springfield with a synthetic stock

tahunua001 · December 19, 2013, 08:26 PM

hello all. I am asking this purely for academic reasons. a while back I noticed a number of gibbs rifles being sold in full length synthetic stocks and figured it was just a gimmick that gibbs was doing kindof like their chrome plated enfields in 45/70. however today looking at their sister site I see them advertizing them as US navy issue, sure enough I found a book which stated that the Navy still used springfields in boot camp well after WWII into the 70s and since recruits are dumb all of the stocks were rendered unserviceable and contracted to replace them with synthetic stocks instead which were supposedly tougher.

now here is where I start get confused. there are no dates given anywhere as to when these rifles were given synth stocks but it goes right in to describe the demilling of training rifles in 1972 to be inoperable so that they did not have to keep such a tight watch on their rifles.

so my question is: is there any possibility at all to find a parts matching 1903A3 with a synth stock? naturally the gibbs rifles are mix masters with new barrels but it would not be difficult to swap stocks with a "real" 1903A3 and pass it off as a super rare specimen.

FALPhil · December 19, 2013, 09:02 PM

I was in the Navy in the '70s. When we were issued rifles, it was Garands. The color guards carried wood-stocked '03s. The only plastic stocks I saw on '03s were on practice drill rifles and the chambers on those were welded up.

Of course, my experience was very narrow. I did not attend the Great Lakes school, so I don't know what they were doing there. It is entirely possible that there were plastic stocks on 03s at the Great Lakes school.

tahunua001 · December 19, 2013, 09:21 PM

so you went to the east coast bootcamp?
I have heard vague stories about that place but it was long before my time, now the only boot camp is great lakes so I always assume everyone came through there.

FALPhil · December 19, 2013, 10:47 PM

Actually, no. I was an officer in a reserve program. When I graduated, I qualified as an SWO, and was promptly assigned to a FRAM 2-1/2 rustbucket DD reserve unit, which was given to South Korea 3 years later. Because I had an interest in small arms, I was allowed to qualify on the Garand. Later, I qualified on the M16 at Benning, along with the 1911.

Although my passion is small arms, the 5/38 can be fun too.

emcon5 · December 21, 2013, 10:31 PM

I went to Navy boot camp in 1986 in Orlando, and we drilled with 1903s with synthetic stocks.

December 19, 2013, 08:26 PM	#1
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	springfield with a synthetic stock hello all. I am asking this purely for academic reasons. a while back I noticed a number of gibbs rifles being sold in full length synthetic stocks and figured it was just a gimmick that gibbs was doing kindof like their chrome plated enfields in 45/70. however today looking at their sister site I see them advertizing them as US navy issue, sure enough I found a book which stated that the Navy still used springfields in boot camp well after WWII into the 70s and since recruits are dumb all of the stocks were rendered unserviceable and contracted to replace them with synthetic stocks instead which were supposedly tougher. now here is where I start get confused. there are no dates given anywhere as to when these rifles were given synth stocks but it goes right in to describe the demilling of training rifles in 1972 to be inoperable so that they did not have to keep such a tight watch on their rifles. so my question is: is there any possibility at all to find a parts matching 1903A3 with a synth stock? naturally the gibbs rifles are mix masters with new barrels but it would not be difficult to swap stocks with a "real" 1903A3 and pass it off as a super rare specimen. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

December 19, 2013, 09:02 PM	#2
FALPhil Senior Member Join Date: September 10, 2007 Location: Racoon City Posts: 934	I was in the Navy in the '70s. When we were issued rifles, it was Garands. The color guards carried wood-stocked '03s. The only plastic stocks I saw on '03s were on practice drill rifles and the chambers on those were welded up. Of course, my experience was very narrow. I did not attend the Great Lakes school, so I don't know what they were doing there. It is entirely possible that there were plastic stocks on 03s at the Great Lakes school. __________________ _____________________________________________ Questions about 7.62 NATO and 308 Winchester? Click here.

December 19, 2013, 09:21 PM	#3
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	so you went to the east coast bootcamp? I have heard vague stories about that place but it was long before my time, now the only boot camp is great lakes so I always assume everyone came through there. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

December 19, 2013, 10:47 PM	#4
FALPhil Senior Member Join Date: September 10, 2007 Location: Racoon City Posts: 934	Actually, no. I was an officer in a reserve program. When I graduated, I qualified as an SWO, and was promptly assigned to a FRAM 2-1/2 rustbucket DD reserve unit, which was given to South Korea 3 years later. Because I had an interest in small arms, I was allowed to qualify on the Garand. Later, I qualified on the M16 at Benning, along with the 1911. Although my passion is small arms, the 5/38 can be fun too. __________________ _____________________________________________ Questions about 7.62 NATO and 308 Winchester? Click here.

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December 21, 2013, 10:31 PM	#5
emcon5 Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 1999 Location: High Desert NV Posts: 2,850	I went to Navy boot camp in 1986 in Orlando, and we drilled with 1903s with synthetic stocks.