1910 Springfield M1903

[RayKnobs]

just get her today. It looks like it has an original stock and a cleaning kit in the butt. I can't find any cartouches except for the little ones I took pictures of.

[thughes]

Wow. Just.....wow.

[dwa12479]

Very cool. I can never help but wonder with the old war horses like that what kind of action they've seen. How many people they've killed, whom they were issued to, where each nick and blemish came from.

[jonboy 69]

a nice example of an early " low number " 1903. i have a low number one that i have shot in the past with medium hand loads loads and not ball ammo. a nice piece of history there.
M1903*

WARNING ON “LOW-NUMBER” SPRINGFIELDS

M1903 rifles made before February 1918 utilized receivers and bolts which were single heat-treated by a method that rendered some of them brittle and liable to fracture when fired, exposing the shooter to a risk of serious injury. It proved impossible to determine, without destructive testing, which receivers and bolts were so affected and therefore potentially dangerous.
To solve this problem, the Ordnance Department commenced double heat treatment of receivers and bolts. This was commenced at Springfield Armory at approximately serial number 800,000 and at Rock Island Arsenal at exactly serial number 285,507. All Springfields made after this change are commonly called “high number” rifles. Those Springfields made before this change are commonly called “low-number” rifles.
In view of the safety risk the Ordnance Department withdrew from active service all “low-number” Springfields. During WWII, however, the urgent need for rifles resulted in the rebuilding and reissuing of many “low-number” as well as “high-number” Springfields. The bolts from such rifles were often mixed during rebuilding, and did not necessarily remain with the original receiver.
Generally speaking, “low number” bolts can be distinguished from “high-number” bolts by the angle at which the bolt handle is bent down. All “low number” bolts have the bolt handle bent straight down, perpendicular to the axis of the bolt body. High number bolts have “swept-back” (or slightly rearward curved) bolt handles.
A few straight-bent bolts are of the double heat-treat type, but these are not easily identified, and until positively proved otherwise ANY straight-bent bolt should be assumed to be “low number”. All original swept-back bolts are definitely “high number”. In addition, any bolt marked “N.S.” (for nickel steel) can be safely regarded as “high number” if obtained directly from CMP (beware of re-marked fakes).
CMP DOES NOT RECOMMEND FIRING ANY SPRINGFIELD RIFLE WITH A ”LOW NUMBER” RECEIVER. Such rifles should be regarded as collector’s items, not “shooters”.

CMP ALSO DOES NOT RECOMMEND FIRING ANY SPRINGFIELD RIFLE, REGARDLESS OF SERIAL NUMBER, WITH A SINGLE HEAT-TREATED “LOW NUMBER” BOLT. SUCH BOLTS, WHILE HISTORICALLY CORRECT FOR DISPLAY WITH A RIFLE OF WWI OR EARLIER VINTAGE, MAY BE DANGEROUS TO USE FOR SHOOTING.

THE UNITED STATES ARMY GENERALLY DID NOT SERIALIZE BOLTS. DO NOT RELY ON ANY SERIAL NUMBER APPEARING ON A BOLT TO DETERMINE WHETHER SUCH BOLT IS “HIGH NUMBER” OR “LOW NUMBER”.

[Doc8404]

Nice. Very nice.

[RayKnobs]

68 failures out of 100,000 or something like that?
I also saw in Hatchers notes that there were no failures of the 1910's

[jonboy 69]

[QUOTE=RayKnobs;n34682]68 failures out of 100,000 or something like that?
I also saw in Hatchers notes that there were no failures of the 1910's

as i said, i shoot mine, just something to be aware of........

[24Pink14Stink]

Nice score Ray!

[Liberty's Teeth]

Ray, terrific score! I am a big fan of the 03 and her variants and you did good! Regarding the heat treat of the low serial number rifles, it was an issue that went through FMEA but the Hatcher failure data was at 2X and 3X muzzle pressure and show that it is statistically insignificant. I keep one of my low number receivers at 45000 psi or under and wear my safety glasses so I don't flinch when I touch her off. Is that 1938 barrel a 4 groove?

[RayKnobs]

I don't know enough to know what a 4 groove is.

[thughes]

I don't know enough to know what a 4 groove is.

How many grooves in the rifling? C'mon Ray....brain fart?

[RayKnobs]

That makes to much sense, why did i think it was some type of mark on the outside?