huggytree Posted October 18, 2018 Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 (edited) 1943 remington 1903a3. Found one that was redone at the Ogden Arsenal and i believe never shot since 1945. even the feed ramp and mag follower shows no wear. gun looks like a brand new gun. its going to be a shooter. everything is R marked except for the Bayonet strap- i believe its Smith Corona as its unmarked. Rifling is mint/new Edited October 18, 2018 by huggytree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anticus Posted October 18, 2018 Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 Sweet find ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petroleum 1 Posted October 18, 2018 Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 Those 3 are the war winners...nice!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted October 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 (edited) sadly none of them fought in a war thompson-police gun 1940garand 1954and the 1903 is too minty to have even left the States. 1903a3 is surprisingly light! compared to the other 2 Edited October 18, 2018 by huggytree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldtrooper Posted October 18, 2018 Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 sadly none of them fought in a war thompson-police gun 1940garand 1954and the 1903 is too minty to have even left the States. 1903a3 is surprisingly light! compared to the other 2Congratulations on a nice find ... I might be wrong, but I think I read once that no 03A3's ever saw front line service during the war. Great looking guns, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StooperZero Posted October 18, 2018 Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 if you paid under $1k you did good. I sold mine for $1200 about 2 years ago and the buyer didnt even ask any questions once he checked a few numbers . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted October 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 $900 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normal1959 Posted October 18, 2018 Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 Very nice. I collect them also.They will only go up in price.Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gijive Posted October 18, 2018 Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 Looks like a 12-43 date to me. It could have seen service, it was rebuilt at Ogden Arsenal, so it would have been refinished at that time more than likely. Nice rifle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted October 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2018 (edited) Any idea how much an Arsenal refinish hurts the value ? I had a 2nd choice of one in good + condition that was all original. -$50 less. I decided Id rather have a flawless Ogden redo. I considered buying both. I wouldnt want a sanded stock by joe gunsmith. But when sanded by Ogden Im not sure it loses the same value ? Its an authentic 1903a3 as our govt made it and rebuilt it. Not sure a Thompson m1 thats been redone like this Is worth any less than an original. If it is its not much I looked at this gun the same way. Its going to be a shooter for me. If some day I can sell it for more great. Odds are it will be in my collection for my lifetime Edited October 18, 2018 by huggytree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adg105200 Posted October 19, 2018 Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 Awesome find! I really need to pick one up one of these days. Where did you manage to find that (if I might ask)? Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted October 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 WTB ad. on the cmp forum there's one pretty darn nice right now on gunboards...just listed today...same price range... if you want my #2 choice i can put you in touch with him..it was all original and i believe in above average condition $850 shipped....it was a very,very close call on which to choose..i was 51/49 on the one i bought.... if you want a redone like mine the one on gunboards is sitting there at $950 i think...not as nice, but in the same category GB is too expensive....dont even bother unless you want to over pay $300+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted October 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 few more pics outside Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normal1959 Posted October 19, 2018 Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 WTB ad. on the cmp forum there's one pretty darn nice right now on gunboards...just listed today...same price range... if you want my #2 choice i can put you in touch with him..it was all original and i believe in above average condition $850 shipped....it was a very,very close call on which to choose..i was 51/49 on the one i bought.... if you want a redone like mine the one on gunboards is sitting there at $950 i think...not as nice, but in the same category GB is too expensive....dont even bother unless you want to over pay $300+ I very often overpay on GB but I get what a pay for. Some very high quality items. I do know when to stop bidding but an extra $300 for much higher quality is worth it sometimes, since condition is really everything.Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted October 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 (edited) one i was looking at went for $900..it had a CMP pedigree...but was in much worse shape and more mismatched...i always over bid on GB also...bought a K31 this past Sunday...bid more than i wanted, but when i look back it was the highest quality one for sale and only went for $75 more than all the others listed that night...the wood is barely marked, vs others that have 1000 hacks in them. ive over bid often...typically i lose and i feel good that i lost as winning = over paying $500+ Edited October 19, 2018 by huggytree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSMGguy Posted October 19, 2018 Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 (edited) I have an identical example. I'm not entirely convinced that Ogden necessarily rebuilt every gun so marked. The gun may have been only inspected and stored