03A3 Magazine Problem

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  • TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    The manufacturing quality of the original 1903 by Springfield Armory and Rock Island Arsenal was incredible. The commercial gun makers had nothing on them. They were made better than they had to be. The Remington and Smith Corona 03A3 rifles were somewhat cruder in appearance but every bit as serviceable as a combat weapon...and the sights were better for that purpose.
     

    gwfrench

    Active Member
    Aug 21, 2014
    199
    Frederick, MD
    For the magazine spring, you can feel if it is installed correctly.
    Push down at the back end, it will be much stiffer than if you push
    down at the front end. When installed incorrectly, the follower cannot push
    hard enough to raise the back end of the ammo firmly enough to feed
    properly. Not feeding from the magazine was my clue that something
    was put together incorrectly.
    Just checked my 03A3 and 03 and on each the follower is definitely stiffer
    at the back then the front.
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    You can only install a Mo3 mag spring one way.

    They are ground to fit the tabs on the follower and cannot be reversed unless altered.

    What can happen though, is that the leaves on the springs may be reversed which affects the function of the follower. Especially of they have been altered replaced or fitted up from a different make of rifle.

    A stamped A3 follower is designed so that it can be removed from the rifle without disassembly of the rifle or bottom metal. You can tilt it for removal and it will be freed from the action rails with the bolt retracted.
     

    gwfrench

    Active Member
    Aug 21, 2014
    199
    Frederick, MD
    Actually, now that I think on it a bit more, this was maybe 5 years ago,
    just when I got back into shooting (after 40 years not).
    I think I installed the follower (with spring attached) backwards.
    Just tried it, and it will install, but the follower doesn't sit correctly.
    It will cause issues just as the OP wrote, binding, not feeding, etc.
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    Actually, now that I think on it a bit more, this was maybe 5 years ago,
    just when I got back into shooting (after 40 years not).
    I think I installed the follower (with spring attached) backwards.
    Just tried it, and it will install, but the follower doesn't sit correctly.
    It will cause issues just as the OP wrote, binding, not feeding, etc.

    It can happen, especially when here is too large a a gap at the rear of the mag box. They will drag and hang up or even very slightly tilt. Extractor tension has more than a little to do with it as well and usually comes about as a round standing straight up when the bolt is manipulated.

    Weak ejection is almost always attributed to weak extractor tension and the amount of tension to the extractor applied by the extractor collar and the fitting of the tabs to the rear of the extractor as well.

    A m03 follower spring is ground to fit the tabs on the bottom of the follower.
    The springs are flat at the bottom leaf to be able to fit the milling of a milled floor plate which is wider than the tabs of the follower and they should not be able to be reversed.

    The springs are interchangeable between the 03 and A3 whether it has a milled follower or a stamped one. If a follower has unequal tension as it is being depressed the possibility of a weak or wrongly smithed spring exists.

    When the mag and controlled feed components are working together as they should, you should be able to insert a stripper clip, smoothly push the rounds into the box allow the stripper to remain in the stripper guide and then rapidly open and seat the bolt without closing it and monitor ejection as fast as you can without a hiccup.
    The stripper will be popped out of the way as soon as the bolt face contacts it and it will go flying out of the way.
    The extractor should also be able to be closed upon a round seated in the chamber and climb over it without breaking or exhibit undue force on closing.

    The attached blurry picture is how the mag spring should look where it inserts into the follower.

    IMG_1876.jpg
     

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