Rebarreling the 1903 Springfield

a pic, by pic how to , to replace the barrel on the 1903 Springfield.
first, the old...Remington 1903, with crusty rusty tube, and a Used HS 1944 crispy.
this will be a long post please dont reply till i get it done...lots of pics

action wrapped in alloy tape so the finish wont get marred, installed in the wrench, and in the barrel vise, chalk used to mark the witness mark on the action..a cheater pipe was used to tighten the barrel in the vise.

barrel removed!!!this one was easy, usually i have to use the cheater to get the action free from the old barrel,
at this time, check for damage, cracks, rust ect, in the opening of the action, clean with a solvent, i use brake parts cleaner, also use a small rifle brush, and a rag to clean this area. look for gualling of the bolt locking lug weighs. this one is in great shape. and reay for a good barrel.
word of caution, dont leave the wrench on the action with out a barrel installed for a long period of time, it will warp the ring..an hour or 2 is all id leave it without a barrel installed.
if you need to work on the action, remove the wrench or loosen the bolts that hold the wrench on.

new, used barrel , ready for install, notice chalk line on the Rear sight base step line, that the wintess mark that meets up with the one on the action.
pictured is how far apart the lines should be when hand tight, closer is OK, farther may give you issues when it comes time to line them up.
last picture...is the lines set, correct witness mark line up.
if the barrel slips in your barrel vise, some 200Grit sandpaper, grit oround barrel, will grab the barrel enough to get one good turn, cuation, dont let the barrel slip in the sandpaper, or it will remove finish, careful not to over index the marks...

check sight alighnment with a small bubble , as shown, this is important on the 1903..this wont work on the A3, and sight alingment is best checked by eyeball on that model.
if your sights are off with the action, you will need to adjust with the action wrench ect.
if the front and rear are off, then you will have to set the action to the front sight, and then drift the rear base as needed.
the front sight is keyed in place, and harder to move then the rear base.

home stretch..since this is a used barrel , its not short chambered, most new barrels are short chambered and will need finish reamed, i will touch on that another time..
anyway,
check the action with a action proving dummy round, they are black colored and available on line in any cal. with the firing pin assembly removed, or use a live factory round, safety first...be very careful, and make damn sure the cocking assembly is removed...as well as the trigger.
make sure the bolt closes easy, and smooth.
then check headspace with a No-Go gage, it should close to the same point as pictured.
then comes the test fire.
i use a factory round...not a GI ball...they are usually loaded pretty tame, and are safe to use.
the one pictured is a Winchester silver tip, i buy factory at shows with a round or 2 missing, simply for test fire.
after the round is fired, remove the case, look for signs of pressure, case head squat, primer deformaty, ect.
run a brush down the barrel, assemble and clean, enjoy....remember, use good tools, wear safety glassses, gloves, and use common since....

ok,, thats it... all in all its a pretty basic job...poor quailty tools can make it hard.
removing the old barrel can be a bear...if you not done one before, have someone has walk you through it, and or help...

Hell of a vise Chuck, been waiting for this thread, thank you so much!

Chuck,
Thanks for posting the info! I am pleased with your knowledge and sharing of said wisdom!
I didn't see where you mentioned lubricant on the threads. Do you lubricate the threads as you tighten the barrel to the receiver... and if you do... what type do you recommend?

That is a cool post Chuck! I don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon myself, but I love to know how things like that are done. Maybe there is a local guy here who could learn from this (wink). Is the action wrench contoured close to the shape of the action?

i dont use lube on square threads, only crush type V threads.
actually, i clean off any..oil or grease create Hydro pressure, and can give you fits on a tight barrel, when indexing.
on square threads, the crush is at the shoulder and reciever face, not on the threads...
the action wrench i use, is one that i made, as i broke the handle off the original one that i had, this one is made for flat bottom actions, Mauser, Winchester, 1903, 1917,s ect.
i made a cut out in the base to clear the recoil lugs on the 17 and 1903,s, and stepped V on the removable top, to be able to use on said actions.
i have another wrench set up for round bottom actions , Krag, Savage, and Remington 700,s a soft bushing made of oil lite bronze is used on that one, so it wont mar the actions.

Nice presentation Chuck!

I always wanted photos of your old 'Remote control gun firing jig' that you described using the tire.

havnt used that in a while...i just man up, with gloves, and touch the switch... the scary one that i did a few Months ago, was a 17, that had an oversized chamber that i turned the shoulder back, and test fired that way,,,and this rifle had failed before....i was shaking but all in all...it worked out.

EEEK! :move eek:

You're braver than I am!

Great thread, CiD.

Thanks for this most helpful post.

I was just in the process of making a shell-type barrel vise on the CNC when I viewed this post.
Why I didn't think your method before I do not know as it is common sense.
I have planned on making inserts for both the barrel vise and action wrench out of brass, do you think this will work or will it be unsuccessful?
How much torque do you place on the barrel vise when in use?
Please note that I am no genius when it comes to gunsmithing, I am a carpenter by trade, have been employed as a fitter machinist and boilermaker, I enjoy tinkering with firearms especially WW1/WW2 and have plenty of time to learn after an accident requiring spinal surgery.

Any tips or pointers thoroughly appreciated.

I'm about to rebarrel a few guns, I have 3 barrels and 3 receivers, on hand tightening I noticed I'm about a 1/2" away from the witness marks, it is consistent on all receivers and barrels, even swapping them around.

I've done several barrels like that
Just tighten it up