1903 question

[lcclower]

Who blueprints Springfield actions?
And is it worth considering?
Enquiring minds want to know, etc.

[TNsailorman]

You might want to check with Fulton Armory, they do refurbish work on U.S. military rifles. They did 2 for me and the work was excellent. james

[schutzen-jager]

what is it's intended use + what condition is it in to warrant blueprinting?

[M-Tecs]

Blueprinting is a term that covers many levels of work and costs that have different levels of cost versus benefits. With enough money almost anything can be done.

I really like 1903, 1917 and Mauser 98's actions. That being said (even with me doing 100% of my own work) I rarely waste the time to do any major 'blueprinting' in them unless it's to correct an obvious issue.

In the day they were state-of-the-art but that day was 100 plus years ago. Even with 100% blueprinting you still have an action with a slow lock time and by today's standards less than stated of the art metallurgy.

Blueprinting has even fallen out of favor even with much more modern designs like the Remington Model 700's due to the cost versus benefit factors when compared to purchasing one of the specialty-built actions on the 700 Remington foot print.

If you want to go down the rabbit hole of blueprinting a 1903 I would recommend Chad Dixon of Long Rifles Inc. https://www.longriflesinc.com/

[243winxb]

Who blueprints Springfield actions?
And is it worth considering?
Enquiring minds want to know, etc.

A primer leak will put gas in your face. So, not worth it to me.

[M-Tecs]

A primer leak will put gas in your face. So, not worth it to me.

The claims are that the cocking piece was designed to deflect any escaping from a pierced primer gases from to travel through the bolt to the shooter face. The 1903 handles gas better than some of the new designs. That being said the 1903 is not something that I would spend much time on blueprinting. Squaring up the receiver face and true the lugs if need would be it.

I don't know if I will ever get to it but I have a nice 03 action set aside to do a 35 Whelen on a classic Griffin & Howe style build. It will get the lugs and receiver face trued, a speed lock and an aftermarket trigger. Other actions would be a much better pick but I always wanted a really nice 03 in 35 Whelen but I am not willing to pay the going rate for some of the older custom builds. If I was paying someone else to do the work the 1903 would not be my first or second choice.

some eye candy https://www.hallowellco.com/griffin%201461.htm

[akajun]

Only thing I would consider “blueprinting” on o3s was when we were re activating drill rifles
We made a mandrel and cleaned up the receiver face where the tack weld was made.
No point in doing anything more than that

[lcclower]

some eye candy https://www.hallowellco.com/griffin%201461.htm[/QUOTE]

Nice...short of the engraving that's about where I'm wanting to be, starting at this point a 1,000,000+ serial Remington with a new 2-groove barrel. Pecan stock blank curing in the front bedroom (pecan being the state tree of Texas). G&H side mount and Weaver k-4 refurbushed with German post reticle, speedy firing pin spring and Timney trigger, aftermarket scope safety. Should set me back no worse than a '68 Mustang project car.

[lcclower]

Appreciate the info, LC

[gnoahhh]

Building a custom rifle on a pre-war 03 action is a noble venture, a way of paying homage to a simpler time period, a time when handcrafting skills and human brain power reigned supreme. The rifles had design flaws, sure, but not very many. Metallurgy was primitive compared to the wonderful steel we enjoy today but regardless was certainly more than sufficient for the task.

The guys at the Armory and Rock Island were the best in the business and maintained very high standards regarding working to tight tolerances. Parts interchangeability was/is excellent. I honestly don't know what's to be gained by "blueprinting" an 03 action, since blueprinting is a protocol employed for correcting sloppy manufacturing and/or questing for a perfect shooting platform, neither of which apply to the "U.S. Rifle Model of 1903".

Give the basic 03 a whirl as-is, it might surprise you. (All bets are off though if wartime rifles are considered. Tolerances and finishing protocols were relaxed in the interest of maximum production. You might very well get lucky, but then again maybe not.)

[M-Tecs]

some eye candy https://www.hallowellco.com/griffin%201461.htm

Nice...short of the engraving that's about where I'm wanting to be, starting at this point a 1,000,000+ serial Remington with a new 2-groove barrel. Pecan stock blank curing in the front bedroom (pecan being the state tree of Texas). G&H side mount and Weaver k-4 refurbushed with German post reticle, speedy firing pin spring and Timney trigger, aftermarket scope safety. Should set me back no worse than a '68 Mustang project car.

Other than my wood being walnut and my Weaver is a K-3 German Post, I have the same stuff as you and the same goals as you with the exception of the G&H side mount. Since I do all my own work my cost will be very minimal. I have never seen a G&H side mount that I remember. Unless I find one cheap that will not be in my future. They are selling for more than I will have total in my build.

I can do a new GI barrel or most likely a 35 Whelen. I have two unfired GI barrels, one is a 2 groove and the other is a 4 groove. I have a couple of my 1903 actions that might be the basis for a complete restoration.

[M-Tecs]

Who blueprints Springfield actions?
.

One more recommendation

https://www.mclaughlinmetalworks.com...HptR4VtrnmtDHQ

[oldleadhead]

An '03 or '03-A3 can make a nice sporter with a little work. Some may not care for the two stage trigger but it works well or can be replaced. IMO blueprinting a Springfield '03/03-A3 is not really cost effective. Don't get me wrong, they can be turned into a very accurate rifle with a quality barrel and some effort but there are modern actions that I feel are superior in many ways right out of the box.

Just my $.02

[K43]

Maybe 35 or so years ago I was offered Kermit Roosevelt's Owen's 1903 Springfield. I enjoyed actually being able to hold it and work the glass smooth action. The stock felt as wonderful as it looked. Couldn't justify the cost. Yeah, I am hit with the "if only" hindsight.

[gc45]

My 1903 came with a new 2 groove barrel, it made it's way through Ogdon Arsenal rebuild center and being in very nice condition it's very accurate at the 200yd target range using military ball. Have several bayonets as well and these rifles look so impressive with one. Keeping for my grandson one day along with several cases of Ball ammo so he too can enjoy it..

[405grain]

I carve my own stocks, and not too long ago made a pecan stock (the wood came from Texas) for A Mauser 98 in 30-30 Winchester. This was one of those projects to see if I could pull the thing off, and the rifle came out better than expected. It both looks good, and shoots good. I just wanted to give you a heads up before you go down this path; Pecan is the hardest and most difficult wood that I've ever made a stock from. Where walnut will "shave", pecan can be brittle. It is also a pretty heavy wood, so you'll want to make the stock as light as possible (but without sacrificing strength). A pecan stock will greatly benefit from pillar and glass bedding. Because it is a lighter colored wood I would recommend ebony for the forend tip and the grip cap as this combination looks very nice. Prior to doing any checkering I would strongly recommend that you try a piece of scrap pecan to make sure that it will cut properly, as I mentioned; pecan can sometimes be "brittle", and you want sharp diamonds, not ones where they can chip off while being cut. (I chose not to checker my stock) Lastly, you want nice figure in the wood, but with pecan is is more important than with other woods that you have straight grain through the wrist area. Any curly wood in the wrist risks cracking under recoil a lot more than traditional woods like walnut, maple, cherry, etc.