The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Military & Military Surplus 1903 Actions for a Custom?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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I know it gets done quite a big, but I have also heard that some of the earlier actions were weak and shouldn't be used for high pressure rounds. Is this true? Is there a way to check by serial number to see if an action would be capable of building a high pressure magnum off of? Thanks, Scott | ||
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If you mean 1903 Springfield there was a heat treat problem with many of them. You can Google for low number Springfields. They were made with the faulty low number heat treat at both Rock Island and Springfield Armory. You might post your question on the gunsmithing forum for more information. Low number discussion Do you really want to build a custom rifle on one of these? | |||
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It's funny to call the bad heat treat ones as weak. What happen to them is that they were heat treated wrong and they are very brittle. They kind of shatter when they let go because of it. | |||
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This was taken from a book by PO Ackley many years ago 1903 Springfield SN800,000 or above are double heat treated and safe Rock Island SN 285,509 or above are double heat treated and safe 1928 Springfield Arsenal Rifles SN 1,275,767 and above are nickel-steel, good and strong Scot | |||
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Is there some reason I’m unaware of why 1903 Springfields shouldn’t be used for custom rifles?  | |||
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If you are starting from scratch I don't of a good reason to use one unless you like its appearance. | |||
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Could you be a bit more specific? What is there about an 03 that would make it unsuitable to use as the basis for a custom rifle? | |||
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I don't know that it is unsuitable. If I did not already own a Springfield to use for the basis as a custom rifle I would not go out of my way to buy one unless you like the look of it. I do not like the appearance of the magazine cutoff or the raised reciever bridge required by the safety lug. I know of at least one person that got his thumb broken when the firing pin broke and fired the rifle as he was closing the bolt. The firing pin is two piece assembly and one of the dumber things that the Springfield designers did. If you like the looks you may prefer it. I prefer the Mauser 98, the FN Mauser, the M70, and good clones of the above. I even think more of the Ruger 77 though I would not use it for a custom rifle. | |||
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The first rifle I ever bought some 40 years ago was a 1903 Springfield sporter in .308 Norma Mag. Was a lovely rifle that IS well balanced, hardy, pretty, and very accurate. Just a lovely rifle. I still have it. I would not sacrifice a complete original Springfield rifle to make a sporter from it, as I would not do that to a complete original Mauser rifle. But if you have an action ... they make dynamite sporters! Mike -------------- DRSS, Womper's Club, NRA Life Member/Charter Member NRA Golden Eagles ... Knifemaker, http://www.mstarling.com | |||
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It has been said that a springfield is a mauser with the best features removed, this is not to say they are unsuitable for a custom rifle but many belive there are better actions to pour money into. It's your money and your choice , if the springfield floats your boat thats all that matters. My preference is mauser or mannlicher. It's mercy, compassion and forgiveness I lack; not rationality. | |||
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Springfields, in my opinion, have numerous advantages when building a custom rifle. Not the least being that a 1903 is a 1903, and all the parts (which are readily available) interchange. Any part from a 1903 Springfield will drop right in and work on any 1903, 1903A1,A3 or A4 from Rock Island, Remington or Smith Corona. That is most certainly not the case with Mausers which have numerous country and era specific parts and components that may or may not fit in others of a different country or era. Call any parts house and ask if they have any bolts for a 1903 Springfield. About all they will ask is how many you want. Then ask if they have a bolt for a Mexican or Turkish Mauser and see what they say. They are either going to tell you they don’t have any, or if they do have them you better get your checkbook out. | |||
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You post does not address the large variety of after market item available for Mausers that are not available for Springfields. Such as safetys, bottom metal, scope mounts, barrels, stocks, floor plates and triggers. Try to get a good milled hinged steel floor plate assy for an 03-A3. No matter what you are stuck with that 2 piece firing pin. On the other hand I can go buy a Sears or Montgomery Wards FN and get a better basis to start with. No parts needed but a barrel and a stock. There is no need to start with a POC Mauser. Needless to say a M70, even a push feed is a better basis than a Springfield. | |||
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Everyone has their own “OPINION†I guess. The bottom metal I will agree with you, on the others you are just wrong. Timney and others offer triggers, Ed LaPour and others make side swing safeties for 03’s, and if you are all that concerned about it, the firing pin can be modified to a one piece design. As for barrels, since when did barrels become brand or model specific????? A guy should use whatever he wants to, but to state that 1903 Springfields are somehow lacking as the basis for a “custom†rifle is pretty silly since they have been being converted into custom rifles for over 100 years with incredible results in both appearance and performance. That’s not my “opinion†that is a fact that can be easily confirmed with just a few clicks on your computer. In fact, you don’t even have to leave this web site to see pictures of custom built rifles (new and old) based on 1903 Springfields. There’s a thread going on right now on the gunsmithing forum that has pictures of some beautiful custom 1903’s, some of them built by the guys posting the pictures. | |||
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Just what the man needs ,..a mauser/springfield pissing match.  If you have your heart set on a springfield go for it, if you don't already own the action , look for a remington or smith corona these were the last ones made and theres no question about the quality of the metal ,if you can't find one of these the later production rifles from springfield and rock island were made of good quality nickel steel but you need to know what your looking at so educate yourself ,theres heaps of information in Hatchers notebook and PO Ackleys books and thousands of web pages devoted to it. If you use an early action and spend a couple of grand on it, and to do it properly it WILL cost you a couple of grand, if and when you want to sell/trade it later on ,you will run into problems with the high number/low number argument. It's mercy, compassion and forgiveness I lack; not rationality. | |||
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FYJ, Try buying a barrel out of a catalog to fit a Springfield and then put it on. There are many outfits that pedal Mauser barrels because they do not need the extractor cut. If you like Springfields that is fine with me. They are about a dead horse though. | |||
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IF you have a high-number Springfield, Rock Island, or Remington 1903 or 1903A1 or A3 action, it can be used with no worries. If you have a LOW-NUMBER rifle, it can PROBABLY be used with ammo that develops no more than standard SAAMI .30/'06 pressures, (no Light Magnum or High Energy stuff) but there are NO GUARANTEES about this! (After the initial failures of some low-number rifles, some of which seems to have been caused by failure of soft brass cartridges, the surviving low-number rifles remained in service and soldiered on thru WWI, the post WWI years, and into WWII. So perhaps all the low-number rifles that were going to fail did so 75 years ago!!) It would be pretty dumb to spend much money customizing such an old dog however! In addition, all M1903 rifles that are still in original military condition should be left that way-there just aren't that many original-condition '03's left! "Bitte, trinks du nicht das Wasser. Dahin haben die Kuhen gesheissen." | |||
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Sorry, my question was a bit rhetorical and I guess that might have gone unnoticed by some. I own seven 1903’s (all bought as just actions) and in my opinion they are as suitable for a custom sporter as anything else is. Considering the amount of arsenal rebuilds that were done to just about all 1903’s I wouldn’t worry too much about getting an “all original†military model. They may be out there, but the cost would be more than most people would want to pay for a donor action anyway. | |||
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fyj, They are very suitable as you know I am sure. The original poster was asking for the heat treat numbers that to some are considered unsafe and not asking for the Mauser argument. Myself, if I was building one, I would not use a prethreaded barrel just to go cheap. I would select a quality barrel and have it threaded and chambered to my action. I have 2 springfields in my shop being stocked right now that were full customs and 2 coming. They are excellent guns for custom rifles and equal and as attractive and functional as any Mauser. And I am a mauser fan. And in answer the the "a springfield is a mauser with the best features removed", it has also been said that 2 plus 2 is 5 and maybe by the same person. | |||
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