Restoration

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olansky

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This will be my first complete restoration I have a decent idea about what i am doing. I am always open to tips, tricks and anything helpful. ( you wouldn't want me wrecking a beautiful gun from ww2 would ya) ;)

I should mention this is will be done to a U.S remington model 1903. I dont think i want to do any reblueing im still up in the air about it but i do want to take it all down clean it all up re oil everything and re oil the stock. I do have a book called the united states rifle caliber .30 model of 1903published in 1923 and under the care section you were supposed to hand rub raw linseed oil into the stock. so i think that is what i want to use.
 
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Nice to have a reference to the raw linseed oil- always lots of debate on Raw versus Boiled linseed oil. General consensus is Raw gives a more satiny finish, soaks in deeper, but takes much longer to dry. Whereas boild linseed oil may contain more chemicals and may be better to avoid getting on your skin, will dry faster, and give a shinier surface finish. Make sure you dispose of any oily rags carefully (burn or soak in water after use) as the oxidation curing process can generate enough heat to cause spontaneous combustion.
 
Properly BOILED Linseed Oil is precisely that: regular Flax-oil which has been BOILED.

Problem is that boiling the stuff stinks and gives out violently-explosive gases. The fire/explosion hazard is enormous.

So for the purposes of mixing PAINTS, which is the use to which by far the greatest part is used, they treat it chemically to MIMIC boiled oil, but they don't actually boil the stuff.

This is fine for paint, but it takes 5/8 of forever to dry on a stock.

So you go to an art store and get Artists' Grade Boiled Linseed Oil, which is The Real Thing, and you get some Japan Drier to make it set up quicker. This is what is used for the best French-polishing jobs on fine furniture.

Or you can head back to the hardware store and get DOUBLE-BOILED Linseed Oil..... which is actually treated and then boiled. It works okay with a few drops of Japan Drier to get the set-up period down to something manageable.

And it can do a BEAUTIFUL job.

I often use RAW Linseed Oil to get some biological moisture back into a chunk of wood which has dried-out TOO DRY in our gawdawful climate, then seal it in with Boiled. Makes your woodwork weigh bit more but strengthens it greatly. It also reduces the tendency for your wood to SHRINK in the future.

Hope this helps.
 
The biggest challenge in restoring a Remington M1903 is to locate the correct Remington made parts. Virtually all Remington parts are stamped with the letter "R". A properly marked stock will also be very tough to find. Many parts were swapped in service with no regard to maker or markings. Just today I was inspecting an early Rock Island M1903 in the U.S. Army Museum in Honolulu and noticed quite a few replacement parts on it, incl an "R" marked upper band.

Condition of the metal finish would also indicate if re-parkerization is desirable or appropriate. Bore condition is a big issue for a restoration. The majority of original M1903
bores will be found to be excessively worn or pitted due to extensive shooting of corrosive primed wartime ammo. A correctly dated Remington M1903 replacement barrel is very tough to find. Replacement M1903 barrels made by Springfield or High Standard can still be found.

U.S. Army maintenance specs called for stocks to be treated with raw linseed oil and nothing else.
 
purple said:
The biggest challenge in restoring a Remington M1903 is to locate the correct Remington made parts. Virtually all Remington parts are stamped with the letter "R". A properly marked stock will also be very tough to find. Many parts were swapped in service with no regard to maker or markings. Just today I was inspecting an early Rock Island M1903 in the U.S. Army Museum in Honolulu and noticed quite a few replacement parts on it, incl an "R" marked upper band.

Condition of the metal finish would also indicate if re-parkerization is desirable or appropriate. Bore condition is a big issue for a restoration. The majority of original M1903
bores will be found to be excessively worn or pitted due to extensive shooting of corrosive primed wartime ammo. A correctly dated Remington M1903 replacement barrel is very tough to find. Replacement M1903 barrels made by Springfield or High Standard can still be found.

U.S. Army maintenance specs called for stocks to be treated with raw linseed oil and nothing else.
Click to expand...



