lower Band Swivel and Screw.
Safety Lock.
Stacking Swivel and Screw.
Striker.

Good to have:

Ruptured case extractor. (also works for the M1917, M-1 Garand)

Atlanta Cutlery sells the accessory kit, consisting of the pull thru thong, folding screwdriver, and front sight cover. NOTE: the thong twine is atleast 75yrs old, so don't use it to clean the rifle.

Sarco, however sells a MAS36 Pull-through bore wiper pt no M36033, and the twine is in better condition, so you could replace the dry-rotted springfield pull-thru twine with the French one's twine.


Butt compartment cleaning accessories are sold both by Sarco and Numrich. And various cleaning kits.

I'd get one of the Swiss cleaning kits, because it has a nice screw together cleaning rod, and a neat bore mirror, so you can really look at the barrel insides.

https://vtarmynavy.com/swiss-s-i-g-gun-cleaning-kit SKU 214 for $9.95 is available. One of the places you can find it, or possibly your local gun stores.

After drowning you with information. Hope this helps.

R. Brown

[IditarodJoe]

Now that I've got my 03A3 home, I need some advice from some of the old salts on here. If it were you ,what kind of spare parts would you get?
Firing pin striker? Ect and so on. All advice is sincerely appreciated.........................Randy
If your rifle is currently in good condition, if you care for it properly, and if you are careful in any disassembly/reassembly that you do, you might never need to replace any parts. Invest in a sling that you like, a handful of the new-made stainless steel charger clips (which will last almost forever), and a good supply of ammunition. Parts that could wear out with extended use (but probably won't) might include the rear sight springs (both), the follower spring, and the striker. If your rifle currently has parts that are somewhat sketchy, it's probably best to replace them sooner rather than later. And, of course, if you plan to shoot A LOT, you may want a spare NOS barrel. I seem to recall that the typical life expectancy of an 03A3 barrel is around 10K rounds . . . say, something like 50 rounds every week over four years.

Any time you disassemble/reassemble something you run the risk of losing or ruining parts. If you're not careful, little parts like the rear sight springs or the safety or cutoff springs & plungers can be lost. Action screws and band screws can be ruined (in the case of band screws, the threading in the band may also be stripped). Removing the front sight blade can put the blade and pin in jeopardy. Careless removal of the extractor can bend the extractor retaining clip. A good rule is, if there isn't a really compelling reason to take something apart - don't!

[Major Tom]

I've had my 03A3 for a long time (decades). A relative used to own it and as kids we played with. Once we dropped it and cracked the stock. My relative got a replacement stock for it. Other than that, no parts have failed. Thousands of rounds thru it too. It's still accurate.

[PhillipM]

Frankly, I wouldnt buy anything till something broke if you are just a plinker.

Since I shoot matches, my spare parts kit is another rifle!

If you must, buy a whole bolt assembly, its cheaper than buying all the separate parts and covers most of all the moving parts likely to give trouble.

https://www.amherst-depot.com/gunparts.03A3.htm

[Merc]

Randy A.....Starting next year those of us who live in Ca have to go through background check to buy ammo.

Does this background check also apply to reloading components?

[Randy]

Does this background check also apply to reloading components?

Now that, I don't know

[Merc]

Now that, I don't know

I've long suspected the method the federal government would use to institute gun control would be to control or restrict ammo sales. That won't happen on a federal level now, but it's not surprising to hear that ultra-liberal CA moved in that direction. Once the background check has been performed, your personal info goes into a data base for future gun control actions although you're already in the database if you've purchased a gun legally from a registered dealer.

How do they propose to stop CA residents from buying ammo or reloading components in bordering states? I live in PA but buy my reloading components in WV. Will it be illegal to buy ammo from private individuals? Just curious. PA has a liberal governor and a conservative legislature that has prevented any sort of similar state laws from being enacted. They can't agree on anything - we went 6 months without a budget a few years ago. It wouldn't surprise me to see the CA law be used as a model for a future law here if our legislature ever swings liberal.

[louis]

That's a scary thought but it's so on point. Maybe not in the next coming years but when we get another liberal Prez and congress or perhaps a senate then the door is open.

[PhillipM]

... your personal info goes into a data base for future gun control actions although you're already in the database if you've purchased a gun legally from a registered dealer.

...

There is no federal database per federal law.


No such rule or regulation prescribed [by the Attorney General] after the date of the enactment of the Firearms Owners Protection Act may require that records required to be maintained under this chapter or any portion of the contents of such records, be recorded at or transferred to a facility owned, managed, or controlled by the United States or any State or any political subdivision thereof, nor that any system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions or disposition be established. Nothing in this section expands or restricts the Secretary’s authority to inquire into the disposition of any firearm in the course of a criminal investigation.

https://www.usafirearmtraining.com/law/are-guns-registered/

[Richard H Brown Jr]

Trouble with getting spare bits and pieces, preety soon, you've got just about enough bits to make a whole 'nother rifle, and you start looking for a reconditioned receiver (ex-drill) and someone to do the hard stuff. (barrel and chamber, front and rear sight installation) and then putting all the bits togehter and making them work together. And then by golly, you need to collect enough spare bits for TWO 03's.

R Brown

[Col. Colt]

What Richard said - they multiply in the dark of the gunsafe..... CC

[Richard H Brown Jr]

Col. Colt:

Would that they do.

[bruce]

Now that I've got my 03A3 home, I need some advice from some of the old salts on here. If it were you ,what kind of spare parts would you get?
Firing pin striker? Ect and so on. All advice is sincerely appreciated.........................Randy

You got your 03-A3 home! Spare parts? Maybe a striker, extractor, ejector. Maybe a front sight blade. Maybe. Have been shooting 03-A3 rifles since 1980. Have not ever had a part fail regardless of if the rifle was in fine or heavily used condition. Have replaced one barrel w/ a NOS Rem. 1944 barrel. Result was that a heavily used rifle became a excellent shooter... 2.0 inches or less for five shot groups using good ammo. You will need lots of ammo to wear the striker, extractor, ejector and barrel so that you will need to make those repairs! So, buy ammo! JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

[Randy]

Through a friend here on the forum, I've acquired quite a few rounds. Thanks for all the suggestions guy's.

[Merc]

[QUOTE=PhillipM;481500]There is no federal database per federal law.

That's true, I was referring to CA's data base, although I remember reading something recently about the ATF maintaining some sort of database and wondering if that was legal.