there. Why, after all, overhaul a brand new, unissued rifle? Your barrel date is commensurate with the serial number range. Hard to see, but those may be the original Remington inspection marks on the wood forward of the magazine. They'd be gone if the wood were refinished or replaced. On my OG marked '03A3 they're deep and crisp. Replacement stocks at this time tended to be "scant" stocks, not the earlier design with the straight wrist. Rebuilt guns also tend to have a mixture of '03 and '03A3 parts. Every parked part on my '03A3 is of a subtly different shade. The bolt body and stamped bands, butt plate, and several other small parts are blued. Arsenal refinishes at the time seem to have been limited to park only. Just a thought. Edited October 19, 2018 by TSMGguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted October 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 (edited) a guy on the cmp forum who used to work for cmp grading their guns told me the barrel and receiver are a match. his opinion was it was a complete redo/refinish at Ogden. the stamps on the wood are very light except for the OG and a restamped P..so the wood is sanded down, so as the OG/P are not i assume Ogden did it. the parts all look like some kind of park. to me...some green, some more grey....i wonder if the bolt is new? all the parts appear to be 1903a3 and not 1903 mixed in.... in the end none of it matters as long as i paid a fair price as im shooting it, not collecting it...its going to have wear very shortly...its a neat find though....wonder where it sat for all those years?..still had some cosmo on it! so i think fired a few times at Ogden and never touched since... Edited October 19, 2018 by huggytree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StooperZero Posted October 19, 2018 Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 some things I've picked up in the last 2 years have never been fired other than factory and well taken care of after that. A few rifles still had cosmo in the chambers and bolt internals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeRanger Posted October 19, 2018 Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 Outstanding find. I've got nearly that much in my 03A3 Frankenrifle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normal1959 Posted October 21, 2018 Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 I dug out mine for you to compare. Seems like a lot of the OG rifles out there.Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted October 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 Your stamps are very good. Mine are 1/2 gone Your stock didnt need sanding when OG got it Most I see say OG I thought I read if it has a square around the OG it meant complete overhaul. Without the square it was just inspected. I do see some that dont have a square around the OG. Anyone know that answer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgeport28A1 Posted October 21, 2018 Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 (edited) Is there an unsanded P proof mark on the grip area? Edited October 21, 2018 by Bridgeport28A1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted October 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2018 (edited) i read when the sanded the wood at OG they restamped the P...so the P is very deep and w/o the circle..you can see bits of the original P under/around it... the only marks that are deep on my stock is the P and the OG shot the gun today....accurate!!!....with a scope i could most likely shoot in the same hole....and after shooting 80 rounds through it i can see wear now on the feed ramp and mag well follower as well as some on the bolt..so i 100% believe my gun was not fired since OG rebuilt question!----once in a while after shooting the first round of 5 the bolt would lock closed tight...you had to muscle it to open it...this happened maybe 5x out of (16- 5 round shooting sessions)...only on the first round...you couldnt easily turn the bolt up...once pulled up it would go back smoothly...ammo was PPU..mixture of 150 grain m1 garand ammo and 180 grain over all very pleased with my gun...only wish i had a A4 sniper...my range is 45 yards, so i cant miss anything on it...trigger is sweet!....i do plan to visit a 100 yard range and have more fun here's approx 35-40 yards from a bench, but w/o sandbags..i lowered the sights right after this and it shot all in the black Edited October 22, 2018 by huggytree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normal1959 Posted October 22, 2018 Report Share Posted October 22, 2018 Very nice shooting! When I get the chance I will pull and post some pictures of my pride and joy. 1903A4 unfired and with cardboard tube in the barrel and pedigree. I fell in love with these rifles some time ago and paid up for this one. Said to be one of the only unfired around. Stacks of paperwork on it too.Keep buying these guns and never sell them. Just feel the history when you touch them. I have been collecting for over 40 years. Be careful when buying the scopes. Many have broken cross hairs, foggy lenses and black specks. Hurts the value. I buy the shitty ones too but don't pay up for them. I love to hold them, close my eyes and imagine where they have been and who they and touched. (so to speak)Enjoy it. My favorite guns.Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggytree Posted October 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2018 i wont wreck the gun by trying to mount a scope to it.....i didnt want to put too much into this bolt action idea...its my only bolt action gun..just wanted one....also grabbed a K31 which i should have tuesday....so now ill have 2 bolt actions....its different and i like the history on these guns. as for my issue above? anything think the bolt wasnt completely closed when firing?? many of the times were with my son shooting and he was trying to speed load and unload...i wonder if the gun fired and the bolt was 1/4" from being completely closed?....it would seem that it could make the problem i describe and most likely not be the best for the gun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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