How to clean up a Springfield 1903?

Alfonso

Alfonso

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
53   0   0
Location
Okanagan
I just acquired a Springfield 1903 on the EE forum. Manufacture date of 1937 but has the "scant" 1942 stock. Most of the metal is brown/grey patina and bbl is very good. All in all very happy with my first 1903. I do want to clean her off a bit as the stock is very grungy and some of the sling swivels could use a good soak in solvent. I don't want to completely dismantle the rifle but simply take of larger metal parts and clean the stock a bit to remove the grime. Any ideas and techniques?

Thanks
 
I would completely disassemble it if it were me. I would wear rubber gloves and go over the metal with a rag soaked in acetone-based furniture stripper to remove any grime and hardened grease.

For the wood, a vigorous rubbing with a linseed-oil soaked rag will free up most of the grunge. Re-assemble and go shoot.
 
I'd recommend taking the rifle out of the stock and stripping it right down. A lot of old rifles are full of crud below the stock line. Metal parts can be wiped and soaked in mineral spirits to remove dried grease and dirt then oiled after drying. I use sealed a jar of mineral spirits to soak and swish the metal parts, other than the barreled receiver. Fine steel wool and brake cleaner/methyl hydrate/laquer thinner do a good job on stubborn grease and crud. I use a pick-up magnet to fish out the small parts and it can be pretty amazing how many small steel filings and scrapings are found in the solution. The receiver interior and exterior can be sprayed with WD40 to loosen crud, then scrubbed with a toothbrush and re-oiled after wiping dry. Short of metal refinishing you can also use a Dremel brush and a razor blade to peel off old crud.

As mentioned, wood can be wiped with either raw linsed oil or pure tung oil to clean and re-condition it. If it is really dirty a wipe down with mineral spirits, followed by raw linseed or pure tung oil can help.

Bores need a good scubbing with a brush and solvent. De-coppering/de-fouling with an agent such as Butches Boreshine and/or JB Paste works well. Make sure all oil soaked rags are properly disposed of and only use a nylon bore brush with a de-coppering agent. They will eat a bronze brush.
 
for de-coppering I would avoid scrubbing if the buildup is substantial as this can lower bore life. For stubborn buildup, I prefer Outers foaming bore cleaner - spray and let it sit 24 hours, wipe out the blue (dissolved copper) gunk and repeat until clean. WAY less abrasive than mechanical cleaning of a badly plated bore.
 
I had a Mauser 98 stock once that was full of oil and grease etc. I took it and put it in a black garbage bag and left it in the hot sun for a few days. The oil came out like you wouldn't believe. Then I used some Truoil and it looked 100 times better than when I started.

Dave
 
I would not use tru-oil. It's too glossy for a military stock and is a varnish, not a proper oil finish. Linseed or tung, depending on the period of US service, is the appropriate finish.
 
Changing the tone a bit, I have noticed that the serial number on receiver places it to 1937 production while the bbl is stamped Jan 1938. I'm wondering if the bbl on this rifle is the original? Hmmmm! Or else why would they have replaced the bbl less than a year later? The marines didn't start fighting until post Pearl Harbour (PI as an example after Japanese invaded etc). so it's very possible I would guess.
 
Worn and/or corroded bores are a common problem among M1903s in circulation nowadays. This is due to heavy use and/ or the effects of corrosive primed wartime ammo and improper cleaning under field conditions. I've owned 16 different Springfields over the years and found it necessary to re-barrel about half of them. New GI M1903 barrels run around $350 nowadays and are tough to find. I've certainly gotten my payback from buying a M1903 barrel vice and action wrench as well as a pull-thru finishing reamer.
 
Most 1903s we have here came from south Korea and China where these were issued to rural militias, clubs or police for training with corosive ammo.

The sad condition of many examples reflects that.

Most receivwrs can be built into nice guns with a little tlc and cash.

Personally i like the 03 more than the M1, especially since i reload.
 
purple said:
Worn and/or corroded bores are a common problem among M1903s in circulation nowadays. This is due to heavy use and/ or the effects of corrosive primed wartime ammo and improper cleaning under field conditions. I've owned 16 different Springfields over the years and found it necessary to re-barrel about half of them. New GI M1903 barrels run around $350 nowadays and are tough to find. I've certainly gotten my payback from buying a M1903 barrel vice and action wrench as well as a pull-thru finishing reamer.
Click to expand...

THe bore is actualy in very good condition. Rifling is very sharp and strong. That's why I'm amazed, as the bbl date stamp is SA 1-38 and the SN on receiver is dated to 1937. Could this be the original bbl? I know that between wars these were re-bbl'd.
 
Tough to say about originality, but could well be. A high percentage of the M1903 receivers made in the 1920s/30s were not built up into complete rifles until WW2, at which time any available barrel was used.

Some of original M1903 barrels remained in good shape throughout their service. I have a MkI with an original 1918 dated barrel which appears and gauges close to new.

A lot of the M1903s in circulation came in from the orient in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Many of these were Remington made. There were some awful pieces among these with heavy pitting and barrels toasted to perdition.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom