Recovered 03A3

This is the forum to discuss your classic US military rifles from the beginning of the age of smokeless powder through WWII.
Post Reply
User avatar
oldironsights
Sustaining Member
Posts: 227
Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2008 12:26 pm
Location: South Mississippi
Contact:

Recovered 03A3

Post by oldironsights » Sat Jul 03, 2010 6:23 am

I bought this on the cheap a few months back.
It had been sporterized; drilled & tapped for a scope.
Previous owner filled in the holes & cold blued the receiver, put on a new scant stock & rear sight assembly.
It was still wearing a sporter bolt & triggerguard when I bought it along with a shiney brass bead front sight.
Bore shines like a mirror! :D
I replaced the bolt & triggerguard with issued items & covered the front sight.
I bead blasted the receiver & painted it using a Duracoat "Parker" color. I'll have to re-do it with a little more black to get the right shade, but one does not know how the final color will turn out until after curing. It seemed darker when wet.
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
I began sighting her in, but the heat was unbearable, so it was time to seek refuge in a cool, dry spot.
She sure is purdy! :D :USA:
If You Can Read This, Thank A Teacher!
If You Can Read This In English, Thank A Veteran!

Help save this retired fighting ship from the scrapyard;
http://www.ussorleck.org
Paul1807
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2005 11:14 pm
Location: Fort Worth, Texas

Re: Recovered 03A3

Post by Paul1807 » Sun Jul 11, 2010 9:04 pm

Congrats on your restoration you did a great job!
Paul in Texas
A square 10
Leading Member
Posts: 481
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2004 12:30 pm

Re: Recovered 03A3

Post by A square 10 » Mon Jul 12, 2010 10:33 pm

ill second that - there are far too many of these wasting away from neglect , thanks for saving this one
Calfed
Regular visitor
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 3:22 pm
Location: Northern California

Re: Recovered 03A3

Post by Calfed » Sun Jul 25, 2010 7:28 pm

Nice job, ois, nice job.
User avatar
oldironsights
Sustaining Member
Posts: 227
Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2008 12:26 pm
Location: South Mississippi
Contact:

Re: Recovered 03A3

Post by oldironsights » Sun Oct 03, 2010 2:41 am

Well, due to the short beaded front sight, this rifle shoots way too high.
I traded my Gibbs 03A3/4 replica away, so I decided to see how this one shoots with the glass.
I recently acquired over a dozen old Weaver scopes from the 30's, 40's, & 50's, along with a few later ones.
Most were in good shape, & two were cannabalized for parts to repair others.
I used a very early KV on this one.
Image

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Image

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
I mixed some HK black with the gray Parker color to arrive at a better match for the parkerized metal stock fittings.
I then sprayed it on from a longer distance to acheive a flat appearance.
Image

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Image

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Weaver offered his scopes for a lower price than his competition. On way he acheived this was by cutting costs on the lenses. While the more expensive lenses were ground from one piece of glass, Weaver used two to three layers of ground glass bonded together with a tranparent adhesive. This adhesive is sometimes attacked by a fungus that leaves the lens looking nery cloudy or opaque. No amount of cleaning can restore the lenses.
The old Weavers disassemble easily enough for cleaning, & this one is now crystal clear.
It is a 2.75X5 variable, with the power adjustmen concealed below a small turret cover just behind the windage adjustment; it was Weavers first variable rifle scope.
Image

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

The rifle is very comfortable to shoulder & shoot. I tested it with some M2 ball ammo, & the two groove barrel groups the proper "Minute-Of-Man" at 100 yards. I need to assemble some handloads for this rifle to tighten up the grouping at that distance.
If You Can Read This, Thank A Teacher!
If You Can Read This In English, Thank A Veteran!

Help save this retired fighting ship from the scrapyard;
http://www.ussorleck.org
User avatar
dhtaxi
Moderator
Posts: 2090
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2004 8:16 pm
Location: cleveland. england
Contact:

Re: Recovered 03A3

Post by dhtaxi » Sun Oct 03, 2010 6:08 pm

Excellent post thanks.
A square 10
Leading Member
Posts: 481
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2004 12:30 pm

Re: Recovered 03A3

Post by A square 10 » Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:32 pm

looks pretty darned good to me too :SCO:
Post Reply