S&.T M1903 Springfield

[2nd Bat]

Realizing that I had never actually tried out all my spare magazines and having heard of some feeding issues I decided to dig out my 1903 and go through several loads with all three magazines. Thankfully they all worked seamlessly and it seems like the power in this S&T is up a bit from where it was. Still not equal to a JG Bar 10 which shoots at around 465 fps but up from the 320 or so that it was shooting. I didn't chrono it but estimate it's shooting at 340 or 345 or so with .20 gram. With full on hop up it's nice and straight out to 110 feet. None of these statistics are very impressive for a spring powerded, bolt action but better than I recall. Fun gun to plink with and really a gorgeous replica. Reloads of the clips themselves is awkward and changing mags via the trap door remains decidedly non tactical but for 22 shots or so you'll be in the Battle. Be sure of course when you change clips that you don't have any loose BBs still in the magwell that can cause mischief.

[granfury]

Hi all I just recently purchased an s&t 1903 great rifle love it. Shoots very accurate and easy to use. The quality of the build is there it's sturdy..besides my ics m1 garand this S&T is awesome.Glad we have do many ww2 weapon choices now then 10 years ago. I purchased it from Evike.

[mrgusto]

Hello new member to the site and new member to airsoft. I recently bought myself the s&t m1903. Out of the box It was shooting 380fps @ 1.34j running 0.2’s. Love the way this gun looks feels and shot. Would love to know what kind of modifications people have done. Main question I do have is how can I mount an authentic scope onto it and where could I find one. Being new to this I didn’t really know where to turn and this forum seemed like a great place to start.

[2nd Bat]

Welcome. Sounds like yours shoots quite a bit harder out of the box than most of ours do. Perhaps later production S&Ts are coming with stronger springs or maybe you lucked out. Original scopes and scope hardware are going to be ludicrously expensive. Replica set ups are available and can be readily installed but even they will cost more than the rifle itself.

[volkssturm]

You might find this interesting. A YouTube video from Forgotten Weapons about Springfield sniper rifles.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kO867TRAwQ

[roadwarrior]

So I wish I found this thread before I ordered a vsr cylinder kit, and sadly Ranger Customs is no longer active.

My 1903 has been pretty flawless, fire's bb's with ridiculous accuracy at 100 feet(longest straight away I have at the house)
I bought it last month and am slowly coverting it into an A1.

I shimmed the hop adjuster arm with foil tape to apply actual pressure to the hop, flings .28's like nothing.

I believe my rifle started at 345-350fps with .2"s, I added an o-ring to the cylinder and now it's a fairly constant 363 fps. I'm going to try and shim the spring to inch closer to 400fps.

i.imgur.com/qJF6yNA.jpg

This site apparently has upgrade parts too, definitely going to try them out.
ast-gun.airsofttaiwan.com/index.php?route=product%2Fsearch&search=1903

m.youtube.com/watch?v=affwzTcC7QY
m.youtube.com/watch?v=F9wI7nCEMwk

[roadwarrior]

Ok, so here's my adventure with a real steel rear sight and collar. It's a nightmare requiring 100% exact measurement. Aswell as a pain to grind through, if you can, use a 3d printed collar like droop did.

Plus spring shims out of 5/16 spur washers, Ive only stacked two in the cylinder currently, each one added close to 10fps, so I went from 360 to 380/90(-/+)

imgur.com/a/H6KF7ZD

***
Edit, ok so the most ridiculous issue, with the added thickness of the sight collar, it pushes the magazine bb release as you push the mag forward. I'm going to trim the bb release close to flush with the surface of the magazine.
***

Edit2.a; while the mags snag slightly, they are working and feeding without issue, I'm going to hold off on modifying them and see if they wear into a smoother operation.
***

Edit.3: ok, do not mess with the mag at all, that lip is required to open the bb keeper as it pushes against the magwell. Grind down the sight collar to allow the mag to move freely. Excess wear on the bb keeper will inhibit bb feeding.

