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Post by motokid351 on Jan 4, 2009 19:29:37 GMT -5
hey guys, i want to do a springfield conversion because i refuse to buy a thompson and i dont want to convert a M1. but my question is which M1903 variant is more correct, the M1903 or the M1903A3? and i was leaning towards the M1903, as i believed it would be easier but i didnt know if it would be correct for an 82nd airborne solider to carry one. thanks for any input
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Jan 5, 2009 1:23:22 GMT -5
For WW2 there were some M1903A1s with the ladder rear site and shorter lengthed upper handguard but the M1903A3 that incorporated a longer style upper handguard and the peep site was the more common variant by far for WW2. The longer handguard is quite tricky to shape and properly fit on a VSR style base rifle but obviously it can be done. Having done numerous conversions of both variants the M1903 is somewhat easier to make but perhaps a bit more expensive due to the cost of the ladder site vs the peep site.
Stock wise you have two variants with the M1903A1. The straight stock or scant stock and for the M1903A3 really any of the three (C-Stock , scant stock or straight stock although the C stock or scant stock would be more common.) In viewing lots of pictures and tons of film you could still see quite a few Springfields in all the variants in the hands of GIs. The Springfield showed up in the official tables of organization for the Airborne Divisions. There were roughly 6,200 Garands authorized, and just shy of 5,000 carbines authorized with 300 BARs and 81 Springfields. Clearly the Springfield was a far less common weapon than the Garand or Carbine. I heard a vet say the BARs were assigned to the glider regiments but don't know for sure if that is completely accurate. The same might hold true of the Springfields although I don't see why that might be the case. The Springfield was lighter in weight than either the Garand or Thompson.
Good luck with the project. They are challenging and time consuming but a fun proiject with a very satisfying end result.
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Post by motokid351 on Jan 5, 2009 16:23:59 GMT -5
thnaks for all that info. i think im going to go with the M1903 as i can get my hands on most of the parts for relatively cheap prices, and ive already got some, so thanks. ill keep everyone informed with my progress.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Jan 8, 2009 0:10:45 GMT -5
That's great. It's a fun project and there is a decent tutorial to follow in the technical section that walks you through several different steps you may want to follow. I've made a dozen of them so far and have been extremely frustrated at times on some of them while others went quite smoothly. All garnered a great deal of satisfaction when finished and doing it yourself saves a huge amount of money.
I recently finished one in a scant stock M1903A3 variant which I'm keeping for myself and will finish a C stock M1903A3 this week that I'm doing for a friend.
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