'03A3 chamber question

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bakrzdzn

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Hi all, I have recently come to posses my father-in-laws '03A3. There was a problem when I got it, in that I could not get the bolt open. Which has been rectified. My question now is how tight should the chamber be on this rifle? I wanted to do a check on the chamber, but don't have any .30-06 ammo, but do have .270 and put a factory cartridge in and had to use some effort too close the bolt. Does this sound like a situation that needs the attention of a 'smith? or should I spend more time on the cleaning before I think about taking it to the range?

Thanks for your input,
Roy
 
Have it checked.

I'm pretty new to this but I can think of several scenarios:

Chamber dirty or obstructed by fouling.

Gun has been "sporsterized" and either re-barreled or re-chambered.
 
Couldn't get bolt open as in rusted in the closed position?

Rust takes up space, and until it's removed you aren't going to have a chamber with the proper dimensions.

A gunsmith might be able to help with removing the rust, and with using a borescope to check for the depth of the pitting. If the pitting is really deep, he may suggest the rifle be given "wall-hanger" status rather than risk firing it.

I believe that minor pitting can be polished out and the rifle will probably still be usable.

Yes, I'd take it to a gunsmith.
 
Well, yes, this does need attention! First and foremeost, you shouldn't just start cramming ammo into a rifle to see what it takes. If you don't have the correct ammo, wait until you buy some. If you are unsure about the chambering and what ammo the rifle takes, take it to a smith for a chamber cast.
 
I've used a spent case to test for calber plenty of times. using live ammo is not really a good idea if there is any possibility of being wrong.

A chamber cast might be over kill though.

.270 is just a necked down .30-06 do it should fit in the rifle just fine, and almost definitely fire even, it will just get the shoulders blown out to whatever it is actually chambered for.

I've heard of folks using a live round with the bullet pulled, 1/2 of the powder duped out, then a wax plug inserted where the bullet was. They then fired the round and used a micrometer on the fired case to determine caliber.

sounds too easy to me...
 
Look at the barrel right behind the front sight on top.If it is an original military .30-06 barrel,it will have the US Ordnance marking and the year of manufacture stamped on it.
 
The 270's neck is both smaller and longer. The parent case was from 30/03 not 30/06. You can use 270 cases to make 06, but when you do, you will have to shorten the length of the neck a little.
 
Thanks for all your suggestions. I did forget that the .270 is a longer case than the .30-06. so that is probably where I got the felt resistance when closing the bolt. I found some 150 gr Federal at wally world and it feeds and closes smoothly. I will be using that when I get the opportunity to get to the range.
 
typically a .270 Win. is 64.5mm in length whereas a .30-06 is 63mm in length. I wouldn't try to put the .270 in there. Take it to a Gunsmith, you will be glad you did.
 
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