1903a4 redfield base

[Sbl11]

I recently bought a 1903a4 rifle from a pawn shop for what I thought was a bargain. However, the rifle did not come with a base. Instead, It had a a3 rear sight & standard 03 front sight. the front sight was held i place with a small finishing nail. the rear sight was an unmarked smith corona. both were removed, & the grooves on the barrel were parkerized. However, I cannot find a small punch mark at the 6'oclock position , instead having 1 around the 3 'o'clock...hmmm...the gun is refurbished marked SA/O( i think). I don't believe it to be a keystone stock, but it is lacking of the random varying marks on the belly forward of the trigger guard. It is marked FJA w/ crossed cannons.Barrel is 8-43 RA. Bolt is blued.


I bought a redfield base to restore it. However, upon review, the front screw was differently threaded ( not fine enough) & has a larger head. That screw is parked. It appears the base was reamed to accept the larger screw head, now displaying two fairly distinct sizes...I feel that it could be a bubba job, but it is done very neatly and doesn't have a bare metal look. repark to hide the reaming? Or, could this be a post war armorer job? I changed the thread size to fit my rifle...the rear screw was a perfect fit all along....need opinions, & possibly a new base. thoughts?


1903a4 sn v2.jpg1903a4 topv2.jpg1903a4 screw v2.jpg1903a4 side.jpg

[Cosine26]

03A3 is drilled and tapped for 8X40 screws not 6x48

[Sbl11]

what do you mean? the problem I am having doesn't seem to be the screw holes in the actual rifle itself, but in 1 of the holes in the base to allow for a larger screw head as in picture 3.

[Cosine26]

Is that a real GI base? I had one years ago and it did not have the large screw head, just the standard like your rear screw. Mine was a real surplus base

[Sbl11]

I believe it to be G.I. also, it does have a keystone "K" in the magazine cutout, i was wrong... see attached:1903a4 redfield base.jpg1903a4 keysto.jpg1903a4 belly.jpg

[Sbl11]

barrel: 1903a4 barrel 2.jpg

[jgaynor]

The specifications for the A4 mount base screws are:
Front Screw SCREW, MACHINE FL, FIL-HD No. 8 (0.164 - 40NS-3 - .510")
Rear Screw SCREW, MACHINE S FL FIL-HD No. 8 (0.164 -40NS-3 - .250")

In other words the heads of both screws should be identical they only differ in the length - One is a quarter of an inch & the other is a shade over half an inch.

On the plus side your rifle is one of the last 1500 or so A4's built.
It is bit late for an Aug 43 barrel so I suspect the barrel is a replacement. That could account for the missing pouch mark. Coincidentally there was a "bumper crop" of 8/43 and 9/43 barrels manufactured.
The inspection marks may have been obliterated during a rebuild.

I would like to have the full serial number for my database if you would care to share it it confidentially by PM or Email. Thanks.

Regards,
Jim

[Sbl11]

1903a4 1234.jpg1903a4 muzzle.jpg1903a4 barrel bottom.jpg

[Sbl11]

what barrel date have you seen on this late of a rifle? Notice the small ping at the 3 o'clock position in the picture with the front sight portion still in place. I bet the gun was an old dmc release that didn't have a base and someone added the sights to shoot, after all I wouldnt call a finishing nail left in the white armory work...haha. Also, what doesn't S.A. "O" mean?

Is there any chance that the base was retrofitted for this size screw in the refurb process? It is a perfect fit and finish to the base and rifle minus it's obnoxious sized head. It also had the wrong sized threads, that is until I changed them. I guess I am some what of a bubba in that regard, but the rear screw was perfect thread wise for both holes in the rifle, so my guess at the time was that the screw was already a bubba piece. Either way it aggravates me that it is not matching.

[Sbl11]

Dough( in Homer Simpson voice) dcm not dmc...

[jgaynor]

what barrel date have you seen on this late of a rifle? Notice the small ping at the 3 o'clock position in the picture with the front sight portion still in place. I bet the gun was an old dmc release that didn't have a base and someone added the sights to shoot, after all I wouldnt call a finishing nail left in the white armory work...haha. Also, what doesn't S.A. "O" mean?

.

Virtually all the examples of 499XXXX M1903A4s have December 43 or January 44 Barrels. Barrels that date much later in 44 (May, August etc.) typically have other indications of a rebuild. I do have one rifle in the data, 4995408, with an August 43 barrel. That record came from one of peter Senich's reference books on USMC snipers.

The "SA/O" is a rebuild mark of Springfield Arsenal with "O" being the initial of the inspector.

I have no idea why the counterbore for the head of the mounting screw would have been changed. I suspect the front screw was an ill-fitting civilian replacement.

[Sbl11]

Email sent

[k arga]

My a4 has a 1-44 barrel and ser no 4998267 pretty much orig untouched from R A rebuild. Just a parked bolt the rest as it should be, mount still with orig staking.

[chuckindenver]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Pack-Slotted-Fillister-Head-8-40-x-3-8-Blued-Screws-For-Sight-Scope-Base-/301582504514?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4637b7d242

[Sbl11]

To be honest I have not actually checked the hole diameter with calipers, I just assume that it is larger being that the larger screw head seats in it. I figure that the screw head itself is supposed to sink in slightly but still make contact with the inside edges of the socket. If I am correct in the larger head socket having been drilled, then those screws would do me no good, as the screw head would undoubtably not contact the socket walls.

Can anyone post a picture of their barrel punch mark? I believe my barrel is a 4 groove.