>>I am planning on working up some modest pressure loads for a low number Rock Island model 1903. From the data in "Hatchers Notebook" the early receiver failures were all the product of failed brass which was somewhat common then.<<

The late Dave LeGate was the art director of Rifle and Handloader Magazine. He had an article in one of the magazines in which he whacked 5 or 6 low number receivers with a screw driver or small plastic hammer. This was not a "put it in a vise an wail away with a big ball peen hammer" type test.
He held the receivers in one hand by the tang and hit it on the receiver bridge with what looked to be an 8 oz plastic hammer. All of the receivers broke. Some broke into 3 pieces. During this episode of broken receivers he didn't watch what he was doing and accidentally whacked a high number receiver that was made just after the so called
transition. It broke too.
I will not offer an opinion. If you can find a copy of the low number article I would advise you to look and draw your own conclusions.

I think some people are confusing thick walled cases with reduced capacity for strength.Brass is an alloy. Not all brands of brass will be the same alloy. Nor will they be the same hardness. If brass is heated and allowed to cool slowly it becomes quite hard. If it is heated and quenched quickly it is annealed. There is considerable differences from one manufacturer to another. While most American made brass is very good I would say Winchester is as strong and as hard as anything out there. Remington is also strong but slightly thicker and a little softer. I have also found Fed brass to be very consistent weight wise but softer than either Win or Rem.
However........ Why would you want to shoot a questionable rifle? Do you value your eyesight or your life that little? Get yourself a safe rifle and hang the old springfield on the wall.

Have any of you done any comparitive volume measurement on /06 brass? I am planning on working up some modest pressure loads for a low number Rock Island model 1903. From the data in "Hatchers Notebook" the early receiver failures were all the product of failed brass which was somewhat common then. I want to hedge my load as much as possible with the thickest brass commercially made. I know that modern brass very rarely has failures but I had made up some loads earlier with Seller & Belloit brass and I am now going to pull them down as I had a case seperation with the same S&B brass formed to 8mm after only a few load cycles. That stuff is soft, compared to Remington brass sized and fired in the same rifle. I know that thickness does not mean strength but I don't know any other way to measure how storng brass is near the web. JB