The only substantive difference between Remington and Smith-Corona bolts was that the Remington bolts were marked “R” at the root of the handle while the Smith-Corona bolts were usually marked with an “X” on top of the bolt handle, although some unmarked examples can be found. Any bolt found on a Smith-Corona rifle, other than one marked “X” on top of the bolt handle, or unmarked, is a replacement and not a factory original component. Some extractors found on original Smith-Corona bolts were marked “S” on the bottom. Also, the Smith-Corona bolts had a distinctive “scalloped” profile to the sleeve and safety lug. Some of the bolt sleeves were marked “G.” Like the Remington ’03A3s, original Smith-Corona bolts were blued. Many rifles can be found today with Parkerized bolts, which indicate that the components were refinished, typically as part of a post-World War II Ordnance Dept. overhaul.

Smith-Corona and Remington rifles used the same type of stamped sheet metal furniture, including barrel bands, band springs, screws, pins, floorplate/magazine assemblies, and buttplates. Most of these parts were originally blued although a few components made later in production, such as upper bands, may have been Parkerized. Model ’03A3s, either Remington or Smith-Corona, found with all-Parkerized furniture can be safely assumed to have been overhauled. Unlike some Remington parts, which were stamped “R,” the majority of Smith-Corona parts were unmarked, although a few marked “G” have been observed. Therefore, it should be remembered that factory-original Smith-Corona rifles will not have any “R”-marked parts. Any such parts on a Smith-Corona ’03A3 encountered today were installed at some point after the rifle left the factory, again, normally as part of an arsenal rebuild.

Another difference between Remington and Smith-Corona rifles was the checkering pattern on the buttplates. Remington buttplates had 16 “squares” to the inch while Smith-Corona buttplates had 10 or 11 “squares” per inch. Also different was the configuration of the stamped and welded trigger guard/magazine assembly behind the front screw hole. The Remington component has a straight profile whereas the Smith-Corona part has a semi-circular indention.

As the war progressed and production caught up with demand, Smith-Corona’s production contract was cancelled on Feb. 19, 1944, by which time the firm had manufactured 234,580 M1903A3s. Remington continued production slightly longer but its ’03A3 rifle contract was cancelled on Feb. 28, 1944, after the company had produced 707,629 ’03A3 rifles.

The Remington and Smith-Corona M1903A3 rifles provided yeoman-like service to U.S. armed forces during World War II. Although not used for overseas combat duty in the same numbers as M1 rifles, or even the earlier M1903 variants, some M1903A3 rifles did, in fact, see action. Numerous World War II vintage photos depict ’03A3 rifles employed in overseas combat zones. Military Police (MPs) and other ostensibly non-combat military personnel were issued M1903A3 rifles, but they were also employed by front-line combat infantrymen. Model ’03A3 rifles were used in combat in virtually all theaters of the war, including the European, Mediterranean, and China-Burma-India (C-B-I). Large numbers were also utilized for stateside training and for supplementary use by sentries and other personnel. Despite the shortcuts employed in the manufacture, the M1903A3 rifles were every bit as serviceable as the better-finished earlier production rifles.

The ’03A3s had strong nickel steel receivers, and the rear sights were actually better for combat use than the older M1905-pattern sights. M1903A3 rifles are among the most common variant of the ’03 available to collectors, and examples can usually be found without too much difficulty, although prices for pristine examples are steadily rising.

After the conclusion of World War II, some of the M1903A3 rifles were sent to various and sundry foreign nations. In addition, large numbers were shipped to various ordnance facilities for inspection and overhaul prior to being placed in long-term storage, typically after being coated in cosmoline. Although most had previously been arsenal-overhauled before being placed into storage, some were never issued and remained in factory-new condition. It is normally easy to differentiate between a rifle remaining in its factory configuration and one that has been overhauled. The rebuilt examples can be identified by the arsenal rebuild stamps on the stock, the presence of parts with mixed contractor codes and Parkerized furniture (including bolts).

It is sometimes forgotten that America’s true secret weapon of World War II was its awesome industrial might. Civilian firms that had never produced war material or arms were soon turning out vast quantities of desperately needed items with which to fight the war. There are myriad examples of this industrial versatility, not the least of which was the service rifle made by a typewriter company.