Military Camp

1903-A3 comes home

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  • Alamocity

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    I just picked up a special 1903a3 that I'd been looking for, for a long time. Its a late '43 made, Remington. 9-43 2-groove barrel, all parts R marked and appropriately blued and parkerized. The best part is its history: double stamped for the San Antonio Arsenal and once stamped for the Red River Depot.

    I'm not sure why they would have stamped both the C-SAA and L-SAA, but they did. I guess after 1949, it went with all the remaining SAA small arms and ammo up to north Texas to Red River.

    From its condition, I'm guessing this rifle may have seen some guard duty or light training exercises, but doubtfully anything more.

    Bought it from a seller in Wisconsin. Really glad to be able to bring it back down to San Antonio! I wish I could take it to the range at Camp Bullis, as it spent time at adjoining Camp Stanley (SA Arsenal location during WW2), and may have been a training rifle there.
    Lynx Defense
     

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    satx78247

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    Alamocity,

    Fwiw, MANY of the 1903A3 rifles have been re-arsenaled 1-6 times.
    (My cousin has a 1903 by Westinghouse that was evidently rebuilt at least twice at a depot in CONUS & once in the CBI during the last months of WWII. - It was thereafter supposedly given to the Filipinos & later re-imported to the USA.)

    I once had a Model 12 shotgun that had "depot markings" from SAAD, RRAD & RMA. - Those shotguns were bought "off the shelf" by the DoW in the early days of WWII & used for a variety of purposes from GIs on guard duty, to civilian guards who guarded commercial facilities, to teaching aerial gunnery and even such recreational activities like trap/skeet shooting.

    Note: My uncle was "sent home" after enlisting in the Navy on 08DEC41 by the USNR after he completed boot camp & advanced training & told to await his orders.
    Inasmuch as it was squirrel season in NETX, my uncle tried every nearby hardware store & hock shop & found NO functional weapons for sale anywhere. = The feds had bought everything that would shoot.

    Finally a clerk at Perkenson's Hardware Store told my uncle that one of his friends had a .410 pump for sale.
    My uncle bought it for 15.oo & I still own it.= My dad bought it from my uncle in 1960 when I was 13YO, so that I could start "hunting with the men".
    (The little .410 is a Winchester Model 42 skeet gun with solid rib, circa 1934.)

    yours, satx
     

    Ole Cowboy

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    Alamocity,

    Fwiw, MANY of the 1903A3 rifles have been re-arsenaled 1-6 times.
    (My cousin has a 1903 by Westinghouse that was evidently rebuilt at least twice at a depot in CONUS & once in the CBI during the last months of WWII. - It was thereafter supposedly given to the Filipinos & later re-imported to the USA.)

    I once had a Model 12 shotgun that had "depot markings" from SAAD, RRAD & RMA. - Those shotguns were bought "off the shelf" by the DoW in the early days of WWII & used for a variety of purposes from GIs on guard duty, to civilian guards who guarded commercial facilities, to teaching aerial gunnery and even such recreational activities like trap/skeet shooting.

    Note: My uncle was "sent home" after enlisting in the Navy on 08DEC41 by the USNR after he completed boot camp & advanced training & told to await his orders.
    Inasmuch as it was squirrel season in NETX, my uncle tried every nearby hardware store & hock shop & found NO functional weapons for sale anywhere. = The feds had bought everything that would shoot.

    Finally a clerk at Perkenson's Hardware Store told my uncle that one of his friends had a .410 pump for sale.
    My uncle bought it for 15.oo & I still own it.= My dad bought it from my uncle in 1960 when I was 13YO, so that I could start "hunting with the men".
    (The little .410 is a Winchester Model 42 skeet gun with solid rib, circa 1934.)

    yours, satx
    My dad left the day after Pearl and he had transferred from the Horse Cav into the Army Air Corp. So he still had his 1911, but no long arm, so they issued him a mop handle to carry to the Pacific. He never got a rifle, but he did get a Thompson.


    I worked at RRAD...
     

    majormadmax

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    I wish I could take it to the range at Camp Bullis, as it spent time at adjoining Camp Stanley (SA Arsenal location during WW2), and may have been a training rifle there.

    Drop me a message and we can take care of that wish, T! I haven't been out there for a while, but I regularly shoot at the Sportsman's Range on Bullis!

