1903A3 Springfield AND the M1A Grand

by Peter
(Anchorage , AK)

The 03A3 was the first large bore rifle I owned and I was 12 years old when I received it. No BB gun for me, my Dad gave me the Springfield, two boxs of mil. surplus .06 ammo, one box of Winchester hunting ammo, an NRA manual, a cleaning kit, half a gallon of gas an a big plastic pan to clean it in for my 12th birthday. It was still wrapped in its production wax paper and filled with the original cosmolean. The manufacturer was the Remington Works. It's chambered in 30.06 and may be one of the most accurate production long range military general issue weapons ever produced.
Since the age of 12 and for the past 47 years since I received this rifle. It has been to more places, taken more game, served as protection, and never let me down under any circumstance. I now own many firearms but this old bolt action in it original configuration with no changes still remains in the front of the gun safe. Although its weight is now harder for me to carry in the field and as a hunting weapon in the original military configuration not as comfortable as newer, lighter weight, composite stock firearms. This rifle, as is, out of the box, with standard military ball ammo, min. training, produced some of the best marksmen in the modern military world and later provided generations of civilian shooter with a large caliber weapon for competition, hunting, and general use.
The Springfield 1903A3 will always remain my FIRST, and a lifetime favorite. I will pass it along when the time comes to a new generation of shooters, two of whom already have shown an affinity for it.
As to the M1 Grand an M1A,........ What collection of working military rifles, small or large, is complete without this piece of history! This weapon changed warfare, nearly making the bolt action obsolete with the exception of long range specialty weapons. I am the caretaker of two of these weapons in its original issue configurations, 30.06 an .308, I managed to acquire both in unissued and unfired condition after much searching. A condition that the will remain in! For a shooting version of this classic system I have a Springfield Armory SOCOM 16 that is quite pleasing to shoot.
In my years of traveling around the world and the occasional requirement for a weapon, I have always liked the M1A when I could find it.

Pete sends ...