Taking off rear sight of Remington 03-a3

jason.mcgill · 11-04-2009, 05:51 PM

Remington 03-a3 30.06. I would like to mount a a scope on it, but first i need this rear sight off. i tried hammering it lightly left to right but it didnt even get any more loose. Any information on this rifle would be nice or an alternative way to mount a scope on it. My Great Grandpa gave it to my grandpa than from him to me and that is all i know about the rifle.

G. Green · 11-04-2009, 08:07 PM

Jason, I can't help you but I noticed there is an 03/A3 subforum on the mil rifle forum and some of those guys have encyclopedic knowledge. I'm not an expert on the 03/A3 maybe you are, but if it was me I'd wanna check and make sure I wasn't taking the rear sight off some kind of rare version of the rifle.

Good luck.

SightNSqueeze · 11-04-2009, 08:37 PM

jason.mcgill, welcome to G&G. I have a very similar setup except my favorite '03 sporter is a 1918 made '03 Rock Island Arsenal with a Redfield-Lyman mechanical aperture rear sight. I have killed deer at over 200 yards with it and I know I could shoot further if there were any further fields of fire around here. Just a thought. If indeed you do want to continue with mounting a scope, try to preserve that 800 yard rear sight. It is dovetailed onto the receiver and the U-shaped base could bend. Since the actual aperture device is calibrated equipment, you may need to remove it first and then try to remove the U-shaped mount. They are getting rare and very well thought of by '03 owners who are restoring their Remington and Smith-Corona 03A3s. Good luck.

SightNSqueeze · 11-05-2009, 11:16 AM

Jason, in the TM 9-1270 War Department Technical Manual; Ordnance Maintenance U.S. Rifles, Cal. .30, M1903, M1903A1, M1903A3 and M1903A4 pages 65-66 dated 20 January 1944, there are instructions to "assemble" the rear sight and "mount" it on the rear of the receiver, but no instructions to take it off. However, as in most military technical applications pertaining to ordnance, assembly and disassembly is generally in reverse order. Your rear sight should slide left or right off of a "keystone" shaped dovetail milled into the top of your receiver. It will be on there very tight and you should take care to "tap" it off with a wooden mallet and stick so as not to damage either the calibrated rear sight or the receiver. I have never done it myself but others here may have. Before you proceed, look closely at the "sides" of your rear sight and you may see the keystone shape of the dovetail milled into your receiver. You will want to tap the side of the rear sight and not the dovetail which is part of the receiver. As you tap, you should see the two gradually slide away from eachother. Be sure that your '03A3 is firmly restrained in a padded vise before you start.

JimBob · 11-05-2009, 07:14 PM

The rear sight on M1903A3 rifles are sometimes a challenge to remove.They have a setscrew that normally requires the removal of the windage screw and adjustable aperature sight from the base to get to.Many of them are also staked in the dovetail if they have been rebuilt in which case they have to be restaked if put back on or a loose fit on the dovetail results.Often times it requires drilling the set screw out and placing a brass or aluminium block between the ears on the sight base to drive it off without damaging the sight base.A replacement 03A3 rear sight will run $50+ if you ruin the existing one.

11-04-2009, 05:51 PM	#1
jason.mcgill Registered User Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 2	Taking off rear sight of Remington 03-a3 Remington 03-a3 30.06. I would like to mount a a scope on it, but first i need this rear sight off. i tried hammering it lightly left to right but it didnt even get any more loose. Any information on this rifle would be nice or an alternative way to mount a scope on it. My Great Grandpa gave it to my grandpa than from him to me and that is all i know about the rifle.

11-04-2009, 08:37 PM	#3
SightNSqueeze Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Intercoastal Sea Islands, SC, USA Posts: 3,175	jason.mcgill, welcome to G&G. I have a very similar setup except my favorite '03 sporter is a 1918 made '03 Rock Island Arsenal with a Redfield-Lyman mechanical aperture rear sight. I have killed deer at over 200 yards with it and I know I could shoot further if there were any further fields of fire around here. Just a thought. If indeed you do want to continue with mounting a scope, try to preserve that 800 yard rear sight. It is dovetailed onto the receiver and the U-shaped base could bend. Since the actual aperture device is calibrated equipment, you may need to remove it first and then try to remove the U-shaped mount. They are getting rare and very well thought of by '03 owners who are restoring their Remington and Smith-Corona 03A3s. Good luck. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Was "Your" Voice Heard Today? NRA-ILA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

11-05-2009, 11:16 AM	#4
SightNSqueeze Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Intercoastal Sea Islands, SC, USA Posts: 3,175	Jason, in the TM 9-1270 War Department Technical Manual; Ordnance Maintenance U.S. Rifles, Cal. .30, M1903, M1903A1, M1903A3 and M1903A4 pages 65-66 dated 20 January 1944, there are instructions to "assemble" the rear sight and "mount" it on the rear of the receiver, but no instructions to take it off. However, as in most military technical applications pertaining to ordnance, assembly and disassembly is generally in reverse order. Your rear sight should slide left or right off of a "keystone" shaped dovetail milled into the top of your receiver. It will be on there very tight and you should take care to "tap" it off with a wooden mallet and stick so as not to damage either the calibrated rear sight or the receiver. I have never done it myself but others here may have. Before you proceed, look closely at the "sides" of your rear sight and you may see the keystone shape of the dovetail milled into your receiver. You will want to tap the side of the rear sight and not the dovetail which is part of the receiver. As you tap, you should see the two gradually slide away from eachother. Be sure that your '03A3 is firmly restrained in a padded vise before you start. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Was "Your" Voice Heard Today? NRA-ILA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
	1 members found this post helpful.

11-04-2009, 08:07 PM	#2
G. Green Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: NE OK Posts: 1,023	Jason, I can't help you but I noticed there is an 03/A3 subforum on the mil rifle forum and some of those guys have encyclopedic knowledge. I'm not an expert on the 03/A3 maybe you are, but if it was me I'd wanna check and make sure I wasn't taking the rear sight off some kind of rare version of the rifle. Good luck.

11-05-2009, 07:14 PM	#5
JimBob Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: East Central Illinois Posts: 784	The rear sight on M1903A3 rifles are sometimes a challenge to remove.They have a setscrew that normally requires the removal of the windage screw and adjustable aperature sight from the base to get to.Many of them are also staked in the dovetail if they have been rebuilt in which case they have to be restaked if put back on or a loose fit on the dovetail results.Often times it requires drilling the set screw out and placing a brass or aluminium block between the ears on the sight base to drive it off without damaging the sight base.A replacement 03A3 rear sight will run $50+ if you ruin the existing one.