Excess Headspace in the 1903 and '03A3 Springfield

[Newsfeed Hound]

GunReports.com shows how to excess headspace in the 1903 and '03A3 Springfield rifles better than the way Granddad did it. If you have access to a lathe, use this method to correct excess headspace easily, without the need for an expensive chambering reamer.

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Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Chuckindenver]

interesting..
talk about re inventing the wheel..
these rifles were built simple for a reason..why make them complecated??
i agree, you can remove the coned breach, but why??
you loose some of the safety that a 1903 has over the K98 Mauser.
took the other longer to write that , then it would for me to rebarrel an 03.
a couple other reasons to finish ream a new chamber..first is to have the correct headspace, and the other is to smooth out a rough chamber..
liked the write up though..thanks for sharing..

[JGaynor]

interesting..
talk about re inventing the wheel..
these rifles were built simple for a reason..why make them complecated??
i agree, you can remove the coned breach, but why??
you loose some of the safety that a 1903 has over the K98 Mauser.
took the other longer to write that , then it would for me to rebarrel an 03.
a couple other reasons to finish ream a new chamber..first is to have the correct headspace, and the other is to smooth out a rough chamber..
liked the write up though..thanks for sharing..

i dunno. read the article a couple of times. Doesn't sound like it will work on a military rifle if you want to retain the issue sights. Maybe on a sporter??

Regards,

Jim

[Chuckindenver]

i was thinking the same thing..
iv talked about this before with Mauser lovers, and guys that love playing with lathes..
nobody should ever use a lathe or other power tool to barrel or finish ream a 1903 or A3.
i fix a lot of rifles and shotguns that have been powertooled.
too many {gunsmiths} and i use that term loosely, want to jump on that lathe and re envent the thing so to speak..by the time they have that tool set up.
ill have it barreled, testfired, and going back in the box to send home.
the short chambered barrels, both military and commercial have pretty rough chambers, and not only need to be longer, but smoother as well.
so that shoots the no finish reamer thing in the butt.
and why would anyone own a lathe, and not a 100.00 reamer for a common cal? dont know..
you can rent one from rentareamer.com for 50.00 in any cal, that you want.
when is see a good deal on a finish reamer on the net or gunshow, i snatch it up, likely it will pay for itself in a couple jobs.
also. you still have to finish the back of the chamber face, flat or coned, so why not do it it right the first time, and not have to do it over, and save the time of making shims, screwing the barrel in and out..sheesh..sounds like an all day job out of a 1/2 hour one....
like my old mentor said...back away from the fancy tools, and use the best tool god gave you...your brian. and some elbow grease.

[purple]

...or just install a new or less worn bolt that is good on the no-go gauge.

[Calfed]

Or try a different field gauge. Mine would not pass a Forster field but was fine with a Clymer field gauge.

[JGaynor]

In any case its a technique most of us would avoid with an 03 or 03-A3 in military trim as it would instantly identify the piece as one that's been screwed with - big time.

Keep in mind this was a cure for EXCESSIVE Headspace. In otherwords the bolt already closes on a no-go and probably a field gage. I would think the first order oF business would be finding out just why the rifle has excessive headspace? Maybe shooting those compressed charges of Bullseye wasn't such a great idea after all!


Regards,

Jim

[Chuckindenver]

remember.
KISS

[gjungle56]

I would try one of the Brown& Sharpe bolts. They seem to be "long".

[duckcreekdick]

I would be interested to hear how Chuckindenver cuts square threads on a contoured barrel blank without a lathe. If one knows how to read a depth mike and pays attention to the graduations on the tail stock of your lathe, finish reaming a chamber with your trusty lathe is not hard. I agree, though, that the coned breech and extractor cut of the 1903 is a pain in the keester.