03 How to mount barrel with no witness mark?

[gjungle56]

After a check of my bolts in a stripped receiver, I stand by the B&S bolts being longer. I put the bolts in the stripped receiver and depth miked down from receiver face to bolt face. The B&S bolts (3) were longer, though I found one SHT bolt even longer. I would not feel cheated, as all your bolts are apparently longer. Still puzzled though, how do you check chamber, clearance,and headspace without gages. Do you have some verified dimension cases used for this purpose? If so, how were they verified? Perhaps by defining the terms you use, it would clear up what you are trying to communicate. What is "chamber", "clearance", "usual and unusual bolts" ?

[Sgt USMC]

I'm the OP on this thread. I'm not sure how this got off topic, but I do not believe that I ask about the chamber on this weapon. With most weapons systems, motorcycles, cars, engines etc etc there are tricks of the trade for that particular model. Since I am not well versed on those of the Springfield I came here in the hopes that someone may have faced this situation, before, and if so what solution had they used. I was not trying to start a pissing contest between the esteemed members of this board. That being said. Maybe I should have ask it this way;

How do you make sure that the front sight post, on an 03A3 barrel, is vertical when mounting it on an 03 receiver, that has had the witness mark removed by the previous owner.

Question 2; Does anyone have dimensional drawing of the location of the '"Hatcher Hole" on the same weapon. Thank you everyone who has contributed to this discussion!

[fguffey]

How do you make sure that the front sight post, on an 03A3 barrel, is vertical when mounting it on an 03 receiver, that has had the witness mark removed by the previous owner.

Nothing has changed, you must screw the barrel into the receiver to determine how the shoulder at the end of the threads seat against the front of the receiver. If the sight post aligns check the extractor groove alignment. If the extractor cut aligns and the sight post aligns check the length of the chamber from the shoulder to the bolt face.

If the chamber is long, move the barrel back, if the chamber is short ream the chamber. If there is a problem with alignment find help.

F. Guffey

Hatcher hole; I never try to fool anyone, I want the hot high pressure metal cutting gas to have an exit. I try to do all of the hot high metal cutting escape gas system done before I worry about the Hatcher hole. I am a fan of checking case head protrusion/case head support. I have always been able to have the case head .090" above the bottom of the extractor cut.

Before someone starts pissing the 03 has less case head protrusion than the Mauser. The Mauser has .110" case head protrusion with an additional .005" clearance.

F, Guffey

[lyman]

I'm the OP on this thread. I'm not sure how this got off topic, but I do not believe that I ask about the chamber on this weapon. With most weapons systems, motorcycles, cars, engines etc etc there are tricks of the trade for that particular model. Since I am not well versed on those of the Springfield I came here in the hopes that someone may have faced this situation, before, and if so what solution had they used. I was not trying to start a pissing contest between the esteemed members of this board. That being said. Maybe I should have ask it this way;

How do you make sure that the front sight post, on an 03A3 barrel, is vertical when mounting it on an 03 receiver, that has had the witness mark removed by the previous owner.

Question 2; Does anyone have dimensional drawing of the location of the '"Hatcher Hole" on the same weapon. Thank you everyone who has contributed to this discussion!

somewhere, and I am not sure where, I have a book that was put out a good while ago that has the drawings for the 1903 , as in machinist drawings,

I would need to look in several places, ,,,,,



meanwhile as Guffey mentioned, things should line up,

one way to do it is put the receiver in a vice and level it, then Starrett and others make small angled (90 degrees) levels, with a bubble on each 'leg',
touch that securely to the front sight post and see if it is upright,,,

[gjungle56]

Ok, getting front sight vertical. I have to assume you have limited measuring tools but the minimum needed would be a flat surface, a scale with a square head, another scale, and some parallels(tool bits, key stock or whatever). The front sight base of an o3a3 is about .720 in dia., the sight blade is .050. After screwing in barrel to a proper tightness, place assembly on parallel under receiver to clear recoil lug and under barrel somewhere to get assembly somewhat level. With scale and square head, place it against front sight base, with other scale, measure from upright scale square to front sight blade. The measured dimension should be .335 which on a scale is between 21/64 and 11/32. Put square head scale to other side of front sight base and measured dimension needs be equal to first side. If more or less rotation needed, adjust as necessary. As for Hatcher hole, I posted dimensions in my first post. It was arrived at by measuring existing Hatcher holes in receivers with this mod already done.