Reactivating a Springfield 1903-A3 Drill Rifle

[WILCO]

http://www.ktgunsmith.com/03A3.htm

[WILCO]

Dear Mods,

Please move this thread to the "Military Rifles" section. I posted in this forum by mistake.

Thanks for all the help.

WILCO

[Dean D.]

There ya go.

[WILCO]

There ya go.



Thank you SIR!!

[MtGun44]

Good article.

Bill

[Multigunner]

No more intrusion into the ring by the tack weld as seen on that action and I'd have no objections to reactivation.
I would not take this sucessful reactivation of an 03A3 to mean that all such reactivations are safe.
Much depends on the type of weld, and how much the heat treatment of the receiver may have suffered.
Another factor would be exactly why a rifle was chosen for deactivation. Some no doubt were deactivated simply because they were obsolete, but we can't be sure that this was always the case.

Excellent job on this example though.

PS
The article outlines a simplified version of the blue printing proceedure I've mentioned before.
A friend has had excellent results in blue printing Mauser type actions for long range target work, so it does help accuracy.

[Gtek]

Not bad, but there is one point I have a hard time accepting. The modifications to extractor to allow banging over rim for single feed. I do believe this is why they call it controlled feed system.
The cartridge rim slides up between bolt face and extractor hook when aligning with chamber for trip to lock. Pushing extractor over rim can damage brass, shorten extractor life, and if ground enough can reduce the amount of engagement required for a bad sticky. If it pops over, what is to keep it from popping past the other way if the right condition occured? The weapon is now inoperable. Just my opinion, I have both styles and treat them as designed. Gtek

[Bob S]

The M1903 was designed with a magazine cut-off, and the fire doctrine of the time was to keep the magazine full, but cut-off; single load into the chamber for "deliberate fire", and only feed from the magazine when directed by a company officer. You should be able to single load directly into the chamber and close the bolt with a bump on the bolt handle with the heel of the hand, without modifying the extractor.

With that said, that fire doctrine was obsolete before the '03 was adopted, and the early extractors were high mortality parts ... very likely from this practice.

Most other "controlled feed" actions will allow single loading into the chamber more easily. A pre-64 Winchester Model 70 has no problem with this. Don't try this with a military '98 Mauser, though. The Ruger 77, though it has that nice big claw extractor that might make you think it's a controlled feed, it's not ... it is a push feed and the extractor has to snap over the rim with every cartridge chambered.

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[Multigunner]

Grinding of a Mauser type extractor to allow single feeding is an old story. I've even found 1895 Mauser long rifles that had this done while the rifles were still in use as training rifles. One I remember also had the spring blade bent a bit to reduce tension.
This might have been intended for use in firing blanks, or for use on the target range.
The modification was fairly common for sporterized Mausers.
I have not seen this done on a Springfield, but I'm not suprised that it was done to this reactivated and rebuilt 03A3. I would not expect to see it done to a more collectable specimen of the Springfields.

Don't know about the Springfield, but instructions for single loading of the M1817 say to compress the spring blade with finger tips of the left had while cradling the rifle at the balance point. This allowed the extractor to snap over the rim.

In any case using the controlled feed extractor as a push feed will sooner or later over stress the spring. The British even stopped using the claw of the Lee Enfield in this way, Manuals from WW1 on stating that single rounds should only be loaded from the magazine, the cut off plate was no longer to be used in single loading.

[Bob S]

.. The Brits removed the cut-offs from the SMLE's that had them, starting in 1916, I believe. About the same time period, the Swiss put a little sheet metal thing-a-mabob on the cutoff of the Lg1889 rifle to prevent the magazine from being lowered to the "cut off" position.

The only Mauser that I am aware of that was made with a cut-off, and therefore theoretically "designed" to be single loaded into the chamber was the M1893 Turk. I have never seen one in the original 7.65 with the cut-off intact, so I'm not certain if anythng was done with the extractor to facilitate this. I know Mauser objected to this feature, but the Turks insisted.

The factoid about the M1917 is interesting ... since the rifle was never designed with a cut-off, why would anyone feel the need to single load directly in to the chamber when it's such a PITA to do so? Boggles the mind ...

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[justashooter]

did one of these myself recently. picked up drill rifle and NOS 03A3 bbl in wrap for under 75$ at auction. refurbed bolt assy for $25, and upper handguard NOS for $10. turned out great!

[WILCO]

Good article.

Bill

Yeah. I thought so too. Shotgun News did a project rifle where it was converted to .22LR.

[Multigunner]

..
The factoid about the M1917 is interesting ... since the rifle was never designed with a cut-off, why would anyone feel the need to single load directly in to the chamber when it's such a PITA to do so? Boggles the mind ...

Resp'y,
Bob S.

The 1909 Blank cartridge would be difficult to feed from the magazine because that blank has no bullet.
The Manual I just looked at says little on the subject other than when single loading a cartridge directly into the chamber that the bolt need not be fully retracted.
If loading a blank in order to fire a rod grenade while leaving live cartridges in the magazine undisturbed this might make sense. Otherwise with no cut off they'd have to shuck all live rounds before using the rod grenade.

Theres a stamped metal follower depressor that could act as a single shot feed tray. it was intended to prevent the follower of an empty magazine from holding the bolt open when the bolt was opened for inspections.
These depressors seem to have been in short supply since it was common practice to slip a 5 cent piece in under and between the feed lips to serve this purpose.

I agree that it would be much simpler to place a single cartridge in the magazine and feed normally, but the U S Army of that time frame was not known for doing anything the easy way.