Early '03 Springfield question

Gidday fellas,

A few weeks ago, one of my rifle club members happily turned up at our range with his "new" very early production '03 Springfield.
I had a quick look at the rifle - it appeared in good nick, barrel was clean and shiny inside and all seemed fine.
I was down operating targets when he took his first [and only] shot - the handguard was blown off and shattered with some bits landing in the bush off to the left and other bits landing near fellow shooters to his right.
There was found to be a fine hole drilled in the barrel which had vented gas upwards - blowing the handguard off the rifle.

Funnily enough - he still managed to hit the target from 400 yards!

We presumed the club member had mistakenly been sold an old rendered innocuous rifle - as it was sold as being a shooter / not a wall hanger and was even certified as being safe to use by the dealer.

A few days ago, I heard on the grapevine that apparently very early production '03 Springfield rifles were found to have "metallurgically weak actions", so the barrel had a fine hole drilled forward of the chamber to vent some of the pressure - with a hole in the handguard lining up to allow the vented gas to escape.

If this is true - I guess at some time in the past, the hand guard had been replaced and the hole forgotten about, with the rifle being sold on without anyone spotting the holey barrel.

I cannot find anything to confirm this practice of barrel drilling - can anyone assist?

Originally Posted by sn@abrc:
a fine hole drilled forward of the chamber to vent some of the pressure - with a hole in the handguard lining up to allow the vented gas to escape.

Originally Posted by sn@abrc:
I cannot find anything to confirm this practice of barrel drilling

No. There's a Hatcher hole in the side of the action but not in the barrel. That would just be silly... That rifle was deactivated and then put back to shooting without ever being checked. That's a lawsuit to whom ever verified it safe.

I agree with BAR. A hole drilled into the barrel was some strange, ill thought out, and dangerous attempt to deactivate this 1903 Springfield. It was not likely done officially in U.S. service.

The 'gas escape hole' was originally on the right-side of 1903 Springfield receivers. (Interestingly, the 1900 experimental Springfield rifle had gas escape holes on both sides of receiver).

I suppose the right-side gas escape hole was thought to vent gases, from a failed cartridge case, away from the shooter's face. Some extractors have a small hole that lines up with the hole in the receiver.

I think the "Hatcher Hole" was adopted around 1936. It was incorporated into new actions and added to earlier Springfield rifles during 'Rebuild'. Major Julian Hatcher wisely realized the bolt gas escape hole was on the left-side and could now line up with his added hole.

1903-A3 actions have the gas escape hole on the left-side.

This goes to show, you need to do a complete inspection that includes removing the wood. Also, I always check the head spacing, no matter what others say.