My Grandfather's M1903A3

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  • airbornetrooper

    Active Member
    Nov 9, 2017
    137
    VA
    I never knew my maternal Grandfather. He passed away when I was three months old, but apparently I got to meet him and there is even a picture of him holding me. Years later, as a child, I found his collection of military and hunting rifles tucked away rusting in a closet at my Grandmother's house. My Grandfather had a decent collection, and off my recollections I can remember the closet being stuffed with Arisaka's, Mauser's, US military rifles, 18th Century black powder rifles, Damascus steel double barreled shotguns, and various bayonets. My Grandmother did not want the stuff around (I think it reminded her of my Grandfather), and tried to sell some of the stuff locally. Needless to say, the local shops ripped her off. They told her it was junk (it wasn't) and gave her pennies on the dollar. According to her, the local police even showed up on her front porch one day (this was upstate New York) and said that they knew my Grandfather had pistols (he had a permit apparently), and asked if she would like them to dispose of them for her. She naively said yes and my Grandfather's bringback P38 and a few other pistols likely disappeared into the personal safe of some trooper or officer.

    By the time I reached college about a decade ago (wow I'm getting old) I asked my Grandmother if I could buy the rifles, or at least clean the rust off them. This sparked uproar with my uncles, who thus far had expressed zero interest in them as they sat neglected in nondescript closet. Nevertheless, I cleaned all the rust and grime off them, and again asked if I could take them. By this time there were only a few left, and surprisingly she told me I needed to take all them. Immediately. I loaded up the car and brought what remained home. Out of all the rifles, this one is probably my favorite. It is a near immaculate Remington M1903A3, with all correct Remington parts. When taking it apart for the first time I found a cleaning kit in the buttstock (pictured). The story was that my Grandfather acquired it from the Directorate of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM) in the 1960's, but unfortunately I never found the paperwork. Either way, it will be one of the last pieces to leave my collection. Hopefully my kids take more of an interest in collecting than my Grandfather's children did.
     

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    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,179
    Sun City West, AZ
    Awesome! I love 1903 and 1903A3 rifles. For shooting I like the 03A3 better as the sights are more usable to my eyes even if they don't exhibit the careful, old-school assembly and finishing of the earlier '03 models.

    You're a lucky guy to have scored that.
     

    dist1646

    Ultimate Member
    May 1, 2012
    8,758
    Eldersburg
    Nice looking rifle! If it came from the DCM, you can contact CMP and they will probably have a record of it. I know some people who found records of their rifle by contacting CMP. Don't know if they charge a fee or not.
     

    IronEye

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 10, 2018
    790
    Howard County
    If it was a sewer pipe nailed to a termite infested 2x4 stock it was still grandpa's gun - and priceless. This is even sweeter. Enjoy.
     

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,338
    Catonsville
    Thanks for sharing the story. It's one I hear too often. Glad you were able to save some of your Grandfather's collection. I'm sure he would be pleased.
    Beautiful 03A3!
     

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