Article: Safety of Reactivated Drill Rifles

[chuckindenver]

in regards to Rip Off report..
i personally have used it..they do contact the party being complained against. and give them a chance to read, and respond, users can also respond as well.
my truck was stolen by a tow company, a couple years ago..i filed a complaint with a PUC, as well as Rip off report..said tow company is no longer in bus, and has been fined from the PUC.
they responded like i knew they would, with vulger , threats..

[sdkrag]

Chuck has a lot of good points. I have recovered a drill rifle and my son built a hunting rifle, I had no qualms about using the action. The front of the receiver showed no sign of ever being tacked. The cutoff cleaned up very well. We chose to use this action rather than the low serial number that came with his barrel. It is a very accurate tack driving rifle. He has it with him at Ft. Polk as I type this. He just wishes he could take it along next April to Camp Leatherneck.

[mhb]

Weasel:

I wanted only to clarify the statement that 'High-number' 1903s were not carbon steel. But it is really more complicated than that:
Until March, 1942, 1903 and A3 receivers and bolts were still made of WD 2340 Nickel steel.
On 4 March, 1942, the use of WD steel No. 4045 was authorized (this contained no Nickel, and was introduced to conserve Nickel and other strategic metals for more critical uses).
On 5 July, 1942, the use of WD 8620 Modified was authorized: this steel did contain less than .5% Nickel, but added similar amounts of Chromium and Molybdenum - it is not classified as a Nickel steel. WD 8620 was a very versatile steel and was used in virtually all production of the M1 rifle after July 1942.
So, 1903, A3 and A4 rifles produced after March, 1942 are not Nickel steel, but neither are they plain carbon steel: they are all very strong and safe, as compared to the low-numbered 1903s.
mhb - Mike

Springfield nickel steel # started at 1275767, Rock Island at 319921. All Remington 03,
A3's and A4's were Nickel steel. All Smith Corona's were Nickel Steel. That should clarify what I said.

[chuckindenver]

the majority of 1903A3s and all A4s were made with WD 8620..
how they were heat treated can very.
its been my observations and experiance,, that SC were heat treated to a harder standard then Remingtons..i can drill through a Remington A3 like butter..no so much with a SC..
SC seem to have more Carbon then the Remingtons as well.
if i parkerize a Remington A3 and a SC at the same time,,, the SC will always turn out darker.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

If you are concerned about the strength of receivers in general, you might want to investigate the destructive testing done by P. O. Ackley. It is most enlightening, and performed by one of the best gunsmiths that ever lived. The tests are available online. No paranoia, just facts about what it took to blow up a lot of receivers, including LN and HN 03's (you will be surprised).

jt