A few straight-bent bolts are of the double heat-treat type, but these are not easily identified, and until positively proved otherwise ANY straight-bent bolt should be assumed to be low number. Cold Shower Face And Body Wipes | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Review: Taurus G3 Tactical | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Video Review: Browning Citori Hunter Grade II Over/Under Shotgun | NRA Family, Video Review: Savage 93 Minimalist Rifle | NRA Family, Video Review: Springfield Armory XD-M Elite 4.5 OSP in 10mm Auto | NRA Family, Make Mine Metal: The Alloy-Frame KelTec P15 | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Preview: Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P9 M2.0 Competitor | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, NRA Women | New for 2022: 20-Gauge Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus, Preview: Springfield Armory 1911 DS Double-Stack 9 mm Pistol Lineup | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Find More Great NRA Publications Perfect For Every Interest, Discover Everything That The NRA Has To Offer. Trick out or upgrade your firearm with the largest gun parts selection at eBay.com. (known for their typewriters). Consequently, there were an estimated 3,600 Remington 03A3 rifles produced with numbers initially assigned to, and used by, Smith-Corona. . The 03A3 was the simplest 03 variant. Other than the manufacturers name on the receiver ring, the Smith-Corona 03A3 rifles were quite similar to those made by Remington, but differed in some minor aspects. Springfield Models 1903A3 & 1903A4. Make: Remington. A gas escape hole was drilled into the left side of the receiver as had been done at Springfield Armory since 1936. cheaper versions and the M1903-A3 was born. Many are not aware of the rifles of this type turned out by Remington during World War II. Plans were made to increase M1 rifle production at Springfield Armory, and the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. was granted a production contract for the Garand. Since the proposed Remington .303 rifles were no longer vitally needed, the British contracts were canceled in September 1941 before any rifles were manufactured. National JROTC Air Rifle Championship History, National Trophy Individual and Aggregate Rifle Awards, National Trophy Infantry Team Rifle Awards, National Matches First Shot Ceremony speakers, National Matches Welcome Center Information, National Matches Camps, Clinics, and Schools, GSMM Master Instructor Training and Certification, Range Officer Training Course: Level II Rifle, Range Officer Training Course: Level II Pistol, Shooting Tips from the USAMU Service Rifle Team, USAMU FAQs: Shooting Techniques and Tactics, Small Arms Firing Schools at the National Matches, Talladega Marksmanship Park Shotgun Events, Talladega Marksmanship Park area lodging info, contact us via our contact form, click here. Remington 1903A3 Serial numbers, barrel date Hello, My friend's Remington 03A3 has the serial number 4,097,XXX, and a Remington barrel dated 9-43. Also, the Smith-Corona bolts had a distinctive scalloped profile to the sleeve and safety lug. Remington was initially assigned the serial number block of 3,407,088-3,427,087 for 03A4 production. Last edited by mrgarandman; 07-26-2010, 01:37 PM . The Ordnance Dept. The barrel has two groove rifling sharp and very . granted the company a waiver for use of these non-standard barrels as their utilization would permit High Standard to deliver barrels to Smith-Corona sooner than would otherwise have been possible. Some of the bolt sleeves were marked G. Like the Remington 03A3s, original Smith-Corona bolts were blued. In March 1944, with receiver Z4002290, production of the M1903A4 was ended. Remington 700, 870 or 1100 serial/barrel . Description: This is an excellent example of a WWII production rifle as manufactured by the Remington Arms Company. permanent magazine with 25 round capacity, M1903 Mark I - A variation to 6/26/18 - This is a1943 WWII US Remington 1903A3 Springfield Rifle in 30-06 caliber. Remington engineers modified the basic design of the rifle by eliminating the M1905 pattern rear sight and replacing it with an adjustable peep sight mounted on the rear of the receiver. Accepted. The recess on the Smith-Corona stocks had a rounded profile while the Remington stocks had a square profile. While not used in large numbers during World War II as compared to the M1 Garand, the Remington rifles provided our armed forces with a badly needed source of reliable and serviceable military rifles. All Springfields made after this change are commonly called high number rifles. Although nearly identical in configuration, there are several rather subtle differences between the Smith-Corona and Remington stocks. , L 0 | X { X X ( { h ! The Smith-Corona 03A3s were essentially identical to their Remington counterparts except for markings. 