RARE Springfield Armory 1903 NRA Sporter .30-06 Bolt Action Rifle, Star Gauge Barrel, Lyman no 48
SOLD FOR: $4,875.00
LSB#: 180104DN10
Make: Springfield Armory
Model: NRA Sporter. Officially: “Rifle, U.S., Caliber .30, Model 1903, sporting type, star-gauged, fitted with Lyman No. 48 receiver sights”. See page 210 of Lt. Col. William S. Brophy’s book, The Springfield 1903 Rifles.
Serial Number: 1407152
Year of Manufacture: 1932 (page 373 of Joe Poyer’s book, The M1903 Springfield Rifle and its Variations, 3rd Edition) Barrel Date 1 – 32
Caliber: .30-06 Springfield
Action Type: Bolt Action, Internal Magazine
Markings: The top of the receiver is marked “U.S. / SPRINGFIELD / ARMORY / MODEL 1903 / 1407152”. The top of the barrel is marked “S A / flaming bomb / 1 – 32”. The muzzle crown is marked with a “star” as it is a star-gauged barrel. The safety is marked “SAFE READY” and the magazine cutoff is marked “ON OFF”. The barrel band is marked “U”. The top of the bolt handle is marked “NS” for nickel steel. The bottom of the bolt handle is marked “7” and with a “punch mark”. The bolt body has the serial number engraved into it, which is correct for an NRA Sporter. The face of the grip is marked with a “circled P” proof mark. The right side of the rear sight is marked with the old Lyman logo a “sights leading a stag”. The top of the rear aperture sight is marked “Lyman / REG US PAT.OFF” and “Pat. JULY / 11-1911”. The sling is stamped “A.M.” and “WESTRERN / MFG.CO.” next to the end buckle and “A.M.” on the body of the sling.
Barrel Length: Approximately 24 Inches
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a pinned blade. The rear sight is a fully adjustable Lyman No. 48 aperture sight.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The following is from page 212 of Lt. Col. William S. Brophy’s book, The Springfield 1903 Rifles: “The sporter stock is the Model 1922 caliber .22 rifle stock without the finger grooves and with two stock reinforcing screws added. The barrel band is specifically manufactured to fit the shape of the barrel and stock and is the same as used on the caliber .22 rifle…The barrel and receiver were carefully bedded by hand in the walnut stock to give the best accuracy. The wood was finished by hand and treated with linseed oil. The shotgun type butt plate was of steel.”
The checkered buttplate shows light scrapes & a spot of oxidation on the outside edge. The right side of the stock shows a long but shallow scrape above the magazine. The wood shows various light scrapes & handling marks. These marks have been oiled over. The LOP measures 13 3/4 inches from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The stock rates in about Fine Plus to Excellent overall condition.
Type of Finish: Blue. None of the NRA Sporter barrels were parkerized (page 212 of Lt. Col. William S. Brophy’s book, The Springfield 1903 Rifles).
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright; semi bright at the muzzle. The rifling is deep. There is no erosion. The bore shows an M.E. of 0.0.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 98% of its metal finish. The front sight shows a scratch on the left and some discoloration. The front of the barrel & front sight show light scrapes. The bottom metal shows thin light scrapes & scuffs. The screw heads are intact. The markings are deep. Overall, this rifle rates in about Fine Plus to Excellent condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: The rifle comes with a leather sling that shows scrapes, surface loss and discoloration. The buckles show oxidation. Overall the sling is in about Very Good condition.
Our Assessment: This Rare Springfield Armory 1903 NRA Sporter is in Great shape. It was made in 1932 and has spent time tucked away in someone’s safe for the majority of that time. It has a deep blue finish (none of the NRA Sporters were Parkerized) that looks great set in the hand finished walnut stock. The markings are deep, crisp and correct for an NRA Sporter. The star-gauged barrel has a bore that is strong & bright, the action & barrel were hand fitted to the stock and the Lyman No 48 Sights are in nice shape. This Rare NRA Sporter should be a great shooter that you can add to your collection.
The following is taken from page 212 of Lt. Col. William S. Brophy’s book, The Springfield 1903 Rifles:
“A total of approximately 5,538 of the NRA sporting type ‘03’s were manufactured. It was only discontinued only because the Ordnance Department was being criticized for competing with commercial enterprises in the sporting rifle industry. Yet, until that industry introduced similar rifles, the Springfield Armory Sporter was the finest American-made bolt action rifle available to the sportsman.”
CA Legal or CA Private Party Transferable: This rifle is curio and relic eligible and can be transferred/sold in California.
