Look at the early Birthday present from my wife...

[Fred]

My wife brought home an early Birthday present for me. It's a neat old 1903 Springfield. It has a little damage to the heel of the stock, but I think that's just OK and am not upset with that at all.
Wonder who I could get to sporterize it for me so that I will have a slick operating deer rifle...

[Mike D]

Damn it Fred, we need the skinny on this one!!

Mike

[Fred]

Holy crap...the barrel is 2/10 of an inch longer than my other 03's. Honest Injun. Cool...

[Fred]

I' built my wife another stone patio like the front one but in the back of the house like she wanted. In appreciation, she bought me the rifle. Ain't she something?

[rebound]

Too bad it.s one of them old ones with the funny bayonet.. Better luck next time.........

[Fred]

Damn it Fred, we need the skinny on this one!!

Mike

Mike, After I found out from John Beard that I possessed an original and un refinished Rod Bayonet bolt body, I came across this rifle up for auction that didn't have the proper bolt. The one that came on it is a C8 bolt. The rifle looks fine now sporting the proper bolt! This rifle is actually put together from original parts that were possibly still available to collectors almost 100 years ago. I measured the length of the barrel with a dowel rod down the bore and marked it at the muzzle. I did the same on another rifle made in 1917 and the barrel of the Rod Bayonet rifle is 2/10" longer! Wow. Still in 30-03. Anyway, I'm going to have fun fooling around with it and such. Pretty cool as I'd been wanting one of these for about 40 years or more.

[Jeff L]

Are you gonna drill and tap it for a scope?

[Fred]

Sure am! Maybe a WEAVER. I'll cut the forearm off too and get rid of that bothersome rod bayonet.

[Fred]

After looking at the rifle, I've concluded that whoever put it together had taken an original 30-03 barrel that had a 1905 rear sight mounted on it and they carefully removed the 1905 rear sight base from the barrel sleeve and mounted a Krag 1902 rear sight on it, carefully contouring the front end of it to resemble that on a 1903 sight. The amazing thing is that the person used a 30-03 barreled action with a 1905 rear sight sleeve and reconfigured it to the original Rod Bayonet configuration. Those early 1903 Springfield rifles that still retain their 1905 rear sight bases, leaves etc. and that are still in the original 30-03 caliber are extremely rare today. Such early and unaltered 30-03 caliber 1903's with their 1905 rear sights can be worth $25,000.00 today in fine condition.
This must've been done a long time ago when such 30-03 barrels with sights were still around and so nothing was thought about altering them. After all, if one wanted to recreate an 03 as close as possible to original rod bayonet configuration, it made sense to use an original 30-03 barrel.
That's why the rear sight sleeve on this rifle is the original 1905 type, having never been removed.
I can live with all of that. After all, the rifle has a 30-03 caliber barrel on it.
The updated 1903 front sight was removed and a rod bayonet front sight was mounted, the front sight positioned appropriately closer to the muzzle and the very rear of the barrel spline that was sticking too far out from the rear of the rod bayonet front sight base was trimmed back flush with the back of the sight base. This of course is why the front of the original barrel spline is recessed back a bit from the front of the Rod Bayonet front sight base.
The rifle will require a RB follower, early follower spring (it has an 03A3 spring now), an early butt plate (Krag type) with the small trap and with assembly numbers applied, a solid rear band (this one is the split type that came out in 1906), proper RB stacking swivel, a safety with seriffed letters, a RB type retaining screw for the cut off (threaded its entire length) and an early RB trigger guard and floor plate. There is also no rear guard screw bushing in the stock. This being a damaged surplus and original RB stock meant for field replacement, that makes sense.
I think that in time, I'll be able to locate these parts. All in all, it's a nice looking rifle and is certainly worth more than I paid for it, which was remarkably inexpensive, especially considering that it is still in 30-03 caliber.

[Rick the Librarian]

I'd like it, but that chunk out of the stock is really ugly. I wouldn't have been interested!!

(Tongue planted firmly in cheek!! )

[Fred]

Yep, when I saw that Rick, I didn't even feel bad about it. Oh, this stock being an original and unused (un-mounted) RB stock is probably why there isn't a rear guard screw bushing in it yet. That will also have to be put on.

[RCS]

Fred, Could be wrong, but the handguard should have a clip and the two outside rivets. Barrel and action in 30-03 caliber could have been a Bannerman ?

[Allen]

Fred, I may not be seeing all of your serial number but it looks very low (early). Remember, those receivers below 800,000 had a questionable heat treating process and are not recommended for modern ammo. Just saying.

[Fred]

I thought that the clip is supposed to be attached without rivets going through the wood. Maybe they used some type of clip with a spur on the ends that stuck into the underside of the hand guard? This hand guard has no clips. The original stock (I'm told by John Beard that it appears to be a field replacement specimen) never had the rear guard screw bushing installed, and so I'm wondering if the hand guard might also be original and yet never completed for mounting...?
The 30-03 barrel still has the original sight sleeve on it that once was the base for a 1905 rear sight with the 2400 yard leaf. The sight and base fixture was removed and the 1902 Krag rear sight was put on. The front of the sight base was contoured in an interesting manner which lends itself well to the Rod Bayonet model.

[Fred]

Fred, I may not be seeing all of your serial number but it looks very low (early). Remember, those receivers below 800,000 had a questionable heat treating process and are not recommended for modern ammo. Just saying.

Thanks for the reminder Allen! Actually, I've never as yet fired a single round in any of my rifles. Besides being seriously injured, I'd hate to destroy any of my rifles, especially this one!