I recently purchased a 1903 Springfield that has been customized. It was made in 1920. I don't know when it was sporterized. It has a Redfield base and rings and sports a 6x Leup[old scope. It has a metal checkered buttplate and sports a beautiful piece of checkered Walnut. I have no idea who sporterized this but read where the sporterized 03's by Sedgely ?? are worth some bucks. It is barreled in 270 Winchester and is pretty accurate. The barrel is in great shape. On the barrel all that I see on the underside is a date 1959 and the word Flaig's. The barrel is 22 inches long.
Does anyone own a 1903 and does anybody know anything about gunsmiths who sporterized these rifles? The gun may have come out of Pennsylvania. That is where Sedgely was from.

I recently purchased a 1903 Springfield that has been customized. It was made in 1920. I don't know when it was sporterized. It has a Redfield base and rings and sports a 6x Leup[old scope. It has a metal checkered buttplate and sports a beautiful piece of checkered Walnut. I have no idea who sporterized this but read where the sporterized 03's by Sedgely ?? are worth some bucks. It is barreled in 270 Winchester and is pretty accurate. The barrel is in great shape. On the barrel all that I see on the underside is a date 1959 and the word Flaig's. The barrel is 22 inches long.
Does anyone own a 1903 and does anybody know anything about gunsmiths who sporterized these rifles? The gun may have come out of Pennsylvania. That is where Sedgely was from.
Flaigs had a large business in the period between 1960 and 1990.They operated out of a small town named Millvale,very near Pittsburgh,PA.
They offered an extensive gunsmithing business,plus dealt in many fine European arms.
Here's a link off google,where a guy is offering one of their old catalogs for sale.You could likely find one cheaper on eBay.

http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:pkhdnoDcTJ8J:www.sportingcollectibl es.com/misc.htm+flaigs+millvale+pa&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

M 9234 Ferlach Flaigs, Millvale PA; Catalog, 6" x 8 1/2", 16
pages. Shows full line of shotguns, rifles,
combination guns and bolt rifles. Gorgeous
Engraving detail. Nicely done catalog in very
good condition. Probably early 1950's vintage. $55.00

Johnny Ringo,
I dug out a 1959 Flaig's ad in the American Rifleman.
They made barrells but their barrelled actions were with Mauser actions.
If you have a Springfield that was made in 1920,you may have one the very best that was made. Around that time the actions were double heat treated.They are hard steel,smoother then the newer nickle steel and much stronger then the old brittle,"low number " actions.
I had one,years ago,but let it get away.
Good luck with it,
Frank

Thanks guys for the info. I really like this rifle. The action is smooth abd the kick is not bad at all. I put A luepold 6x on it and the second shot hit the bulleye at 50 yards without making any adjustments to the scope and standing shot.
The stock is a beautiful piece of crotch black walnut and it has a redfield base and rings. There a a wood plug on top of the stock just forward of the buttplate and just after the where the Monte Carlo cheek piece ended. ?????? I have no idea what it was for so I drilled it out and there was a flanged washer like piece about a quarter inch set down in the wood. I removed it and my step dad is installing a piece of ebony in the hole. It will look real nice when he's completed. He is an excellent wood worker. That plug was the only negative about the gun but now that is taken care of. If anyone has ever witnessed such a plup let me know what on God's great earth it was for???? Absolutely made no sense to me.


Thanks Boys. :)

Flaigs had a large business in the period between 1960 and 1990.They operated out of a small town named Millvale,very near Pittsburgh,PA.
They offered an extensive gunsmithing business,plus dealt in many fine European arms.
Here's a link off google,where a guy is offering one of their old catalogs for sale.You could likely find one cheaper on eBay.

http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:pkhdnoDcTJ8J:www.sportingcollectibl es.com/misc.htm+flaigs+millvale+pa&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

M 9234 Ferlach Flaigs, Millvale PA; Catalog, 6" x 8 1/2", 16
pages. Shows full line of shotguns, rifles,
combination guns and bolt rifles. Gorgeous
Engraving detail. Nicely done catalog in very
good condition. Probably early 1950's vintage. $55.00

Millvale?! HAHAHA!!! i live, more or less, across the street from millvale, its about 5 minutes from the city is more or less a ghetto anymore (in all seriousness). ha... i didn't know there were any firearms places down there...ever.

The plugged hole was for a attachment for NRA competition way back when. There were many variations. Stocks were cheap then.

The plugged hole was for a attachment for NRA competition way back when. There were many variations. Stocks were cheap then.

This is an after market Walnut sporter stock with schnabel forend. What purpose was the attachment. I removed it and plugging it with ebony. This rifle is really nice.
Can anyone forward me some links to Flaig articles or history, pictures of 1903's customized by his business?
I haven't been ble to find much about this gunsmithing company.
thanks

I plugged the button hole and refinished the stock. What a beautiful piece of Walnut. I'll post a pice when it's all back together again. This is easily the best $275.00 I ever spent.

This is an after market Walnut sporter stock with schnabel forend. What purpose was the attachment. I removed it and plugging it with ebony. This rifle is really nice.
Can anyone forward me some links to Flaig articles or history, pictures of 1903's customized by his business?
I haven't been ble to find much about this gunsmithing company.
thanks

I realize this is a reply many months after your post. I just saw it though. My wife had an old, rusty 03-A3 customized by Flaigs for me about 20 years ago. The metal and stock work they did was fantastic. It is a beautiful rifle they chambered for .338 Win Mag with a Himilayian Walnut stock, 2.5x8 leupold scope on Conetrol mounts. I have used this rifle extensively in Africa, Wyoming, Texas and Alaska. It shoots sub inch groups with Nosler bullets. I do not use it as much anymore as I use a .375 for medium and large animals but i love this rifle. I shoot it at targets periodically and have made two out of two head shots on turkey while deer hunting. It is that acurate.

I would be happy to send you a picture if you are still interested.

I realize this is a reply many months after your post. I just saw it though. My wife had an old, rusty 03-A3 customized by Flaigs for me about 20 years ago. The metal and stock work they did was fantastic. It is a beautiful rifle they chambered for .338 Win Mag with a Himilayian Walnut stock, 2.5x8 leupold scope on Conetrol mounts. I have used this rifle extensively in Africa, Wyoming, Texas and Alaska. It shoots sub inch groups with Nosler bullets. I do not use it as much anymore as I use a .375 for medium and large animals but i love this rifle. I shoot it at targets periodically and have made two out of two head shots on turkey while deer hunting. It is that acurate.

I would be happy to send you a picture if you are still interested.
Hi, Flaigs lodge was high on a heavily wooded hill at the corner of Babcock & thompson run road, Millvale pa, they were in bus. from around 1935, closed in 1995, you can find large adds in American Rifleman thru `40s, `50s, 60s I am interested in any history ,pictures, etc

thank youall for the info about flaigs. the barrel is marked 7x57 & flaigs. my question was answered indirectly: would flaigs be using one of the higher quality springfield actions? from what you are saying, the answer would be yes, they can be trusted to have used proper 'double heat treated' 03 springfield actions