Pulled a couple of my Remington 03A3 Service grades out of the safe for a good cleaning and lubing in preparation for the upcoming season. Whatta Hobby!
03A3.jpg03A3 1.jpg
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03A3 Service grades.
Pulled a couple of my Remington 03A3 Service grades out of the safe for a good cleaning and lubing in preparation for the upcoming season. Whatta Hobby!
03A3.jpg03A3 1.jpg
Senior Member
Fine looking rifles.
In my humble opinion the Model 1903A3 was the best of the Mauser System rifles. I know I'd get an argument from some folks who favor the Swedes but one way or another they are a top end rifle if you have to carry a bolt gun into combat.
Last edited by Art; 01-01-2023 at 02:14.
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Don't plan on carrying anything into combat ever again. Now , they are but toys for an old dinosaur.
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Well that's obviously all very true for me as well. I have two kinds of firearms, recreational and serious. My serious guns for self defense are modern firearms. The recreational guns are "vintage" firearms. But the statement stands, if I had to use a Mauser type bolt action repeater in 1943-44, when the day of the bolt action repeater was almost done, and had a choice it would be an '03A3 for what I think are some pretty good reasons. Despite its faults, though, my first choice in a bolt action repeater would still be a No4 Lee Enfield.Originally Posted by nf1e
Last edited by Art; 01-06-2023 at 01:38.
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I'd pick the '03A3 hands down. The No 4 Enfield has a peep sight -- a great improvement over the sights on it's predecessors, but so does the 03A3. I keep my Remington '03A3 zeroed for cast bullets and use it for small game. My Smith-Corona is zeroed for soft nose full velocity ammo and it's my "loaner" deer rifle.
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My first choice in battle rifles would also be the No. 4 with its 10 round magazine and buttery smooth action.
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The 10 round magazine is an advantage in Volley Fire -- a tactic the British abandoned when their enemies quit standing in serried ranks. The No. 1 MK III* which came out in January of 1916 omitted the volley sights.
Now consider this -- you and I are going to fire 100 rounds as fast as we can -- you have a SMLE, I have a Springfield. We start with loaded magazines. After 5 rounds, I have to reload. You keep firing for another 5 rounds, then you need to reload -- with 5-round clips. At the end of the exercise, I've crammed 19 5-round clips into my rifle, and you've used 18 -- not much difference.
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R. Lee Ermey staged a head to head rapid fire competition between the M1903 and the Lee Enfield. The M1903 got smoked.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5x6yco
Ermey was always entertaining. I miss him.
However, going up against the M1 Garand was a different story.
Last edited by Merc; 01-10-2023 at 12:47.
Administrator - OFC
He was entertaining -- but notice how he fumbled reloading, both the Springfield and the Garand. I can reload a Garand a LOT faster than he can.
But to the point -- the scenario he set up is analogous to volley fire -- which was obsolete by 1916.
It's the aiming that counts.
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