I just finished well not even finished cleaning the bore on this thing and it is a mess so i will not be doing a restoration with it. It does however have everything matching every part on the rifle (which to my knowledge is complete) is marked with an R. Sadly the bore looks like it hasn't been cleaned since 1942 when the rifle was made. So i just finished oiling it all up and back in the safe it goes. I may take it to the range on my next trip just to see how it shoots.
 
A few tips on checking and preparing an M1903 of unknown provenance for shooting;

-remove the barrelled action from the stock and check the receiver for cracks (surprisingly I once found a Rem M1903 with a cracked receiver ring). This can be done by either immersing the receiver in a quick evaporating solvent, which will cause the solvent to show up in a crack, or by holding the stripped receiver/barrel by the muzzle end and whacking the receiver with something like a wooden hammer handle. An uncracked receiver will give a ringing sound when struck. A cracked receiver will give a dull thud.

- verify headspace with a set of headspace gauges or, as a minimum, with a .30-06 "field" headspace gauge. The chamber should be clean and dry before checking headspace.

- scrub the bore well with a bronze brush to remove excess crud and corrosion. JB paste is a useful follow-up to brushing a neglected bore.

- verify that the rear face of the third bolt safety lug does not make hard contact with the corresponding surface of the receiver. If there is hard contact here the safety lug will act as a recoil lug and can relieve contact between the rear of the 2 bolt lugs and their seats in the receiver, a dangerous situation.

-if possible gauge the bore for wear/erosion. In the absence of a muzzle gauge a reversed round can be inserted in the muzzle. If the bullet enters the muzzle to a point where the bullet cannelure or case mouth makes contact with the muzzle, the muzzle is excessively worn and will not shoot well. The muzzle crown should also be smooth and free of gouges. A worn bore can still shoot reasonably well if the crown is in good shape. I once had an M1903 which gauged 307 on the GI throat gauge, versus a reject reading of 308, and a muzzle with a .303 reading on the gauge. After the crown was cleaned up it still produced 3" groups @ 100 yds.

-the barrel should be free of contact with the stock, except at the forend tip where 5-7 lbs pressure is necessary to lift the barrel free of contact with the stock. The top of the barrel must be free of contact with the metal on the inner surface of the upper band.

- there must be clearance between the rear face of the upper tang of the receiver and the corresponding inletting of the stock. If there is contact here the tang will act as a recoil lug and split/crack the stock. This can be remedied by installing a "pop can shim" between the rear face of the recoil lug and the seat for the recoil lug in the stock.

- the metal bushing/sleeve for the rear guard screw must be installed in the stock.

- the rear sight must be tight. A worn windage screw will need replacement. The fit of the movable sight base can also be a problem. The front sight must also be tight in the front sight stud of the barrel. The screw on the rear sight slide must also fit tightly. The best shooting is done using the "peep sight" in the rear sight slide.

- the front guard screw must be "gorilla tight". The rear guard screw must also be tight, but not as tight as the front one. Before tightening the guard screws bump the buttplate on a 2x4 or wood surface to seat the recoil lug in the stock and then tighten the front screw followed by the rear one. Bring the front screw to full tightness before the rear one.
 
I've seen some of Purple's work at gunshows.

His specimens are some of the cleanest pieces I've seen.

His work is very professional.

He's giving you some advice that most people have to find out the hard way by experimentation and sometimes off the internet.

It isn't rocket science but it does take some effort and care to do it properly.


Smellie's insight on BLO cuts to the chase in a hurry. Again, pay attention and do it right the first time.

Patience and attitude are a blessing when cleaning up or refinishing a milsurp. If you cut corners and do it wrong, you will cut the value of your project rifle in half.
 
Just a small add. All original parts? Or all original the day it was surplused out? These rifles were used, and if repairs were necessary, they were done and returned to service. Armourers were not particular as long as they turned out a serviceable rifle to be re-issued. It gets really bad when you run into Garand fanatics. The military was more concerned with a usuable weapon then having all matching parts.
 
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