Correct bolt for 3.2 million Remington 03

[lyman]

I have at least 30 03A3 bolts, I also have a couple of unfinished bolts that that were made for a different purpose. And then I have access to a few hundred more. When it comes to matching bolts to rifles I match bolts to chambers. I want to know the effect the bolt has on the length of the chamber from the shoulder of the chamber to the bolt face.

F. Guffey

you are not trying to correct or fix (as in make period correct) a 1903

[fguffey]

Default Correct bolt for 3.2 million Remington 03

What would be the correct bolt for a 3.2 million Remington 03 and does anyone have a picture of said bolt by any chance?

you are not trying to correct or fix (as in make period correct) a 1903

I also have Brown & Sharp matching sets complete in boxes of two. When I measure the effect each has on changing the length of the chamber the difference is 'Zero'.

Period correct? Most of my bolts are period correct for the Remington. I have one rock Island that requires a straight handled bolt, that would be period correct for the 1911. When matching bolts to 03s and 03A3s there is a small chance I could miss one of them and then there are the bolts I have taken to guns shows; I started out trying to find information and then gave up.

F. Guffey

[fguffey]

and then there are the bolts I have taken to guns shows; I started out trying to find information and then gave up.

Lyman, I take you for someone that has seen everything and knows all. I have a few bolts that others claim do not exist and if they did they would not work meaning they are useless? I tried to explain to one individual I could measure the length of any 03 or 03A3 ect. chamber with one of the bolts. AND? for some reason or he did not believe me because he had never heard of a bolt like that.

I listed an electric brand for sale on one of the 'for sale sites'. When I purchased it in Salt Lake, Utah I could not convince the seller the brand was not an NRA National Rifle Association brand. So? That left me with paying for something that was very rare for a cheap price. I was thinking if the seller knew what the brand was he would not sell it.

F. Guffey

[lyman]

Lyman, I take you for someone that has seen everything and knows all. I have a few bolts that others claim do not exist and if they did they would not work meaning they are useless? I tried to explain to one individual I could measure the length of any 03 or 03A3 ect. chamber with one of the bolts. AND? for some reason or he did not believe me because he had never heard of a bolt like that.

I listed an electric brand for sale on one of the 'for sale sites'. When I purchased it in Salt Lake, Utah I could not convince the seller the brand was not an NRA National Rifle Association brand. So? That left me with paying for something that was very rare for a cheap price. I was thinking if the seller knew what the brand was he would not sell it.

F. Guffey

I have not seen everything and only know some,

however the point I was making went over your head,
(and the post you quoted in this comment is not mine)


there are references in many places on the net, including the knowledge shared by Mr. Beard, Rick the Librarian and some others as well as written (as in a book) on what bolt is correct for each maker and even serial number ranges,

info that certainly is not infallible, but info that was gained from many years of experience from them and others,

if you own a 03 or 03A3 and want it correct, that info is invaluable, (and THANK YOU to both for their contributions)

it is also good info to have if you just want a good shooter, or want to check to see if your rifle is correct after a rebuild etc,


as I have said before, you tend to post in a way that talks down to other members , or is very condescending,
that may be your style,, but others will not appreciate it,





either way, there are collectors that wants things as they were,

and those that have shooters , and don't care about how original (as in as they left the factory or depot) they are,


you fall in the shooter category, or appear to based on your posts,

you fail to grasp the others, again, as based on your posts, want things to be as they left the factory or depot,



please post up some pics and descriptions of your Bolts,

some here will be interested,

and some here may have some like them,

[fguffey]

Lyman, you remind me of an Alabama leg Dog.

F. Guffey

[lyman]

Lyman, you remind me of an Alabama leg Dog.

F. Guffey

time for your meds sir,

[fguffey]

A master welder, master machinist, gunsmith, professor at one a Texas University with all of the degrees called and had a question about bolts; seems the total knowledge known to the gunsmith world was answered with "Purchase a bucket of bolts". He offered to drive half way and pay for lunch, I could not refuse the offer from one of my few friends.

I boxed up a few tools and 30 03/03A3 bolts, he was not familiar with a few of the tools but there was nothing unusual about the bolts. I demonstrated the tools to show him the tools could determine the effect each bolt had on offsetting the length of the chamber, meaning; if the smith in need of a bolt had the ability to measure the bolt replacing a bolt did not require ordering a bucket full. Problem; the smith would have to explain how to measure a bolt.

And I had 2 bolts that he thought were radical, I told him I had made efforts to market them at gun shows, problem; they have gotten through most of their life's' without the tool they did not understand therefore they did not need it.

And as always the conversation always involves head space head space gages. I told him I did not use head space gages on the 03. I told him there were better ways and the head space gage was not necessary. Again, he was a smith and master machinist, It was not necessary to draw pictures or argue, he thought it was about something he should have thought of.

F. Guffey

[JOHN COOK]

And as always the conversation always involves head space head space gages. I told him I did not use head space gages on the 03. I told him there were better ways and the head space gage was not necessary. Again, he was a smith and master machinist, It was not necessary to draw pictures or argue, he thought it was about something he should have thought of.

F. Guffey

Damn !!! I thought Einstein was dead....

john in SC

[lyman]

A master welder, master machinist, gunsmith, professor at one a Texas University with all of the degrees called and had a question about bolts; seems the total knowledge known to the gunsmith world was answered with "Purchase a bucket of bolts". He offered to drive half way and pay for lunch, I could not refuse the offer from one of my few friends.

I boxed up a few tools and 30 03/03A3 bolts, he was not familiar with a few of the tools but there was nothing unusual about the bolts. I demonstrated the tools to show him the tools could determine the effect each bolt had on offsetting the length of the chamber, meaning; if the smith in need of a bolt had the ability to measure the bolt replacing a bolt did not require ordering a bucket full. Problem; the smith would have to explain how to measure a bolt.

And I had 2 bolts that he thought were radical, I told him I had made efforts to market them at gun shows, problem; they have gotten through most of their life's' without the tool they did not understand therefore they did not need it.

And as always the conversation always involves head space head space gages. I told him I did not use head space gages on the 03. I told him there were better ways and the head space gage was not necessary. Again, he was a smith and master machinist, It was not necessary to draw pictures or argue, he thought it was about something he should have thought of.

F. Guffey

you know there may be a reason for that,


not sure how any of this applies to the topic, but we do tend to drift sometimes,

[fguffey]

Damn !!! I thought Einstein was dead....

Thank you. Again, a resource type person that no longer post on this sold me a mill; after loading etc. he mentioned he was having trouble determining the length of a chamber in a period correct for 1911 Rock Island 03. He said he had asked for help on an 03/03A3 forum (long story with no help)

He handed me a box of 20+ head space gages, none of the gages indicated the length of the chamber from the datum to the bolt face. I offered to modify one of his go-gages to a go to infinity gage, the problem with that was when finished the gage the gage would be 'altered. I told him he could measure the length of the chamber 3 different ways without a head space gage in thousandths. So I did, I measured the length of his chamber in thousandths without a head space gage. The tools did not cost him a dime because he had the tools on the wall, on his benches or in his tool box. In a few minutes he knew the length of the chamber, his chamber was .0025" longer than a go-gage length chamber and .0025" shorter than a no go-gage length chamber. I offered to form cases for his long chamber. I offered to off set the length of the chamber with longer cases.

He insisted on building the rifle with a chamber that was go-gage length. He had at the time 100+ 03 bolts, I offered to measure all of them to determine if he had a bolt that would shorten a chamber, I assured him he did not have one. He knew I had 35 03/03A3 bolts, I informed him I had already measure my bolts for their ability to off set the length of a chamber, and I had none.

Another problem, the Rock Island period correct rifle had a straight handle; he had one straight handle bolt that would not correct the length of the chamber. I have one that is in a Rock Island that is scoped out with a bent bolt to clear the scope. I have been asked why I trust my Rock Island, I explained I did not test the rifle but the previous owner did ever time he fired it.

I understand it is about conditioning, First it is the go-gage, and then the no go-gage, after that there is the field reject length gage. I can do anything with a field reject length gage that a reloader/smith can do with three gages. The difference is I can 'do it' in thousandths. The difficult part? That would be the part about convincing someone it can be done.

I was reading an old article about smiths in the 40s and early 50s. Many talked tacky about one smith at one of the Arsenals. Seems he had different methods and techniques they did not understand. Not a one of them asked him "How do you do that"? I thought there had to be more to the story and I felt he knew something they did not and he used tools differently meaning they had the same tools but he had a better understanding of how tools are used.

There are so many people on forums that are desperate for attention they will not consider there is something they are overlooking.

F. Guffey