I shot my 1903 A3 today.

I had a “ sticky “ extraction. The primer looks to have blown out.

Now I can’t remove the bolt, or work the action?

Am I done? Or should I haul it to a gunsmith?

Thanks

Not sure I follow you John. Were you able to open the bolt and eject the cartridge case? If so and now you can't remove the bolt, might it be because you don't have the cutoff switch in the middle position? Can't close the bolt because it's now hitting the back of the magazine follower?

What ammo? Factory, handload, or military?

A pic could help.

The bolt was sticky but it did eject.

It was a reload, a warm one. 52 varget in a 180 Barnes XLC fed 210.

I can’t get it to function, I will take it to a gunsmith.

Yeah that's a darned hot load for the old girl.

Ooops

Should we start blowing taps for the old soldier ??

kwg

Hodgdon's on-line data lists 47.0 grains of Varget as maximum with ANY 180-grain bullet....

Your gunsmith will not be able to unscrew the barrel is you can't open the bolt.
The 1903 has a coned breach and is cut out for the extractor, so that extractor will bind it in place.

Can you life the bolt handle at all?

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Re-read. He got the cartridge to eject, ergo he got the bolt open.

So what condition is the bolt?
Closed and unable to open or open and unable to close

Well, 52 grains of Varget is pretty much max with a 150.

How did you arrive at that load for a 180?

The Barnes reloading manual #3.

The bolt moves, it cocks. It’s tight feels bound.

If when the primer was blown loose you didn't recover it with the anvil still in it, I'd suspect the anvil of the primer is jammed into the abutments somewhere. If you recovered no parts of that primer it may be both the cup and/or the anvil causing the problem.

Take a coat hanger and bend a hook to it's end about 5/8" long. Remove the bolt and "fish around" with that hook into the front of the receiver the abutments and see if you can dislodge any pieces of the primer. Also, disassemble the bolt and see if there are any small pieces blown into it's "guts".

If neither of those tricks work you probably are going to have to get the barrel pulled out so you can see into the front of the action.

I can’t remove the bolt.

I am going to let a gunsmith look at it if he’s open today.

Thanks
John

There's no darned need to pull the barrel. Fish around inside the locking lug recesses for any flotsam and jetsam (being an equestrian doc I bet you have picks and probes to do that very thing) then disassemble the bolt and swab out the insides, and take a peek under the extractor. While you have it apart disassemble the bolt head and clean and oil it. Internet tutorials abound for all those procedures. If the bolt still feels bound up then take the gun to a pro.

52 grains Varget is a nasty overload but probably not such to bend anything in the action - 03A3's are mighty strong with a healthy safety margin engineered in. Worst case scenario is you may have set the bolt lugs back a RCH but if that happened then if anything the bolt would feel looser when you close it. Probably not a bad idea to check its headspace now too. If you want, PM me and I'll loan you my headspace gauges.

Now for a dumb question: Are you sure it's an 03A3? For some reason folks in general have started describing all 03's as 03A3's, it's a nomenclature that has permeated in the "not really familiar with Springfields crowd". If perchance it is actually a pre-WWI low number '03 then all bets are off in my long distance analyzation of your situation.

Put the magazine cutoff switch (LH side, rear of the receiver) in the middle position (sticking straight out) and yank the bolt straight out the back of the receiver. If the bolt moves back and forth in the receiver then that's the only thing standing in its way of removal.

Switch in the "down" position - stops the bolt short of going back far enough to pick up cartridges out of the magazine.

Middle position - as stated above.

Switch in the "up" position - bolt travels back far enough to feed cartridges out of the magazine. It's a holdover from the olden days when full magazines were held in reserve for when rapid fire became necessary.

Thinking some more: I guess there's a chance the overload/blown primer could've tweaked the extractor a bit, causing it to bind things up. If so, they're cheap and readily available and are easily replaced.

I suspect it’s the extractor that is tweaked.

I once told my brother that I was thinking about buying a bow that a pickup could drive over.

My brother replied.

“ That doesn’t tell me anything. Now if you owned it more than 15 minutes and it still ain’t broke…….
Now that tells me something.”

I been emptying the safe and shooting a lot, waiting for my foot to heal. So far

I stripped a set screw on a lightfoot mount, broke a Lyman peep, broke a Burris, broke a floor plate on a model 70 and jammed a 1903 A3.

My in-laws call me “ Danger Mouse”

That manual is pretty well known to have "issues".

It's really bad that something like that is out there to trip up less experienced people.

I'd call you an accident waiting to happen, or a bull in a china closet.. I think we all go through that phase in life, especially if we wrench on things. When I was younger, I broke a lot of schidt, stripped schidt out by over powering stuff. Then later learned that it's much better to use finesse. The guys that have to use a torque wrench on everything have not learned that yet.

My biggest problem is I am a veterinarian surgeon.

We only gotta get close……nature heals her right up!

It was the primer binding the rail near the off/on button.

