What # are the bad 03 receivers?

[69daytona]

Have a friend with a crate full of old cmp 1903s and a crate of m1 carbines.
he is thinning some of his WWII guns and has offered me one of each my choice for 450 each.
i want one that I can shoot without worrying about it blowing up so looking for any info before I go pick them up.

anyone one shoot cast in their carbine? If so what mold and loads do you use.
getting the carbine for fun shooting with my grandkids.

[DuaneH]

SA <800,000 and RIA <285,000

Can't help on the carbine questions.

[flounderman]

As I remember the early low numbers were 400,000 and change and 600, 000 and change. anything with a million or more is definitely safe, all the A-3s were safe. All the DCM springfields I saw were A-3s.

[Blanket]

carbines shoot cast great, many molds and loads work. Get a Lyman cast bullet handbook to start with and rock on

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Rock Island: Introduction of improved heat treatment at 285507. Introduction of nickel steel at 319921.
Springfield: Introduction of improved heat treatment at 800,000. Introduction of nickel steel at 1275767.

[avogunner]

Man, I wish I was friends with him too!

Sent from my LG-H820 using Tapatalk

[Shiloh]

It was a heat treatment issue. IIRC They were heat treating by color. Bright sunny day will be different color than an overcast day.

Shiloh

[Multigunner]

If a low number receiver has the "Hatcher hole" bored in the left side of the receiver ring and the rifle re issued in WW2 its most likely safe enough.

I suspect that when a Hatcher hole was bored in the receiver before re-barreling that the machinists could tell by the feel of the bit whether the core steel was brittle.

Still I'd much prefer the nickel steel receiver.

Also look out for low number bolts used in a high number receiver, some surplus low number bolts were also improperly heat treated.

[scb]

My favorite cast boolit Carbine load was 13gr imr4227 behind a 311465. Shot better than any jacketed bullet load. This was 30 years ago and powders change so proceed with proper precautions.

[Shiloh]

Still I'd much prefer the nickel steel receiver.

Absolutely

Also look out for low number bolts used in a high number receiver, some surplus low number bolts were also improperly heat treated.

Can't recall seeing numbers on the bolts.

Shiloh

[NyFirefighter357]

As luck would have it I have a very nice looking SA 1903 Ser. 446xxx matching numbers. Bust!

[Multigunner]

The older bolts have a different sweep to the bolt handle than the later bolts. You'd have to look up the visible clues as to which to be on the look out for.

[Calamity Jake]

I have 2 03's one SR# is under 250K the other is 5 digit under 28K I shot the 5 digit
in a BR match yesterday.
Always with light cast loads, 190gr boolit and 16.5 of 2400.

I have to ask, how many rounds of ball did these rifles shoot before I got them?
No one knows.

[gnoahhh]

For $450, buy the thing. Even if it's a crusty greasy low number Greek return, it's worth it.

(And yes, I shoot the low number '03's.)

[flint45]

$450 is a great deal!

[Huffmanite]

$450 is a great deal!

About 6 years ago, came home from a gunshow with a sporterized low number Springfield 1903. Able to restore it to its original military condition as it was missing some of the stock hardware and the original stock had been shortened. None of its barreled action had been altered. Action was dated around 1915 and its barrel was dated 1923. Rifle cost me $140 and spent another $130 or so to restore it. Its a nice shooter with my reduced loads.

[GONRA]

GONRA hasa couple .30 caliber US Carbine handloads for ya'll:

Lyman cast (gas check) bullet is PERFECT for this application.
Loaded 100's decades ago, shoot Just Fine today.

119 grain .309 inch diameter U311359 gas check bullet OAL same a GI
13.5 grains 4227 powder CCI 400 primers
Verks Just Fine in M1, M2 carbines also the Japanese Howa "copy".

Heres a tracer load - all trace:
98.4-98.8 grain .3073 inch diameter M27 tracer 1.670 inch OAL
14.9-15.0 grains Win 296 powder Win WSR prmers