Flea Market Find

[bote]

A friend called me from the local flea market and told me they had some old Springfield rifles that were pretty nice. I drove two miles and bought these two. Could not believe it. The bore on the 1898 is a little frosty but it's a really nice rifle. The 1873 has the nicest bore I've ever seen. She also had an early 1903 that was really nice but I've been tapping into the $ put aside for a kitchen remodel so I exercised admirable restraint.

[butlersrangers]

Nice additions to your collection!

No SRS hit on #470107. (I have an 1898 Krag '58 units' behind it).

Good looking rifles!.

[Kerz]

Wow, I need to start going to flea markets!
Vic

[HeyJoe]

Everyone has a kitchen; they come with the house.
Joe

[AFJuvat]

Very nice pick-ups! Congratulations.

[1911Ron]

Nice additions!

[psteinmayer]

Ok Bote... didn't I tell you to let me know when you get another deal????

I didn't????

Well... Here then: "Bote, Let me know when you find another great deal!!!" ;D

Great looking rifles, my friend!

Paul

[bote]

What the heck, I went back Sunday to see if the 1903 was still there. It was and I was about to mark one of the two rifles off my wish list but the serial number was a 284xxx, a 1907 rifle. I don't know much about them but I've read to avoid serial numbers below 800,000. It had a WW2 barrel so it has survived a long time but I decided to pass.

The other rifle on my list is a model 1861 Springfield.

[gnoahhh]

Don't ignore those low number '03's. A 1907 vintage one will have been made with the same steel, by the same guys, following the same heat treat protocols as when the last of our Krags were made just a couple of years earlier. Just don't hot rod the ammo you feed it. Later "low number" '03's made when they were ramping up production for wartime is where the troublesome ones are generally found.

[butlersrangers]

Basically, what 'gnoahhh' wrote is correct.

However, a big difference between the 1903 Springfield and the U.S. Krag-Jorgensen rifle is the rim of the .30-40 cartridge case.

A .30-06 cartridge case failure in the '03 Springfield may allow hot high-pressure gases to flow back into the Receiver and subject it to tremendous stresses.

Brittle single heat-treat 1903 receivers from all years (Springfield and Rock Island) are known to have failed. Multiple factors entered into the failures. A significant factor was 'out of specification content' of the steel alloy.

With the .30-40 cartridge, the rim serves as a gas seal. In the event of a split or separated case, the hot high-pressure gases are confined to the chamber and bore. There is less likelihood of gases flowing into the action.

FWIW - I am not trying to start or open the old tedious debate. People are free to make educated choices.

I do feel safe shooting .30-40 Krags.

I will not shoot low number Springfields. I do shoot a high number (nickel steel) 1903 Springfield and a Remington 1903-A3.