Start by reading the manual on the rifle. The link below will take you to an on-line copy of the original military manual.
BATF has no guideline. The U.S. Arsenals at Rock Island and Springfield did. Go to odcmp.com, click on sales ,click on 1903 , read and enjoy.
Assuming that the question should read "what sniper rifle did the Germans use in world war 2" the answer is as follows: Most commonly the K98 Mauser was used, with an optical sight. Secondly the G41 semi-automatic rifle was used, designed by Walther. Also fitted with an optical sight.
read in the dark
Read the roll mark on the rifle.
Read it from left to right.
Sight words are memorized, so there is no need to be able to sound them out. In order to read phonetically, knowledge of phonetics is needed.
Read the instructions that came with it. If you don't have them ask the manufacturer for a copy.
Read the instructions from a RECON cs-6 it has a picture.
Read his autobiography which will be released Oct. 12, 2010 for that answer.
S/N 3918617 is an M1903A3 rifle. The receiver should read: U.S. Remington Model 03-A3 3918617 The M1903A3 rifles were a simplified version of the earlier M1903 rifle primarily made by Springfield Armory and Rock Island Arsenal. Many of the metal parts were changed from milled to stamped to speed up production, and the complicated rear leaf sight on the front of the receiver was changed to a simpler, easier to use peep sight mounted on the rear of the receiver. Remington produced these rifles from late 1942 up until February or so of 1944. Your particular rifle would have been made in September of 1943. Value is impossible to determine accurately without good clear pictures of the rifle at the very least. There are a number of factors which would drive this - whether the rifle has been modified from its military configuration (i.e. 'sporterized'), whether the rifle has its original Remington parts, whether the rifle has been refinished, etc. An unmolested, original finish Remington M1903A3 in good condition will be worth around $750-900. A badly-sporterized M1903A3 in fair to poor condition might be worth $100, assuming you can even find anyone interested in it.
You have to learn. Get lessons. It's hard, but it's worth learning.
a good air rifle is one that you can afford. I suggest you read the reviews of other owners who own them. I suggest the link that is posted below to find an assortment of air guns and rifles and read the reviews.