[JonM]

been thinking about getting one of these as a shooter. however my question i cant seem to find a good answer for is:

does shooting modern 30-06 off the shelf ammo safe for these or do i need to adhere to lesser loads??

prices seem to be anywhere from 900$ to 3000$

anyone got info on these old rifles or links so i can make a good decision. kinda looking for a website that i can edumacate myself on them. there are a few forum postings i find from google but lots of the info is contradictory.

[billdeserthills]

I just received two as a transfer for a customer. He bought them because the shooting club he is in decided to do a competition with a sporter style 1903A3
and he figured he'd get two and take all the best parts and make one decent gun, then sell the rest of the parts. They will be shooting to 600 yards and will be using normal 30-06 loads. Anyhow this gun is a bolt-action, so unlike a Garand, there are no auto-loading parts (Op Rod. etc) to damage.

[Sniper03]

Jon

There is nothing wrong with shooting good factory ammunition through the 1903 A-3. If you get a good one they are collectors items. I have one that is 99% condition like new and I shoot about ten rounds through it every year or so. Just like shooting it. And by the way she is a straight stock and comes straight back at you when firing it. God knows if you find a good original rifle don't Scr_w it up by sporterizing it. Id buy another rifle before I messed up one of the originals. They are not in abundance anymore.
And good ones are hard to find.

03

[JonM]

no i want a military version. and sporterizing wont happen im a big fan of american military rifles. i just want a shooter im not terribly interested in a collector grade. i dont care if the parts are serially matching or not. there is one locally that hasnt sold for a while around 900$. but im not informed enough on these to make a good decision yet.

[ronl]

I have a Springfield 03A3 that I am going to sell. It came from a military academy and was used very little. Was used in early WW2 and arsenal rebuilt. 1944 dated barrel. FJA cartouche on stock. Comes with original buttstock oiler and 1944 MRT marked canvas sling. If interested, PM me.

[CA357]

You should be able to find a pretty decent condition 03A3 for around $700.

[TXnorton]

I have a nice 1903-A3 and it shoots darn well. The A3 sights are very well suited for target shooting.

But if you can find one, don't overlook an Eddystone Model of 1917. I like mine very much, and it shoots as well (if not better) than the '03-A3.

I paid about $650 for the '03-A3 and about $750 for the M-1917.

[JonM]

Originally Posted by ronl

I have a Springfield 03A3 that I am going to sell. It came from a military academy and was used very little. Was used in early WW2 and arsenal rebuilt. 1944 dated barrel. FJA cartouche on stock. Comes with original buttstock oiler and 1944 MRT marked canvas sling. If interested, PM me.

thanks for the offer but im not ready to get one yet. still trying to learn enough about them to make an intelligent decision.

[danf_fl]

Jon, You mean something like this?

[JonM]

yeah, some time in the near future ill add one that looks pretty damn nice