My 1903 Springfield Mk1 sporter arrived yesterday so I’ve started another remilitarization build. It’s a reblue I’m sure and has scope holes on the left side of the recvr. I’ll have to fill them somehow. Took it apart and found cosmoline ? in the trigger assembly, a homemade front sight screw but everything else was ok. Was missing the rear sight [still has the base] and still has the gi front sight. I polished the black stuff off the bolt and cut down a spare firing pin spring, it opens and cycles a lot smoother now. I picked up a unmarked stock and unfinished handguard that I’ve started messing with. I want to mill some grasping grooves too. There’s a military show in Raleigh this weekend so I hope that I find a good rear sight and a few other parts I need.

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What 'markings' are on the straight-handled bolt?

Nice project 1903! The sight parts should be easy to find on eBay, (or from Grandpa's Gun Parts), if you don't find them at a gun show.

I don’t see any marks, just a punch under the bolt handle.

Milled my grasping grooves yesterday, they turned out nice. Went to the Raleigh military gun show today and picked up a nice rear sight and an original nobuckl sling. The sight matches my rifle nicely. But nobody had any 03 small parts. Looked at a very sharp Red 9 Mauser....maybe?? Photos soon.

Came across a book detailing the making of the 1903 Springfield. Some things may be of interest, but it is very detailed.

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Yes it is, wow. Way over my head and I’m 6’ 4. Here’s what I’ve got so far.

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Your 'finger grooves' turned out nice!

Thanks, I used my HF mini mill, measured a whole bunch before I lowered the router bit. My arm was tired running the table from one end to the other, adjust a little and check it again, it doesn’t have power feed.

It’s not finished but it’s together. Still needs a blued upper band and a better lower band and a few small parts, mk1 cutoff, spindle, stacking swivel, front sight screw. My 1903 Springfield ’carbine’ and it’s big brother. The kerr sling on the mk1 is original.

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As always...nice work Baltimoreed!

The Kerr sling looks fantastic!

'Baltimoreed' - Wonderful 'reclamation' project!

How about a Pederson Device?

Or maybe a high capacity magazine!

Of  course a Pedersen Device would be much more appropriate for a 1903 Mk I.

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When I was a young collector (1960's), the Pedersen magazines, example cartridges, and canvas pouches for the device were still available.

The cartridge was a glorified pistol cartridge, shorter than the WW-2 .30 Carbine cartridge.

It is very fortunate a large scale '1919 Offensive', using the device, became unnecessary.

For what it’s worth, I sold a magazine for one last year for about $2k.

'Baltimoreed' - Maybe you can interest FredC into making a Pedersen Device .... and don't forget the 'stock clearance' around the ejection port!

Oh Boy! More crap to carry and clean mud out of!

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I’ll take one only if FredC can get the price point down a lot from the current $30,000.00- 40,000.00. Hey, how about Uberti, they’ll make anything. WW1 reenactors would love it except the Pedersen assault never happened. Duh. And I finally read what the spring and plunger were for on the spindle, to keep pressure on the ejector to prevent it from binding up the PD when it was removed from the rifle. Nice pictures.

Had an aha! moment and figured the cutoff spindle out. It uses a spring and plunger to keep pressure on the ejector so the ejector doesn’t interfere with removing the PD. That end of the spindle is hollow and as such can’t have a piece milled out all the way around for the cutoff lock screw to lock into like the later solid spindles so there’s a simple hole for the screw. The slot on the end is simply there to orient it as the hole and slot are aligned. Brilliant, [the design-not me].

FWIW - Pedersen had patents filed in 1917 and granted in 1920.

The numbers I found were: 1355417, 1355418, 1355419, and 1355420.

From reading through the documents, IMHO, patents 1355417 and 1355420 seem most relevant to the Model 1903 Mark-1 Springfield Pedersen Device.

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Tried to talk my wife into using some of her inheritance and bid on this auction lot...What an investment opportunity I says!...Ain't gonna happen she says. :'( 

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Listed below is a c&arsenal pedersen device you tube video:

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Built a Mk1 dummy spindle to go on my Mk1 out of a Marlin stock bolt.

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"Baltimoreed" working on his 1903 Stock!

Actually, a Springfield Armory worker shaping a regular model 1903 stock at one of the Hill Shops, (circa 1910).

