Grandpa's Gun

[mam2909]

I have acquired my Grandpa's rifle. The rifle says it is a "US Remington Model 1903". It's a bolt action and is in pretty good shape. There were no shells with the gun. Can anyone tell me anything about this type of gun? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Steve Blair]

You have a Remington manufactured "Springfield" rifle. It is likely chambered in .30-'06 but may have been rebarreled. The gun was probably made during the early years of WWII and will have a serial number of 3,000,000+. Take it to a gunsmith and have the caliber and condition verified.

 

[fdshuster]

mam2909: As sleepygator said, you have a Remington manufactured 1903, made during WW2. Springfield Armory could not keep up with the demand for rifles, especially since they were making the M1 Garands, so they provided Remington with the tooling and drawings they used when making the '03's during WW1. Remington (and Smith Corona) were also making 03-A3's during WW2. If in nice, original condition (read, not altered) it is, and will continue to escalate in value, so do not make any alterations to it! Thousands of them were "sporterized" after WW2, when they were selling for $19.95, and they are lost forever. On top of that, they are very good, (and surprisingly accurate) shooters. Take care of it, by all means shoot it, (with quality ammunition, not reloads made by a "buddy"), and you'll be able to pass it on to your children, and they, theirs. Forgot to mention: it is a standard 30-06 cartridge if it hasn't been "modified".

 

[butchlambert]

You can buy them a lot cheaper from the CMP.
Butch

 

[fdshuster]

Yes, I got several in the late 1960's for $20 each and that included shipping. One, I discovered when opening the package was an original 03-A4. Still have it, and the others, unaltered. CMP? Yes, when and if they are available. And what you may get is a pig-in-a-poke/ could be a nice one, could be borderline junk. CMP only guarantees that they are safe to fire. The really nice ones that occassionally show up are not released for general sales, but are held out for auction, at ???? price?