Springfield 1903....pieces of the puzzle?
Hey Ya'll from sunny Florida [8D],
This is great...a weekend off from hurricanes! [:D]
As always, thanks ahead of time for your learned input...
I just acquired my second Springfield Armory 1903. No, I am not a collector, I just like the gun! This latest is an early model that I have read is not heat treated as hard as later models. This rifle has a really pretty finish (blue) and wood. Under the wood the finish shows the signs of being enclosed for years. A question about reblue in it's history is possible but here's the pieces of the puzzle I would ask you to help with...and what I might add to help you out.
The stock is a straight (non-pistol grip) style and I fing no cartouches anywhere. The serial number is 19xxx. The receiver is 1903 Springfield Armory. The bolt shows no numbers. And the barrel is stamped SA with a flaming bomb near the front sight. It is also stamper REP, 4-42 and another stamping that looks like A1A with two dots in a horizontal line above the A1A.
Well, there's what I know. It would seem the barrel was changed at some time.
Jim Michaels
GunHawke
"They blink an eye or draw a breath before they pull a trigger. I won't!" J.B. Books
This is great...a weekend off from hurricanes! [:D]
As always, thanks ahead of time for your learned input...
I just acquired my second Springfield Armory 1903. No, I am not a collector, I just like the gun! This latest is an early model that I have read is not heat treated as hard as later models. This rifle has a really pretty finish (blue) and wood. Under the wood the finish shows the signs of being enclosed for years. A question about reblue in it's history is possible but here's the pieces of the puzzle I would ask you to help with...and what I might add to help you out.
The stock is a straight (non-pistol grip) style and I fing no cartouches anywhere. The serial number is 19xxx. The receiver is 1903 Springfield Armory. The bolt shows no numbers. And the barrel is stamped SA with a flaming bomb near the front sight. It is also stamper REP, 4-42 and another stamping that looks like A1A with two dots in a horizontal line above the A1A.
Well, there's what I know. It would seem the barrel was changed at some time.
Jim Michaels
GunHawke
"They blink an eye or draw a breath before they pull a trigger. I won't!" J.B. Books
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The serial number puts it in the second year of production, ( 1903 ) at Springfield Armoury.
From your description, it's been extensively reworked/refinished.
My 2 cents, hang it on the wall and admire it, don't shoot it.
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The problem with the single heat treated 03s was that some were over cooked, causing the molecular structure to crystalize. As a result, when pressure exceeded the strength, instead of giving, like the softer Mausers or the softer internal structure of the double heat treated 03s, it broke, like a piece of glass. From what I've read, the variation in heat treating was the result of craftsmen heating the receiver until it reached a specific shade of red, then it was quenched. The problem was that the perceived shade of red varied with the amount of light on it. On a cloudy, dark winter day, the 'smiths eyes would be more sensitive to light, and the red would appear correct at a lower temperature than the red on a bright summer day. The result is that those made according to design, that is, those from the dark days have a very good safety record; those that were over cooked, generally on a bright day, are going to be suspect. If the two dots are punch marks above the reinforcement, gas escape hole, it would mean that the action was rebarreled twice. The SA indicates it was done at Springfield Armory. Considering the usage that this rifle sounds like it has had, I'd guess that if it was going to come apart, it would have by now. But since coming apart can be such a traumatic experience, if it were me, I'd shoot cast bullets, loaded to about 2000 fps, and feel good about it, saving the high pressure loads for a more certain action. Those old hard 03s are grand old rifles. 0 -
If the action is from the second year of production and it was rebarreled in April of 1942 (for perhaps the 2nd time) it would be a logical assumption that the action has long ago gone through rework to address the hardness problem.
However, I'd either shoot low pressure handloads in 'er or get a competent gunsmith to examine the rifle, including a hardness test. After all it's your face that is just a few scant inches from the action.
If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!0 -
There is no "cure" for the problem of brittle receivers; you can harden the surface of a receiver, but that does nothing for the underlying problem that is within the steel. The fact that it has been arsenal rebuilt is not relevant.
I know many folks who have shot these early receivers without any problem. But, the fact remains that catastrophic failure of a .30-06 receiver a few inches in front of your face is something that no one should chance; there are plenty of inexpensive "safe" M1903's around.
Neal0 -
Agree with nmyers - err on the side of safety.
Keep off the Ridgeline0
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