Also, a view of the 1903 Mk-1 Springfield ejection port and necessary stock clearance cut.

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Made it tacticool with a 1903 extended mag that Numrich sells. 11+1, fed them fine, supposed to hold ten but this one held 11 and the bolt closed. Now I’ll be competitive with the enfield guys at our next club BAMM shoot. Doesn’t look too off the wall like the air service rifle mags do.

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Wow, that looks kind of Nautical .... Submariner Model?

Started on another 03 build. This one is going to be a .30 cal target big brother to my 1922M2 .22. Still waiting for the donor rifle to arrive but a few parts have come in. Have been playing with a duffle cut ‘c’ stock with patches trying to make the patches disappear. I think I’ve about got it done except for the forend tip and truoil.

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Great job on the restoration! I like the "carbine" what's the story behind it, if you don't mind?

 Ron, It started out as one thing but ended up another. I like project builds so I found this 1930 vintage sporterized 1903 a few years ago. It had an unmolested recvr but only a 21 inch very molested bbl. My initial build never happened and the rifle got ignored for years. Well I suggested that my cas club try a BAM match so I used a Krag and a couple DA revolvers. The match was a big hit so the guys decided on a 1911 pistol BAM match so I decided to remilitarize my cut down rifle to have a sorta correct rifle to use for a 1911 BAM match. Wore my 1912 summer uniform ala Pershing's Punitive Expedition.
  As the bbl was roughly cut 3 inches I cut the stock 3 inches to keep things proportional, moved the lower bbl band back 2 inches and reshaped the handguard to blend it. I cut the grasping grooves on my HF mini mill. It had no gi sights, just Williams front and rear sights. The replacement stock was a junky scant stock that I reshaped, stained and refinished. I recut the muzzle face, installed a rear sight collar and front sight and slicked up the action. Used all milled parts. The extra Williams sight holes are hidden under the handguard except for one at the muzzle. The pix is how I did the handguard, it’s actually 2 handguards cut at their humps. Of course the hump end is shortened an inch and the skinny end cut 2 inches. Doing it this way allowed me to keep both of the steel handguard inserts. The curved brass is epoxied to the hump end and the skinny part goes over it. The bbl band holds it all together. I also pinned and glued a block onto the end of the stock to hide the exposed lightening cut under the upper bbl band. Looks like its a solid stock. Last month I bought one of the extended 1903 mags for it. It’s a really handy dandy carbine.

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Excellent work as usual Baltimoreed!

Here's a pic of a 1903 that I refurbished a number of years ago sporting a 20 round extended mag.

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Neat build. Can’t never have too much ammo.

Can't never have too much!

Baltimoreed wrote on Feb 23^rd, 2020 at 1:20am:

Ron, It started out as one thing but ended up another. I like project builds so I found this 1930 vintage sporterized 1903 a few years ago. It had an unmolested recvr but only a 21 inch very molested bbl. My initial build never happened and the rifle got ignored for years. Well I suggested that my cas club try a BAM match so I used a Krag and a couple DA revolvers. The match was a big hit so the guys decided on a 1911 pistol BAM match so I decided to remilitarize my cut down rifle to have a sorta correct rifle to use for a 1911 BAM match. Wore my 1912 summer uniform ala Pershing's Punitive Expedition.   As the bbl was roughly cut 3 inches I cut the stock 3 inches to keep things proportional, moved the lower bbl band back 2 inches and reshaped the handguard to blend it. I cut the grasping grooves on my HF mini mill. It had no gi sights, just Williams front and rear sights. The replacement stock was a junky scant stock that I reshaped, stained and refinished. I recut the muzzle face, installed a rear sight collar and front sight and slicked up the action. Used all milled parts. The extra Williams sight holes are hidden under the handguard except for one at the muzzle. The pix is how I did the handguard, it’s actually 2 handguards cut at their humps. Of course the hump end is shortened an inch and the skinny end cut 2 inches. Doing it this way allowed me to keep both of the steel handguard inserts. The curved brass is epoxied to the hump end and the skinny part goes over it. The bbl band holds it all together. I also pinned and glued a block onto the end of the stock to hide the exposed lightening cut under the upper bbl band. Looks like its a solid stock. Last month I bought one of the extended 1903 mags for it. It’s a really handy dandy carbine.

It does look like a real handy Rifle, thank you for the write up!