Early/ Late SA 1903 Salvageable? Input Needed.

[Rick the Librarian]

I think I'd agree with Mike. As the bases have not been molested, I think I'd look at a "generic" restoration. The holes in the receiver pretty much remove the worth of doing an "exact" one, but, as he said, you have little invested so far.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

[quote=Mike D;271110]The most cost efficient way to go, would be to find any full length stock - finger-groove, C-stock, Scant, or any straight-grip non-finger-groove stock, as all would be correct for a rebuild.

Zero invested. Your information will be very helpful if I decide to restore. Very similar to AWQs sporter. Might keep an eye out for the missing parts at a reasonable price before taking a decision. I am going to replace the rear sight regardless.
Nice video on Midwayusa about reparing the holes.

[Randy A]

If it was a high number action I'd definitely restore it. Also, there is most likely a recess under the bolt handle that will need welded in too.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

If it was a high number action I'd definitely restore it. Also, there is most likely a recess under the bolt handle that will need welded in too.

Can you expound on this a bit?

[Bill Hollinger]

Early "low serial number" 1903 rifles are considered unsafe to shoot or as it has been told for a number of years. Look up "low serial number 1903" on google and you will pull up a grip of information. The issue waas a heat treating process that was unsafe. I believe 900000 was the cutoff to not be a low number. I have a 1914 dated serial number and have shot the crap out of it for many years but when I heard about the low number warning I quit shooting it. Mine is a WWII dated rebuild with a 12-42 barrel.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

From what I have gleened the SA serialized later than 80000 are double treated and concidered safe? This example is 500 + north of that. The action on this thing is as nice as any bolt gun I have handled.

[Rick the Librarian]

There were a few instances of case-hardened receivers "leaking" through just over the 800,000 "cutoff" between low and high numbered receivers. A good friend of mine had an 801,000 range receiver let go and there was one in the 802,000 range that Julian Hatcher reports in his "Hatcher's Notebook." The CMP used to classify any receiver 810,000 and under as "low number", although I think they were being overly cautious. I admit with one in the 800,500 range, I would proceed cautiously.

[Bill Hollinger]

Thanks fellas for the clarification on the serial number range. I wasn't sure whether it was 800000 or 900000.

[Rick the Librarian]

It is interesting to me how much "transition" there was in the changeover from case-hardened to double heat-treatment. Supposedly, the process was introduced in the 750,000 range and the transition was completed in the 780,000 range. However, as I said above, a few of the older receivers "leaked" through. In the case of Rock Island, although the SURE cheangeover was by s/n 285,507, there was, apparently, several though lower numbered receivers in the 268,000-282,000 range that were also double heat-treated.

Kind of confusing!!

[Bill Hollinger]

It sure would be nice to know for sure just which receivers received what heat treating. Mine is a beautiful WWII rebuild and I love shooting it but........