the saftey on one of my '03's won't engage

[goo]

the bolt with the problem is the bottom one
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8377/8508370633_4c62b57f03_c.jpg

notice the gap just aft of the lower bolt handle. before i disassemble the bolt and screw it up is there anything i should know?
it seems to lock okay and the action seems fine.
fwiw, its an o3a1 bolt handle.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8240/8506098783_d8cd82077d_b.jpg

thanks, gents

goo

[Cosine26]

It looks like to me that you have not screwed the bolt sleeve in far enough. Grab the cockiong knob and pull it back until you can engage the safety then try turning the sleeve in one more turn. It looks to me as if your bolt sleeve lock is not engaging the notch on the bolt. You may have to depress the sleeve lock to get it to turn all the way in. Some of the later locks will not clear without a little help. Hope that helps. Compare the two bolts. in the picture, the bolt sleeve on the upper bolt is closer to the bolt handle than on the lower bolt..

[Tom]

Right Cosine,

^The "bolt sleeve" needs to be screwed-in one more turn. I see threads showing.

Or you could simply swap the internal firing assemblies and see what happens, there is nothing there to screw-up.

[goo]

thank you, gents
did what you said and now its fine.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8088/8509162385_7252149816_b.jpg

i guess that brings up another question which might seem dumb but i'm too old to worry about looking dumb.

under what situations is the saftey actually used?

i mean, a cocked rifle with a round in the chamber is not a 'safe' weapon regardless of the position of the saftey. if there is no round in the chamber what's the point of the saftey?

i spent 5 months with the marine infantry as a foward air controller in vietnam and did participate in maybe a half a dozen firefights. as far as i can remember, if there was a round in the chamber the saftey was off. the configuration of the rifle was up to the individual marine (none of them were dummies). me, unless something was imminent the m-16 action was open (there was a dust cover) and the saftey was off. when deployed in an ambush there was a round in the chamber and the saftey was off.

i don't think the saftey is ever used at matches. i believe those plastic things are inserted into the chambers that are easily visable, but i don't compete so i dunno.

[m1ashooter]

i don't think the saftey is ever used at matches. i believe those plastic things are inserted into the chambers that are easily visable, but i don't compete so i dunno.
They are used to make it easy for the Range Officers to see open bolts on the firing line. I always have the safety on safe when I have a round loaded in the chamber of my service rifles.

[goo]

really don't mean to be a wise ass but why do you have a round in the chamber if you ain't gonna shoot right away?

[Cosine26]

At one time the safety was used in all rapid fire matches. When the M1903 was in vogue, the prepertory command “Load and Lock” was given prior to the start of the rapid fire string. When the M1 came in to general usage, the command changed to “Lock and Load”. Before today’s rule changes the rapid fire stage always started with the shooter standing. When the target appeared, the shooter would drop into position, using the butt of the rifle to ease himself down. The safety was supposed to be returned to the “Fire” position only after the shooter was in position. Some match rifles had the triggers so finely set, that if the butt hit the ground, the trigger would be tripped and the rifle would fire. This was particularly true in the early days of the M1 when shooters were trying to adjust the M1 trigger for a 3 ½ pound release.
I have never served in combat with a rifle(my WWII service was in the navy on cruisers and my Korean Service was in the USAF in B-26’s in Korea) , but it would seem to me that when not in actual combat one would want a firearm loaded with a round in the chamber. It is a lot quicker to release the safety than to actuate the action. Particularly in the early days of the M16 which did not have the forward assist function. The M1 was designed so that the rifleman could carry the rifle loaded and locked with his finger in the trigger guard. When require a forward motion of his trigger finger would release the safety. It beats having a loaded rifle behind you when the rifleman could slip and fire the rifle.
In the hunting fields, I believe that most hunters carry a load in the chamber with the safety on as the noise working the action to load a round into the chamber would “spook” the game. That’s why many manufacturers created aftermarket safeties for converted military rifles equipped with low mounted scopes and altered bolt handles. Almost all commercial modern sporting rifles have safeties that will clear low mounted scopes.
Just my humble opinion.

[Jim in Salt Lake]

Now a days, we never use the safety in CMP competitions for 1903s or M1s. For rapid fire, you load your first 5 (1903) or 2 (M1) rounds and close the bolt over the top of the loaded rounds on an empty chamber. Once you're in position (CMP is still standing to sitting/prone) you work your bolt or charging handle to load a round into the chamber and start firing. This works real well. I like the empty chamber indicators (ECI, the plastic thing) so well that I use them for Boy Scout shoots with bolt .22s. It really makes it easy to check that the firing line is safe before the boys go forward to change and set up targets. And it gets them in the habit if I get any of them into competition.

[Parashooter]

Now a days, we never use the safety in CMP competitions for 1903s or M1s. For rapid fire, you load your first 5 (1903) or 2 (M1) rounds and close the bolt over the top of the loaded rounds on an empty chamber.

If using this procedure for the M1903, you're not following current CMP rules -

9.1.10 Loading During Rapid Fire Stages
Special attention must be paid to safely and properly loading and reloading rifles during rapid-fire stages. These reloading procedures must be followed in CMP Games events:

• M1 Garand. After the commands ON THE FIRING LINE STAND…WITH BOLTS CLOSED ON EMPTY CHAMBERS…LOAD, any competitor with an M1 Garand must place a clip and two rounds in the magazine and close the bolt on an empty chamber by over-riding the top round in the magazine. When the targets rise or the command TARGETS is given, competitors must drop down into position and then cycle the bolt to chamber the first round. . .

• Bolt Action Rifles. After shooters stand and are given the command LOAD, they must load five rounds in the magazine and leave the bolt open (do not chamber a round). After the firing time begins (targets rise or the command TARGETS is given), shooters must get into position, close the bolt to chamber the first round, fire five rounds, then reload five rounds and complete the series within the time limit.

You can download the entire rulebook at http://www.odcmp.com/Competitions/Rulebook.pdf

[Jim in Salt Lake]

I stand corrected on the 1903, was writing too fast, my apologies. Point is, you don't start with a round chambered with either rifle.