A couple of questions from a Noob

[Weevil]

Hi All,
I recently inherited a sporterized 03-A3 from my stepdad. From the numbers on the receiver it looks like it was made by Remington in early 1942. It has what I've been told is a Fajen stock and a Weaver scope from the early 60's.
Anyway, turns out I really enjoy shooting this rifle. I'm not a hunter so my shooting is at targets and soda and beer cans out in the woods. The thing is, the woods are really thick here in Southern Indiana and shooting much past 100 yards is very unlikely.
I'd like to take off the scope and put on iron sights to make target shooting at close distances a little more challenging. While I was looking at different sight options, I found that the original military sights for this rifle are readily available, so my first question is how good are those sights and what's involved in putting them on? I see the rear slides into a small dovetail and the front is a band around the barrel. Are they held in place by a set screw or soldered or just a friction fit?
The original sights leads me to my next question, how hard and expensive would it be to return the entire rifle to military form? I see lots of parts available and I think it would be kind of cool to have this gun closer to it's original condition. I'm not looking to make a collectors piece, just something interesting to shoot and show off.

Thanks in advance for your help,
Weev

[chuckindenver]

on the A3,
front sight is retained with a key, and pin, blade is held in with a small pin.. not hard to do, if the barrel hasnt been shortened.
rear sight is held on with a reverse dovetail, and driven on right to left.
maybe switch to a lower power scope, less then 3 power.
pictures would help.
FYI...doubt your rifle was made early 1942.. if you used 1903,com its in error.. no matter what serial number range you put in,. says 1942 lol

[Allen Humphrey]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the rifle. You asked many questions, and I'll answer a few.

How good are the military sights? They are good for their intended purpose, but they are not target sights per se. The windage adjustments are 1 MOA and the elevations are marked in yardage with pretty big increments. However, they are functional and easy to install. http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=15136 That link is to another forum that has a good write-up on the rear sight removal and replacement.

Converting back to military configuration is possible but you will always have drilled holes, so it will never have the collector value as you correctly identified. We would need to see pictures to determine how much work is needed. It is pretty typical that sporterized rifles have shortened barrels and a modified bolt. If a new barrel is needed, it is generally less expensive to buy a new rifle already in USGI configuration, although in your case your are starting with zero cost for the action.

[louis]

Your barrel should be 24" check the muzzle end and see if there are a couple of machines grooves in it and a space in front of them. If not it might be a cut down barrel. Barrels run about $200 more or less

[John Beard]

Restoring a rifle that has been drilled and tapped for a scope is a losing proposition. The rifle will not likely be worth more than half the cost to restore it. Your money would be far wiser invested in an original rifle with the iron sights intact.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

J.B.

[Weevil]

Thanks for all the good information. just a couple of responses:
Chuck, Allen and Louis, Yep, the barrel has been shortened. Only 21 inches. So I guess Ill look for alternative sights. Anyone have any favorites? I'm not looking for competition quality, just something to keep me and my boys occupied.
Chuck, yes I did use 1903.com. Do you know where I can get more accurate data?
And finally; I'm still intrigued by a military version. What's a fair price for one in Ok condition? Again, nothing collectable. Just something fun to shoot on the weekends.

Thanks,
Weev

[Rick the Librarian]

This is the best website for date of manufacture info:

http://www.vishooter.net/m1903.html

Depends on where you live and what you're looking for as far as a "military" shooter. With a little luck (and not worrying about external looks), for a mixmaster maybe $500-600.

[joem]

If you want more of a challenge, try shooting at a 1/2" or 3/4" stickey dot at a 100 yds. If you want more of a challenge they also make 1/4" dots.

[John Beard]

You should be able to secure an arsenal-overhauled M'03-A3 in good shooting condition in the $600-$800 range.

Hope this helps.

J.B.