doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com nice springfield 30-06

Won a couple Springfield's on auction yesterday. A 30-06 and a 35 whelen. One is average looking and the other has more details. The metal and wood have detailed engraving and carvings, double trigger,4 shell holder in stock, two scope mounts and open sights. Someone put a lot of effort into this rifle and I was wondering if anyone here could give me some history on this gun. https://photos.app.goo.gl/LbwvXxDCLbWHcyPNA
Thank You Jim

It just occurred to me that it was advertised as a 30-06 ,maybe because it had 4 of said cartridges in the stock but there are no markings on the barrel as to caliber ,,,,,guess I better confirm before loading a round

Jim

I'll guess that whomever crafted this piece ate sauerbratten for dinner at evening--RWTF

Post war german built 1903a3, the large scope in the jaeger style fine tooth side mount is very cool. They used pre war scopes and left over peices (likely the cartridge trap) to assemble guns after the war for sale to officers etc. The other gun on top looks fairly standard post war american built sporter 50s-60s time period base on rings and scope.

hmmmmm.... maybe a relative of the person that did my 9mm garden gun. Thanks for the info. Jim

The carved rife looks like the mag.is shortened?

looks about factory length to me, would be a tricky job to shorten


https://www.libertytreecollectors.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=4256

The mag looks short because they used the stamped 03-A3 magazine. It seems a lot of the post war German '03 sporters used the stamped mags and added DST and engraving to them.

The rifles were provided by the GI having the work done. The rifle may very well have started out as a 1903-A4. An old German gunsmith friend of mine built a lot of these "cigarette" rifles after the war, when times were very hard for Germans. Most of them were built on Mauser 98s, using turned down 1919-A4/A6 MG barrels. He lived close to the border and also built rifles for Russian officers , some on Mosen(?) Nagants . The main point is they used what they could find, to live until they got their country back.
Mike

The goal was to end up with a 35 Whelen so the actions and barrels were swapped out and now it is a fancy 35 Whelen and a plain 30-06. Took it out and fired a few rounds through it............could not figure out the double set trigger until ..........this gun fires when you release the trigger......now that takes some getting used to !!
Jim