1903A3 Sporter Questions

Hello all. I inherited a Remington made Springfield 1903A3 rifle from my grandfather that has been sporterized and am working to get it back in to firing condition. The first thing I found was that the rifle was missing the bolt assembly, so I bought a surplus bolt, installed it and checked the head space with a head space gauge, and the bolt passed both the go and no-go tests. This past week I purchased 4 A-Zoom snap caps, to practice with the rifle. The dummy rounds seem to load in the magazine fine, granted I'm not quite sure how they are supposed to be loaded, but the bolt picks them up fine. The issue comes when I am pulling the bolt back on the second to last round. I pull the bolt back and the second to last round ejects fine, but the last round also pops out at the same time, which obviously shouldn't happen. I made a short 30 second movie of me loading the snap caps and the chambering and ejecting them with the final round popping out. The video can be found here: YouTube - 1903 Springfield Reload and Ejection Thoughts on what might be causing this?

As I mentioned, the rifle has been sporterized with a new stock and a modern scope fitted on the rifle. So far, I had been practicing with the scope off so I could see what I was doing, but when I put the scope back on, I discovered the rear eye piece was too large and prevents me from moving the bolt into the vertical position. See picture below:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1430-1.jpg

I also noticed that the bolt lever rubs slightly on the slot where the lever sits in the stock as seen in these pictures:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1425-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1428-1.jpg

In the second picture you can see where the wood has rubbed off on the lever a bit. This leaves me with two options; I can either replace the bolt, or replace the scope. I'd really like to return the rifle to a WWII spec, or as close as I can get. To do that it looks like all I'd need are the front and rear sights, which I'd like to know what kind I should be looking for, and where the best place to find them would be. I looked through the "for sale" section and found one person selling both the front and rear sight. I'm also planning on skipping the front sight hood since it seems it doesn't serve a functional purpose. One last, kind of silly question, I can't seem to rotate the safety on the bolt from "ready" to "safe." Is there any trick to it, or could it just be really stuck from sitting around to 50 years?

If you like to see any more pictures that could help with my issues, let me know and I can take them for you. Thanks a lot!

One more thing, I noticed that the follower normally (for me) comes up to the top of the reciever and even prevents the bolt from closing (first picture). I first thought this was normal and the rifle basically telling you, "time to reload," but I can also get the follower "stuck" a bit lower so that the bolt can sitll close as seen in picture two. Which is right?

Follower interferes with bolt:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1436-1.jpg

Follower allows bolt to close:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1435-1.jpg

Well doggy. First of all we are assuming the rifle is still in 30-06 caliber, and the rail haven't been opened for a larger caliber like a 30-06 Imp since it headspaced. If the rails have been opened, that would explain why the last round ejects itself. There is no cure unless the follower has been altered. You might want to replace it with another to see if that solves the problem. The vertical rail on the follower may be ground at an angle to allow for a larger cartridge to release in order to chamber, as if it doesn't, you can actually bend your rails. I just had to do exactly that for a 45-70 using a 98 follower after opening the rails to allow the 45-70 round to chamber.

The bolt not clearing the scope is no problem. Send me your bolt and I will send you one that will clear the scope. If you are going to restore the rifle, don't replace the bolt, just remove the scope.

Did I forget anything?

Recap:
1. Replace follower first.
2. Remove scope or replace bolt (free with mine).
3. Relieve any wood touching bolt handle just enough to clear bolt handle.
4. Verify the rifle hasn't been rechambered to 30-06 Improved cartridge.

Good luck, dude.

Jim

One other thing may be causing the problem with the last round ejecting, which is the magazine spring. It may be weak, or it may be improperly installed.

The follower should keep the bolt from closing on an empty magazine.

The safety problem is a common one. Try first pulling back on the cocking piece while attempting to rotate the safety. If it works when you pull back, then the problem is either that the trigger or sear is worn, or has been modified, a different bolt may solve this.

Do you guys have a recommendation on the best place to source original replacement parts? What about the front and rear sights? Also, should the rounds be loaded staggered, like in my video, or are they supposed to be loaded in a linear way since that's how they are on the stripper clips? I’ll take the spring and follower out tonight and take some pictures of them. I appreciate your help, as I am excited to get my little piece of history back in to working order.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jim Tarleton

4. Verify the rifle hasn't been rechambered to 30-06 Improved cartridge.

---

How can I check this?

The rounds are supposed to be staggered, which physicaly retains them in the magazine. Your last round has an inadequate surface(s) to bind it in place (the reason that little vertical rib exists on the follower). The round is kept in place by the follower rib and the right receiver rail. If either are altered, out pops the last round. Never file on those rials unless you know exactly what you are doing. It is a quick way to make a single shot rifle. The front and rear sights are available from Bill Ricca and others (Google him).

You can fix the safety by judiciously filing the safety engagement area at the tip of the safety unless your sear is so worn it doesn't protrude past the edge of the bolt shroud. You can check this by removing the safety and cocking the rifle (unloaded of course). Look at the edge of the firing mechanism. It should be just outside the edge of the bolt shroud in order for the tip of the safety to engage it and shove It back a fraction of an inch.

