Accuracy is where you find it

[RicinYakima]

I bought a sporterized 1903 Springfield National Match that had been done with a hand drill, chain saw and rasp. But it still had its original star gauged barrel with very nice bore and tight throat. After a ten year wait in the corner of the shop, I found enough pieces to put together a shooter from other buggered up parts.


When I started plinking with it this summer, it shot very well after 20 rounds of jacketed bullets had settled everything into place. So I used it as a test bed for working with powder coated bullets, hopefully leading to a magazine article in the CBA. During the rest of the summer the shot count climber to 50 rounds of lubed bullets and 100 rounds of PC bullets. With 20 round of foulers and sighters left from match shooting this summer, this is the last 10 shot group. Rings are one inch apart.


Sometimes, you never know what you are going to find in a rifle.

 

[Ben]

Sometimes, you never know what you are going to find in a rifle.

When I was a kid, I remember watching ABC Wide World of Sports.
They would always say......" The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."

When it comes to what you've described so well, unfortunately, I've experienced both. I've owned some ugly ducklings that would drive nails. I've also owned some very beautiful rifles that wouldn't shoot for beans.

Ben

 

[JWFilips]

Ben, I have always remembered that quote! As a kid it didn't mean much but as an adult I found out the meaning Quickly!
Ric, you sure have something nice there! I take it as issued sights..... Fantastic shooter!
Jim

 

[RicinYakima]

Jim, My dad gave me my first '03 in 1963, so I have been shooting the ladder sights for a while.

 

[Brad]

Who cares what they look like on the outside when they shoot that well?

 

[fiver]

yep.
I have an arisaka that someone thought some shiny abalone shell like stuff inserts in the chopped down stock would look good.
they also thought re-lining it and then slightly setting back the barrel before cutting it to 257 Roberts would be a good idea, only they forgot the part about head spacing/timing both the front and back of the barrel.
so I ended up with a project in a box, that has a 257 chamber with a Weatherby shoulder in it and a bolt that half locked up when a round is chambered.
after fixing the bolt jam [extractor was jamming in the cut out and against the back of the barrel] and shooting it to fire form some cases I knew I needed to put a scope on it.

 

[Bret4207]

yep.
I have an arisaka that someone thought some shiny abalone shell like stuff inserts in the chopped down stock would look good.
they also thought re-lining it and then slightly setting back the barrel before cutting it to 257 Roberts would be a good idea, only they forgot the part about head spacing/timing both the front and back of the barrel.
so I ended up with a project in a box, that has a 257 chamber with a Weatherby shoulder in it and a bolt that half locked up when a round is chambered.
after fixing the bolt jam [extractor was jamming in the cut out and against the back of the barrel] and shooting it to fire form some cases I knew I needed to put a scope on it.

I wonder why anyone would go to the expense of relining an Arisaka, especially to 25? I always wonder what someone was thinking (myself included) when I see something that makes no sense to me.

 

[fiver]

I don't know what things cost back then, but mangling Arisaka's seemed to be pretty popular.
I have one that got cut, re-threaded and then cleaned up into 300 savage, i had one that just got re-chambered to 30-06, one in 6.5X257 [this one makes the most sense]
the 30 cals both have the original barrel so I really have a 311 savage and had a 31-06 [ which explains it's horrible accuracy]
I looked at how they done the savage and apparently you can just cut the barrel off at a certain point and other than minor rifle to rifle variations and the throat the front half of the 7.7 case is basically the 300 Savage.
it almost looks like the Jap's just took the 300 and added about 1/2' to the case length.
the 300 also wears an after market stock with some type of white [tried for ivory?] forearm tip, and a Williams peep sight.
it actually shoots pretty good but is only a 2 shooter since they didn't modify the magazine.

 

[JSH]

Ric I remember a military show here in KC years ago. The gent had a few tables of star gauged barrel rifles of various history. Some place I have a pamphlet he gave me on the subject.

Oddest '03 I ever saw was a fellow had one chambered in 30-30 intended for cast bullet shooting. This was way back when I was illinformed that lead was intended for nothing more than fishing weights and BP projectiles.

Wasn't the Arisaka the action P.O used for a lot of his test? Being cheaper than most milsurps way back may be the reason so many were butchered up and trying to hide what it actually was. That group of folks had little use for much of anything with "jap" influence.
I know my dad would NOT own or buy anything with any kind of Asian label to it, end of discussion with him. I recall him going to auctions and buying odds and ends of tools, if it looked or sounded Asian it got thrown in the scrap barrel at home. I now wonder what he threw away when I was a kid,lol.

 

[RicinYakima]

jsh, At the present time I am selling a .256 Spence from one of my shooting buddies estate. That is the 6.5 JAP rechambered for the 257 Roberts case. That was a very very popular redo because it cleaned up 100% of the old chamber, but left the chrome lined bore. I have shot it a few times over the years. It will do the Hornady 160 very well with its faster than 1/9 twist. Dies are C&H or Hornady I think. Like most I think it was a relative's bring back, but have lost the history now. Ric