***






Edit2;
Ok so the hop-up top screw worked out decently, currently drilled and screwed an m2 phillips screw through the hand guard. The S&T stock is thinner on the bottom of the front separate piece. So the real steel front barrel band doesn't fully hold the hand guard tight by itself. I used friction tape to fill the void and make everything snug.





imgur.com/a/PQmGNgz

The main reason I'm posting all this technical stuff here is because of the previous technical posts, so instead of spreading it all over, it may perhaps be more beneficial to have them consolidated.

[2nd Bat]

I have always preferred the M1903a1 look with the shorter upper handguard and ladder site and still plan to by another S&T and modify it. Your post is inspiring me.

[roadwarrior]

Sweet , yeah, it's a bit of an adventure but definitely doable. I'm thinking I'll make a more detailed write up in the custom works section after I've put everything back together. I'm currently painting the black hardware, plus waiting on the TnT internals to arrive. I'm excited.

Also! The real steel bolt lock lever fits exactly, the spring and detent from the S&T lever fits inside the RealSteel exactly also. I'm not sure if it works without modding, but it fits x)

The safety on the other hand...



So, I'm thinking once it's on, it's going to be very difficult to remove from the bolt since it has an insanely strong detent.

[roadwarrior]

Alrighty! So here's everything put back together, the paint is Tungsten CeraKote, the bolt lock did need to be machined to work with the bolt. I just made it to function in the "ON" position, to make the lever flip to the "OFF" position needs more grinding work done.

I've added several details I've found in reference images. Hatcher holes, receiver markings, buttplate stippling. I did add the missing bayonet lug after I took pictures.





Airsoft 1903A1
imgur.com/a/23eP56o

[hunterj]

"The paint is Tungsten CeraKote". Which part? All the receiver parts are painted that? I've debated painting the bolts and receivers of my airsoft carcanos i've made to give them a more metal appearance, what paint brand is this? What kind of paint? Does it stick well?

Also, how well does the stock 1903 perform as a springer rifle? Are you satisfied with it when you first got it?

Thanks.

[roadwarrior]

Oh, my bad, the lighter grey color. The receiver, safty assembly, trigger guard/trap door, barrel and front sight. The bolt and bolt handle are still the factory color.

The brand is CeraKote, it's a very very thin paint, and highy cuastic. You definitely need a respirator at a minimum. It is supposed to be highly durable as well.
Application was definitely a learning curve, several light coats to prevent oversaturation and runs.

The stock performance is very decent, mine was 350fps and superbly accurate with rare random flyers. The only internal mods I've done is add an o-ring to the piston and a few spur washers to add tension to the spring to boost the velocity closer to 400fps.

I have TnT upgrade parts ordered, and those should perform excellent at 550fps and accurate at long range.

[2nd Bat]

Absolutely gorgeous. Fabulous job roadwarrior. I find for bolt action airsoft rifles (at least for this old man) 400 FPS with .20 gram works out to around 365 w .28 gram and that provides the perfect balance of range, accuracy, power and ease of cocking. Anything more powerful and I can no longer cock the rifle from my shoulder. When skirmishing the ability to keep your eyes down range and hold your muzzle roughly on target is vital. I can usually tell during long shots what adjustments I need to get my second round on target if my first misses and get the second round in the mail before the first Bb lands.

Even when my first round hits unless a second lands fairly quickly the victim often doesnt quite register it as a BB strike. Especially at long range.

[2nd Bat]

Excellent. It seems the modification to an A1 is a popular project.

[2nd Bat]

I thought when you posted that picture in the other thread that it was a real M1903A1. It really came out great. I have to do this. Love the iconic look of the A1 and the finger grooves.

[Kipp]

I just got my S&T Springfield 03A3 this week and it shoots great! The only question/ concern I have about this rifle is my bolt handle is loose. I was wondering if anybody else had a loose bolt when they got theirs. I personally believe I just need to take it part and check to make sure everything is tighten, but I thought it'd be smart to ask first.