Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Mausers and Military Rifles 03A3 hard opening bolt

So I have 03A3 later serial number that I rebarreled, headspaced etc. everything is as should be, i take it to the range "boom" lift the bolt it is "tough" to open, so I look at the brass etc. absolutely nothing amiss but not an expert so I take it home to ponder, check headspace, nothing has moved, then comes the interesting part, put a dummy round in the gun, pull the trigger, same effect bolt raises really tough. Now I am no expert in the 03A3 own four all have been sporterized and rebarrled to something else, but none have this situation, they all open very easy and the bolt is smooth as butter in whatever I do with it. I speculate now, firing pin spring too strong? it is annoying tough to open, just like when you have a hot rodded load in a gun. Thoughts?

Lug setback?

I had an unmodified 03A3 from the CMP and my bolt would hang up as well. Other owners suggested a deformed extractor collar, or the extractor dragging in the raceway. Obviously, no one could say for sure but all the input from other 03A3 owners focused on the extractor.

Only does it after firing (dry or loaded) is the reason the "binding" falls apart in my novice mind.

Dumb question, but are you sure it's not because it's a cock on open/did you put a new spring in it?

Awfully hard to diagnose without having it in hand.

First thing I would look at is the condition of the extraction cam - that angular lump inside the receiver bridge on the LH side - and the angled surface on the bolt handle root that rubs against it when the handle is lifted. Rough surfaces (as in it being an 03A3) can make for a hard lift. But, in actuality those surfaces don't actually come in contact until the bolt is past the halfway point of lift. (This cam aids in camming the bolt open in the event of a sticky cartridge case.)

The next thing to peek at (and which may well be the culprit) is the cocking cam (the angled notch cut in the bottom rear of the bolt body) and the angled surface on the nose of the cocking knob which slides against that cam surface as the bolt handle is lifted. The motion engendered of that interaction is what pushes the striker back into battery and positions it to be snagged by the sear as the bolt is pushed closed. If those surfaces are rough, ie: unpolished with machining marks present (not unlikely, it is an 03A3 after all - there was a war on and a lot of niceties in the beloved Springfield were done away with in the interest of cost and speed of manufacture), then bolt lift will be stiffer/harder.

I can imagine a mis-guided Bubba along the way recutting/grinding/filing those cam surfaces in a foolish attempt to make it better than the good folks at Springfield made it. Might look for that too.

If all is well, put a dab of grease on all those surfaces I've been talking about and try it again.

If all that is copacetic then it's time to strip the bolt sleeve and firing pin to make sure there isn't any metal chips, or poorly fitting parts that are binding. I doubt seriously if the extractor and its collar is at fault - unless of course you need a pry bar to move it when it's out of the gun.

Hell, maybe somebody stuck a stupid heavy mainspring in it in a misguided attempt to quicken lock time. Geez, I didn't think of that until now.

Quick way to tell if it's the cocking surfaces................dry fire it, and before you lift the bolt, manually pull back the cocking piece to cock it and then lift the bolt

I say this from just a lack of reasoning, if it only occurs after the firing pin is fired, and when the bolt is opening, and within that movement the bolt cocks again do not we have a possible spring problem, all the other possible causes would be consistent. If the gun is cocked and you cycle the bolt the "tension" on the bolt lift is not there, that why i wonder about the above idea of the mainspring, who knows who may have been in there, all others I have lift with a finger. This one was not a complete bubba when i acquired it but ......

Bet this is the culprit ------Wolff Extra Power Firing Pin Spring Springfield 1903, 1903A3

Thanks! Shoulda said that before going into my long diatribe!

Gnoahhh you absolutely nailed it, dry fired it and pulled back on the cocking piece which was about all I could do and the bolts lifts with a finger, looks like i am looking for a standard issue cocking spring and a gunsmith. Thank You !

Nah, you sound like a smart guy. You woulda figured it out on your own.

I bought my first '03 Springfield 55 years ago. $70 for a high number Mark I altered for the Pedersen device (and I probably paid too much). Since then I've totally lost count of how many have filtered through my fingers. But, you know what, I'm still learning.

Late at night here, poured myself a wee dram before going to bed and got to thinking: How many cats do you know who've actually fired an '03 with a Pedersen Device? (Not the one mentioned above. Hell, not mine at all!) An old dearly departed buddy with more money than God had one built by a tool and die maker who reverse engineered it from a museum-owned specimen. It didn't work flawlessly but boy was it a hoot to shoot! He bought French surplus 7.65mm Long pistol ammo by the case to feed it, same as the Pedersen cartridge. Funny thing, back in the day the magazines and canvas magazine pouches sold for pennies because they were basically worthless because 99% of the Devices were destroyed after WWI.

Oh well. Thanks for tolerating me. Off to bed-dee-bye.

It’s a piece of cake replacing the spring. I don’t think you’ll need to pay someone to do it. Give it a try.

I watched some utube video last night but this rifle has a swing safety I will do some research and maybe consult a expert.

Lots of these were rebuilt over the years. If you have not done so, maybe try using a marker on the locking lugs and see where the marker wears off by cycling the action.

So today a NOS 03A3 spring arrived, with Bugger's encouragement, it was replaced, the spring i took out is made with thicker material was longer and actually a bit bigger diameter, the results of the replacement is less tension in bolt handle on pickup after firing but not yet easy and smooth, I will be researching the contact areas that are under tension after firing to try to smooth these up a bit everything is well lubricated so that is not an issue. I guess I want it silky smooth like my others lol

PS - So you all can easily believe I hate plastic clipped rattle trap bolts of today LOL Accurate but the definition of clunker.

You're simply learning the protocols that young guys with no money (and the desire for a good sporter) learned to perform on their $19.00 03A3's 60+ years ago. Books were written on the subject, and seemingly as many magazine articles as there were guns. You got the spring sussed out, now it's time to address the extraction cam and cocking cam surfaces I mentioned early on. Then it's on to stoning the bolt guide rail and replacing the stamped magazine follower with one from an '03. How stiff is the safety? Might need to take a stone to it also. Has anyone polished the lathe turning marks off of the bolt body yet? All those insignificant details add up when conquering 03A3 "goodness"!

My Old Man bought one of those cheap gov't surplus 03A3's through the DCM in 1962 or 1963, I don't remember. What I do remember is him telling me he got it for less than $20 and getting chewed out at the time by the local gunsmith for buying a huge project that he would have more than double that in it 'til he was done and whyinhell didn't he get something of pre-war quality in the way of an '03 or 98 Mauser. A Fajen stock, mucho filing/stoning/polishing, and a lot of cussing later he had a fairly decent hunting rifle for about what a used M70 would've cost him. His buddy bought an 03A3 at the same time through the DCM (which was luck of the draw as to what you actually received for your money). His rifle came through as an honest-to-God mint M1903A4 sniper rifle. He was cockahoop because that meant he would save money by not having to drill and tap for scope mounts (already done) and bend the bolt handle for scope clearance (already done too). Ah, man.....