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While doing my weekly LOOK N SEE on PROXIBID I ran across this 1903 Rifle with an action that looks to have been blown apart. I would have loved to hear the story on this one.
https://www.proxibid.com/1903-Rifle-...ation/69843286
Attachment 127445Attachment 127446Attachment 127447
No indication of manufacturer...or even when it happened.
I was looking at the knob on the striker to figure out possible time frame.
Maybe later style?
Not sure
Has later swept back bolt handle
Fools can blow up about anything . There is a big gun store / range in Houston with over 100 blown up firearms on the wall . Most are modern and of about every type .
Stamped trigger guard and late (WW2) bolt. Odd collection of parts. The story would be interesting, but it looks to be very old and probably no one is still around to tell the story. Entire receiver is totally gone, looks like someone hid something.
Well we can certainly say they got their mileage outa that one, would not want to be either side or behind that rifle when it let go.
Note the brazing metal on the off side of the receiver. To get that much metal someone heated that receiver ring to a red hot temperature. Nothing like an annealed receiver to give a big bang to your day. Nothing surprises me anymore. A couple of years a go I was at a turkey shoot with my rabbit eared LC Smith 2 3/4" 12 ga, Some moron grabbed it off the rack, stuffed a high brass 3" OO buckshot in it and shot at a squirrel. I turned around just in time to see my beautiful Smith doing a flip-flop in the air and that fool screaming and running. His left thumb was hanging by a thread of flesh. The left barrel blew half-way down the forearm. One gun ruined and one drunk firefighter looking for a new job that didn't require two functioning thumbs. That particular turkey shoot was sponsored by the fire station - no more. You can't fix stupid.
Not saying it's associated with this test. But the Ordnance Department did a lot of testing for various reasons, especially with the 1903. Stamped triggerguard may help with approx. timeframe.
Here's some photos from a 1920s test concerning reheat treatment and strength of the metallurgy. The failures are very similar to the rifle in question. If service connected, the rifle may have been involved in some sort of endurance testing (and failed).
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...m6z2c9hl-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...CNPUgTbl-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...Puc1oTZl-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...GLrlLNTl-1.jpg
Thanks for that information.......
"Bullseye powder loaded in accordance with the test procedure."
That'll usually tell you something real fast.:D
The NRA also did this with an Arisaka and had a hard time blowing it up.
AZB
P.O. Ackley performed some amazing pressure tests with various rifles, including a lever action Winchester. He would test fire one, then cut off a lug, repeat the test, to the point one would believe the rifle would fail, but many didn't. I believe the tests are within one of his handloading manuals. He couldn't blow up an Arisaka either. There were two standouts for strength, the Arisaka and I forget the other one.
Michael Petrov posted a series of test using LN Springfields that boggled my mind. Those tests are posted either here or on Jouster.
I have a Model 98 in which I have separated cases under pressure, one blowing off the floorplate and shattering the stock. It is a 257 Roberts and it is still my favorite hunting rifle. In 1968, I bought 10,000 rifle primers and most of them went through that rifle before 1972 when I graduated (finally). It still shoots MOA. I bought the barrel from PSA for $14.95 out of a comic book. It has one of the old externally adjustable target triggers with 3/8" triggers and several years ago I added a Mod 70 style safety.
Michael Petrov also talked about tests he did with a trapdoor.
Apparently, it was SO STRONG he didn’t fee right about posting the results. I would really love to see them!
I am pretty sure Michael's tests are on a Jouster forum. Sadly, I think Mike deleted them. I have PO's tests somewhere upstairs, where I haven't been in 10-years. I wonder if that coon still lives up there?
People are funny about what is safe to shoot and what is not. I have a Rem Rolling Block in 7mm. I shoot commercial ammo in it. One day I was plinking with it and as soon as I fired, something hit me in the forehead. I reached up and picked a fired primer out of my bleeding forehead. The source was no mystery. I was a mile deep in a swamp filled with cottonmouths the size of your calf muscle. I also know it is "technically" impossible for the primer to blow past the lock in a RRB unless the hammer is all the way back. I related the event to a friend of mine, and he called a 10 on the BS meter Always safety conscious, I calmly asked him if he wanted to give her a go. An hour later, that sucker was picking a fired primer out of his forehead.
I think I know how it was done.
The rifle is disassembled and locked away ever since, along with another RRB 45-70 project and my whole CCH setup. It is amazing what a little rap on the head will do for you. Did I mention I have a cute little dimple in my forehead now?
I did manage to find some reference to this through a google search on a different forum. This is coming from someone who claimed to talk to someone who claimed to be there...so take with a few grains of salt. Still very interesting:Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Tarleton
"The Springfield Trapdoor belonged to Don Neal, another single shot aficionado.
John said they kept adding 3031 powder to the case until approaching .458 magnum pressure and still the Springfield held. They had to knock the case out from the muzzle with a rod as the pressure rose. She finally blew with 40 grains of 2400 sending the block skyward as they could not get enough 3031 into the case to make Springfield fail.
His postmortem showed that the barrel had split at the extractor cut and the escaping gas had taken the action apart."
I recall reading the US Army re-barreled several Trapdoors into .30-40 configuration. At lower velocities all ran well. However, as they approached higher velocities the gun began to unlock itself. The Army decided to build more Krags and leave the Trapdoors in .45-70.
30-40 Trapdoor…now that’s a rifle I’d love to have!
I've seen replica trapdoor carbines unlock with standard loads.
Back in my High School days circa 1974 one of my slightly older classmates (but still a friend) had a Rossi 12 gauge 3" magnum single shot. He had the barrel shortened to the USA limit. While it would not unlock, it would disassemble itself during firing as the forearm would come off and shortly the barrel would also make a move. I don't know if anything else was done to it but it was not much fun to shoot and kind of scary.
Dave