|
Forum Rules | Firearms Safety | Firearms Photos | Links | Library | Lost Password | Email Changes |
Register | FAQ | Calendar | Today's Posts | Search |
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
December 10, 2010, 10:34 PM | #1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 11, 2010
Location: East Texas USA
Posts: 1,805
|
Reactivating a 1903A3 Drill Rifle
Im just curioius, I saw some 1903A3 Springfield Rifles that have been deactivated, the add said that the barrels have been plugged and welded, bolt face cut off and welded, and the magazine cut off welded.
I have found replacement barrels, and replacement bolts, Im sure with some work the welded cut off could be freed up, or done away with. Has anyone out there ever done this, or is their other things done to the reciever that would make this project useless? |
December 10, 2010, 10:38 PM | #2 |
Staff
Join Date: February 12, 2001
Location: DFW Area
Posts: 24,973
|
You'd need to heat treat the receivers after getting them back into the proper configuration.
__________________
Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?
|
December 10, 2010, 10:56 PM | #3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 11, 2010
Location: East Texas USA
Posts: 1,805
|
Thanks John,
Im not sure I have the skilll to do that, I have found some restored A3 recievers, I may go that route, and have a gunsmith rebarrel it. The rest I could do a little at a time. I just want one for a shooter. I do however want to bring it back to as close to original condition as possible. It wouldnt be original, but would still have the look and feel. |
December 10, 2010, 11:51 PM | #4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: April 30, 2002
Location: The Republic of Texas
Posts: 392
|
.
Just don't look at it as a cost effective project. Original '03A3's are not that expensive. Why put money into a rifle that will always have a compromised future ? Just something to think about. dxr . |
December 10, 2010, 11:55 PM | #5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 6, 2004
Location: Rocky Mts
Posts: 859
|
I'd say it depends on how much weld and how good the welder was that did the work on them. I've seen some that were pretty bad, and I've built a couple rifles on drill receivers that looked like new guns were used, and didnt need much to clean them up. My gunsmith wasn't the least bit worried about the welds, the heat didnt travel much past the rather small, clean welds, and wasn't near the locking bolt recesses. Parts arent hard to come by. Bolts are fairly easy and cheap. I think the best one I have, which looks like about a 95%+ gun, I have about $275 or so in.
__________________
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt- |
December 11, 2010, 12:39 AM | #6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 13, 2006
Location: Washington state
Posts: 15,248
|
Found a new barrel, a new bolt, a new stock, a new receiver, and a new magazine assembly for you. There are a few other parts thrown in, too. I think you can get these for less than you are considering spending on the drill guns. Towards the bottom of the page.
http://www.sarcoinc.com/gunorderinfo.htm
__________________
Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services |
December 11, 2010, 03:41 AM | #7 |
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: March 11, 2000
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 16,002
|
The '03 drill rifles are pretty thoroughly de-milled.
I'm not saying that with enough time, money, welding, and machine tools you couldn't turn one into a firearm again, but it'd probably be nearly as easy to just machine a fresh one out of billet. |
December 11, 2010, 12:49 PM | #8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 11, 2010
Location: East Texas USA
Posts: 1,805
|
Thanks Scorch
Thats exactly what I want, That will be the route I go. I think this is the best deal,I have seen. |
December 12, 2010, 12:07 PM | #9 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 23, 2008
Posts: 1,091
|
Not to throw a wet blanket on the fire, but is what the OP is considering going to be looked at as "Manufacturing."?
|
December 14, 2010, 12:32 AM | #10 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 6, 2004
Location: Rocky Mts
Posts: 859
|
I don't believe so. It already is what it is, has it's very own serial number, he isnt converting it to anything else (rifle into a handgun), or creating it from scratch. A receiver is a "firearm". I bought recievers. I still had to do 4473's on the couple I bought, even tho they wanted a "nonshooting statement". The statement basically said they were not suitable to be fired, which was pretty evident from the firing pin hole being welded up and the chunk of junk welded into the barrel.
__________________
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt- |
December 15, 2010, 09:24 PM | #11 |
Junior Member
Join Date: December 15, 2010
Location: S. W. Florida
Posts: 6
|
I bought a "de-milled" 03-A3 from SOG it came in good condition but the bottom half of the front action was cut off, removing the bottom of the locking lug area. Ther is no way this couod be "restored" to shooting condition. A few years ago there was a large group of "parade" rifles that only had the firing pin holes and cut-off levers welded in addition to the plugged chamber. With work some of these could and were restored. I suspect this is the reason the current batch is completely ruined. Before you buy one inquire about the extent to which they were altered.
|
December 15, 2010, 10:29 PM | #12 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 6, 2004
Location: Rocky Mts
Posts: 859
|
That sheds some light on what others have been saying. I havent seen one that was that badly altered. The ones I've done had very little done to them, and took very little effort to get back into shooting shape. Firing pin hole was welded shut, bolt stop welded in, and the plugged barrel was tack welded to the receiver. I replaced the bolt with a $15 part, cut the weld for the bolt stop with a dremel cut-off wheel, and had about $10-$15 more in replacement parts there, and I bought a good barrel for about $75. Took the gunsmith a short time to cut the weld on his lathe, I carefully hand filed it to clean it up, and the replacement barrel indexed up correctly with the right torque spec. The rest of the parts I bought here and there to complete the guns. The best one is a Remington 03-A3 action that looked like a new gun was used to make the drill/parade gun out of. I did it up with all milled parts in a straight grip cross bolt stock.
__________________
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt- |
December 23, 2010, 03:45 PM | #13 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 27, 2007
Posts: 5,261
|
A bud of mine bought a M1903A3 drill rifle, used the receiver to build a new rifle.
I have handled the receiver. You could not tell that it every had been welded. No marks, looks new. However, he shot it with ball ammo and the headspace grew. He found an oversized bolt and the headspace grew some more. We believe that the welding was done with acetylene torch and weld material. Whoever welded the barrel to the receiver got the receiver ring way too hot destroying the heat treatment. That is your risk. I built one up with a drill rifle receiver, shot well over a 100 rounds, no headspace change.
__________________
If I'm not shooting, I'm reloading. |
December 23, 2010, 03:55 PM | #14 |
Member In Memoriam
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
|
"Whoever welded the barrel to the receiver got the receiver ring way too hot destroying the heat treatment."
Remember, he didn't care about the heat treatment; his job was to make the rifle unusable, not preserve it for later use. Jim |
December 23, 2010, 04:08 PM | #15 |
Senior Member
Join Date: April 7, 2006
Posts: 10,981
|
An individual may manufacture a firearm for his own use under federal law.
|
|
|