We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......
I'd treat it like a Mauser. Without bedding, tighten the front action screw farmer tight. Do the same with the rear, then back it out 1/3 to 1/4 turn. If you bed it, then bed the action and the first couple of inches of barrel then free-float the rest. I'm not sure that I'd use pillars but they couldn't hurt.
I'd only try a pressure pad if that didn't work. You can experiment with paper shims.
Okie John
“The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
"Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's
You'll be kilt in the snow without a 6.5 CM and a ballistic calculator! Great find, and I'm glad there you appreciate a fine rifle.
I wasn't aware of Waters' idea but I was thinking that starting loads with heavy bullets would be the perfect thing for this rifle. Cast bullets would be a good option as well.
l
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
Beware of my temper, and the dog that I've found...
On the ragged edge of the world I'll roam,
And the home of the wolf shall be my home - Robert Service
Just found this remington for $350. I'm going to keep the weaver K3 on it and putting a A3 stock on it.
On the ragged edge of the world I'll roam,
And the home of the wolf shall be my home - Robert Service
Nice!
If you want the scope line of sight lower, the Beuler, Leupold or redfield base and rings are generally lower than the weaver bases. I have no idea why the Weaver bases are so high.
If the scope handle interferes with a lower scope, it should stand up to some grinding and be safe. It looks like its forged/lowered, (if its not, Id suggest getting it forged/lowered for scope use) some are just thicker where it goes under the rear scope bell. I had weaver bases made for one of mine to fit the older type Leatherwood ART scope with external trajectory cam, but when I put a regular scope back on it sat too high, so back went the Beuler base/rings.
I have some parts to build a Krag carbine looking 1903, one of many projects I hope I live long enough to finish and enjoy.
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
No way to know without trying one, or more? I dont know if there was any standardization in hole spacing between brands. If it were me, Id probably try to get the scope as low as possible after seeing the difference, besides the one piece or two piece bases with twist in rings look much better than weaver type bases and rings. The holes on a base might be able to be changed to fit your existing holes on the gun. I dont know if they made bases without holes that fit the 1903 receiver profile, I think the common method was with holes and just drill and tap the receiver to match.
Also, the rear receiver bridge on original 03-A3s was an inverted dovetail with flats, mounts specifically made for A3s were flat at the rear, but many were ground down to the rounded 1903 shape since it was cleaner looking. Also, double check your gun, I assumed one I had was an A3 but when I took the front mount off it was a 1903. So if you changed the mount, youd want to be certain which it was or if the rear bridge was altered.*
Forging the bolt handle used to be standard work for sporterizing a 1903 or Mauser, most gunsmiths could do it back in the day, it allows the scope to be set much lower. There may have been aftermarket bolts made back when all this was common, I dont know, or some places may have altered original bolts for sale. 1903 bolts are still fairly available and relatively cheap, it seems like $40 was an average going price when I last looked.
*I just zoomed your picture, its not clear when zoomed in close but it does look like an A3 rear bridge.
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt