Springfield loads

[bsouthernau]

A bit off-topic but......

Anyone care to offer advice on what sort of speeds I should try for with a 30-'06 and 210gr bullet from a M1903A4 Springfield? The manuals suggest loads in the 2200 - 2500 range but max loads are purported to be around 59k psi and I don't want to go there. The rifle will only ever be shot at 500yds so there's no need to over-stress it.

Barry

[Longranger]

Why not use a lighter projectile?

[Razer]

I think that the reason that you are not receiving replies Barry is that the M1903A4 Springfield has under gone many changes in it's long period of production, like going from cast to pressed actions, etc. so unless you know exactly which era of production your rifle is from then no one can give you an indication on what to safely shoot in it.
The links below are about the history of the M1903A4. You may be able to use the serial no. to identify just which year it was produced.
I had one many years ago and we treated them like the Lee Enfield, always load to the weakest known action unless you were absolutely sure, like, was it a LE Mark 4 or a Mark 3?

The M1903A4 military specs was for a 150gr projectile doing 2800 ft/s so you might be able to adjust your loads, comparatively, to run slightly under this indication, just to be on the safe side.

I have a LE Mark 4 in .243W, converted by Sako in 1958 (it is a collectors item now as only enough were done to get approval from Australian Customs, then the importers got them mass produced in India on Mk 3 actions ) I bought it 'new' in 1958 for 25 quid and it came with a Sako proof test card in metrics which converted to 58,000 psi.
So many of the massed produced Mk 3's blew up (before the customs stopped them being imported) that the factory ammo was all down loaded by about 200 ft/s.

http://www.nramuseum.org/media/940444/0 ... gfield.pdf

https://books.google.com.au/books?id=vb ... ry&f=false

[bsouthernau]

Why not use a lighter projectile?

I may very well do so. As a general principle I try to use the highest BC projectile I can but the benefits of this come at the longer ranges. Using the numbers in the latest ADI guide it looks in theory as if a 155 and a 208 will both have the same wind drift at 500yds loaded to a pressure around 47000psi. This is a bit below the listed pressures of 1940s ball ammo so dropping a bit below that should be a good safe starting point.

The links below are about the history of the M1903A4.

Some interesting stuff. Thank you.

Barry

[flatlina]

I use 155 grain HBC's ( moly ) in my 03 with 48.7 Grains of 2208. Nice accurate load in my rifle. This is one of the fully restord ones with a brand new barrel.

Regards
jb

edited the amount of powder to 48.7 grains.

[Frank Green]

I run normal reloads thru my Springfields and even box ammo at times. Nothing to worry about. I feel strength wise the Springfield action is just as sound/strong as other actions out there if used with in normal limits etc...

You want to keep away from low s/n Springfield Armory receivers (under 800,000 s/n) and Rock Island receivers under a certain s/n range as well. Sorry I cannot remember the s/n for the Rock Islands. I will have to look it up. These early receivers were not made of nickel steel and only had a single heat treatment. When WW1 broke out some of these receivers were left in the heat treatment process to long and made the receivers brittle. If memory servers me correctly 17 Springfield receivers failed/blew up.

The actions were always made from a forging and finished machined. Not cast.

Also stay away from receivers marked National Ordnance. To me it is a cheap copy and not made correctly at all.

I've used double heat treated receivers for sporter rifles for hunting and also rebuilt one into a Model 1941 USMC style sniper rifle. Also have hand 1903a3's as well. Never had a issue with any of them. Here is a picture of the rebuilt Model 1941. I run mostly 155's thru it but I do shoot quite a bit of 175gr. bullets thru it as well as the old N.M. ammo when I can find with with the 173gr. bullet. I use this ammo mostly to get the brass. I've loaded Varget, and H4350 powder mostly for it. Have also loaded IMR4064 and some H4831 in the past also.



Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

[johnk]

Frank,

That's one helluva powder measure in the background.

John

[Longranger]

Looks like a lamp to me.

[johnk]

Spoilsport.

[bsouthernau]

This is one of the fully restord ones with a brand new barrel.

That's what I have too. Nice looking rifle of Frank's - I'm very jealous.

Barry