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Old March 16, 2013, 02:33 PM   #1
fenderguitar007
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Remington 1903A3

I recently purchased a Remington 1903A3 and need some help determining if I made a good purchase. Any information about the rifle and the value would be greatly appreciated.

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Old March 16, 2013, 02:35 PM   #2
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Some Additional Pictures

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Old March 16, 2013, 02:42 PM   #3
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Additional Pictures

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Old March 16, 2013, 03:13 PM   #4
PetahW
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.

IMO, some of the pics look like the stock's appearance has been embellished by the application of some sort of non-GI stock finish, so IDK; and IIRC, the bbl stamp behind the front sight indicates a 1943 arsenal rebarrel/rebuild ?

I'm not conversant with current milsurp values, sorry.

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Old March 16, 2013, 03:17 PM   #5
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aside from what appears to be clear coat finish on the stock instead of oil I would say it's very nice... a solid $500 value.
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Old March 16, 2013, 08:54 PM   #6
James K
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I am not sure why that 2-43 barrel would indicate a rebuild, since it would be approximately right for the serial number.

The second proof might indicate a rebuild, but it more likely just indicates the re-proof required by regulations before the rifle was sold through DCM.

Jim
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Old March 16, 2013, 09:04 PM   #7
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agree with Jim on that one, serial and barrel date pretty close to eachother... it's rare to find an exact matching receiver and barrel, a few months deviation is normal...
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Old March 16, 2013, 09:14 PM   #8
Jim Watson
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Did they re-proof guns for DCM?
I thought they were sold as unserviceable.
Nearly all were fine, i figure it was just a dodge to get them off the books.
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Old March 16, 2013, 09:25 PM   #9
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I'm too young to remember DCM but CMP gouged out all the proofs and cartouches on my M1 I just got...

kindof a buzzkill to tell the truth.
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Old March 16, 2013, 09:37 PM   #10
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There were two "stages" of DCM sales of '03-A3's. The first part followed the book, same as with the M1903 sales. The Army made repairs as needed, then (re) proofed the rifles before release. I think the price was $35. That is the reason for the second set of inspector's initials, which some collectors interpret as meaning that the rifle was rebuilt. Maybe, but most of the '03-A3's were brand new; the Army arsenals were going through the formalities.

But then, sales weren't proceeding fast enough to clear out all the depots, so they reduced the price to $14, and declared all the remaining rifles to be "unserviceable", which meant they could be sold "as is" (most were perfect) and any liability rested with the purchaser.

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Old March 16, 2013, 10:14 PM   #11
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Thanks for the info! I am glad that I bought it! I thought I was getting a decent deal at $450. From what I am reading it sounds good! So you guys think that it is a DCM /CMP rifle? What are the "Proof" marks that you are referring to on the barrel? Is it the "P" on the underside?
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Old March 17, 2013, 04:28 PM   #12
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The proof mark on U.S. rifles of that era was a "P" on the bottom of the pistol grip. On yours, the circled P is the original, the other is the second proof. The reason was that American receivers were so hard that it was not practical to use a proof stamp on the receiver (as the Germans did); they would have needed a new stamp about every ten guns!

The drawback of that system was that the proof was on a replaceable part (the stock), but since the Army didn't consider the proof important once the rifle left the factory, that didn't matter. It was just another "check off" before the rifle was ready for shipping.

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Old March 20, 2013, 03:31 PM   #13
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I know it's probably a long shot, but is there anyway to tell if this is a gun that was issued in an active theater, one that would have been issued to forces at home, or one that just sat in an aresnal somewhere? Also would this rifle have been issued the WWI or WWII bayonet?
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Old March 20, 2013, 03:59 PM   #14
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there was no paper trail to any one rifle so unless the guy issued it wrote the serial number down in his diary then there really is no way of telling I'm afraid. however given a 43 manufacture date I'd say it's a safe bet to assume that it served.
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Old March 21, 2013, 05:07 PM   #15
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I am looking for the proper sling and bayonet for the rifle. Any suggestions on what I should be looking for?
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Old March 21, 2013, 11:10 PM   #16
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you're looking for the m1907 sling and don't quote me on the bayonet but I think it's M1906...
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Old March 22, 2013, 03:44 PM   #17
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The original knife bayonet for the Model 1903 was the Model 1905, which replaced the rod bayonet with which the rifle was originally fitted. The Model 1905 bayonet has a 16" blade. That length was chosen because the Krag had a barrel six inches longer and its bayonet had a 10 inch blade. To keep the same bayonet "reach", the new bayonet was made with a 16" blade.

When the M1 rifle was being developed, a cash-poor Army did not want to have to replace all its bayonets, and required that the new rifle use the old bayonet. But meanwhile, tactics had changed, and it was felt that a 10" blade would be adequate, so that length was adopted for any new bayonets (M1 bayonet) and the old Model 1905 bayonets in service were cut down to 10". That situation prevailed through WWII, though a few 16" bayonets escaped cutting and are sometimes seen in WWII photographs.

By the time the M1903A3 was produced, the long M1905 bayonet was obsolete, so the "correct" bayonet for an M1903A3 rifle would be one with a 10" blade, either cut down from a 16" blade or an M1 bayonet made with a 10" blade.

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