Took the gunsmith about 10 minutes to beat the bolt out.

He didn’t even charge me!

I feel so lucky I might bet on da CHEEEEFS!

All's well that ends well!

Barnes #3 shows a start of 47.0 grs varget with a max load of 51.0 grs and that is with the blue coated 180"s. The question in my mind is why use variety in the first place there are many better choices in that bullet for powders..mb

Be careful with your loads. Next time you might not be as fortunate.

MB
My copy goes from 48 to 52 of Varget

This load was worked up with a push feed model 70 in 3006

It is one of the recommendations of powder to use.

My mistake was using in this particular 3006 , I should have worked it up.

The gunsmith told me the firing pin hole on the bolt face has become enlarged

You were very lucky. And you made more than that one mistake. Might want to rethink your loading practices, and burn that old manual…..

I have a friend who is prone to mechanical mayhem. Fortunately for him I was at the Gun Club the day he was about to shoot a .30-06 hand-load, 150 gr Partition with W748. How much W748 I asked? "54 grains" Yikes!! Only 6 grains over max. The 1980's Winchester flyers listed , in tiny text, a particular bullet then charge weight of W748, next line same bullet charge weight of W760. It was easy to jump a line if you were not very careful. I was actually shooting the then new 150 grain Ballistic tip with W760 that I had worked up to the maximum charge of 54 grains, so I immediately knew he was about to go boom.

I have been his guardian angel when it comes to hand-loading ever since. My recommendations are always a slower powder that requires close to a full case, to prevent overloading. A different powder assigned to one and only one caliber and bullet weight. He has cubbyholes with each different caliber's, brass, bullets, powder and a data card showing loading particulars.

PERHAPS I MISSED SOMETHING... For wider information purposes, it would be useful to know the serial number range of your Springfield, whether it appears to have been re-arseneled and whether the bolt has the earlier largely straight vertical handle in relation to the action or the later model back-sweated handle design. I agree with the apparent wisdom of a majority that an excessive load was likely the problem. I don't think the pressures developed "should have" caused a significant failure as you seem to describe suggesting damaged components.
I'd first suggest a headspace check and if any irregularity noted... A careful inspection of the bolt aft-locking surfaces. Perhaps a such as a dental tool with "U" shaped hook of purpose to determine if any apparent locking lug setback to be felt in the aft receiver ring interior where the bolt and receiver locking surfaces meet "in battery" position.
There may be some sort of lesson here in manner of an "accident inquiry" to be garnered! For you, particularly relevant in terms of residual rifle damage sustained. For The Fire community whether an exit door blowing off in flight or your accident in firing... The wider future safety issue!
Well my dear Watson... That's my take!!!

Thanks for any further insight convenient & Good Luck!
John

Yeah, as I think I told you on the phone John, a headspace check would be in order before firing it again.

I will do.

The gunsmith I brought it to wasn’t very concerned.

But I have another one I will visit with.

The serial number is unreadable due to the scope mount. But it is a 1903 -A3 you can see that much. It fits in a 1903 -A3 bell and Carlson stock.

Serial number 3496xxx


US
Remington
Model 03-A3

I don’t understand how this could happen.

I had it diagnosed on another firearm. It was a 1895 Winchester in 30/06. I asked him how it happens,I can’t remember what his explanation was, I didn’t understand. Erosion perhaps?

In both cases the gunsmith suggested putting a bushing in around the pin.

The 1895 I was lucky enough to get it returned for a refund.
I will need to think about what to do with this one.

Just get another 03A3 bolt. They're everywhere, just not as cheap as they once were. Tolerances in manufacturing were held to surprisingly tight tolerances considering there was a war on so there's not a lot of risk in swapping one out but it's still a good idea to check headspace if you initiate a bolt swap.

That was another suggestion. But I think it is at best a $350 rifle.

And the two stage trigger just doesn’t fit in my deal. I got too many with nice crisp triggers, shooting the two stage gives me a “ surprise” when I switch back.

I was going to offer it to a friend for deer hunting in Minnesota.

The weird thing about this deal is when I removed the scope base it wasn’t very tight and not prepared very well.

I had just paid a gunsmith to attach this base…….I assumed it was affixed properly. It was not. This could have been a problem down the line as it’s a fixed standard Leupold mount that only has two bolts.

It’s also without iron sights, and is much heavier than the Husqvarna s, and model 70 s I own.

So I figure I will get it ok ‘ d and sold.

The bolt change out would not require a change on the trigger. I thought I might have a spare bolt, but I can't find it. The bolt change out is really simple.

Well Thank you!

The gunsmith elluded the bolt would need the barrel moved?

That’s what’s so nice about this deal.

People like you.

You might want to get a second opinion from a different gunsmith regarding the enlarged firing pin hole and the difficulty or lack of difficulty in changing the bolt. Your gunsmith should be able to find a bolt and make the change with little time and trouble, if needed, in my opinion.

Will do.
Thanks