Springfield 1903A3

S

sigshepardo

New member
I went out today with my 1943 Remington 1903A3. I was shooting some 147 gr. handloads. I had the sight set as low as it would go (200 yds.). I was at 100 yards and all of my shots kept hitting about a 12 inches high. I was very frustrated. I'd like to know if anybody has had this problem before, and what to do about it.
 
I'd say you are hitting high because you are shooting 100yds whole sighted for 200yds. It makes sense at least.

Something you might try is aiming with your front sight a bit higher than your back.

BB
 
I'd be shocked if the trajectory for a 30-06 called for a 12 inch drop from 100 to 200 yards. It can't only be that the blade was regulated for 200 yards. My suspicion is the same as the previous poster - that the front sight blade needs replacement.
 
Either the front sight goes up or the rear sight goes down. The other option I was thinking of was making weak hand loads. But Im afraid of an undercharge destroying my brittle rifle
 
Did you SHOOT it at 200 yards or just put the sight on the 200 yard mark?

If you do not know that it shoots to the sight markings, it probably has a worn or incorrect front blade, they made several sizes to get at least close to the sight graduations.
 
Shigshapado

Thats strange, I also own a 1943 Remington 1903 A3, and the only amunition I have used so far was Federal 150 Grain Soft points, At 96 Yards I was hitting at about an inch above the bullseye on a standard rifle sight in target. I will admit though that I could not make out the details of the target and just aimed for the center sitting in a folding chair beside my Deer Stand.
Hows your hold on your appeture? Is the top of the blade, centered in the peep sight? had your sight been filed down or shortend?
 
Normally I would say you need a taller front sight details about :

Depends on early or late. If stampped low so as to be unseen when installed , early. If stamped so as to be seen , late. Hights are 0.537 , 0.522 , 0.507 , 0.492 , 0.477 , or a steady .015 step down , which equals appx. 2 MOA per step. The early ones ran from unmarked as the tallest to " D " as the lowest. For the late ones , they must have felt that all needed to be marked , so the blank became "A" and the rest moved down , with "D " becoming "E". There was no "F" , maybe a light stampped "E" ?
HTH , Chris
Click to expand...
Source: http://www.jouster.com/forums/showt...quot-lettered-quot-M1903A3-front-sight-blades


However being one foot off at 100 yards leads me to conclude that your bedding is off. Without a doubt the wood around the rear tang is crushed and your receiver is bowed when the action screws are tight.

It is also very likely that the front of the action is off line, the barrel touching somewhere in the barrel channel. The Springfields were bedded so that the barrel only touched the tip of the front stock, and that with a 3.5 to 5 pound downward force.

Read up on action bedding, it is not difficult. You get a dremel tool and route out enough wood to create a good thickness of epoxy. After coating all metal with release agent (a real cheap one is Johnson paste wax) you pour in the epoxy and insert the action. I recommend Brownell’s Acura Glass for a new person, comes with everything, but I would still use Johnson paste wax for the release agent.

I have bedded less than one hundred actions, the military actions will show radical point of aim shifts once the actions are level and sitting on a nice firm surface.

Bed first, then go looking for a taller front sight.

Your M1903A3 was made out of 8620 steel, a good steel, far better than the plain carbon steels used in the single or double heat treat receivers. The single heat treat receivers are the suspect ones, you cannot prove non destructively whether the receiver is brittle or not. The WW2 era receivers are stronger due to improvements in alloys and process controls.

Your receiver can be fired with modern loads without any concern of its structural quality.
 
The original guns had some pretty amazing long range setups on them.

I have not looked into it deeply but the battle sight was at 547 yards, and I believe 300 yards was also a standard used.

Some wild stuff as the sight could go to over 2000 yards and even on my best days I could not see anything that far off!
 
It is very common for the 03A3 rifles to shoot high at closer ranges and a lot of them still shoot high at 200.

You need a taller front sight. A lot of people make them themselves. It is easy to do.
 
to clarify

I was at 100 yards (the farthest I can go on my property). The lowest my sight would go was 200 yards. The shots grouped at least 12 inches above my target, and I put the front blade just under the target. And a thank you to all who posted here, I really appreciate it.
 
A lot of them are still about 12 inches high at 200.

It also depends on how you are shooting. If you are shooting prone with a good tight sling it will shoot lower.
 
Just Curious about barrel

Is your rifling two groove or four groove? This has nothing to do with being high, just curious as I am thinking of buying a surplus rebuilt 03A3 with 2 groove rifling advertised.
 
Your aiming farther then your shooting. If your weapons sights are set for 200 then you will hit high if your shooting 100 yards.
 
Yes. If is is 12 inches high at 100 it will still be about 10 or so inches high at 200.
Now get off that bench into prone and use a good tight sling and it may shoot point of aim at 200.
 
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