Early Springfields

I have a low serial # 1903 Springfield. Some have told me shoot it others say don't. I am aware of the reasons for the "not" crowd, but I have recently heard good arguments for the shoot crowd.
The rifle was brought back from France by my Great-grandfather. The stock had been shorten (last part torward the muzzle after the sling swivle band) and it was used as a hunting rifle for a few years in the '20s-'50s. It has been passed down to me, and I have fired it with reduced recoil ammunition with very accurate results. I was just wondering what others opinions are.

 

Take it to a gunsmith and have it examined. If you want to restore it to original condition, gun shows are a good source of new '03 stocks and mounting hardware.

 

Depending on where you reside, it would be to your advantage to take the '03 to a reputable 'smith and have it examined/inspected. I only say this as you mentioned it had been "sportarized" and used as a hunting rifle until the 1950s. If it has been basically "sitting around" for the past three or four decades, it may have developed some strength issues. I doubt it, but nothing is out of the realm of possibility when dealing with aging weapons.

Many smiths in larger areas have NDT methods for checking the metal's strength to discover if it can withstand the chamber pressures of full power rounds.

That would be my first move at least. Another thing which may seem "odd" is that the wood of the older stocks can become "brittle" with age and can (on occassion) "explode" when they receive a full recoil. I had this happen to a friend of mine who had found his own Grandfather's old 12 gauge Remington pump. It had been in the back of a closet for decades, un-maintained, and the first or second shot the butt collapsed in the cheek area, and filled his right cheek with multiple splinters with one only missing his eye by millimeters and lodging in the bridge of his nose!

Do have a reputable smith give the rifle a complete inspection at the very least, and if it is given a "thumbs up", keep it clean and oiled and enjoy it. For the most part I would expect NO difficulties, but better safe than sorry in the respect of receiver strength and such.

 

I am going to echo what Clint said. Proper maintenance of the weapon is the most important factor in a weapon's safety. Most problems arise when people buy antique firearms that have not been used or maintained for several years.

Have the weapon inspected to ensure that there are no functional deficiencies in the "safety" and "firing" mechanisms. Have the "bore" and "chamber" inspected for damage and excessive wear. The "Bolt", "extractor", "Bolt Face" and "Head Space" should be inspected for function and damage.

Be sure you take it to a reputable gunsmith.

 

Not all of the “low number” 1903 Springfields are inherently dangerous to fire & I’ve even seen it stated that the majority of the rifles are probably safe. What has to be understood about the “low number” rifles is that there is no way to know if the next shot fired in it will be the one which causes the receiver to fail. There is no examination or testing method to tell if yours is one of the improperly heat-treated receivers. There are also no corrective measures that will make a bad receiver safe.
There are people who have fired the rifles for years w/ no issues & indeed the USMC only pulled their 1903’s out of service if a particular rifle was condemned or when began issuing the M1 Garand.
You are aware that there is a safety issue & ultimately it’s your decision whether or not to fire it. The CMP doesn’t allow the use of a “low number” rifle in any of matches they sanction.

 

This rifle has been maintained in excellent condition, It just hasn't been fired much. Being that my grt-granfather brought it back from France, it still has the original barrel, and it is in great shape.

 

There ya go then, just have it examined/inspected by a reputable smith before firing full strength loads in it. There actually are ways for a smith to detect "stress or other" possible failures in the mechanism. The most common these days is the non-destructive testing using a magnetic field device. Don't ask me specifics as I don't know what they are.

A reputable smith will be able to put your mind at ease, and enjoy the '03 when it has been cleared. Best to ya.

 

You got me thinking so I did some looking and came up with this:

Information On M1903 Receiver Failures

Ten Oddball '03 Springfield Variations

 

Excellent post Brad, that was what was sort of in the back of my mind when I said "take it to a reputable smith". That man would know if the "low-number" fell into the "failure area."

Since his Grandfather (and supposedly others) used it for hunting, it may be that it was one of the "good ones" and only needs to be re-checked-inspected to be sure nothing else has happened since it stopped being used for deer hunting.

 

Every once in a while I get a little wood on the ball.....keeps you moderation types guessing.

A buddy of mine has a 1921 serial number that he was scared to shoot. Loaded it up with some surplus 1943 Ammo and put one high and one low the final 3 in a 1/2 dollar sized group at 100 yrds. Then he sprung the heat treated receiver article on me....."thanks pal".

Just make sure it's safe and you are confident and competent when you touch it off.

 

I read that article, and others. It seems the more I read the more I see it is a combination of things that usually happen that makes the rcvrs crunch. Yes there are those that are weak, then there is the whole equation of bad ammo. I also read that there hasn't been a rcvr fail after they were re-equiping the military for WWII. They issued a lot of "low" numbered guns during the war. It didn't seem to be a problem. I think the ammo was a lot better by the 40s. My rifle is RIA 182xxx, barrel date RIA 10-10. I don't feel it is unsafe especially since I only shoot reduced recoil loads in it. I will check around for a local smith that might be able to do some testing.

 

I just received some interesting family history. Great-grandpa was a chaplain in France in WW1. He wasn't issued a rifle. He apparently got this rifle while he was over there and brought it back. Who knows what it saw in the war, but since he brought it back several family members say he shot less than 20 rounds through the rifle. He always kept it store well, and cleaned often. My dad got the rifle in 1972 and had it checked out buy a gunsmith. The gunsmith wanted to buy it because the barrel was in pristine condition. Since that time it has been well care for and cleaned regularly. I started to care for the rifle in 1975, and cleaned it once a month minimum. I received the rifle 5 years ago from my older brother. He shot one round through it cleaned it and put it away. I have fired less than ten rounds through it, and was very impressed with the accuracy. Open sights at 100 yards inside of 6".(prone position) I'd love to see what it would do with a good scope.