1903 Safe to shoot?

[Hacker15E]

Likewise, there's a goodly number of M1917 U.S. Enfields, made at the Baldwin Locomotive Works Eddystone plant, that suffer from cracked front receiver rings, and receivers made there have been deemed by some to be brittle and unsafe for use. Those M1917 Enfields built at Winchester's New Haven, CT and Remington's, Ilion NY plants seemed to have escaped this problem.

This is an issue with the tightness with which the original barrels at the Eddystone factory were screwed into the receiver. When the Eddystones were rebarreled, the receivers developed small cracks. Not a problem with brittleness, but over-torquing.

 

[buttrap]

I had one for many years I used to shoot. It was made in 1905,been converted to 30-06 from 30-03. It had the barrel replaced with a late 1918 barrel that was still on it that must have had well over 5000 rounds put tru it before I got the thing. A buddy of mine still has the thing and shoots it with light loads. If the thing survived having two barrels wore out on the thing the receiver must be not that much of a bomb.