An .03-A3 followed me home!

[Bret4207]

I don't think you overpaid at all. That's a nice looking rifle. I have a USMC Sedgley arsenal rebarreled '03. Spend some time getting the barrel clean, mine of heavily fouled. It's useless with cast as is. Clean the barrel and enjoy.

As far as the "low numbered" thing, IIRC that was in reference to the Rock Island 03's. The CMP blurb doesn't line up with the reference material I have on hand. I'd research it, but I also wouldn't be afraid to shoot cast in it. You can get the action and bolt Magnafluxed to check for cracks in many machine shops.

FWIW, even today we are living under the fables of yesterday. "All Jap actions are cast steel and will blow up!", "Any Spanish revolver is a death sentence!", "The bolt head on a Krag will let go and bury itself in your forehead!", "You can't use a 93 Mauser with modern ammo!". You'd think by now we'd have separated fact from fiction, but such is not the case.

 

[Dimner]

Swung into the LGS on the way home from visiting my mom today. This rifle was on consignment and just hit the rack a few hours ago. It’s sporterized a bit but I’m stoked to have grabbed it. I need to clean it but the bore looks good and it has a Lyman receiver sight. $450. Might have over paid a bit but it’s a good looking rifle and I’ve wanted one for sometime now.

I'll give you $451 for that rifle +shipping right now!!

 

[waco]

So what molds do you guys like in your 03’s?

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Maybe one of the more rational reports:

Information On M1903 Receiver Failures

Note there were documanted failures of both Springfield and Rock Island rifles but the numbers are extremely low.

 

[Glaciers]

Ok, truth. I have not even fired mine, but, this is the summer.
Moulds I have in mind my 06:
NEI 220 308 GC. This one drops at .308 so Powder coating will be in order
NOE 311 247 FN Whisper bullet
Hoch 310 227 nose pour

Definitely looking forward to this one. Going to happen. My wife Karyn says since I'm retired that I need to take time to do more loading and shooting. So now I have my marching orders. I will put off some projects that will always be there.

Here's a picture of my 06

 

[462]

So what molds do you guys like in your 03’s?

Walter,
Mine is an '03A3. Moulds are the RCBS 30-180-SP (about 185-grains), Lyman's 308291 (about 175-grains) and 311284 (about 225-grains), and Lee's group buy 311-41 (Lyman 311041 copy, and hmmm . . . 175/180-grains).

Initial 311-41 testing revealed feeding problems, because of it's flat nose, and I quit further testing. Recently, I remembered the Swede's single feed device, put it in the 03A3 and problem solved.

If I were to have to decide on just one bullet it would be the 311284.

 

[RicinYakima]

So what molds do you guys like in your 03’s?

In my low number '03's my favorite load is the Lyman 311041, a 173 grains flat nose made for the 30 WCF, with 16 grains of A2400. This is about a 20,000 psi load. With proper headspace and good brass, it should be safe. I do not recommend any faster powders than A2400 because of the fast pressure rise. Others like to use loads of about 24 grains of H4895, but I have such good results with A2400, I haven't used it.

 

[Matt]

I’ve had very good luck in 03s (including 2 groove) with the Lee 312-155 and 312-160 Ed Harris designed for the 7.62x39. I shoot a lot of them as cast and tumble lubed and no gas check up to about 1500 fps using Bullseye, Red Dot, or SR4759. These designs work very well in all .30/06 for some reason. One of these days I’ll add gas checks and see what that brings.

For conventional style with gas check the Lyman/Ideal 308/311334 and the Lyman 311284 are reliable with stouter charges of 2400 and SR4759.

 

[Charles Graff]

A good sized library can be filled with all the stuff written about LN Springfields. Here is my take on the subject at hand. An unbiased look will show, that LN rifles did not fail at a greater rate than HN rifles. The difference is what happens when one does fail. The HN rifles will swell up and lock up, but not fragment. The LN rifles will fragment and turn into grenades. The "Hatcher Hole" will help prevent that from happening. Your rifle does have a Hatcher Hole, does it not.

Krag rifles were made the same way and are also brittle, but their design does not trap the gas like the 03s do. That is where Hatcher Hole comes in.

