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Story to get to Question on "03" Stock and Blueing
Sparty_76
Member Posts: 714 ✭✭
Four years ago, on a whim I went to a Gun Show in Green Bay, WI. I looked at many guns, but the prices seemed very high. At the time, I only had 5 shotguns and a couple .22 LRs. I did not hunt deer, only pheasants, and shot some trap. I was talking to a dealer and mentioned I did not own a center-fire rifle. I also told him I always read a lot of history with concentration on World War I and II. He asked me how much I wanted to spend, and I said I was not really in the market just looking. He said, how about this one. He holds up a Sportorized ?03 Springfield.? He said for not very much I could have it. It had an old banged up Remington 700 Stock, and the bluing was faded. The action was nice and smooth. He said he could not get rid of it and I could have it for $250. I thanked him and kept on walking, however the thing kept calling to me. On my next trip around his table I offered him $175. He said no but would let me have it for $200. I was skeptical but did not think I had much to lose for that price, so I bought it and brought it home. I figured the worse I could do is put a military stock on it.
It had scope mounts, but no iron sights, so I went and bought a mid-priced Bushnell scope and attempted to mount it. To my dismay, I found that the bolt would not clear the back fluted end of the scope. I took it to my local gunsmith, who just happens to love ?03s?. He took one look at it and offered me $350 for it. Told me he knew it was made in ?42? by Winchester Arms. Also said it was not a MIA sniper version and not match but very close. Said it had more rifling in the barrel or something. I said no, that I wanted to know if he could fix it so I could put a modern scope on it. He said he had done it to many ?03? but he hated to do it, but since this was all ready ?sportorized? the damage had been done. He quoted me $250.
I thought, ?In for a penny out for a pound!? So, I said go for it. He called me a week later and asked me to come out his shop. He said he found other problems, one being with the safety location and another with a cracked stock he found when he took the action off. He quoted me another $200. I said go for it! To make a long story short he called me twice more with problems so that I had another $400 on top of the $200. Finally, he told me to come out and pick up the gun! I fully anticipated to have to pay $600. When I got there Jim told me had it already to go. He said he had zeroed it in to 100 yards and it was amazingly accurate. Told me he would now give me $400 for it and he would forget what I owed him. I asked him if it was a good gun? He said he had worked on a lot of ?03s? and this was one of the best he had handled. When I said, I had my heart set on it, he took me in the backroom and showed me a gun rack with 10, 03s. He then said I will give you $300 and you can have your pick of one of these. Some had beautiful stocks and scopes. A couple were original military. I gulped and said no. I never was the smartest person, but when I am attached to something, I do not let it go. He said, ?OK I give, just give me the money for the parts, I will eat the labor as it was a pleasure to work on it, give me $350. Your Great-Grandson will be using that gun to deer hunt! It is a tack driver! One of the best I have ever shot, and I have shot them all when it comes to ?03s?.
So, I gave him, the $350 and rushed right out to the gun range. I was excited as in my almost 60 years I did not remember ever shooting a center fire rifle. I lined up on a target at 100 yards, and slowly squeezed the trigger. Dead Center first time! I tried at 200 yards and it was on the line for the center circle. Not bad for my first two shots ever with a 30-06. Over the last 5 years, I have boughten 5 more CF rifles, but my favorite is my ?03?. With my son in-law a couple years ago, I drilled a 400-pound Oklahoma boar hog at 100 yards with one shot with her, my first large animal. I am sure you experts, would not give me $400 her with the scope, but to me she is worth a whole lot more. I am hoping my Great-Grandson uses it!
Took me all this to get to my question, sorry. I want to fix-up the 03 more. One of the things she needs is a new stock. The original dealer told me it had a Remington 700 stock. So, my question is to any of you experts know if a 700 Stock will fit an ?03? action? If not, what might, or do you know someone I could call to find out? My local gunsmith does not blue guns, so does anyone know a gunsmith that does in NE WI (near Green Bay or Milwaukee). Sorry to bore you so much, but thanks!
It had scope mounts, but no iron sights, so I went and bought a mid-priced Bushnell scope and attempted to mount it. To my dismay, I found that the bolt would not clear the back fluted end of the scope. I took it to my local gunsmith, who just happens to love ?03s?. He took one look at it and offered me $350 for it. Told me he knew it was made in ?42? by Winchester Arms. Also said it was not a MIA sniper version and not match but very close. Said it had more rifling in the barrel or something. I said no, that I wanted to know if he could fix it so I could put a modern scope on it. He said he had done it to many ?03? but he hated to do it, but since this was all ready ?sportorized? the damage had been done. He quoted me $250.
I thought, ?In for a penny out for a pound!? So, I said go for it. He called me a week later and asked me to come out his shop. He said he found other problems, one being with the safety location and another with a cracked stock he found when he took the action off. He quoted me another $200. I said go for it! To make a long story short he called me twice more with problems so that I had another $400 on top of the $200. Finally, he told me to come out and pick up the gun! I fully anticipated to have to pay $600. When I got there Jim told me had it already to go. He said he had zeroed it in to 100 yards and it was amazingly accurate. Told me he would now give me $400 for it and he would forget what I owed him. I asked him if it was a good gun? He said he had worked on a lot of ?03s? and this was one of the best he had handled. When I said, I had my heart set on it, he took me in the backroom and showed me a gun rack with 10, 03s. He then said I will give you $300 and you can have your pick of one of these. Some had beautiful stocks and scopes. A couple were original military. I gulped and said no. I never was the smartest person, but when I am attached to something, I do not let it go. He said, ?OK I give, just give me the money for the parts, I will eat the labor as it was a pleasure to work on it, give me $350. Your Great-Grandson will be using that gun to deer hunt! It is a tack driver! One of the best I have ever shot, and I have shot them all when it comes to ?03s?.
So, I gave him, the $350 and rushed right out to the gun range. I was excited as in my almost 60 years I did not remember ever shooting a center fire rifle. I lined up on a target at 100 yards, and slowly squeezed the trigger. Dead Center first time! I tried at 200 yards and it was on the line for the center circle. Not bad for my first two shots ever with a 30-06. Over the last 5 years, I have boughten 5 more CF rifles, but my favorite is my ?03?. With my son in-law a couple years ago, I drilled a 400-pound Oklahoma boar hog at 100 yards with one shot with her, my first large animal. I am sure you experts, would not give me $400 her with the scope, but to me she is worth a whole lot more. I am hoping my Great-Grandson uses it!
Took me all this to get to my question, sorry. I want to fix-up the 03 more. One of the things she needs is a new stock. The original dealer told me it had a Remington 700 stock. So, my question is to any of you experts know if a 700 Stock will fit an ?03? action? If not, what might, or do you know someone I could call to find out? My local gunsmith does not blue guns, so does anyone know a gunsmith that does in NE WI (near Green Bay or Milwaukee). Sorry to bore you so much, but thanks!
Comments
In the link below is a ad from a well known stock maker. Who makes sporter stocks for Springfields. Might be of interest to you. Go over the internal dimensions closely. To be sure that it will be compatible, with your sporterized springfield.
https://www.boydsgunstocks.com/gunstocks/plat-springfield-1903-mbc-4a2411v43zz
It will not.
I can imagine somebody with more time than money carving a Remington stock's inletting to fit a Springfield, but it is sure not a "drop in."
Research indicates that the only manufacturer of model 1903 rifles in 1942 was Remington. It would be interesting to know what you actually have.