First off, degrease it. When the 1903 first left the factory, the stock wasn't finished. Instead it was dunked in cosmoline, a brownish petroleum-based goo that's a close cousin to vaseline. Cosmoline is one of the most widely used and despised preservatives, and as much as gun owners may hate it, the very reason that their prized rifle isn't a pile of sawdust and rust.
Thankfully, and unlike a Russian Moisin-Nagant my dad picked up last year, the 1903 only has a light coating. The metal was easy enough to degrease, half an hour and a healthy splashing of bore cleaner took it all of. The stock, on the other hand, needs some work.
First, out comes the action. Slide the handguard band up, pop out the handguard, then remove three screws. Below, the action and stock. The handguard band and barrel band have both slid back towards the 1903's famously complicated rear sight. You can also start to see some of the wood grain on stock near the wrist.
The upper handguard has several very prominent cracks running longitudinally, and in all honesty I'm a little worried about cracking it all the way through. Caution, as they say, is the order of the day.
Next, off with the butt plate, held on with two sizeable wood screws. Notice the Remington stamp on the rear sling swivel.
There's several schools of thought on cosmoline removal. One goes for heat, another advocates chemical stripping, and another favors elbow grease and soap.
I'm using a combination of the three. More next time.
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