1903A3 Springield stock

[jruby]

I have slowly been building a 257 Roberts in a 1903A3 action. This is a bad weather rifle for hunting black tail deer on the Oregon coast in October, I am looking for a synthetic stock for this rifle. I know ramline made them at one time but it appears that they no longer do. I would not mind a used one in good or better shape. I am also open to other options or thoughts. Thank you for your time to read this.

James

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Here ya go, James. New Ram-Line still in the box. Ebay also has a couple of new laminate stocks at $190. Personally, that is the way I would go.

1903 Springfield Ram-Line Syntech Rifle Stock New In Package 03/03A3 Black | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1903 Springfield Ram-Line Syntech Rifle Stock New In Package 03/03A3 Black at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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Here's my 03A3. I stocked this one twice. Last time in 1981. It's killed a ton of critters.

 

[mdwest]

Here ya go, James. New Ram-Line still in the box. Ebay also has a couple of new laminate stocks at $190. Personally, that is the way I would go.

1903 Springfield Ram-Line Syntech Rifle Stock New In Package 03/03A3 Black | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1903 Springfield Ram-Line Syntech Rifle Stock New In Package 03/03A3 Black at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Here's my 03A3. I stocked this one twice. Last time in 1981. It's killed a ton of critters.
View attachment 674847

I agree with OH.. before I dropped $350 on a ramline (they are on their best day a $89 stock to me).. I'd consider a laminate from Boyds or Richards Microfit, etc.. it'll be cheaper and will hold up to the weather you're concerned about..

 

[jruby]

350$ plus another 45$ is a bit rediculous. I guess I will be looking at laminated stock. Was hoping to keep the weight down as a Roberts should have minimal kick. The laminsted stock will have the longevity. I have more into this project than I would have if I had purchased a complete rifle.

I seem to like oddball configurations - my other springfield is a 6.5x55.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

350$ plus another 45$ is a bit rediculous. I guess I will be looking at laminated stock. Was hoping to keep the weight down as a Roberts should have minimal kick. The laminsted stock will have the longevity. I have more into this project than I would have if I had purchased a complete rifle.

I seem to like oddball configurations - my other springfield is a 6.5x55.

Sorry, I didn't even look at the price. That guy is right off his rocker. Ram-line was not that great to start with.

What did you do for safety on those rifles? I'm about to change mine (again) to Winchester Model 70 3-position. Apparently, the bolt shroud/safety screws onto Springfield bolt. Requires machining a new striker/firing pin.

There's also an old Bishop stock up on ebay that looks like it could be cleaned up nicely. My walnut stock has been through countless rainstorms and blizzards. Still looks pretty good. But I have refinished it at least three times. Labor of love.

 

[jruby]

Here ya go, James. New Ram-Line still in the box. Ebay also has a couple of new laminate stocks at $190. Personally, that is the way I would go.

1903 Springfield Ram-Line Syntech Rifle Stock New In Package 03/03A3 Black | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1903 Springfield Ram-Line Syntech Rifle Stock New In Package 03/03A3 Black at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Here's my 03A3. I stocked this one twice. Last time in 1981. It's killed a ton of critters.
View attachment 674847

A very nice Springfiled. I gave mine to a close friend - someday I will replace it. I love the smoothness of these actions. The only problem I have is that have four different 30-06's now.

 

[jruby]

Sorry, I didn't even look at the price. That guy is right off his rocker. Ram-line was not that great to start with.

What did you do for safety on those rifles? I'm about to change mine (again) to Winchester Model 70 3-position. Apparently, the bolt shroud/safety screws onto Springfield bolt. Requires machining a new striker/firing pin.

There's also an old Bishop stock up on ebay that looks like it could be cleaned up nicely. My walnut stock has been through countless rainstorms and blizzards. Still looks pretty good. But I have refinished it at least three times. Labor of love.

I have destroyed rifle stocks due to the dampness. Had to replace a stock on a Savage 99 due to this. There have been times even when wearing rain gear I could not get wetter if I had sat in a mud puddle. It has been my experience that you will see more deer on an inclement day than you will on a sunny afternoon.

I love wood stocks and blued rifles but have including this rifle four in synthetic stocks for hunting in bad weather. The others are mausers which finding a synthetic stock for is easy.
The safety on both my rifles are buehler wing safetys. A three position makes alot of sense but is beyond my skill level and good gun smiths are hard to find now days.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have destroyed rifle stocks due to the dampness. Had to replace a stock on a Savage 99 due to this. There have been times even when wearing rain gear I could not get wetter if I had sat in a mud puddle. It has been my experience that you will see more deer on an inclement day than you will on a sunny afternoon.

I love wood stocks and blued rifles but have including this rifle four in synthetic stocks for hunting in bad weather. The others are mausers which finding a synthetic stock for is easy.
The safety on both my rifles are buehler wing safetys. A three position makes alot of sense but is beyond my skill level and good gun smiths are hard to find now days.

Myers makes 3-position Model 70 style safeties (shroud + striker) for Springfield but he is proud of them. Very good quality though. I think Wisner also still makes a 2-position lateral lever shroud safety kit for Springfield but requires access to machining.

I seem to recall someone, maybe Boyds, offers the option of ventilating the fore end on laminated stocks to reduce weight.

