last round popping out

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and this is my first posting. I'm living in Germany, so please excuse some probably incorrect spelling etc. I recently bought a 1903 A3 which obviously had been completely refurbished - serial indicates that it had been manufactured by Remington in 1942, but there is a new barrel (1944), a new C-stock and all the other parts look like new as well.

My problem with the rifle, which is incredibly accurate even with not-first-class-quality-ammunition, is that the last round pops out of the magazine when I eject the second last round after firing - the spent case and the round together take the same way to my right. This happens in 9 of 10 times. When I load the magazine, the first round mostly doesn't stay in the magazine without some longer fumbling or holding it and pressing it down until the second round is in the magazine. I do understand that this might be caused by either a follower spring that is to strong or by the follower with to much space to move lateral or by the receiver opening above the magazine beeing to wide. While the last cause would be a problem possibly not to be solved, what could I try to find out about the possible problem with the follower/spring? Spare parts are very rare in Germany as are Springfield rifles, so I don't want to damage a part by trying to get the rifle working properly...

best regards
Ulrich

Possibly the mag follower is out of wack or maybe not even the correct one??? Do you have anything to compare it with? The rib on the follower should hold the cartridge on the side under the feed lip in the reciever. Has the side of the follower been ground on ? Is there a lot of side play left to right?

new repro stock= fitting issues, common , make sure the magazine well fits correct inside the action well.

Thanks both for your input,

I took the action out of the stock and found that there is still a gap between the mag well and the receiver even when the long screw behind the trigger guard is tightened to the last. Maybe this screw is too long and even if it would not bee too long there meight be not enough space in the stock to tighten it correctly... On the other hand, the follower has some side play left and right when there is no round in the mag AND I press mag well and receiver close together to simulate a tightened rear screw. And even then, the last round pops out. I guess I should try to shorten the screw or should I first try out another follower/spring?

best regards
Ulrich

Have you tried cycling rounds without the stock in place? Meaning action taken out of the stock, with trigger guard screwed in place. I don't think the trigger guard naturally rests up against the receiver, though.

The mag box does rest up against the receiver. The screws will naturally tighten it to the correct place. Sounds like what Chuck says and the stock is out of whack.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by browningautorifle

The mag box does rest up against the receiver. The screws will naturally tighten it to the correct place. Sounds like what Chuck says and the stock is out of whack.

---

That's my question. Even without the stock, there is a gap between mag box and receiver when the screws are tightened. So I think the problem might be caused by the rear screw being too long to press mag box and receiver together in the proper way... Or am I wrong?

best regards
Ulrich

No, that sounds right. Possibly the wrong screws?

the 1903 screws are shorter then A3 screws, as they have a blind hole, and the A3 is drilled all the way through...
after you fit the stock and action correctly, make sure the screw fits right...before you shoot the rifle.
if its too long, trim a little off...

Double check your rifle's date of manufacture at this website: http://www.vishooter.net/m1903.html Some websites incorrectly date 1903A3s.

Check you magazine spring as well. A good mag spring will look like an M from the side; a worn one looks like a W.

Hi,

after I destocked the rifle I checked again the fit of receiver, mag box follower etc. The gap between mag box and action surely comes from the rear screw being too long to press the parts together. After I put everything together, leaving off the folloewer, I noticed a 2mm gap between mag box and receiver with the screws tightened. So I guess the stock should be modified to set the mag box deeper and the screw should be shortened to give a tight fit without any gap. Sorry for my awkward description of those things, I'm mostly a gun user, not adapted to do more work on my guns than to unscrew parts and clean them...

regards
Ulrich

Hi,

today I tried loading the rifle with ammo fed from stripper clips. Interestingly, then all the rounds sit well in the mag box and the last round doesn't pop out when I eject the second last one. When I load the same rounds one after another in the mag box not using a stripper clip, the first one won't stick in it and pops out, as well as it pops out when being the last one in the mag box after ejecting the second last one. Strange behaviour of an otherwise perfect rifle ... or is this an user error?

regards
Ulrich

Perhaps a user error. Just practice and repeat...