1919: 326,936-348,414 **Introduction of improved heat treatment at Serial Number 285,507 and nickel steel at Serial number 319,921. Some but not all Remington 1903A4 serial numbers have a . between 1903 and 1906, M1903 NRA - sold only to NRA Caliber: .30-06 Springfield. The early Remington M1903 and M1903 Modified rifles (r.) were inspected by Col. Roy L. Bowlin, RLB, chief of the Rochester Ordnance District. However, the Remington rifles were every bit as valuable and serviceable as the 03s that were made by the government-owned and -operated entities of Springfield Armory or Rock Island Arsenal. Shortly after Remington started its new 03 production line, America was officially at war with the Axis powers, and the expected huge demand for more rifles became a stark reality. Despite these slight modifications, like or Best Offer. Serial Number Assignments: 1st Block: 20,000 numbers assigned January 18, 1943 from SN 3,407,088 to 3,427,087 2nd Block: 15,000 numbers assigned June 20, 1943 from SN 4,000,001 to 4,015,000 from which a second authorization totaling 8365 rifles was to come. h3 CJ$ h. hO. 4, Mark I bayonet and modifying the grip of the stock to mimic the hook type pistol-grip found on the Lee-Enfield. His pump-action rifle, based on the dimensions of the . ,* q "All Remington 1903A4 production was in 1943 and fell between serial numbers 3407088 and 4998320. Reportedly, very early in production, High Standard (the maker of the barrels) acquired some unfinished barrel blanks from Savage Arms Co. The Model 1903A4 was the first issued sniper rifle to all U.S. military services during World War II. Remington sought to increase production by reducing cosmetic touches such as careful polishing of the metal prior to Parkerizing and eliminating some non-essential features. If you need assistance accessing any of our content or would like it in an alternative format you can contact us via our contact form, click here. gd3 gd3 gdO. It had a 2.75X M73B1 Telescopic Sight and fired the powerful .30-06 cartridge. These changes were significant enough to warrant a new model designation and, on May 21, 1942, the U.S. The Smith Corona M1903 rifle usually Remington continued production slightly longer but its 03A3 rifle contract was cancelled on Feb. 28, 1944, after the company had produced 707,629 03A3 rifles. Military 98 Mausers were made all over the world in vast numbers, sometimes by factories not so concerned about fit and finish, and even some gunsmiths in Germany made Springfield sporters. prototype of the 1903, but it had not been adopted by the military until The milled upper band (top) was used on Remington M1903 and M1903 Modified rifles, while the stamped sheet metal upper bands (below) was employed on M1903A3s. Also different was the configuration of the stamped and welded trigger guard/magazine assembly behind the front screw hole. Representatives of the British government turned to the United States for the acquisition of new arms. M1903 rifles made before February 1918 utilized receivers and bolts which were single heat-treated by a method that rendered some of them brittle and liable to fracture when fired, exposing the shooter to a risk of serious injury. It was suggested that the old M1903 production tooling in storage at Rock Island Arsenal be used to produce rifles for the British. There were also some serial numbers used for M1903A4 sniper rifle production from this final block as well. It sounds like it could be. Many local hunters bought surplus Springfields, some using the rifles as-is, especially the less expensive 1903A3 version produced by Remington and the . After the Spanish American War in 1898, and some experimentation with the In addition, any bolt marked N.S. (for nickel steel) can be safely regarded as high number if obtained directly from CMP (beware of re-marked fakes). To this end, in January 1942 the Ordnance Dept. In addition to the straight grip stock, Remington also manufactured some stocks with semi-pistol grips, often dubbed scant or scant grip stocks today. Great deals on Remington 03a3 In Rifle Parts. Also, it is noted that final rifle assembly followed receiver