It is a simple operation, but a difficult one to describe. If I was there, we could solve this problem in 1 minute or less, or at least determine the cause.

Jim

I emailed Bill Ricca, and he said he didn't have the parts. I think I also figured out the safety. What I didn't realized was that the bolt had to be cocked to engage it. I also think I know the part you are talking about filing down, I have circled it in yellow in the picture below:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...CN1445_2-2.jpg

Here are the pictures of the spring and follower, top and bottom of the follower and the bottom of the reciever. I tried to take off the finger guard piece, but to my supprise the barrel and reciever came out of the stock instead.

Spring and reciever:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1438-2.jpg

Reciever top:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1440-2.jpg

Reciever bottom:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1443-2.jpg

Looking at gunbroker.com I came across some sight auctions. From some of the other pictures of A3s I have looked at, it appears this is the rear sight:
http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIte...Item=126056074
https://www.milsurps.com/images/imported/deleted.gif

And this for the front sight:
http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIte...Item=125894186

It also looks like I need a key and pin for the front sight as well, which I found at Springfield Sporters. Where is the "R" stamp, if there is one, on the sights?

first, the front sight you have on GB is for a 1903 not an A3, i have a few id sell for the same price as the seller.
second, take off the stock, and replace it with a GI stock, id bet thats the feeding issue.
third, if you plan on using the scope youll need a turned down bolt, if not?
then the bolt you have will work fine, and with a real GI stock, youll not have any fitting issues.
if you still want to use the scope with a GI stock, look for one that has been notched for a turned down bolt already, and dont ruin a nice stock.
stand back and take a picture of the whole rifle, also, is the barrel cut down below 24 inches? if so youll have some issues with installing a front sight on the barrel thats cut dow,
if not, youll need a sight key, and pin to hold it in place.

also, if your safety wont engage easy, and you need to pull the cocking rod back even after its cocked, youll need to replace, one or all of the following.
cocking rod, sear, sear spring, main spring inside the bolt, safety sleeve, and safety.
you can file till the cows come home, all it will do is make it look like doo doo, and still wont work right.

How could the stock cause the feeding problem? Chances are my grandfather made the stock as he did a lot of work on his other rifle's stocks, and I really can't imagine he'd have a rifle that was inoperable, but I really can't say 100%. I was supprised though the first time I looked at the rifle and found the bolt missing. Another thought I had on the feeding problem was could the snap caps be the issue?

As for the saftey issue, the whole bolt assembly, is "new". But now that I know how it works, it's not a big deal. Chuck, I'd be more than happy to take one of your extra front sights off your hands. Do you have a Remington one? PM me. How does the rear sight look? Just out of curosity, what's the difference between the 03 and the A3 front sights?

Here's a pic of the rifle without the bolt and scope:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1420-2.jpg

Close up of the barrel end:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1418-2.jpg

Get a turned-down Springfield bolt with a Buehler safety on it.
There are a lot around from rifles that have been restored back to G.I. I'm sure some of our crowd here on CSP have a few they'd sell.
Or get someone to forge your bolt down for you. Either may require a slight adjustment in the bolt cut in the stock.
Sporters are a hoot!
PD

ok, now i see, heres how to really check function.
remove the bolt, remove the striker assembly from the bolt, put the empty bolt back in the rifle, set the cut off so the bolt holds open on the last shot.
feed live rounds in the rifle, military ball ammo, not handloads, and not commercial stuff,
hold the rifle up like your going to fire the weapon, work the bolt like your shooting up the place, and get back with me.
just about every sporterized A3 iv repaired with feeding issues, was do yo pressure from the stock, on the magazine box, or from not having enough wood removed so the magazine cant sit right with the receiver.
it has to be right, or it wont feed, on an A3.
im sure that alot of time and effort went into this rifle, and no dissrespect intended.
but i see this al the time, even the most experianced gunsmiths, miss this one.
Right Jim T???lol.

^ can do that. Best place to find ball ammo? I called the gun shop closest to me, but they don't have it, just commercial .30-06. Would this work? http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIte...Item=126173405

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by chuckindenver

ok, now i see, heres how to really check function.
remove the bolt, remove the striker assembly from the bolt, put the empty bolt back in the rifle, set the cut off so the bolt holds open on the last shot.
feed live rounds in the rifle, military ball ammo, not handloads, and not commercial stuff,
hold the rifle up like your going to fire the weapon, work the bolt like your shooting up the place, and get back with me.
just about every sporterized A3 iv repaired with feeding issues, was do yo pressure from the stock, on the magazine box, or from not having enough wood removed so the magazine cant sit right with the receiver.
it has to be right, or it wont feed, on an A3.
im sure that alot of time and effort went into this rifle, and no dissrespect intended.
but i see this al the time, even the most experianced gunsmiths, miss this one.
Right Jim T???lol.

