1903 Mark 1

I am restoring a 1903 Mark 1 Springfield.
All the metal parts including the barrel action and receiver are in excellent condition. The only part I am replacing is the stock. I have real unboiled linseed oil for the finish on the new stock but I have no idea on what kind of stain to use. Is there, or was there, a standard military stain used to stain rifles like the 1903 or M-1 Garand that I can purchase? If so, who makes it and w:huhhere can I get it?

I'm not sure this will help in that i've found nothing in my research as to what stain was actually used but an armorer friend who was involved in some arsonal refinishings said and i quote "sometimes for lack of funds we used burnt motor oil in the process to give a darker more aged look". Just a thought if i find anything more i'll forward.
Kim

I would suggest that you leave it original and do not fire it.

the 'O3' was the reason for the 'O3-A3'. 'O3's' shot the bolt back into the firer on occassion.

It is a great collector's item.

Regards

Wayne

The Mark 1 may have fixed the bolt problem. But, my memory nags me and says that the bolt was the reason for the development of the A3.

But, those era are still better as collector's items than as sporterized rifles.

IMHO.

hello ,,most of the time on US guns i try a coat of linseed oil on the bare wood,,to see how dark it will be ,,if it'doesn't give me the color i want then i try some different stains like dark cherry and dark walnut one coat wiped on and wiped off of each then the linseed ,,but it's a trial and error process untill you get the look you want,,hey kim i like that idea from your friend about the burnt oil ,,and will be trying it on the next milsurp i do that has a light stock...
as for the mk1 and 03 bolts,,the early serial number 03's had heat treat problems with the receivers up to i beleive 800000 or somewhere in that range and are supposed to have soft receivers,,but i know guys that will argue the facts on these rifles,, after the questionable receiver they seemed good ,,the 03a3 was redesigned with new receiver mounted site and alot of stamped parts to speed and simplify production from the old barrel mounted milled sites, triggerguards and bands,another feature on the 03a3 was they were parkerized as opposed to the blued finishes on the 03's,so basically thats the difference in models,,
the mk1 had a slot milled into the left side of the receivers witch enabled the use of a pederson device which allowed with the removal of the original bolt and the insertion of a special bolt and the use of a special magazine inserted into the side slot permitted the user to fire the rifle in a semi auto mode with pistol cartridges ,,the device was not successful and the idea was scrapped after 102000 rifles were made with the mk1 slot,,the device and mag are rare as hens teeth and command 5 digit prices for the bolt and mag alone,,and the rifles with slot and marked MK1 are very hard to find these days and usually bring a preimum over the standard uncut receiver models,,
bigcurt