Remington 03-A3

[Ret-Sarge]

Found an orphan Remington M1903-A3, at our local gunshow yesterday. It's a Nov 1943 Remington receiver with a Oct 1943 Remington barrel with a correct Remington no finger groove, S stock. Haven't torn it down yet to verify if the other parts are Remington also. No signs of it being overhauled/refurbished.

Bonus was the correct oiler in the buttstock, has the bore brush but no pull through in it. Ironic as my M1917 Eddystone oiler has the pull through but no bore brush. Neither have the mustache brush in them.

Stock stamps include numerous inspection stamps and the major markings.

FJA for Lt Col Frank J. Atwood, Ordnance District Head.

Ordnance Wheel for Inspected and Approved by the Ordnance Department.

RA for Remington Arms.

Circle P for proof testing.

[echo1]

Very nice, looks correct. Do you have a bunch of those? PAX

[Ret-Sarge]

It's my first 03-A3, hell it's my first 03 period.

[echo1]

It's my first 03-A3, hell it's my first 03 period.

Well you held out for a nice one. Unless I can batter my way in, I'm stuck with a Smith-Corona sport job. I do have an Eddystone 1917 though, PAX

[Ret-Sarge]

I have a 1918 made Eddystone 1917 myself.....

[RoscoeTurner]

Nice, finding one without a sanded stock is getting to be difficult.

[running-man]

Very nice one Sarge!  I'm jealous something like this turns up at your gunshows.  The local ones here are all survival kits, various almost illegal knives, pepper spray, nunchucks, and plastic AR accessories.  I don't even go to them anymore as the experience isn't even worth the parking and entrance fees. 

I did pick up a sportorized 03-A3 from a widow a couple years ago as a part of a package deal.  Been languishing in the back of the safe for a while as I was much more concerned with the others in the set, but this post might inspire me to dig it out and get some good photos of it to see what I actually have. 

[RoscoeTurner]

Don't know how you guys feel about Facebook but there is a very good 1903 collectors page there.  Much better than what you find in some of the online forums dealing with 1903s.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/190255011326571

[Ret-Sarge]

Very nice one Sarge!  I'm jealous something like this turns up at your gunshows.  The local ones here are all survival kits, various almost illegal knives, pepper spray, nunchucks, and plastic AR accessories.  I don't even go to them anymore as the experience isn't even worth the parking and entrance fees. 

I did pick up a sportorized 03-A3 from a widow a couple years ago as a part of a package deal.  Been languishing in the back of the safe for a while as I was much more concerned with the others in the set, but this post might inspire me to dig it out and get some good photos of it to see what I actually have. 

There were several milsurps at the latest gunshow our first one since early 2024.

Looking for a 1903 now, but might hit a local gunshop that has a K31 and Standard Model Mauser, along with 2 Russian SKS's. Needless to say I'm going to spend all my allowance if I go.

[RoscoeTurner]

What part of the country are you located? 

In March I picked up a really nice RIA 03 at the TMCA show in Franklin, TN and this month a super nice Remington 1903 at the AMCA show in Huntsville, AL.  They are out there.

[Ret-Sarge]

What part of the country are you located? 

In March I picked up a really nice RIA 03 at the TMCA show in Franklin, TN and this month a super nice Remington 1903 at the AMCA show in Huntsville, AL.  They are out there.

Panama City, Florida.

[RoscoeTurner]

I have some what lost touch with that area, I was stationed at Ft Rucker a couple time plus worked there as contractor but that was thirty years ago.  Went to some good shows in Pensacola back then.

[Phosphorus32]

Congratulations! Great stock markings and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I really like the 03-A3. A great piece of WWII history and a very good practical shooter with the rear peep sight. The Model 1903 is an elegant rifle with a sight system designed for highly accurate and precise target shooting. The 03-A3 design changes to reduce costs and speed production also encompassed that change in philosophy toward practical combat shooting in WWII.

Finding a correct one is very rare, though a “corrected” one is more common. Definitely need to disassemble it and examine and/or photograph all of the parts and their finish. There used to be an online resource for bolt handle lot numbers, but I haven’t looked in quite a while.

I have the three manufacturers of Model 1903s (the SA is a Mark 1, no Pedersen device, of course) and the two of 03-A3s, as well as an 03-A4. Called it good when I checked the last one off the list. Like you, my first was the Remington 03-A3 and was the closest to being original and correct, but it wasn’t.


I worked as a civilian GS-12 term at Tyndall AFB from September 1993 to 1997, my first postdoctoral fellowship. I was over on the non-flight-line side of 98 at the lab on 139 Barnes Dr. I wasn’t into guns then and had zero extra income anyway  so didn’t know anything about the local gun shows or shops.

[Ret-Sarge]

I was at Tyndall from Dec 92 to Jan 96, as the Assistant NCOIC of the 1st Fighter Squadron Aircrew Life Support shop. Then left Active Duty to become a Reserve Bum then an Air Reserve Technician. But still technically lived in Callaway, even though I was only home 6 days a month. So you worked at/with AFCEC and AFCESA?

So far this is what I've found.

Stock RA for Remington Arms
Front band/bayonet lug R for Remington
Stacking swivel R for Remington
Front sling swivel R for Remington
Trigger guard assembly R for Remington
Follower R for Remington
Follower spring R for Remington
Bolt sleeve R for Remington
Bolt handle/body SA for Springfield Armory
Rear sling swivel RP for Rochester Products

Don't know what else would be manufacturer marked. I'll have to pull it back out to see which parts are parked and which are blued.

[Phosphorus32]

Found the bolt steel lot code info on the Internet Archive (Wayback Machine)
https://web.archive.org/web/20211201001158/http://www.vishooter.net/slc13_2008.html

Your Springfield Armory Model 1903 bolt, steel lot code: HO16, was made in 1942.




I was in AL/EQC (Armstrong Laboratory, Environics Directorate).
File under more than you probably want to know  : I discovered a pair of enzymes found in an anaerobic bacterial community that researchers Gossett and Zinder at Cornell University developed that could dechlorinate non-flammable chlorinated solvents, namely tetrachloroethene (aka: perchloroethylene, perc, PCE) and trichloroethylene (aka: trichlor, TCE), to harmless ethene. Being on the flight line, you were probably familiar with non-flammable solvents that succeeded these but there is a huge legacy ground water contamination at bases all over the US and the world. Great solvents for being non-flammable, highly volatile (evaporated quickly without leaving a residue). Unfortunately, they're also mutagenic or carcinogenic and being denser than water, they were extremely difficult to get rid of once they go into the groundwater system.

[Ret-Sarge]

I was wondering what that code was for on the bolt handle. The bolt looks to be in the white, but all I'm finding for Remington bolts online are blued ones. So would it have a in the white or blued bolt. I got a replacement rear sight ramp/base on order as this one has been shaved/contoured. See picture below.

Good ole HazMat stuff. Stupid as it sounds we had to have a MSDS in our HazMat binder for emergency drinking water packed in survival kits.

A lot of bases are super fund clean up sites. I know Tyndall Elementary School was found to have a "Sliver of lead contamination along a fence line." according to the base. But a new school is being built on another location.