maximum clearance between the rear of the safety lug and the receiver 03A3

[bobgar]

I just recently bought a "safe Queen" Remington 1903 A3, Arsenal rebuild. It looks like someone bought it after WW2 and put it in a closet. looks like it has not been fired at all. The problem I have is that when chambering M2 Ball ammo it is kind of tight. Also the distance between the rear of the safety lug and the receiver is about 1/16 of an inch. Is that normal? Anybody have any thoughts?

[chuckindenver]

short chambered

[bobgar]

Thanks for your reply, Is it safe to shoot it that way? The guy I bought it from says he had a gunsmith check the headspace Go, No go and field gauge and said it all passed? What do you think?

[jgaynor]

Have the head space checked again.
In any case when the bolt is closed you should be able to insert an .004" feeler gauge between the safety lug and the receiver bridge.

[chuckindenver]

safe to shoot? maybe..
id have a gunsmith that knows 1903s or vintage rifles, check it with an action proving round, it should close easy on this round...
these are dummy rounds made to specs and are only used to check chamber and bolt function.
you can buy one from Brownells if you want to check it yourself.
if indeed the rifle is still short chambered..then having it finished is needed.
could also be the bolt.. hard to say without having the rifle in my hands... as your idea of safe queen and mine likely arent the same.

[Punch the Clown]

All of my bolt guns close hard on HXP.

[chuckindenver]

HXP was loaded for the M1 Garand,..normal for bolt actions to close tight on them

[mhb]

permitted between the safety lug and the receiver is .004". The WW2 bolts often have much greater clearance than this, but greater clearance is not a problem, since the safety lug is not supposed to bear except when and if the locking lugs fail or are set-back.
The safety lug clearance has nothing whatever to do with headspace, so long as it does not bear (as it should not).
If you have any doubt that the headspace is correct, have it checked. But remember that tight headspace is not really a safety issue, and, if you can close the bolt without really excessive force (and, presumably, without forcing other types of ammunition), it may not really be an issue at all.

mhb - Mike

[bobgar]

Thanks guys appreciate your replies. Bob

[chuckindenver]

short chamber will push the bolt back out of that spec. have seen it many times..
a tight or short chamber can raise pressure, as well as give extraction issues.
had a customer send me a rifle that had been shot well over 100 rounds on a short chamber forcing the bolt closed.
his idea of breaking the chamber in ...some advise on the net he was givin.
every case he sent had signs of high pressure, as well as undo wear on the locking lugs as well. cant imagine its good for the locking lug cam surface as well.
have the issue addressed before you shoot the rife.. a 50.00 shop charge can save you a life time of headaches.

[Mike D]

Have you scrubbed the chamber really good?

Mike

[bobgar]

I had the headspace checked and it was within specs. But the gunsmith did say the chamber was tight. How can you tell if a case shows signs of high pressure??

[bobgar]

Mike, can you advise me on how to scrub the chamber?

[jgaynor]

I had the headspace checked and it was within specs. But the gunsmith did say the chamber was tight. How can you tell if a case shows signs of high pressure??

The primer may be flattened or the base of the cartridge case may exhibit a sort of stretched appearance. In your case however if the chamber is "tight" and you are shooting ammo which may be a little long that may cause some snugness when you are chambering a round. To check it you may wish to invest in a box of factory ammo. Probably best if you selected ammo with 150 grain or lighter bullet so the bullet does not become a factor. If the factory ammo feeds and chambers with out a problem its a good chance your regular ammo is the source of the problem.

Maximum clearance between the safety lug and the receiver bridge is not critical. Minimum clearance is important, Under no circumstnces should the gun be fired if the safety luh is bearing inn the receiver ring. If it is that suggests the locking lugs are not properly engaged in the receiver ring - a potentially dangerous condition. If, with a round chambered, you can freely insert an .004" feeler gage between the
safety lug and the receiver ring you should be O.K.

[jgaynor]

I had the headspace checked and it was within specs. But the gunsmith did say the chamber was tight. How can you tell if a case shows signs of high pressure??

The primer may be flattened or the base of the cartridge case may exhibit a sort of stretched appearance. In your case however if the chamber is "tight" and you are shooting ammo which may be a little long that may cause some snugness when chambering a round. To check it you may wish to invest in a box of factory ammo. Probably best if you select ammo with 150 grain or lighter bullet so the bullet does not become a factor. If the factory ammo feeds and chambers with out a problem its a good chance your regular ammo is the source of the problem.

Maximum clearance between the safety lug and the receiver bridge is not critical. Minimum clearance is important, Under no circumstnces should the gun be fired if the safety lug is bearing on the receiver ring. If it is the locking lugs nay not properly engaged in the receiver ring - a potentially dangerous condition. If, with a round chambered, you can freely insert an .004" feeler gage between the safety lug and the receiver ring you should be O.K.

[fguffey]

I just recently bought a "safe Queen" Remington 1903 A3, Arsenal rebuild. It looks like someone bought it after WW2 and put it in a closet. looks like it has not been fired at all. The problem I have is that when chambering M2 Ball ammo it is kind of tight. Also the distance between the rear of the safety lug and the receiver is about 1/16 of an inch. Is that normal? Anybody have any thoughts?

The first suggestion is "Short Chamber"

Nothing could be further from the truth. The first 03 rifle had a straight handle,, then came the slightly bent back handle. The early 03 bolts fit the receiver with a few thousandths clearance in front of the rear receiver ring and the exposed 3 safety lug. After Remington etc., started building the Remington 03 and the 03A3 etc., the gap between the rear sight bridge and safety lug widened. Then came all of the replacement bolts, all had the wide gap.

Because I am the only one checking the length of the chamber with a feeler gage and have a concept of zero the gap behind the 3rd lug is meaningless to most. I measure the length of the chamber with a feeler gage. the third lug eliminated a limiter for forwarded bolt movement.

Hind sight, the length of the chamber from the shoulder to the bolt face could have been tracked if anyone had noticed, recorded and kept track of the gap.

F. Guffey