1903 Springfield question

Spotted Owl · 01-14-2006, 01:02 PM

What do you do with a 1903 serial 159xxx? Below 800,000 they say should not be shot something with the reciever tempering. Collecting / restoring is not something that I am into I like to be able to use what I have. I did not know about the 800,000 when I bought it or I would not have bought it. Should have done more homework before the purchase. It is sporterized but not tapped it does have the front ramp and a lyman. Barrel is still in great condition. No rust. Do you sell this somehow and for how much? Or does this become a wall hanger and I grind my teeth to nubs every time I look at it knowing I can't use it.

Don't know what to do

Owl

baltz526 · 01-14-2006, 02:31 PM

if it was not sporterized it would be worth a couple grand, minimum. sporterized it is not very valuable.

Catching Nemo · 01-14-2006, 02:31 PM

I personally would not shoot it and turn it into a wall hanger. The collector interest will be diminished since it has been sporterized. There is a similar 1903 currently up for sale, on an auction board, for $250 (no bidders however).

Here's a link to a different take on the receiver issue. Not enough to make me change my mind however.

M1903 failures

baltz526 · 01-14-2006, 03:02 PM

interesting read

Santiam338 · 01-14-2006, 03:23 PM

My Springfield is 1912 vintage...I can tell you that I have NO plans to punch her out to 308 Norma :whazzup:..

I also keep loads fairly moderate,inline with factory loadings...But I shoot her and it don't scare me..

I figger if it was going to blow,she'd have done it by now..

Hunt'nFish · 01-14-2006, 06:26 PM

My 1919 Sporterized 03 shoots great as is, ~1.25MOA, but has been drilled tapped & Weaver K4 mounted. MKIV?? safety as well. Also Pederson Device mods so was a late WWI rifle that never saw action that was reissued during WWII. Who knows maybe it was drilled and tapped for the K4 by the Marines??? For sninper issue before the A4 designation?? No way to tell that I know of. Anyhow it doesn't matter the sporterizing ruined it anyway. The barrel lost an ince or two and it was rotated 180 and chamber recut. Still a very cool 50's era rifle!!

Note: the year of mfg is stamped below the Springfield flaming cannon ball on the barrel near muzzle.

03's are great rifles, the smoothest around. I'd leave it as is and enjoy. However I would have it drilled and tapped for weaver mounts and I'd scrounge up an old K4 to mount on it to maintain the "50's era" look.
Hunt'nFish

Spotted Owl · 01-14-2006, 06:59 PM

This was originally bought to become a custom project. If the 30.06 presures are possibly dangerous would it be possible to have it rebarreled in 280 rem.? Would that lower the pressures? Would any smith out there touch the project with a ten foot pole being a low number. If this can be done and would lower the presure to so called safe levels we could get on with our project. The only smith I have delt with is now out of the biz does anyone know a good smith that they trust and would recomend that might take something like this on?

There is still a smal flicker of light in the tunnel I would be great to see the end open back up.

Thanks for any help

Owl

High Country · 01-14-2006, 07:21 PM

Big Iron gunworks Camby Or.

Catching Nemo · 01-14-2006, 07:31 PM

Average pressure of a 280 Remington isn't any different than a 30.06 (50,000 cup). 30.06 is already one of the lowest pressure rounds.

Don Becker · 01-14-2006, 07:38 PM

Kurt Mueller - - - H & K Gun Shop
2604 Pacific Avenue
Forest Grove, OR 97116
503-357-6807

Spotted Owl · 01-14-2006, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Average pressure of a 280 Remington isn't any different than a 30.06 (50,000 cup). 30.06 is already one of the lowest pressure rounds.

That's what I was afraid I was gonna here.

Quote:

Kurt Mueller - - - H & K Gun Shop
2604 Pacific Avenue
Forest Grove, OR 97116
503-357-6807

Quote:

Big Iron gunworks Camby Or.

I'll call both of these places to see what they have to say.

Thanks for your info and input

Owl

blacktail519 · 01-14-2006, 09:25 PM

I beings I owned that rifle you have, can assure you that it will be fine to shoot. I talked with many gunsmiths about that when i owned it and they all said that it was a rare problem that they never had personally seen. I guess that would be your call. Either decision you make is your call. It's in great shape and the barrel on that gun is virtually flawless, and i put many rounds through it. Good luck, and just talk with some folks that have extensive knowledge on the guns, and let them look your particular rifle over for a precise opinion.

baltz526 · 01-15-2006, 07:02 AM

after reading the related artical, it seems that most of the failures happened, because the guns where over pressured. shooting 8mm mauser rounds in a 30-06 in some cases, shooting the gun with the barrel packed with greese, in another. do either of these things with a modern rifle action and you are going to have action failures.the gun was proof tested, with a round that would have destroyed most faulty actions before it left the factory. with factory hunting rounds, your odds of injury are so small, they are almost nonexistant. but they exist, do they equal the same odds i have by shooting my 6.5x55 swedish mauser made in the same timeframe, no. there are a lot more action failures reported in the weapon i shoot.in the artical on your weapon, the writer reports they tested some of these rifles with proof test rounds of 125,000 psi to try to destroy them. i think, today the new weapon you buy, is proof tested with an 85,000 psi test round. most factory loadings for the 30-06 are less than 50,000 cup. the real issue is what will happen if you fall in the snow, pack the barrel with snow, then see an elk and touch off a round. will the action fail, or will you just ruin the barrel. this is the same question with all rifles.