composite stock for 03A3

I acquired an03A3 in very good condition, and was wondering if i could achieve better accuracy with a composite stock? Is there a scope mount that i dont have to have the receiver drilled to mount it? I plan on keeping the military stock in case i ever decide to sell it. I really like the look of the military stock, But i guess you have to make some concessions for accuracy. Would appreciate any comments by those of more experience.
Thanks
J. E. Mason

hello..Bsquare proably makes a no drill mount and ramline makes alot of replacement stocks for military rifles,,but as for accuracy i don't know how much you will actually acheive by the investment,,you will lightnen the rifle with the stock replacement but may see an increase in recoil because of the lightness,,many sporters have been built on the o3 actions but i'm not sure the end result was for accuracy,,it was basically for looks and the weight factor,,i personally wouldn't do anything to it..because it definatly will lower the value ..but it's your call and if you really want a sporter and the 03a3 is your choice,,then go for it,,but remember this ..they were built as a battle rifle with battle rifle accuracy and just changing the stock won't increase the accuracy without extra work like bedding the action and receiver,,which is something usually done by a gunsmith,,a scope may improve accuracy and the 03a3 sites can be tricky to get used to..but other than seeing longer distances better won't make it a tack driver,,my advice to you is leave it the way it is and mabey do some tweaking with your ammo,,try different bullet and powder combinations untill you find one that your rifle shoot the best with..factory ammo isn't designed for any perticular rifle and you'd be amazed how some bullets will shoot moa outa one rifle but not another,,some factory ammo will shoot good from one batch then the next batch won't ,,remember that most target guns have heavy barrels and when you lighten a rifle it doesn't make it shoot better in most cases ..i'd save the money involved and leave the old girl just the way it is,,for what you'll invest in a new stock and no drill mount then tweak the stock with bedding,,and then add the costs of a scope you could buy a rifle already sporterized or even a factory sporter used like a savage 110 that will give you moa accuracy outa the box without taking the time and money to MAKE it accurate! if it was a cutdown rifle or had been drilled and tapped or altered it would be a different story but keep it like it is unless you really want to go all the way..and the end results may be the same as you started with in accuracy..just lighter and prettier with a scope hanging on it!thats just some advice from a military collector who's seen alot of 03's and 03a3's that looked nice but just didn't do anything for the way they shot unless extencivily gunsmithed ,,your costs to change the stock proably around 100 bucks ,,the cost of the mount another 40-60 bucks,,glass bedding the action and barrel to the stock around another 100 bucks,, total investment with shipping and manhours proably around 200-250,,value of it sporterized 300-350 having an original unaltered 1903-a3 battle rifle used in a conflict,,,500-800 bucks,,but the choice is yours
bigcurt

I want to thank you for your advise and i think you are 100 percent correct. I Ordered a 180 gr. Lee mold and plan to see if i can work up a load for the old girl. There are so many variables in working up a load though. It has 2 groove rifling and i was wondering if you might know of some definite advantages pertaining to this rifling? such as bullet weight,powder or primers? I dont think i will make any modifications that cannot be reversed.I do think i will put a scope on it as my eyes aren't what they used to be. Again i want to thank you for your advise
Sincerely
J. E. Mason

well the military bullet that the rifle was designed for was a 150 gr FMJ boatail,,i have had good results shooting military ball ammo out of the old springfield ,,there was a 165gr FMJ match round the government also made and these seem to shoot the best from the old springfields,,as for casting for it thats something i really never got into but have a friend that does alot of different reloading for the 06 round and i'll talk to him about good starter loads for you to try out ,,i would imagine you may have to gas check your bullets with cast bullets ,,but like i said i never really got into casting bullets ,,when i was reloading factory bullets were pretty cheap but since the raise in ammo everything has rizen in price along with componants for the prosess..and lead may be the upcomming thing "IF" you want to shoot and eat!but the way the activist are with lead nowadays who knows where that will go!!lol..i'll see what can find out on loads for ya and get back to you later this weekend..
bigcurt

Looking forward to the info. Am going up to Utah to pick up some 62.gr bullets for my son in laws ar 15. I will see what they have in the way of 150gr and 165gr. bullets. The reason i wanted to try cast bullets is the way things are going with the scarcity of powder and primers may happen to bullets. And it is somewhat cheaper to use cast bullets. At least after the initial start up costs. I sure am glad i got on this site, You guys are sure helpful with your input. Too bad your corresponding with one of the less knowledgeable enthusiast. That means i cant repay the favor. Give me a P. O. Box and i will send you couple 100 primers, Just kidding. (They cost too much)
Thanks again
J. E. Mason

i know what ya mean ,,as for the jacketed bullets,,alot of time you can find bulk offers at gunshows or online ,,thats still the best way to go if your planning on shooting alot,,there are some people that sell pulled bullets from military rounds and usually some of them are pretty nicely pulled others may have pull marks ,,try to get the ones sold without pull mark if you can,,you'll usually find them alot cheaper that factory bullets.. so if your gonna shoot it alot mabey explore that road,i got into loading and always said that i wanted to do some casting and even bought the stuff to do it with,,then time was a factor for me and it never really panned out for me ,,my friend i was talking about does so much loading he gives me just about any caliber i need ..so theres not much reason for me to load anymore,,and in return i help him out if he needs a favor and look for componants cheap when i can find them,,i go to alot of flea markets and sales and gunshows and find alot of good deals on loading componants for him (usually) ..but like you said.. with the costs on the rise ya gotta do what ya gotta do,,he does alot of casting and knows the ropes so if anyone can give ya some info he's the guy..good luck with your springfield and i'd do a searck on Bsquare mounts online and you should be able to find one of there no drill mounts for your springfield,,,i know brownells carry a long list of there mounts so that might be a place to start..
bigcurt

Thanks for the reply, Would like to chat but have to get packed for Utah. Will let you know how the trip goes. I'm taking my laptop with me so i will drop you a line when we get up there. One more question. In California we are only allowed to have 10 rd. magazines,Do you think it would be legal to take the bottom plate off the magazine and put a plug in the magazine to limit the capacity to 10 rds? They put plugs in shotguns to limit the capacity. The reason i ask is my son in law saw 10 rd magazines for more than the 30 rounders. A. T. F. would probably say they can still be made to take 30rds. Damned if you do and damned if you dont. Have a good one
John

hello again,,so your in the republic of ca,,wow ,,i feel sorry for ya when it comes to rules and regulations on guns,,your mag question is a touchy subject,,i know that regs are what ya read into them ..at least when it comes to atfe reg's ..there are alot of grey aeras that seem to be openended where if you do something it could be wrong,,so thats a call i wouldn't want to make,,awhile back i read there regs on assult weapons and acc's and remember seeing something on hi cap mags..i don't think anything that can be easily changed back would be ok,,and it wouldn't be worth loseing your rifle over ..not to mention fines..1 other thing you should already know about is there lead laws,,from what i've read lead bullets are a no-no..even 22 cal..so be careful where ya shoot ..have a safe trip ..
bigcurt

Hi Buddy I'm up in Utah loading up on reloading components.Well i am my wife is visiting with our daughter.This place is heaven compared to Ca. If you get a chance log onto ksl classifieds. and check out the hunting and firearms section. Would chat more but I'm off to the local gun store and do a little drooling. Check out the prices on primers and powder, They may be a little high but at least they have them.Will get back to you if i find some good buys.I may have to leave the credit card at home, Don't know if i can trust myself
John