Another 1903

[tbryan]

I bought another 1903 Springfield last week, and I have some questions about it. It is a 1,299,000 range gun with a 1928 dated bbl on it. It is almost all Springfield, with the bolt cut off and the firing pin being Remington. The gun appears to be an arsenal refinish, even on all the parts, a dull gray park. The bore is excellent, and it is in a scant stock. However, it has a straight bolt handle in it, with no markings on it , other than the proof mark. It has the same finish on it as the rest of the rifle. From what I have read, this is an old bolt, and not as strong as the later ones. Would this be safe to shoot. It head spaces correctly. The lower bbl band has a U on it, and did not fit correctly, being too small for the stock.
I would appreciate any insight on why this gun has this bolt, and if it is safe to shoot. Thanks.

[Southron]

As a matter of safety, I would replace the bolt with NS or later bolt. Then have the headspace checked by a competent gunsmith.

Often the military considers rifle cleaning to be a "group activity" where G.I.'s would draw their rifles from the armory, be issued cleaning equipment and then disassemble their rifles for cleaning. G.I.'s were also notorious for switching parts around when they reassembled their rifles. So, somewhere in the rifle's history someone replaced the bolt the rifle came from the Springfield Armory with an older, (possibly dangerous) bolt.

Then IF a G.I. didn't do the bolt swicheroo, then perhaps it was a worker at an armory or rebuild facility. Like they say, If these old rifles could only talk.

[Rick the Librarian]

Actually, there were several earlier bolts than NS that are considered safe. J5, J6, WL3, 5, 7, etc. I'd check John's bolt charts on Vishooter.

Tbryan, did you check all sides of the safety lug for markings?

[tbryan]

Yeah Rick, I took a glass and looked. All I could find was the punch mark. I have several 03 bolts in my parts bin, and I found one that head spaced up correctly. The bolt had been refinished just like the rest of the rifle, so possibly some marks were lost. Did they use bolts with completely no markings ? I will look at that chart you suggested . It will be a nice ref. for future purchases.
I will look again at the bolt for something that I possibly missed.

[tbryan]

I wish they could talk. I bought a Colt pocket pistol .380 made in 1915 from a pawn shop last week. It was well used, worn but no pitting , just a brown patina and a lot of wear on the plastic grips. When I took the grips off to clean it, I found a name written on the inner surface of both grips. Ross Mcmullen, Duncan Az. I googled him and found him to be a WW1 vet that died in 1962. I have wondered if he took that gun with him to the war. Never know I suppose, but neat to think about. The build date of the Colt being 1915, and US involvement being 1917, you never know.

[Rick the Librarian]

An unmarked "straight" bolt is usually considered to be a very early Springfield or Rock Island bolt. They are not considered rare or even uncommon.

[Fred]

It's nice though if they are still in their original polished form, if they were indeed originally Rod Bayonet bolts.

[tbryan]

I was just wondering about it being safe to shoot. It is definately not in it's original condition. I have replaced it with a later bolt for the time being.

[John Beard]

I have a document from Springfield Armory dated circa 1940 stating that straight handle bolts were never regarded as a problem and were not routinely taken out of service (unless worn or damaged). I have observed altered/updated straight handle bolts which confirm this policy.

J.B.

[tbryan]

Well, I guess I might shoot it with that bolt then. The head space is good with it, and it appears to be in good shape. Wouldn't a 1928 rifle come with a curved bolt though ? Why would they replace it ?

[John Beard]

Well, I guess I might shoot it with that bolt then. The head space is good with it, and it appears to be in good shape. Wouldn't a 1928 rifle come with a curved bolt though ? Why would they replace it ?

A 1928 rifle could come with any bolt made during or prior to 1928, including a straight handle bolt.

J.B.

[tbryan]

Thanks , I didn't know that. I though they changed around 1920.

[Rick the Librarian]

They changed the bolt handle design but continued to use earlier bolts, especially in overhaul.

[tbryan]

Great. I will put the old one back in it, and see how it does. Thanks for all the info. Tom