U.S. Springfield Model 1903 A1 M1903A1 .30-06 Bolt Action Rifle C&R 1934
SOLD FOR: $1,576
WOA#: WY240126MC016
Make: Springfield Armory
Model: M1903A1
Serial Number: 1474134
Year of Manufacture: 1934 (September, 1944 barrel date)
Caliber: .30-06
Action Type: Bolt action, internal 5 round magazine
Markings: The top of the receiver is marked “U.S. Springfield Armory Model 1903 1474134”. The magazine cut-off is marked “ON” and “OFF”. The safety is marked “READY” and “SAFE”. The top of the bolt handle is marked “N.S.” for Nickel Steel and the bottom is marked “3”. The barrel band is marked “U”. The right side of the nose cap is marked “R”. The top of the barrel is marked with a circle “S” mark, a flaming bomb, and “9-44”. The underside is marked “P”. The scallop for the magazine cutoff is marked “S” for Springfield. The left side of the stock, below the receiver tang, is marked “P”. The front face of the stock is marked “3”.
Barrel Length: 24”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a hooded pinned blade atop a barrel mounted base. The rear sight is a u-notch blade attached to a fully adjustable sight ladder marked from 3-27. When flipped up separate notches and an aperture on the ladder can be used for sighting.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The two piece wood stock has a semi-pistol grip, metal nose cap with bayonet lug and stacking loop, barrel band with sling loop, sling loop, two through bolts, and a metal buttplate with hinged door for storage. The buttplate has wear along the edges, especially at the heel. There are compression marks, scuffs, and scratches throughout the wood. There is a very tiny crack at the rear of the receiver tang. The LOP measures 13” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The stock rates in about Very Good overall condition.
Type of Finish: Parkerized
Finish Originality: Original to arsenal refurbishment
Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright and the rifling is defined. There is light erosion in the bore.
In this writer’s opinion, this bore rates 6.5 out of 10.
Many military and C&R eligible weapons have bores that will show erosion. This is not only due to age but to the fact that corrosive primers were commonly used in ammunition worldwide. For example, the U.S. used corrosive ammunition throughout WWII. The U.S. military did not begin to phase out corrosive-primed ammunition until the 1950s.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 80% of its metal finish as arsenal refinished. There are scuffs and scratches throughout the metal surfaces. There are small spots of surface rust present on the bottom of the trigger guard. There is discoloration on the sides of the rear sight base. The action and bolt show some operational wear. The screw heads show light to moderate use. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Good condition as arsenal refinished.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes with a leather M1907 Pattern style sling which has verdigris present on the brass fittings and a front sight cover.
Our Assessment: During the Spanish-American war at the close of the 19th century, the U.S. Army was equipped with the Krag-Jorgensen rifle. The side-loading .30-40 caliber rifle was vastly outperformed by the Spanish M1893 Mauser, which had the ability to be loaded with charging clips and had a much more flat shooting and accurate round in the 7mm Mauser cartridge. Work to find a replacement for the Krag rifle was undertaken almost immediately during the war. It was decided to take the Mauser design from the 1893 and tweak it slightly to meet the needs of the U.S. military. This led to the M1903, which was originally chambered in the round nose .30-03 cartridge. This was quickly changed to the spitzer bullet .30-06, thus creating the M1903 that served as the primary service rifle of the U.S. from its introduction until being replaced by the M1 Garand in the late 1930s. Variants of the M1903 would continue to see service through the Second World War. This example was originally made by the Springfield Armory in 1934 and has a C-stock. It was rebarreled with a Springfield barrel in September, 1944 when it was refurbished at the arsenal. The stock has light wear to it, aside from a tiny crack at the rear of the receiver tang. The metal retains most of its arsenal refinish. The bore is in good shape and should be a nice shooter after a cleaning. This would fit into any U.S. surplus collection. Please see our photos.
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