---

I must agree that stock binding can cause very unusual problems not easily detected, nor obviously caused by stock binding.:madsmile: I just went through such an experience where an after-market trigger was binding on one side of the stock, and when the receiver bolts were tightened, it caused the rifle to string its shots. In the end, the only clue was a narrow line in one side of the stock left by the impression of the trigger housing as I tightened and loosened the receiver bolts trying to find the "sweet spot".:bash:

For once in my life, I prefer the original trigger.:super:

Jim

you can try commecial, if it gives you a problem find a box of ball.
contact me via email, for the front sights..i have more then a few, and yes, i have Remington R marked bases.

heck i know of a gunstore in rockford Ill, that should have a lot of ball ammo, dont remember the name off the top of my head, when i was back in Ill, a few years ago, they had more then a few cases of ball 06,
i picked up a trunk full of 03 and carbine parts from them as well.

So I went out after work and picked up a box of commercial rounds. Came home, took the striker assembly out, and tried again. Here's the video of that: YouTube - Springfield 1903 Loading and Ejecting, Live Rounds The result was the same, the final round ejecting with the second to last round. So I decided that for the hell of it I'd remove the stock and put the rifle back together and try again. I had already put the bolt back together, so I used the snap caps. Here's that video: YouTube - 1903 Springfield Reload and Ejection, no Stock I tried a couple of times before recording, and to my delight, all four dummy rounds chambered and ejected perfectly, indicating to me that the stock is indeed the problem. Chuck, my hat is off to you. The stock would have been the last thing I would have suspected to cause the problem. Now the trick is to figure out where it is too tight so I can sand it down. Where do you most see this problem? One other thing, this rifle is so easy to disassemble. I wish my car was this easy to work on.

try another spring and folower first, or if you have access to a military stock even one thats been cut down, try your rifle in that stock as well.
before you sand on the stock, if i had the rifle in my hands i could figure it out pretty quick.
hard to tell from pics or video.
try this.
take the rifle out of the stock.
assemble the trigger guard and magazine on the rifle without the stock, test run the live ammo{ with the empty bolt} and see if it works out of the stock.
dont tighten the screws real tight, you may bend the trigger guard.
make sure you close the bolt when running the cycle, i noticed on your video that your didnt close the bolt down.

cant tell is that a stamped or milled trigger guard?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mjwaterma

How can I check this?

---

The barrel should be stamped if it has been rechambered. If it is an 30-06AI, it will still fire standard 30-06 rounds, the cases will be fired formed to the AI dimensions when you extract them. The only way to know for sure is to make a chamber cast with Cerrosafe. It's easy to do and will answer the question of what cartridge the rifle is chambered for.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by chuckindenver

cant tell is that a stamped or milled trigger guard?

---

I think the guard is a stamped guard. It does not appear to have any milling done to it. Is there any place in particular I should look to be able if it is milled? Also, I did notice that there was some welding or soldering done to the guard right by the mounting holes. I'll take some pictures when I get home this afternoon. The trigger itself looks like it was changed, as it is grooved.

On the inside of the stock where the magizine is, there are grooves in the wood from the box. One thing I think might be happening is that the stock is squeezing the magizine at the top, which it turn pushes the follower toward the non-ejection side at the top of the mag which could cause the final round to roll a bit to the non-ejection side causing it top pop out.

thats what i would guess,
try the rifle out of the stock, and see if it cures the problem.

OK, I took a ton of pictures of the stock, trigger guard, trigger, grigger guard bolted to the reciever with and with out the stock. I also ran the live ammo through the rifle (no firing pin) without out the stock, and 5 rounds fed and ejected perfectly. I do however have a new theory which I'll explain in a minute. First here are the pictures of the stock where the mag fits from the under side and of the trigger guard, which is a stamped peice.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1453-2.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1454-2.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1455-2.jpg

Trigger guard. Notice in the second picture, the weld or solder by the bolt holes.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1456-2.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1457-2.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1458-2.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1459-2.jpg

Trigger. I don't think this is an orgional trigger:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1461-2.jpg

Here is the rifle back in the stock. Notice the gap between the the bottom of the trigger and the trigger guard:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1460-2.jpg

Now, here is the rifle bolted together with out the stock. In the second picture, note how the mag comes incontact with the reciever.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1465-2.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1464-2.jpg

Here is the rifle, with no stock, where I have unscrewed the screws so that the gap between the bottom of the trigger and the guard is about the same as when the rilfe is together with the stock. Look at the gap that is between the mag and the reciever. I ran rounds through the rifle like this, and, like when the stock is on, the final round ejects with the second to last round. So I think that the issue is that the mag and the reciever are not mating up at all, causing the follower to stick and the last round to pop out.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1463-2.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1462-2.jpg

Thoughts?

well, i see a few issues. fisrt is the after market trigger, it can give you fits, and im suprised it works with the stiker assembly without fitting, and is the reason your safety doesnt work,
second, the trigger guard looks like its been modified at the top, id find another.
third, the stock needs to be fitted alot better, the trigger guard doesnt seat into the reciever well enough, that in itself is your issue with it popping out.
i would say the stock need to be fitted by a gunsmith that knows how to fit a rifle.

did you ever resolve or finish this project. Im haveing simular issues

chuckindenver you seem to know a bit about this , can I pm you about my rifle/stock fit?