Springfield 1903 Star Gauged Barrel .30-06 Bolt Action Rifle 1929 C&R

SOLD FOR: $2725

LSB#: 220427GT003

Make: Springfield Armory

Model: 1903. This Rifle was rebuilt in the manner of a National Match “Style B” Rifle.

Serial Number: 1310841

Year of Manufacture: 1929 (page 373 of Joe Poyer’s book, The M1903 Springfield Rifle and its Variations, 3rd Edition)
Barrel Date: September, 1932

Caliber: .30-06 Springfield

Action Type: Bolt Action, Internal Magazine

Markings: The top of the receiver is marked “U.S. / SPRINGFIELD / ARMORY / MODEL 1903 / 1310841”. The top of the barrel is marked “S A / flaming bomb / 9 – 32” . The safety is marked “SAFE READY” and the magazine cutoff is marked “ON OFF”. The bottom of the bolt handle is marked with a punch. The bolt body is marked with the serial number in electric pencil. The face of the muzzle is marked with a small “star”; this is a “star gauged” barrel. The barrel band is marked “U”. The bayonet lug is marked “H”. The scallop for magazine cutoff is marked “S” for Springfield and “5”.

Barrel Length: Approximately 24 Inches

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a pinned blade atop a raised base. The rear sight is a Lyman adjustable aperture. It is secured to the right rear of the receiver. The right side is marked “0 25 50 75 100 125” and with small lines. The top is marked “0” and with small lines.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The two piece hardwood stock has a pistol grip, nosecap with bayonet lug, stacking loop, barrel band, 2 sling loops, 2 through bolts and a metal buttplate with hinged door for storage. The buttplate shows scrapes. The wood shows light scrapes & small scratches. The LOP measures 13 1/8 inches from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The stock rates in about Fine overall condition.

Type of Finish: Parkerized

Finish Originality: Original to Rebuild.

Bore Condition: The bore is gray. The rifling is deep. There is erosion in the bore. It is more prominent at the muzzle and in the grooves. There is also intermittent light pitting in the grooves, more prominent near the muzzle. The bore shows an M.E. of -0.9 (negative 0.9).

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 92% of its metal finish. The metal shows scrapes, scratches and light discoloration. The most prominent marks are the scratches on the barrel & front sight. The bolt and right side of the receiver show operational wear. The screw heads show use. The markings are well deep. Overall, this rifle rates in about Very Good Plus condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The safety has been reversed. 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: None

Our Assessment: When the US Army was looking for a rifle design to replace the 1898 Krag rifle, they looked directly at the Spanish Model 1893 Mauser. This was due to the fact that the performance of the Model 1893 Mauser was far superior than that of the 1898 Krag during the Spanish-American War. The Model 1903 is basically a redesigned Mauser clone. A U.S. Patent Court eventually found that the U.S. Army had violated Mauser’s patents and required the U.S. Army to pay the German Mauser manufacturers patent royalties. Payments were stopped once WWI started. The 1903 has a strong reliable action that served the Army for over thirty years in two world wars.

This Springfield Armory 1903 was made back in 1929. It has been rebuilt in the manner of a National Match “Style B” Rifle. The rifle uses a Springfield pistol grip “C” stock, a star gauged barrel, a Lyman aperture sight and the bolt is marked with the rifle’s serial number. These are all indicative of a National Match “Stylle B” Rifle. This 1903 will add to your Military collection. Good luck.