help! 03-A3 advice

kwells6 · August 9, 2009, 01:12 PM

well, I snagged one at a shop here for $125 and its been mangled. luckily no metal was cut. what they did was slap it in some POS stock from their garage and took the sights off. not a big deal. it looks like they drilled and tapped it at one point in time. it has 2 holes in the top of the barrel, forward the receiver and a hole drilled into the rear sight mount. its a 3-point tap. old redfield mount possibly?

what im looking for is advice. I love the 30-06 and the barrel is still VERY good for it being s 4xxxxxx sn, but wouldnt mind dipping my hands into a new caliber

here is what im thinking about:
338-06
35 Whelen
25-06

or i would like to find a rear sight and a front sight blade...

what would y'all suggest?

smoakingun · August 9, 2009, 01:33 PM

if it has already been drillrd and tapped then there it no reason not to make a sporter in what ever cal you want. my choice would be 375 or 338

Doyle · August 9, 2009, 07:56 PM

.338/06 is a great caliber but ammo is very hard to find unless you handload. The easiest to do with good ammo availability is .35 Wheelen.

kwells6 · August 9, 2009, 08:39 PM

i am a handloader

what are the ballistics of 338-06 and 35 wheelen

5whiskey · August 9, 2009, 09:53 PM

Dude I would be happy to find an 03A3 for that price, even a mangled one. JB weld and a paint finish if you want to keep it close to original, or keep it original but mount a scope (not my preference, but to each their own).

bugnut · August 9, 2009, 10:23 PM

...agreed... $125 is a great price no matter the condition. I'd try to restore it if possibble, but that's just me.

HiBC · August 9, 2009, 10:31 PM

Congratulations! I love the Springfield.
I made a .35 Whelen on one years ago.It is a great cartridge,but I would lean toward the 338-06.In the 210-225 gr bullet range,I think you will find trajectories very near the 168 or 175 gr .308 trajectory that many reticles are designed for.

Having said that,if your 30-06 bbl is in good shape,doggone,there IS something good about a Springfield being a 30-06,and it would be way cheaper....
Boyds makes an repro semi-pistol grip stock.An '03 guard and floorplate would be a nice touch.

And,if you look at the old Griffin and Howe sporters,the Sedgley,and the DCM Springfield sporter,and elegant repro of a period Springfield Sporter is an option,right down to a reciever peep(the old redfield can be found at gunshows or maybe Nick Stroebel.Its steel)

Wish I had one!!

Hardcase · August 10, 2009, 09:17 AM

Obviously the nice thing about an unmangled Springfield is that it's...well, an unmangled Springfield. Conversely, the nice thing about a drilled and tapped receiver is that it gives you the freedom to do pretty much whatever you want, since the collector's value has been removed.

Rechamber it, restore it, whatever you feel like doing. I got my Mk I as a pretty nice looking sporter, took off the totally out of place scope and put a Lyman peep on it (it had been drilled for both the scope and the peep!) It's a screamer of a shooter, looks good and I don't have an pangs of conscience. Maybe someday I'll go through the work of putting all the military hardware back on (if I can still get the metal parts), but as a sporting rifle, it's a real kick to waltz out to the range with a 90 year old gun and put shots in the black at 500 yards.

kwells6 · August 10, 2009, 10:19 AM

I think there has been a misunderstanding on the drilling and tapping. the front holes are not actually in the receiver, they are drilled into the barrel right before the receiver and the rear hold I believe is for the original 03-A3

and the barrel has a mirror finish with kinda dark grooves

**Unclenick** · August 11, 2009, 09:03 AM

The if the barrel's exterior finish is mirror instead of Parkerized, then it's either not original or it has been re-contoured and polished and refinished? In that case, an original front sight may no longer fit. You'd need to mic that. Is is 24"?

From your first post I thought the holes were all in the barrel, so that perhaps someone had got the idea to put a long eye-relief forward mounting scout-type scope on it? But if one is at the rear of the receiver and one is out on the barrel close to the receiver, it seems more likely to have been a way around drilling and tapping the hard part of the receiver.

Jim Watson · August 11, 2009, 10:28 AM

The usual thing applies. Can you do the work yourself? If not, costs of having a professional turn a surplus action into a nice sporter will be high.

kwells6 · August 11, 2009, 11:18 AM

yet again, misunderstanding. The inside of the barrel, the bore... has a shiny finish. the bubbasmith that had it before me too care of the bore.

