03 a3??? brittle receivers??

prangle

which serial # are to be avoided. Thanks

Der Gebirgsjager

I assume you are refering to the U.S. Model 1903 Springfield Rifle, which had some heat treatment problems with the receivers. Those manufactured by Springfield Armory bearing serial numbers below 800,000 and those manufactured by Rock Island Arsenal below 285,507 were of the single heat treatment type and sufferred 68 recorded blow-up type accidents between 1917 and 1929. A double heat treatment was then put into use which solved the problem, and shortly thereafter different steel was also used. The Model 1903-A3 was the World War II version and did not have this problem. The '03-A3 was manufactured by Remington and Smith Corona. After the war several companies put together rifles from surplus parts on receivers of their own manufacture. Names that come to mind are National Ordnance and Santa Fe Arms. Their products are to be avoided. Any receiver above the aforementioned serial number range made by Springfield, Rock Island, Remington, or Smith Corona should be safe.

jonk

While I bow to conventional wisdom on this matter and say "don't shoot the low numbered ones" I wonder. They had the same heat treatment as the Krag. If one keeps pressure similar to that of a Krag load, would any trouble be encountered?

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"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.

Rocklobster

I talked to the curator of the Sprinfield Armory Museum by phone,and he told me that the "low serial number" thing was a bunch of hooey.He said that the metallurgists at that time were experts,and did visual confirmation of proper heat treatment.Whatever.I've fired about 5,000 modern loads with my "low serial number" 1903,no problems whatsoever.

lugee00

Of the reported reciever failures in the 1903 Springfield rifles nearly all were attributed to ammunition problems, however low serial numbered 03's as described in the above posts deserve a bit of caution, use only standard level ammo, no "hot" handloads should be used.