A couple of months ago someone on this forum mentioned that it was possible to salvage early over hardened 03 Springfield receivers. I have a sporterized 03 ser# 18626 which dates it back to 1904, definately an over hardened receiver. But in comparing it to most of the later properly hardened and nickel steel receivers the quality of the early Springfield is above and beyond. If possible, would it be realistic to heat treat my receiver to make it safe as a project gun? And who does this type of work?

No. No. No. Low number 1903s cannot be reheat treated successfully - Springfield Armory experimented, tried and failed. Cannot be done. Forget it.

One of the problems with so-called "over-hardened" receivers is that many of them really had the carbon "burned" out of them during the "eye-ball" heat treatment they got when they were made. There is no 100% effective way I have heard of to successfully recarburize these receivers, re-heat-treat them, and make them completely safe.

It is always possible the one you get re-done will be perfectly safe, but then again, maybe not. They make a nice relic to have around the shop or the gun room, and an interesting bit of history, but my own view is that you'd be better off just getting any one of the newer actions from either the government armouries or the commercial gun companies which were made after pyrometers came into common use.

AC