    Also, I just picked up this book called Images of America--Camp Bullis off Amazon, it has some great photos of the training that went on there!

    https://www.amazon.com/Camp-Bullis-Images-America-Manguso/dp/1467127493
     

    satx78247

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    Ole Cowboy,

    Fwiw, when my uncle was finally ordered to San Diego, CA to received additional training in damage control & was later one of the first crewmembers of the USS CHAMPION (AM-314) in early 1943.

    After the COB was shot through the neck in the ship's FIRST action, the COB was medevacd back to Pearl Harbor & my uncle was appointed as the ACTING COB, as the Captain was "holding the billet" for the wounded Chief.
    (The "real" COB survived his wound but never returned to duty on the Champion, so my uncle remained as the "acting Jack" until the ship ended her tour well after VJ Day.)

    ADDENDA: About a year before his passing in AUG03, I asked my uncle why he was always the "Acting COB" & he said, "The most permanent of things during WWII was a temporary appointment. When I was scheduled to return to civilian life, the Skipper offered to have me appointed as a 'pin-striper' if I would agree to being regular Navy but all that I wanted was to go home, get married & return to my job with the Post Office."
    (A "pin-striper" is Navy slang for a Warrant Officer.)

    Btw, my uncle brought an Underwood M1 Carbine home from WWII. = He said that , "I was issued a Smith & Wesson 38 & couldn't hit a !@@#$%^! with it. So the next time that I went ashore, I got me a carbine from a Marine. I traded him an alarm clock & a bottle of hair oil for it."
    (My guess is that my uncle actually NEEDED a firearm, as he received the PH with 3 stars during WWII, though like most WWII GIs he seldom talked about his service. = That is FOUR different wounds.)

    yours, satx
     
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    satx78247

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    Drop me a message and we can take care of that wish, T! I haven't been out there for a while, but I regularly shoot at the Sportsman's Range on Bullis!

    Also, I just picked up this book called Images of America--Camp Bullis off Amazon, it has some great photos of the training that went on there!

    https://www.amazon.com/Camp-Bullis-Images-America-Manguso/dp/1467127493
    \

    majormadmax; Alamocity,

    Perhaps we SA folks should get together & go have a Range Day at Bullis??
    (Several of us here are on active duty or retired from the AF.)

    yours, satx
     

    Alamocity

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    M3 & SATX, say the word and I'll be there. I live across Blanco rd from Bullis, but never thought Id get to visit the range. I'm not former military, so I'm hoping I can go as your guest. Would be a most excellent day of shooting!

    Thx for sharing the histories of service and family member service. I find those fascinating. My great uncle was on a mine sweeper in Pearl harbor on 7dec. Later off Iwo and Okinawa as an FC1 (fire control).
     

    Alamocity

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    satx78247

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    majormadmax; Ole Cowboy; All,

    I would bet everything in my billfold that if each of us forum members, who are also allowed to shoot at Bullis, each took 2 guests that we COULD accommodate ALL of The Alamo City forum members for a Range Day..

    yours, satx
     

    satx78247

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    How does one go about becoming a member if a civilian?

    Moonpie,

    By taking a job with DoD that allows it OR joining a military service. = My understanding is that "non-affiliated civilians" may NOT be on the range UNLESS they are an INVITED GUEST.

    yours, satx
     

    Ole Cowboy

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    majormadmax; Ole Cowboy; All,

    I would bet everything in my billfold that if each of us forum members, who are also allowed to shoot at Bullis, each took 2 guests that we COULD accommodate ALL of The Alamo City forum members for a Range Day..

    yours, satx
    Most likely, I have never been there myself. My GUESS is we would have to do a park and ride to pull it off.
     

    satx78247

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    Ole Cowboy,

    WHATEVER WORKS suits me.

    *FYI, I was DISAPPOINTED that the SA area Friday lunch meets essentially have died.

    yours, satx
     

    Ole Cowboy

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    Ole Cowboy,

    WHATEVER WORKS suits me.

    *FYI, I was DISAPPOINTED that the SA area Friday lunch meets essentially have died.

    yours, satx
    I guess a lot of folks work or don't own their own business so lunch hr can be tight the way SA is spread out. I know one of the folks lives in Boerne and I am about 9 mi N of Boerne. I can tell you anything in SA for me is a 1 hr planning time or longer and my trips are planned around 10am - 2pm when most folks are in an office and traffic is a bit lighter. If I am not on I 10 by 3:30 heading home I can expect to sit at a standstill and stop n go till I get past the Dominion or even further.

    All that adds up to a crimp things. Plus I work a lot on weekends, in fact I work about 30 plus weekends a year and will rack up 20k miles.
     
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