1903a4 receiver tearing up tap...

[amadeus76]

So I recently bought a 1903a4-gery built off a reclaimed drill receiver and found that the rear bolt tap wasn't done quite right. I took it to my gunsmith to have it redone proper and the receiver chipped away the tap. He'd had the tap for awhile and figured it was just at the end of it's life and ordered a new one. When he tried with the new tap the same thing happened. He's now going take it to his machinist and see if he has any insight.

​​​​​​​Has anyone ever run into this issue?*

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[Patrick Chadwick]

"1903a4-gery built off a reclaimed drill receiver"

Warning bells are ringing here. It sounds like the receiver is excessively hard, even glass-hard (which means DANGEROUSLY hard), in an area where it should not be. There was a history of early 1903 receivers being withdrawn because of faulty hardening, making them brittle. Is it possible that this is such a faulty (over-hard) receiver that someone has creatively "recycled"?

Check out the number and the number range for the brittle receiver problem, look for signs of welding, renumbering etc.

You may have acquired a piece of dangerous scrap that was not intended to be used for live firing. I hope not, but check it all.

[amadeus76]

"1903a4-gery built off a reclaimed drill receiver"

Warning bells are ringing here. It sounds like the receiver is excessively hard, even glass-hard (which means DANGEROUSLY hard), in an area where it should not be. There was a history of early 1903 receivers being withdrawn because of faulty hardening, making them brittle. Is it possible that this is such a faulty (over-hard) receiver that someone has creatively "recycled"?

Check out the number and the number range for the brittle receiver problem, look for signs of welding, renumbering etc.

You may have acquired a piece of dangerous scrap that was not intended to be used for live firing. I hope not, but check it all.

I don't think that's it necessarily... The receiver is a reclaimed Remington and the front of the receiver tapped just fine.

[CINDERS]

Just a Q if the front of the receiver taps just fine and the rear breaks 2 taps then does that not signify uneven heat treatment or hardening! I am no engineer nor metal smith but that's my take on it.......

[browningautorifle]

You're trying to do a build on the cheap with a receiver that is apparently not what it should be. You've denied a sensible answer to your question...what answer do you want? If you tell us what you want to hear it will save us time. I'd say three of us think about the same way on this.

[amadeus76]

You're trying to do a build on the cheap with a receiver that is apparently not what it should be. You've denied a sensible answer to your question...what answer do you want? If you tell us what you want to hear it will save us time. I'd say three of us think about the same way on this.

Wow... I've never had this problem before. I'm sorry I asked a question about something I don't fully understand and thought that maybe it might be something else other than a brittle receiver since those seem to be limited to early 1903's and not the later Remington made rifles.

But thanks for being a dick.

[CINDERS]

The thing is with any old milsurps or for that matter any rifle that is say over the ages of 50 - 60 - 70 years + we know nothing of their history or what attempts bubba has had at things I can assure you it is only out of concern for ones safety that we go the extra yard with concerns. I am pretty sure there will be others along the same vain and we are not trying to brow beat or chest thump most of us have seen first hand when things go wrong we had events with a Mosin Nagant on our range and a Barnard in the latter's case if it was anything but a Barnard action then I reckon the shooter would have been seriously injured. (The Mosin shooter did go to hospital.)

Given the pressures that a 30/06 operates at and if your fueling it the last thing you want is a grenade 3" in front of your beak and the threat of fragmentation to bystanders it costs but a little time to research and ask questions to your gunsmith what their take is or an engineering firm just to be on the safe side hope you get to the bottom of this receiver.

[Eaglelord17]

I know it isn't the answer you like to hear, but I personally wouldn't play with that receiver.

We aren't saying this to be dicks we are trying to help you. I personally have had a out of battery detonation, and I hope for the life of me it doesn't happen again. I was fine because the rifle was in good operating condition and I learned a valuable lesson about doing your research first (it was a Swedish AG-42b with Federal ammo, two things that should never mix). I have also had case failures due to poor metallurgy, bullets stuck in the bore and a corroded chamber which when a round was fired in refused to allow the brass to extract. There is even likely a couple things I might have missed. The reality is taking the extra couple steps for safety is important as you only have one life.

With this reclaimed drill receiver (words which should send bells ringing), what is its history? How was it turned into a drill receiver? Why was it turned into a drill receiver? How did they make it back into a 'usable rifle'? Did they use safe practices? Did they hardness test the whole action? Did they fire proof rounds through it? You can see why this has us concerned. From what you are describing, the rear of your receiver is exceptionally hard, a Rockwell hardness test would be a very good idea (as well as learning what the proper hardness rating should be). The whole receiver might have to be completely heat-treated again (if it is even possible, I am not a metallurgy expert, only having a very basic understanding of how it works).

For example if they did any welding on a the receiver that could be what has caused it to harden so significantly, as allowing it to cool quickly (i.e. in the air) would cause it to harden (as opposed to when it was manufactured, I am sure it had a very specific tempering process, likely involving molten salt or oil). I hope it works out for you, but again I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole until I had all the answers to the questions above, and even then I might not play with it.

[Doco overboard]

If you're referring to the rear guard screw make sure you have a 1/4 x25 tap. Some taps are hard and will shatter easy in case they break in a hole. A 1/4 x24 will start and then seize right up. If your not sure don't use it. (receiver)

[browningautorifle]

But thanks for being a dick.

Nothing like starting multiple threads with sketchy info and not taking any of the advise given. Now you see there's not but one basic opinion to what you ask.

Pics would have been priceless...and name calling doesn't help. So, look in the mirror...