My only 1903

[Fred]

My only 1903 is one made in mid 1918. It's about 99 years old with a barrel date of 7-18. John Beard once told me its assembly was possibly in August of that year. The rifle appears as if it was handled and used a little, but it sure wasn't used in the trenches in Europe and I doubt if it ever went to the field to any extent outside of a rifle range. All of the original edges and finishes are still there.
When I first obtained the rifle, the front guard screw was frozen until a drop of penetrating fluid (Lighter Fluid) and the correct use of a properly contoured 03 takedown blade finaly freed it for apparrany the first time since it was assembled at Springfield Armory in mid 1918. Upon lifting the barreled receiver from the stock, I found some thin wood shavings flattened out between the bottom of the receiver and the stock. The shavings were from this stock and they apparently hadn't been blown or brushed free after the stock was inletted. This rifle appears to have never been dipped in cosmolene preparatory for shipment. It was clean and fresh as the day it was assembled.
Nothing on this rifle seems to have ever been changed, upgraded or replaced. It's a wonderful example of what was being produced at Springfield Armory during WW I.
The bore is absolutely mint.
Some here have seen this rifle before, but I wanted to post some photos that I took today.

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[Fred]

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[Fred]

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[Fred]

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[Fred]

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[Fred]

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[Fred]

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[Fred]

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[Fred]

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[Fred]

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[Fred]

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[Fred]

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[bruce]

Beautiful pictures. That rifle is ... the stuff that dreams are made of! Sincerely. bruce.

[bobinmich]

Great rifle! Do you have any story behind the rifle? If only it could talk!

[Fred]

Beautiful pictures. That rifle is ... the stuff that dreams are made of! Sincerely. bruce.

Hey, Thanks Bruce! Yea, it sure IS an interesting 1903 ain't it? I've never fired it. I'll bet it would be a real tack driver with its unworn barrel.
I keep the bore wiped and lightly oiled. It's really nice.
I think I remember that the Peep Hole is a size 5.

[Fred]

R
Great rifle! Do you have any story behind the rifle? If only it could talk!

No, I sure don't Bob.
There are the initials JS scratched into the wrist though. Maybe that's something that a guy could get away with in the National Guard.
My grampa's name is James (Mett) Shippee, so hell, it could've been one that he kept clean on the U.S.S.Wadsworth during the War. Maybe it's the same rifle he liked to use on the rifle range that he helped build at The Great Lakes Naval Training Station.
Well... maybe. Wink wink

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[louis]

I always like your photos Fred. You have the perfect background and of course the perfect rifles. Thanks for sharing.

[Fred]

Thanks Louis! I'm happy you like the photos!!

[togor]

Love to hear the story of how you came to own that fine rifle.

[BryanJ]

Fred. How often do you clean the stock and what do you use to clean it?

[Fred]

Fred. How often do you clean the stock and what do you use to clean it?

Bryan, I've never cleaned the stock or even put linseed oil on it. All I've done is wipe the dust off of it with a clean cotton towel.
Since I don't low crawl across the ground with it or hold it across my knees while I'm eating chow or anything, it stays as clean as the day it was assembled at Springfield Armory 99 years ago.
I thinki the finish on the stock of this rifle is the original from when it was being used on Active Duty. Of course the finish on the metal is its original too.

[Fred]

Love to hear the story of how you came to own that fine rifle.
Togor, I saw it on Gunbroker. I could see that it was original and in remarkable shape. I wasn't disappointed when it arrived.

[togor]

Togor, I saw it on Gunbroker. I could see that it was original and in remarkable shape. I wasn't disappointed when it arrived.

Good eye!

[Major Tom]

As usual Fred, excellent photos!

[CPC]

Fred,
As always, great pictures and rifle. I like how you subtly used Hatcher's notebook as a prop for the rifle; come on, any old Monkey wards or sears catalog could have done the trick! Thanks for sharing your rifles, it is a shame you are only down to one now. I look forward to the next round of pictures now that the weather is getting better.

[rayg]

A real nice one, Ray4036340364

[rayg]

P.S. your title, My only 03! have I been asleep, did I miss something? You had posted a lot of 1903 Springfields of yours here through out the years. What happened to them? Ray

[Fred]

Fred,
As always, great pictures and rifle. I like how you subtly used Hatcher's notebook as a prop for the rifle; come on, any old Monkey wards or sears catalog could have done the trick! Thanks for sharing your rifles, it is a shame you are only down to one now. I look forward to the next round of pictures now that the weather is getting better.

Thanks so much for responding! I'm happy with my one 1903. It's enough for me here on our ranch as its my chosen rifle for home defense while being a classic rifle for me to have.
I'm happy that you enjoy the photos!!!

[Fred]

P.S. your title, My only 03! have I been asleep, did I miss something? You had posted a lot of 1903 Springfields of yours here through out the years. What happened to them? Ray

yep, I decided to just keep one of the 1903's and sell all of the others as well as the 1905 bayonets. I used the cash to buy two very rare trapdoor Springfield's and one Single Action Army Colt made in 1883.

[rayg]

What is the rare Trapdoor you kept? Also is that Colt the one you posted about a few years ago? Ray

[Fred]

Ray, the Colt is not he same. That one was made in 1875 and was one of the ordered by and sent to the state of I think it was Alabama for their malitia. The man who ordered them From Colt (they were all Nickle Plated) and then who had to sell them again to bring in needed money for the state was ex Confederate General Picket.
That one belongs to some people we know.
mine was shipped from the Colt Factory on October 30th, 1883 to Simmons Hardware in St. Louis, Missouri. I bought it from a seller in Connecticut where The old Colt factory used to be.
The Two U.S. Trapdoor Springfield's are two of the very first Model 1868 rifles made. Serial number 6 and serial number 127.
Both rifles are part of the approximately 150 such prototype 1868's (they were considered experimental) that were stamped with the year of 1868 on their breech blocks, which is the date of their assembly. All other 1868's are stamped with the dates of 1869 and 1870.
There are only 19 such 1868's currently known that were manufactured and stamped 1868. I own two of them. My serial number 6 rifle is only one of three such single digit rifles known.
I'm currently the only private collector possessing one. The other two are in the Springfield Armory Museum.
Im told by Dick Hosmer that I'm currently the only private owner with two 1868's with 1868 dated breechblocks. I could get along with having just one. Heck, I could probably get along without either one of them. I'll buy some 50-70 rounds to shoot in each one to get it out of my system. Then I'll take another look at keeping one or both or selling one or both to another collector. Maybe even trading one or both. Who knows...?
The following list of known 1868 stamped rifles was composed by Dick Hosmer. This list hasn't been updated yet to include my two additional rifles that I recently discovered and aquired

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[Fred]

You know, if this 1903 were an early and unaltered M1 Garand, there would've been a lot more interest in this on Gunbroker. I like it because it's an unworn and unaltered example of a WWI 03 and it has a double heat treated receiver.
When I sell this rifle, it's not going to be cheap.

[John Beard]

Thanks for sharing!

J.B.

[Fred]

Thanks for the feed back John!