serialization by an approximate average of 2 weeks. All sales are AS-IS with NO RETURNS OR EXCHANGES. Marksmanship: The M1903A4, January 2002, p. 56), the discussion here will be limited to the rifles themselves rather than the optics and mounts used on them. In October 1942, Remington was given permission to produce two-groove barrels for the M1903A3 as prior testing at the Aberdeen Proving Ground revealed that satisfactory accuracy could be obtained with them. These early production Remington M1903s were very similar to the 03s turned out by Rock Island late in World War I, including finely finished straight-grip (Type S) stocks with grasping grooves and handguards with a prominent sight-protecting hump. They were well-crafted, finished in black-tinted Parkerizing and utilized the same type of heat treatment as found on late production Springfield M1903s. Still, this could be the barrel original to the receiver, as there was often some mixing and matching at the factory. Recently, the Civilian Marksmanship Program obtained a sizeable quantity of M1903s, including a number of Remington M1903, M1903 Modified and M1903A3 rifles, and offered them for sale to qualified individuals. This so-called last SN is an approximated end-number only. In June 1943, the Ordnance Department ordered an additional 8,365 '03A4 rifles from. Representatives from the Ordnance Department visited the factory and determined the company was spending too much time on unnecessary or cosmetic features of the rifles. As the M1903A4 was recently the subject of an article in these pages (Making The Most of G.I. Remington 1903A3 Serial numbers, barrel date. By the time that the M1903-A4 was the Army's first Most of these parts were originally blued although a few components made later in production, such as upper bands, may have been Parkerized. Rock Island Arsenal and about 850,000 were produced up until that point. Any bolt found on a Smith-Corona rifle, other than one marked X on top of the bolt handle, or unmarked, is a replacement and not a factory original component. Now you can dress up your office desk or man cave with a 1:3-scale replica of the best battle implement ever devised.. The Smith-Corona Model 1903A3s by Bruce N. Canfield, Field Editor posted on March 12, 2010 News, Reviews, Rifles, Bolt-Action Rifles On the eve of America's active involvement in World War II, it. Although not used for overseas combat duty in the same numbers as M1 rifles, or even the earlier M1903 variants, some M1903A3 rifles did, in fact, see action. }); Such rifles should be regarded as collectors items, not shooters.. The U.S. The adoption of this pattern stock enabled Remington to utilize many of the stock blanks the firm had on hand from the abortive British rifle production contract. The U.S. Model 1903A4 Sniper rifle was based on the 03A3 as developed by Remington to save production costs in 03 rifle manufacture. contracted with the Remington Arms Co. for new production of the Model 1903 bolt-action rifle using machinery and some raw materials (mainly stock blanks) in storage at Rock Island Arsenal since manufacture of the 03 rifle ceased at that entity in the early 1920s. high speed projectile and its accuracy. A total of 120,000 SNs were reassigned from M1903 Modified and M1903A3 SN allocation as follows: M1903A3 production phasing out the M1903 Modified began in December 1942 with the first 1909 rifles included in the factory invoice to the Ordnance Dept. Most of the early production Remington M1903s were diverted to military aid requirements similar to Lend-Lease for our Commonwealth allies, and many of these rifles were sent to New Zealand forces. Please note: We do not expect to ever again receive large quantities of these models. Remington (and Smith-Corona) turned out ever-increasing numbers of M1903A3s, and they provided valuable use for our rapidly expanding armed forces. The last of the M1903 Modified rifles was completed the following March 1943. Look up a Remington serial number by using Remington Serial Number Lookup. The front sight was omitted on 03A4 rifle barrels, although the milling cut was present in the event that the barrel did not prove suitable for sniping use. Barrel Date: September 1943. Your friends barrel sounds correct. x You might look on another part of Vishooter's website which lists the dates of manufacture - this is just a data base of reported rifles. The early production Remington 03 rifles resembled late World War I production Rock Island 03s, as they were produced on the old Rock Island tooling.