Were some 03A3's shipped from the DCM with Lyman sights & C stocks?

[cplnorton]

Picked this second rifle up at the auction where I got the suspected Marine 03 today. I normally don't bid on this stuff as I always think it's been bubba'd. But this one was going really cheap, and it has a beautiful NOS looking Keyston stock, and the condition of the rifle looks new as well. So I went for it.

It's a Remington 03a3 serial 3,550,825. It has a 2/43 barrel that guages new. The stock is marked with an upside down K, no other stampings that I see. It has a milled trigger assembly, and a Smith Corona bolt. It has a lyman 48S site that is also stamped 03a3. The front sight is a taller front sight post stamped redfield on the left hand side. I think the trigger has been worked as well, as it has a much nicer trigger than my other 03a3's.

My quesiton did 03a3's ever come from maybe the old DCM with that lyman 48S sight installed already? Or was that add on that Bubba added? Same with the stock, was that Bubba added as well?

Thanks guys!

[Art]

There was an M1903A3 National Match Rifle but the rear sight was a Redfield Olympic and very few (about 140) were made. They were I believe disposed of through the DCM but they are extremely rare and collectable. Ther rifle above appears to be one of the multitude of service rifles converted for match or target use by civilian owners or gunsmiths. "Bubbaed" is to strong a word, it's probably a really nice rifle but it also is what it is.

[cplnorton]

The auctioneer stated the rifle was purchased from the old DCM just like this, with the sight. I thought it was a load of crap. But I bought the rifle, not the story. I got it for $350. So I won't complain much. The parts are worth more than that I would think.

I will just have to take it shooting and see how it shoots! lol

[Art]

For $350.00 I think you got a heck of a deal and I bet its a great shooter.

[Rick the Librarian]

There is a chance that the stock could have come with the rifle, but the rear and front sights were definitely add-ons. In my opinion, the previous owner also added the stock. Type C stocks were extremely cheap commercially in the 1960s.

[Griff Murphey]

One thing you may find on that C stock, if you take the rear sight off, is that either they may have inletted the stock for the elevation slide or the slide may have marked it up a bit.

[Tom in N.J.]

The postwar (WWII) 48S rear sight requires no inletting to the stock, as the earlier 48C series did. Photo shows 48S on left, and 48C on right. Note how 48S base is shaped to go over the stock, no cut required.

[Allen Humphrey]

cplnorton- looks like a really nice rifle and I bet it shoots great too. A well placed 350 in my book.

Tom- Did (does) the 48S fit the older 03 too?

[Herschel]

I agree with Art that "Bubba" is too harsh a word to describe the former owner who made a cheap and readily available military surplus rifle into a hunting rifle. The Lyman 48S is the hunter version. That can be told by the W & E adjustment knobs being rounded and requiring a coin or screwdriver to turn. The target version had knurled knobs for turning by hand. There is no way this rifle came from the DCM with the Lyman 48S and almost certainly did not come with the C stock. You made a good purchase. The C stock itself is probably worth $350.

Tom, Thanks for photos showing the difference in the bases of the Lyman 48 sights. However, the one one the right is not a 48C. The 48C had a stepup in the horizontal part of the w/e slide as shown in the later 48S on the left.

[Jeff L]

Dayum! For 350, you did great! That's a sweet looking shooter. I have an 03A3 with a C stock added during an Ogden Arsenal rebuild. Enjoy it.

-Jeff L