1903A3 Project Rifle Questions

[Bergeron]

Guys and Gals, I've a few questions about a gun project that I'm considering.

I've been wanting an '03 for a while, and I've been considering working on a sporterized rifle. I found an '03A3 that has been subjected to a sporterized stock, 19" barrel, and a Lyman aperture sight. The metal looks good, and it's pretty low priced.

My desire is to put together an '03 that would have a military "C" style stock, have a generally military issue profile, but have some decent sights on it. I really don't want to alter an orginal, so I've been looking for a sporterized model. Besides, it gives me an opprotunity to have another gun project.

Boyd's is selling the C grip stocks, I imagine the additional small metal parts won't be too expensive, but I have no idea about where to find another barrel. Does anyone have any ideas, and does this sound like a reasonable undertaking?

 

[davera]

The original barrel on the 03-A3 was 24 inches long, so the sporterized barrel is 5 inches shorter. That might be shorter than the stock itself. You might be able to adjust the stock some ... but that might affect how the metal fits in place. You'd be better off with a sporter that didn't have the barrel shortened.

 

[Bergeron]

Yeah, that's something that I'm trying to take into account. I'm planning on having to acquire another barrel, but I don't how expensive it will be to do so. If I can find a replacement barrel for a decent price, it'll be worth it. However, if the barrel is too rare or expensive to find, then I'll have to pass on the gun.

 

[cracked butt]

Check ebay- there usually are 1 or 2 N.O.S. surplus 03a3 barrels for sale at any given time. The going price is usually around $100. I bought one for my 03a3 a few years ago and it shoots like a dream.

and does this sound like a reasonable undertaking?

Reasonable is defined by the person doing the project. I won't tell you how much I have put into a swedish M94 carbine restoration so far, other than that its almost as much as a all matching specimen in fair condition would cost outright, and my carbine won't have much collector value. Do what you want to do.

 

[nwilliams]

I would try ebay I've seen a number of original 1903 barrels (and other parts) for sale on there.

Good luck with your project I rebuilt a Rock Island one a few years ago and its one of my favorite rifles. Had to buy new stock and all new fittings, but I only paid $300 for the sporterized original so I'm pretty happy with my investment. I was lucky the barrel wasn't modified on mine so I didn't need to buy a new one.

I bought all my fittings on Numrich www.e-gunparts.com

 

[Bergeron]

eBay, how about that? I was under the mistaken impression that there weren't any gun parts at eBay. Thanks!

 

[cracked butt]

Sometimes Ebay is the only place where a rare or difficult to find gun part can be found.