So picked up a few new milsurps, posted about my M1 Carbine over in its forum home. I also picked up a 1903 Springfield in the same go. This one I think was on someone's "to sporterize" list, but thankfully they never got very far. My Grandfather picked this up sometime in the 50's as is and I guess never got around to doing anything to make it better. Alas, he is no longer around to tell me the story so much of it is lost to time.
The stock seems to be cut back quite a bit, seems to be beyond salvage, also there is no top handguard piece and from what I can tell, the barrel band hardware is not the correct milled 1903 stuff and is instead the stamped 1903a3 type (please correct me if this is wrong).

Spent a long time cleaning this thing up and would like your impressions, any extra information about it (like meanings of markings) and what I might need to do to return this as much as I can to an original usable condition. Thanks all!!

The bore looked very pitted and dull, but I soaked it a while in some hoppes 9 and gave it a good scrubbing, the photos don't do it justice but the bore is now very shiny and I see very little evidence of pitting. The lands and grooves all appear very good to my eye (certainly for an 80 year old barrel and one that has likely served in several wars).



The rifle in parts, notice the stock


Here was the extra hardware:


Only stock markings I have noticed

More pictures


Lolls like R I A ??


Some x's and maybe an "a", x for barrel alignment maybe? This is on the bottom front of the receiver.

Barrel and date SA, flaming bomb and 6-32


Rear sight looks intact from what I can tell, though I am a bit confused as to exactly what all the different sight pictures are and how they work an why there are so dang many!!!


Some patina perhaps on the magazine switch


The follower, an "e" and looks like a bird maybe with some difficult to make out letters underneath


Magazine floor plate with "a" or a delta maybe?

Not sure why there are two compartments in the stock when there is only one door on the butt cover

Bolt pics

Slyy, your rifle dates from 1918 and has a mixture of parts. I see several M1903A3 parts (stamped bands) and a Remington WWII bolt. The barrel is a replacement, as it probably the rear sight.

_________________
"We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst."
--C.S. Lewis

Yeah I was reasonably sure the barrel band equipment was stamped 03a3 stuff, have already looked into getting the appropriate milled parts.

Hope to get a replacement stock soon and get her back into fighting trim.

Forgot to answer your question as to the two holes in the butt in the stock; one was for cleaning equipment and the other (the one hidden by the buttplate), lightened the weight of the stock.

_________________
"We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst."
--C.S. Lewis

Cool to know!! Rick you are a veritable font of milsurp information, appreciate the info!!
Now to get a new stock and some milled metal parts!!

I think the follower is from a M1917 rifle; the "E" stands for Eddystone.

Being a former librarian, my family calls me "The repository of useless and trivial information". My stepson once called me "...the suppository of useless and trivial information". He was only in the hospital recovering from his injuries for a week or two!

_________________
"We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst."
--C.S. Lewis

Guess he didn't realize he was making you the butt of the joke!! Haha!!

I will have to check that out, the bird like stamp might lead me somewhere