My last and very finest 1903...

[Fred]

Gorgeous rifle! Love the eagle stamp.

The A on the barrel denotes second class, I don't think that affects value.

Is the bayonet scabbard side stitch? If so that's USMC replacement.

I have documentation on both instances.

Sorry to see you part with it, its a gorgeous rifle.

Andrew

Andrew, the A on the barrel does not denote second class. Before the war, it meant that the rifle's barrel had passed an inspection to see if it was serviceable. If so, the A was stamped on it. If not, the barrel was replaced. After the war, nobody seems to know what the A actually meant. Was it for the same reason or was there another reason? John Beard and everyone else are scratching their heads over it. It might be that after the war, the old policy of inspecting each rifle's barrel to see if it needed replacing might've still been in effect along with using the A stamp to still denote a good Barrel, but that isn't known for certain yet without official documentation.
Anyway, it sure doesn't mean second class.

[Fred]

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[Fred]

Andrew, the scabbard is not stitched up the side. The bayonet has never been sharpened and the scabbard is mint. It goes well with the rifle I think. Both handled and carried but never or seldom used in the field.
Both are well preserved minty examples of what Springfield Armory was producing in the middle of World War One.
Anyway, I'm arthritic and I ache all over and I don't feel like handling the heavy thing anymore, so I'm going to take the money I get for it and buy something smaller and lighter to play with. I'm getting too worn out.

[Fred]

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[1563621]

Very Nice. I think you will have no problem selling!

[Kragrifle]

Hi Fred. Very nice rifle! Still haven’t figured out how to private message on this new format. Interested in the rifle if for sale.
Mike Raborn

[Fred]

Here is an older photo of this rifle. I kept this rifle as my favorite.
I've never even fired it. Nor have I oiled the stock. The finish is original and old.
When I Finaly freed up the frozen rear trigger guard screw using lighter fluid and a tight fitting Model 1879 combo tool in a pair of vise grips (no corrosion, just frozen for a Century), I gently lifted the action from the stock and found some very thin shavings of wood from the stock inletting that appeared to have been trapped underneath the receiver and against the wood. I believe that the receiver of this rifle hadn't been removed from the stock since the day this rifle was assembled at Springfield Armory around August of 1918.
That's pretty neat.



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[Fred]

And... just for the Memories, here are photos of the other four rifles that were sold first.

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I don't think that I ever fired any of these rifles. Just never got around to it...

The rifle with the polished bolt and the convex hand guard in the large photo below is a Mint 1920 National Match.

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This is one that I almost had some 30-03 ammo made up for by Buffalo Arms, but that never got off the ground...

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[Fred]

There are other photos of other 03's that were sold, but this rifle is my favorite.
The Last of The Mohicans...

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[Fred]

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Hi Fred. Very nice rifle! Still haven’t figured out how to private message on this new format. Interested in the rifle if for sale.
Mike Raborn

Mike, I shouldn't and therefore won't give you any idea what I'm wanting for the rifle and other stuff I'm throwing in with it. That'd be sidestepping the Selling forum here.
Thanks very much though Mike.
The rifle will go up on Gunbroker (or Guns International) I guess as most of the other 03's did. I've got to take photos of everything first. I think that it'll be an interesting grouping of stuff that somebody will want to buy. Whenever the heck I try to sell it. All Minty WWI stuff.
I just thought that I'd run it by some of you guys here to let you know about it going on. I've been told before... "Well you never told Me you were selling this!"
I'll let everyone know when it goes up.

[Fred]

Here's some of what I'm combining as a group.

[Fred]

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[Fred]

Very Nice. I think you will have no problem selling!

Thank you! I hope it goes well.

[Fred]

I'll have no reason to keep this scope mount and scope anymore without an 03, so I think I'll sell it all with the rifle.
This Minty 1903 is a neat set up with this scope and Belding and Mull mount that requires no drilling or tapping on the rifle.

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[Fred]

This rifle would be a tack driver in the hands of a Rifleman who knew his business.

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The Belding and Mull scope mount is a newly machined copy of that rare type. That wasn't cheap to have made at the time 30 plus years ago. I forget what I paid for it so long ago. I think $100.00. I can't even remember the name of the mount right at this moment...
This wouldn't be cheap to have a competent fellow make today.


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