Springfield Armory Model 1903 .30-06 Bolt Action Military Rifle 1929 C&R
SOLD FOR: $1375
LSB#: 210419MB64
Make: Springfield Armory
Model: 1903
Serial Number: 1309750
Year of Manufacture: 1929 (page 374 of Joe Poyer’s book, The M1903 Springfield Rifle and its Variations, 3rd Edition). Barrel Date: March 1929
Caliber: .30-06 Springfield
Action Type: Bolt Action, Internal Magazine
Markings: The top of the receiver is marked “U.S. / SPRINGFIELD / ARMORY / MODEL 1903. / 1309750”. The top of the Springfield barrel is marked “S A / flaming bomb / 3- 29”. The safety is marked “SAFE READY” and the magazine cutoff is marked “ON OFF”. The top of the bolt handle is marked “NS”. The bottom of the bolt handle is marked with a punch dot and “0”. The bottom of the bayonet lug is marked “H”. The stock is stamped “S” in the trench cut-off scallop. The right side of the barrel band is marked “U”. The right side of the rear sight base is marked “8 / xE”. The belly of the buttstock is stamped “D-1836-4”. The left side of both stock reinforcement bolts is marked “3”.
Barrel Length: Approximately 24 Inches
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a pinned blade atop a barrel-mounted base. The rear sight is a “U” notched blade attached to a fully adjustable sight ladder marked from “3-27”. When flipped up separate notches and an aperture on the ladder can be used for sighting.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The two-piece hardwood stock has a pistol grip, metal nosecap, stacking loop, 2 sling loops, barrel band, 2 through bolts, and a metal buttplate with a hinged door for storage. The stock appears refurbished. The bottom of the pistol grip is slightly angled at the front. The stock has numerous scattered compressions, draglines, scrapes, scratches, and marks through the finish. Most of the marks have colored with age. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 13 inches from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has some scuffs, light erosion, finish loss, and some light oxidation. The stock rates in about Very Good overall condition.
Type of Finish: Parkerized
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The four groove bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion. Our gauge gives us an M.E. of about 1.0.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains approximately 85% of its metal finish. The barrel has some scratchces, scuffs, and scrapes. There is some heavy finish loss on the sides of the barrel band base of the front sight. The receiver and bottom metal have some scuffs, spots of thinning, and some frost. The chamber ring has a few spots of oxidation on the right side. The bottom metal has some little dings and scratches, mainly on the trigger guard. There are some oil marks on the receiver and bottom metal. There are some spots of light erosion on the bolt handle. There is some mottled thinning and finish loss on the bolt handle. The safety, magazine cutoff and cocking indicator have some mottled thinning and oil staining. There is wear to the top of the front sight blade. There are handling marks and there is standard operational wear. The screwheads show light use. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. 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 their Krag rifles, they looked at the Spanish Mauser Model 93 they captured during the Spanish-American War. Other than changing the firing pin to a two-piece design and a few other minor alterations, the 1903 was, in fact, a Mauser design, and the U. S. Government ended up paying royalties to Mauser Werke. The rifle was well worth it though. It had a strong and reliable action and served the Army for over thirty years in two world wars. It’s fast .30-06 cartridge, adopted in 1906, continued to be the one cartridge that all others are compared against, whether it is for ballistics or felt recoil. This Springfield Armory Model 1903 was made back in 1929. It has been around long enough to see all of WWII. We don’t know if it saw service during World II, but it was around for it. This 1903 has some scattered wear but has nice markings and a great bore, it still should be fun to shoot and looks good enough to add to your collection. Please see our photos and good luck!