M1903 or M917 - send me to school

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  • tdt91

    I will miss you my friend
    Apr 24, 2009
    10,810
    Abingdon
    Was reading this thread the other day and it inspired me to take my SC 1903A3 out for a spin. She proved to be spectacular as always. At 100 yards I put them all withing a 4'' square. At 300 yards I put 7 out of 10 in minute of man chest. Now back to icing the shoulder, lol.
     

    Major03

    Ultimate Member
    Was reading this thread the other day and it inspired me to take my SC 1903A3 out for a spin. She proved to be spectacular as always. At 100 yards I put them all withing a 4'' square. At 300 yards I put 7 out of 10 in minute of man chest. Now back to icing the shoulder, lol.

    I have a m1903A1 USMC sniper repro with a national match butt plate on it...thing is literally a meat tenderizer. I know of what you speak.
     

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,337
    Catonsville
    Here's what every US 30-06 bolt action shooter needs in his gear closet! I despise recoil, doesn't do a thing to improve my aim, so having a padded shoulder is what I look for. Rocks the vintage look that goes so well with a Model 1917 or 1903.
     

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    Melnic

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    15,278
    HoCo
    Filled my gap today with an early 1918 Winchester build 1917. It has an early 18 Winchester barrel and what I was told arsenal rebuild stamp on the stock. Bore is nice and shiny. action is smooth.
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    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,337
    Catonsville
    Awesome find! So many of the 1917s are Greek repatriates and beat to heck so it's nice to see a Model 1917 that's in such nice condition.
     

    Melnic

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    15,278
    HoCo
    Awesome find! So many of the 1917s are Greek repatriates and beat to heck so it's nice to see a Model 1917 that's in such nice condition.

    How do you tell the Greek ones?

    I did see one with a CAI import stamp on the bottom of the front of the barrel.
     

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,337
    Catonsville
    The Greeks used to refinish with a rough, almost matt-like bluing. You'll find it on Springfield 1903s, M1 Garands, Pattern 14s, etc. Lots of surplus stuff was sent to the Greek Army post WWII in their fight against the Communists. I believe most came back either through the CMP or imports like Century in the 80s and 90s. So an import mark would be one item to look for. Your's certainly isn't one of them, that's a beautiful original blued finish.
    There were also M1917s sent to Canada and Britain in WWII that came back into the States in the early 90s. I have a Remington M1917 with Canadian property marks and a prominent red band painted on the end of the stock, closest to the muzzle, to warn troops that it chambered 30-06 and not .303 British. It's got CAI import marks too.
     

    Abulg1972

    Ultimate Member
    The Greeks used to refinish with a rough, almost matt-like bluing. You'll find it on Springfield 1903s, M1 Garands, Pattern 14s, etc. Lots of surplus stuff was sent to the Greek Army post WWII in their fight against the Communists. I believe most came back either through the CMP or imports like Century in the 80s and 90s. So an import mark would be one item to look for. Your's certainly isn't one of them, that's a beautiful original blued finish.
    There were also M1917s sent to Canada and Britain in WWII that came back into the States in the early 90s. I have a Remington M1917 with Canadian property marks and a prominent red band painted on the end of the stock, closest to the muzzle, to warn troops that it chambered 30-06 and not .303 British. It's got CAI import marks too.



    I’ve always been confused about the rifles sent to and returned from Canada and how that was done.

    I have an Eddystone Model 1917 that bears Royal Canadian Air Force stamps on the stock. The rifle is not import marked so I have always assumed that it came back to the US prior to 1968 or was a lend-lease item that didn’t need to be imported because it was always US property, but I just made that up.
     

    echo6mike

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 1, 2013
    1,794
    Close to DC
    Filled my gap today with an early 1918 Winchester build 1917. It has an early 18 Winchester barrel and what I was told arsenal rebuild stamp on the stock. Bore is nice and shiny. action is smooth.


    That is a beauty - looks very well cared for.

    This is going to be my year of the 03, though. 2018, that is. But that’s one fine looking rifle there! Let us know how she shoots (or did you already? Must check thread...

    SF



    Echo6mike, going mobile...
     
    Feb 28, 2013
    28,953
    Both models are collectible. I watched some very nice M1917s sell in mid December for $750-850 at a PA auction. They're very much on the rise these days. From my perspective if you want a WWII collectible then it's easy: 1903A3, Remington 1903 or pre-war Springfield 1903. The 03A3 has a nice receiver mounted sight and can easily be found in excellent condition. Prices are in the $750-850 range. Ditto for the Remington 1903. You would expect to pay a bit more for a nice pre-war Springfield 1903. These I like the best with their C stocks and better build quality.
    If you're more interested in WWI then it widens to add the M1917. The difficult and expensive thing for a purist is to find either a M1917 or WWI vintage 1903 that wasn't rebuilt for WWII. And if you want to shoot then you have to be wary of low SN 1903s and Eddystone M1917s with possibly brittle receivers. Not generally recommended to shoot (yes, you see these reworked for WWII but desperate people do desperate things in desperate times).
    I like the recommendation to spend a day at the upcoming Antique Arms show in March. Just leave your cash and check book at home, consider it a recon mission. Lots to see and learn about, I'd wait until you know what you want before diving in. Besides, if you're a bargain hunter, like moi, then it's almost Mission Impossible to get one at that show. But you'll see every flavor of 1903 and M1917 around and most in excellent condition.

    What’s the serial number range on them brittle receivers?
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    With Springfield Armory made 1903s, rifles under serial number 800,000 are considered "low number" and below 286,506 Rock Island Arsenal rifles are "low numbered". Bolts that have a slight swept back knob are for high number receivers as well though they fit the same.
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    Just looked at a 310XXX RIA rebuild. Crisp unmodified scant stock with a S in the cutoff, 42 SA barrel and replacement bolt serial-ed to the receiver on the body not the handle. A3 butt-plate, later sight collar with unmolested windgage marks, early SA striker knob with milled bottom metal, band spring and no stake marks with nice light olive park.
    Didnt look like it had 100 rnds through it, priced accordingly though @900. I can't recall if it had a Hatcher hole. Would be a nice rifle for a shooter and could probably be had for less if anybody is looking.
     

    Art3

    Eqinsu Ocha
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 30, 2015
    13,267
    Harford County
    ’Preciate that’:thumbsup:

    But like a idjit I didn’t specify. I meant fer the 1917’s.

    I never heard of brittle steel in M17's as they were NS but have read that there has been a higher number of failures associated with them as there was with the 03's. Might of been Hatcher;s notebook or somewhere else cant remember.

    I'd never heard of it either. All I've ever heard was how strong they are. I have heard about '17 receivers getting cracked during rebarrelling though...but don't know any more than that.
     

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