Low number Springfield '03 safe?

[BullRunBear]

I have a Springfield '03 made in 1917 or 1918. It is everything the CMP website warns against: low number (no second heat treatment), straight down bolt handle instead of swept back, etc. It's as issued, unmodified and the numbers match up. I got it at a yard sale decades ago. Always thought it came home from WW I and sat in someone's attic.

I understand I shouldn't shoot even the reduced load cast bullet loads I developed for it. (A shame. It really likes that half power load.) I can always use commercial ammo and full power reloads in the Garand.

What I wonder is if I can still use it with a gallery load I made up for it. This is a pinch of pistol powder (would have to check my notes for the amount and type but it's something like a FEW grains of Bullseye or Unique), a tuft of dacron to hold the charge in place, and a .310 lead round ball thumb pressed into the case mouth. This combo is wonderfully accurate out to 50 yards. If I hunted squirrells I could easily use this load for it. It's that good in this rifle.

Any opinions? I'll turn it into a wall hanger if needed but if I can still use that gallery load, it would be nice.

Thanks.

Jeff

 

[Slamfire]

http://www.jouster.com/forums/showthread.php?14045-Blown-03-Receiver-From-GB

Long thread, decide for yourself.

 

[fguffey]

Bull Run Bear, pistol powder was used to save money in the old days, as with hot horse shoes when picked up to examine it did not take the old timers long to look at the problem, the ole low numbers were hard, brittle and did not flex or stretch meaning hitting a low number receiver with a hammer could shatter it, so they decided the sudden shock of the very fast burning pistol powder was a bad ideal, even then Springfield had no clue there was a problem so Hatcher was hired, even then Springfield did not take him serious, and when we went to war, we took the M1917, a British design built on equipment made possible by the British.

I have double heat receivers, I also have an 03A4 barrel chambered in 308 Norma mag, no I will not install the 03A4 barrel on a double heat receiver, the 308 Norma Mag could meet the limits of the receiver, it could exceed the criteria for destroying the receiver, I do not know but the outside diameter of the 03 is the same as the outside diameter of the small ring Mauser receiver, because the diameter of the barrel on the 03 is larger than the small ring barrel shank the receiver is thinner, ON THE SPRINGFIELD, so I am a big fan of 'more metal'.I would install it on a Remington 03A3 because Springfield did not build it.

And to think before the 03 Springfield, Springfield built the 30/40 Krag with one locking lug and they said they built it that way because it did not need two, and I say they did not know how to build a rifle with two forward locking lugs, then they (with Rock Island) built 1,000,000 + rifles that were questionable.

And they could have had a Mauser, thanks for the British design and the tools to build the M1917.

F. Guffey

 

[BullRunBear]

Guys,

Thanks for the info. Think I'll turn the '03 into a wall hanger and work up reduced cast bullet and gallery loads for the SMLE Mk 4 and Swedish Mauser. When it comes to the 30-06, I'll just have to be content with my Garand. Ain't it just awful!

Jeff

Oops! Make that the No.4 Mk 1

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I wonder how strong the double heat treated 03's (pre nickle steel) are?

 

[Slamfire]

I wonder how strong the double heat treated 03's (pre nickle steel) are?

I am not impressed with double heat treated receivers. They were made of the same plain carbon steels as the single heat treat. Material that today is used for rebar. Just look at the applications on MatWeb. Just a trifle of alloying material raises the yield by 20%, provides a uniform hardness through the material after heat treat, some of the reasons 8620, a National Emergency Steel, was used in WWII for Remington M1903's , M1903A3's, and Garands.

Plus this article shows that at least one double heat treat is as brittle as a single heat treat.
http://www.fulton-armory.com/LNSpringfieldLowRes.pdf

The double heat treat receivers were made in a period of better process controls, blow up reports, and they do exist on the web, are far less than single heat treat.

In the 1969 Gun Digest John Amber provides some of the only shear data I have seen on modern actions.

Ruger made its M77 out of 4140 steel. Ruger conducted shear test comparisions against Military Mauser and Springfield rifle bolts.

The force required to shear the lugs of the surplus bolts was at 1/4 to 1/2 of the force required to shear the M77 bolt lugs.

So, one of these actions will be 1/4 to 1/2 as strong as a modern action made of modern alloy materials. A contemporary M1898 will be much safer than any 03 , even though those are also made of plain carbon steels , due the design features that Mauser put in his action. Shooter protection features are virtually missing in the Springfield design. Off the top of my head, the safety lug is about it. The hole on the right side of the receiver is totally ineffective, must have been an after thought. Gas handling of actions such as M1898 Mausers, M77's, Savage M110, Remingtons M700, are vastly superior to the Springfield. Pop a primer in a Springfield and all that gas comes right down the firing pin shaft in your eye.

 

[1KPerDay]

The firing pin/striker is solid steel from where the forward portion connects, all the way back... am I misunderstanding your post?

 

[Acera]

You mentioned that you got a lot of information from the CMP forums. Why did you come here asking about it?? They are pretty much the subject matter experts on that rifle and have a extremely knowledgeable group of folks over there.

Are you looking for a different answer than they gave??

 

[BullRunBear]

Acera,

Just kind of hoping those powder puff round ball gallery loads would be OK. (They are fun to shoot.) Having read the info referenced here as well as on the CMP site I'm going to retire the '03 completely.

I can develop the same type of gallery loads for the SMLE and do it safely. Or I may finally get a Marlin model 60 for another plinking rifle. Any excuse for another gun.

Jeff