My dad gave me a Sante Fe 1903A3 with s/n # 5,005,375. He didn't know much about it.

[Doug Rammel]

Is there anyway this thread can be locked?? If you want to shot one go ahead and shot it. Let Darwin do his work

[jonnyc]

Real useful. It's "shoot". Darwin indeed.
If only someone here actually know how to read, understand, and then answer a question (not to mention spell), all would be well. This forum seems to have a problem with that. Obviously no use to me, or anyone else who actually wants to learn something and not just believe everything he hears/reads from someone who professes to be an expert.
Well, I guess I got just what I paid for. If I really want to know or learn something, I'll go elsewhere. This has truly been a waste of my time. Bye.

[supercub]

"If only someone here actually know how to read," Try this Professor, KNEW how to read. Sadly, your dribble missed your drool bowl and landed on this forum.

[Doug Rammel]

+ 1 Supercub.

Yep I missed an O. I just think if 90 + replies doesn't answer your question, then and another 90 won't either.

[phil441]

Damn, is this thread still going?

I'm as cheap as they come, but I have no qualms about taking a questionable gun out of service. Done it several times.

[supercub]

I think the energizer bunny has run out of drool. We can hope.

[jonnyc]

Hope is a wonderful thing.
Me, I'm still hoping that someone who handled dozens(?) of these rifles will post some of the info he should have.
Oh well, perhaps we'll both be disappointed.

[bzzyman03]

Whoa...when I last posted to this thread we were around 59 postings. Seems like a lot of fuel hit the fire in a relatively short period of time. Hey, I have an idea, seriously, why don't we creat a website exclusively for NO/Santa Fe 03A3 rifle owners, so we can hear from the shooting, or "not shooting" population of these rifle owners. I am serious about this because had I not been researching about my own rifle, I never would have known about this raging issue. Now many more unsuspeting NO/SF owners are out there that do not know about this issue? If these really are ticking, time-bombs, don't we owe it to them to get the word out to ALL the NO/SF owners? and not just have a discussionary forum her? Also, by starting that type of a website, you would be able to get "actual & S/N data" on the rifles still in use, ownership info and data on failures. I can appreciate johnnyc's interest in getting some quanitfiable data. That is what I was looking for as well. I also had two other questions for chuck: 1) would it be possible for you to post a picture of the "notch" in the receiver that we should be looking for. I must confess that I am no expert enough to be able to discern where exactly you are referring to on the receiver; 2) of the three faiures that you have personal knowledge of, could you please tell me how many of those were drilled and taped for a scope? I know that the one pic you posted previously had a scope mounted at the time of failure and I was wondering about the other two.

FYI...in the interest of safety, I still have the bolt to my rifle removed so it cannot be fired. I have contacted three gun smiths in the area regarding retrofitting mine with a Rem. receiver, but to date, none of them was interested in performing the work, or the cost of it was not worth it when compared to buying a new rifle of known quality. So, in the safe my little baby sits, without it's bolt.

Having been in the manufacturing field for almost 40 years, I have an extreme disdain for those who produce substandard products and pass them off to unsuspecting buyers in order to make a quick buck. It seems the golden calf today is really a "green saw-buck"! Thanks for the dialogue guys and remember, when someone asks a question "why", it may not be meant as a challenge, but more of an attemt to understand more fully. Remember, Galileo and his persistence in asking "why?"

Ciao

[Mike Haas]

I think the energizer bunny has run out of drool. We can hope.

I've got 3.6 Hours in a 1938 J-3 with the "Lennopee Papoose 3 Cylinder engine..1 Hour on ski's with 3 TO's & Ldg's

Original airplane and original engine..gotta admit I preferred my "expiimental" T-Cub with the 150 Lycomingl.

Big fun!!

[Chuckindenver]

i guess you missed the whole ,,if you supply the Reciver, ill swap the parts for free thing...you can get a nice A3 action for less then 300.00 as long as i can notch the recoil lug out on the cast reciever.
the long drawn out posts have nothing really to do with them being safe anymore... if in doubt...shoot with caution..and dont shoot in around other people.