August 9, 2009, 01:12 PM	#1
kwells6 Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Central Arkansas Posts: 437	help! 03-A3 advice well, I snagged one at a shop here for $125 and its been mangled. luckily no metal was cut. what they did was slap it in some POS stock from their garage and took the sights off. not a big deal. it looks like they drilled and tapped it at one point in time. it has 2 holes in the top of the barrel, forward the receiver and a hole drilled into the rear sight mount. its a 3-point tap. old redfield mount possibly? what im looking for is advice. I love the 30-06 and the barrel is still VERY good for it being s 4xxxxxx sn, but wouldnt mind dipping my hands into a new caliber here is what im thinking about: 338-06 35 Whelen 25-06 or i would like to find a rear sight and a front sight blade... what would y'all suggest? __________________ "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it."

August 9, 2009, 01:33 PM	#2
smoakingun Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2009 Location: melrose, fl Posts: 634	if it has already been drillrd and tapped then there it no reason not to make a sporter in what ever cal you want. my choice would be 375 or 338 __________________ Hundreds of years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... But the world may be different because I did something so bafflingly crazy that my ruins become a tourist attraction.

August 9, 2009, 08:39 PM	#4
kwells6 Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Central Arkansas Posts: 437	i am a handloader what are the ballistics of 338-06 and 35 wheelen __________________ "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it."

August 10, 2009, 09:17 AM	#8
Hardcase Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2009 Location: Sunny Southern Idaho Posts: 1,909	Obviously the nice thing about an unmangled Springfield is that it's...well, an unmangled Springfield. Conversely, the nice thing about a drilled and tapped receiver is that it gives you the freedom to do pretty much whatever you want, since the collector's value has been removed. Rechamber it, restore it, whatever you feel like doing. I got my Mk I as a pretty nice looking sporter, took off the totally out of place scope and put a Lyman peep on it (it had been drilled for both the scope and the peep!) It's a screamer of a shooter, looks good and I don't have an pangs of conscience. Maybe someday I'll go through the work of putting all the military hardware back on (if I can still get the metal parts), but as a sporting rifle, it's a real kick to waltz out to the range with a 90 year old gun and put shots in the black at 500 yards. __________________ Well we don't rent pigs and I figure it's better to say it right out front because a man that does like to rent pigs is... he's hard to stop - Gus McCrae

August 10, 2009, 10:19 AM	#9
kwells6 Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Central Arkansas Posts: 437	I think there has been a misunderstanding on the drilling and tapping. the front holes are not actually in the receiver, they are drilled into the barrel right before the receiver and the rear hold I believe is for the original 03-A3 and the barrel has a mirror finish with kinda dark grooves __________________ "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it."

August 9, 2009, 07:56 PM	#3
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	.338/06 is a great caliber but ammo is very hard to find unless you handload. The easiest to do with good ammo availability is .35 Wheelen.

August 9, 2009, 09:53 PM	#5
5whiskey Senior Member Join Date: October 23, 2005 Location: US Posts: 3,657	Dude I would be happy to find an 03A3 for that price, even a mangled one. JB weld and a paint finish if you want to keep it close to original, or keep it original but mount a scope (not my preference, but to each their own).

August 9, 2009, 10:23 PM	#6
bugnut Member Join Date: February 4, 2009 Posts: 31	...agreed... $125 is a great price no matter the condition. I'd try to restore it if possibble, but that's just me.

August 9, 2009, 10:31 PM	#7
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,288	Congratulations! I love the Springfield. I made a .35 Whelen on one years ago.It is a great cartridge,but I would lean toward the 338-06.In the 210-225 gr bullet range,I think you will find trajectories very near the 168 or 175 gr .308 trajectory that many reticles are designed for. Having said that,if your 30-06 bbl is in good shape,doggone,there IS something good about a Springfield being a 30-06,and it would be way cheaper.... Boyds makes an repro semi-pistol grip stock.An '03 guard and floorplate would be a nice touch. And,if you look at the old Griffin and Howe sporters,the Sedgley,and the DCM Springfield sporter,and elegant repro of a period Springfield Sporter is an option,right down to a reciever peep(the old redfield can be found at gunshows or maybe Nick Stroebel.Its steel) Wish I had one!!

August 11, 2009, 09:03 AM	#10
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	The if the barrel's exterior finish is mirror instead of Parkerized, then it's either not original or it has been re-contoured and polished and refinished? In that case, an original front sight may no longer fit. You'd need to mic that. Is is 24"? From your first post I thought the holes were all in the barrel, so that perhaps someone had got the idea to put a long eye-relief forward mounting scout-type scope on it? But if one is at the rear of the receiver and one is out on the barrel close to the receiver, it seems more likely to have been a way around drilling and tapping the hard part of the receiver. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

August 11, 2009, 10:28 AM	#11
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,543	The usual thing applies. Can you do the work yourself? If not, costs of having a professional turn a surplus action into a nice sporter will be high.

August 11, 2009, 11:18 AM	#12
kwells6 Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Central Arkansas Posts: 437	yet again, misunderstanding. The inside of the barrel, the bore... has a shiny finish. the bubbasmith that had it before me too care of the bore. __________________ "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it."