 

[jruby]

I have a pre 64 winchester in 358 norma magnum. The three position safety is nice. Saying that one of the things about the springfield to me is its simplicity. I am very comfortable with the wing safety. My old FN commercial mausers have the wing safety. The only problem I have with the wing safety is that some are on the left and some are on the right side of the action. The one safety I have real problems with is the MKV weatherby's. I guess that's a personal issue.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have the wing safety on the left side of my Springfield ... and I like it there. Note that I cut the knurled knob off the end of striker so I can access the left side safety with my right thumb. The problem with wing safeties is they are not safe when I detach the scope and switch to iron sights (note the Warne QD rings). Detaching the scope is a great option in rough steep terrain or bad weather ... which seems to be an issue for you. When the scope is removed, the wing safety is unprotected and sticking up where it can get caught on clothing or brush. 3-position lever on the side of the bolt sleeve is out of the way. With wing safety when the scope is removed, the chamber must be empty. Safety is no longer safe. My Springfield does hold five in the box so it's not a big deal ... unless I'm on a track and the animal pops up suddenly.

Be careful about cutting off the striker knob. It's actually a rod threaded into the cocking piece knob and peened together at the end into one unit. Unfortunately, most of the striker rod's thread is on the end, inside the knob end that will be cut off. Cut the knob off as close as possible to the end. I used loktite to seize the threaded rod in the cocking piece.

 

[jruby]

My understanding is that by removing the know on the cocking piece also reduces the amount of mass that impacts the primer. Almost all my rifles under 358 caliber have fixed scopes. On rifles I would use to hunt animals that present a danger I use detachable mounts. Hence my four 30-06 all have fixed scopes.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

In snow or rain it is nice to be able to put the scope in my daypack and switch to iron sights, especially when footing is tricky.

My shortened striker punches the primers very adequately. The firing pin spring generates the energy needed to punch the primer. Military striker springs have PLENTY of punch. Actually, I seem to recall reading somewhere that shortening the striker causes it to hit the primer quicker, something long range competition shooters apparently seem to fuss over.

The knob on the Springfield striker is to aid in reassembling the bolt. It is a trick without it. I use the edge of my workbench to cock the striker.

 

[jruby]

Looks very similar to where we hunt in eastern oregon. Like most things there are more ways to skin a cat then just one. If it works for you it works. Removing the scope makes the model 70 safety make a lot of sense. There are definitely times removing the scope makes sense. I typically use a rifle scope with enough low power magnification to make short range shots viable. On my medium bore rifles I use Alaskan detachable mounts which work great but start around 200$ and goes up. Another consideration is I dont see well enough to use open sights well. My diabetes kind of took care of that.

 

[jruby]

The primary purpose for the "knob" on the 1903/a3 cocking piece was for a second chance attempt on a cartridge that did not fire the first time. Ammunition was not always as good as it is today. Mexico copied it on thier Mauser. I agree that the "knob" helps in disassembly / reassembly but its primary purpose was not for that originally.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Sometimes I take my limited eyesight for granted. I'm 72 and left eye is almost useless after multiple retina detachments. Right eye is hanging in there, although twenty years ago the long term forecast was not good for it either. I can do "okay" with iron sights out to 100 yards. At fifty yards I can put 404 bullets touching in the bull.

 

[jruby]

Sometimes I take my limited eyesight for granted. I'm 72 and left eye is almost useless after multiple retina detachments. Right eye is hanging in there, although twenty years ago the long term forecast was not good for it either. I can do "okay" with iron sights out to 100 yards. At fifty yards I can put 404 bullets touching in the bull.

I turn 63 in June so you have a couple on me. I had over 90% vision loss in my right eye due to catracts - fortunately after the surgery its alot better but that means 20-40. The impact is that I am no longer right eye dominant so it has taken some work to accomodate this change. I have never shot a 404 Jeffereys - the closest I have is my 404 Barnes and Johnson. Really no real need of it except to get pounded once in a while - seems to give me an attitude adjustment when I need it most. Maybe go after bears someday in Alaska. I prefer a low powered scope and seem to be able to hit well enough with them. Even on my deer and elk rifle rarely are they over 6X and normally closer to 4X. I have found too much magnification is not the answer when hunting big game.

 

[cash_tx]

+1 on the Ramline assessment. I have one that came with a Mauser 98-based 25-06 that I am now using on a 243. It's certainly usable, but I would never give more than about a hundred bucks for it. 350 is just silly.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

The primary purpose for the "knob" on the 1903/a3 cocking piece was for a second chance attempt on a cartridge that did not fire the first time. Ammunition was not always as good as it is today. Mexico copied it on thier Mauser. I agree that the "knob" helps in disassembly / reassembly but its primary purpose was not for that originally.

Yep, that's what the gun writers say. However, in the heat of combat it would take a helluva lot less effort to simply reload the next cartridge vs struggle with recocking the striker. Mauser has a slot in the striker for assisting with reloading the bolt shroud. I assume a tool slips into it to grasp and pull striker. Springfield copied too much of Mauser and wound up paying for a patent infringement. I think the knob was a decorative way of boosting an appearance of not copying Mauser.

Until recently my Springfield wore a fixed 3x Weaver and no iron sights. Because I switched from tracking in heavy timber to hunting open plains, I upgraded to a 3-9x Nikon. I only use the 9x for range work or sizing up game at long distance. With my buggered eye, binoculars don't work well. Scope is turned down to 4x otherwise. 404J wears a brand new Bushnell 1-4x. It was a good buy and seems to be holding up well. Tapered reticle and no frills. Tried the old Weaver on it but not enough eye relief. Gotta take care of that good eye.

Speaking of which, if you only wound up with 20/40 corrected (with glasses) after cataract surgery, something isn't right. Most get correction in the new lens and don't need glasses for distance. I can almost get 20/20 uncorrected in right eye after cataract surgery. I now actually see the iron sights better without my glasses but of course don't shoot without them.

 

[jruby]

My left eye is 20-20 my right eye is degraded. With glasses I can see fairly well. I cannot read well with my right eye. I often find times I have my right eye closed not even being aware of it. Wifes is good at reminding me of this. I spent alot of time trying to correct this. Back to guns.


Here is apicture of my old fn mauser..Need to clean my bench

 

[jruby]

Here is my rifle