Composite stock for an 03-A3

[Yasherka]

Buddy of mine has a family "heirloom" 03-A3 that has been pretty much ruined as far as collectability is concerned and was recently rechambered in .300 WM. He wants to know if there is a tactical or hunting style composite stock he could put on there. In his words "I'm not a wood guy". My quickie searches haven't turned up anything.

 

[phreakmode]

B&C makes a composite stock for this, I have one and hate it. Took lots of fitting, as much as I dislike wooden stocks, I miss it every time I shoot the rifle now...

 

[1SMALLJOHNSON]

Call me a cheap bastrd, but...... I'm chambering an 03-A3 right now and I've looked around the trash pile for a donor stock. It seems to me that a 700 LA stock MIGHT be made to fit, with a little ingenuity and some bedding compound. My recollection is that if you place the action recoil lug to the stock recoil lug recess, the closed bolt goes perfectly in line with the stock inlet for the bolt. The only major thing you'd need to butcher would be for the rear action screw and tang. It's further back than the 700 by about 1/4 inch. Call me crazy, but I'm going to try it. There are el-cheapo 700 LA stocks out there a dime a dozen. Screw one up? Either try it again, or go down a different path.

 

[konabully]

The 03-A3 would need a Winchester style/based composite stock to do this as they are deeper than a Remington stock. The Remington or Savage stocks are too narrow from the action to the bottom metal to work.

You could order a McMillan style stock as a "flat-top" (no inlet) and have someone inlet it for you by hand or do it yourself. McMillan won't do the inlet, I've already asked. This may not be the cheapest route to learn on though. I'd try to find a few take-off or junk Winchester stocks to practice on first.

 

[seanh]

the first question is, "what's the budget". You'll have to be realistic about this given that you're asking for a non-standard fitting. In-short, yes he can get one but it won't be cheap.

 

[1SMALLJOHNSON]

I was wondering about the Winchester idea. Thanks Kona!

 

[Yasherka]

Well shit. With as many of them out there I thought there might be a bigger selection. Pretty sure he doesn't want to go the McMillan route. Thanks for the Win stock ideas though.

 

[1SMALLJOHNSON]

Update- I have taken a donor 700 LA stock, an ADL and milled it out to fit the 1903A3 action. Just like with anything else, it took a while to figure out the tooling, centering, figuring, scratching of head...but finally got it. The action fits into the stock just fine. A bit of glass bedding, and this thing will turn into a legitimate shooter. Caveat: I am not using bottom metal. It's an ADL stock, and it's going to stay an ADL stock. Once I fit the mag box and spring, I'll give another update as to my ability to really make this whole thing work together.