Me? If I had it, I would shoot it with cast bullets. That said, I would not use a fast powder that could be double or triple charged by mistake. I would use a case full of my favorite WC872. Can't double charge that, and the pressure would not be anywhere near what might cause the rifle to fail. You? Your rifle, your life, your choice.

 

[RicinYakima]

I wrote an article once comparing LN 1903’s and Krags. LN’s have 16X the surface area inside the front receiver ring (required because of the Mauser design bolt head). Metalorgy is the same but reaction is different because of design.

 

[CZ93X62]

A good sized library can be filled with all the stuff written about LN Springfields. Here is my take on the subject at hand. An unbiased look will show, that LN rifles did not fail at a greater rate than HN rifles. The difference is what happens when one does fail. The HN rifles will swell up and lock up, but not fragment. The LN rifles will fragment and turn into grenades. The "Hatcher Hole" will help prevent that from happening. Your rifle does have a Hatcher Hole, does it not.

Krag rifles were made the same way and are also brittle, but their design does not trap the gas like the 03s do. That is where Hatcher Hole comes in.

Me? If I had it, I would shoot it with cast bullets. That said, I would not use a fast powder that could be double or triple charged by mistake. I would use a case full of my favorite WC872. Can't double charge that, and the pressure would not be anywhere near what might cause the rifle to fail. You? Your rifle, your life, your choice.

^^^ THIS! ^^^

I don't have a dog in this fight, having never owned any of the 1903 variants. I read and absorbed what Gen. Hatcher had to say about them in his Notebook, since at some point I figured one would come along. But that hasn't happened (yet).

One of my pet loads in 30-06 uses 60.0 grains of WC-860 beneath a Lee 200 grain bore-rider. These hover between 1975-2000 FPS and hold 1.5 MOA to 200 yards. Fed #215 primers start the music. I'm not sure which part is more fun--the 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" ten-shot groups at 100 yards, the boomish report, or the slow-heavy push of the recoil from 200 grains of metal leaving at 20 football fields per second.

 

[waco]

Where is the Hatcher hole located?

 

[smokeywolf]

Walter, the Hatcher Holes I've seen are on the left side of the receiver, just above the stock, maybe 1/4" (g/t) forward of where the bolt face locks into battery.
The other thing I would look for is a punch mark just ahead of the serial number. That punch mark is supposed to indicate that the receiver was subjected to a Rockwell hardness test. Some of those that tested and passed didn't get the Hatcher Hole if they didn't need a major rebuild.

I'm in no way an 03 or 03-A3 expert, so don't bet your life on my info.

I have a 03 Springfield with a 2,XXX,XXX serial number, but another of my 30-06 chambered rifles has to be limited to 30-03 chamber pressures, so I just keep all 30-06 loads to 30-03 pressures.

 

[waco]

I don’t see any kind of hole on the left side of the receiver or any distinguishable punch marks near the serial number. Here are a few pictures.

 

[waco]

A .300” minus pin gauge fits nicely into the bore.

 

[waco]

Front sight

 

[Charles Graff]

Your rifle does not have a "Hatcher Hole". The hole on the right is the gas relief hole. General Hatcher considered that a design flaw and ordered larger holes be drilled on the left side. That is the Hatcher Hole. As your rifle has almost zero collector value, I would consider putting a proper Hatcher Hole in the receiver.

 

[RicinYakima]

The stock is from a rifle

Front sight

restocked and proofed, but maybe not your action. Barrel is a GI ‘03 barrel.

 

[waco]

The stock is from a rifle

restocked and proofed, but maybe not your action. Barrel is a GI ‘03 barrel.

Okay. Good or bad? The bore is in very nice shape.

 

[waco]

Your rifle does not have a "Hatcher Hole". The hole on the right is the gas relief hole. General Hatcher considered that a design flaw and ordered larger holes be drilled on the left side. That is the Hatcher Hole. As your rifle has almost zero collector value, I would consider putting a proper Hatcher Hole in the receiver.

Unfortunately for me, not a lot of competent gunsmiths around these parts.