03 bolt identification
Just received a bolt that I can not identify from Vishooter site. The bolt is a straight handle design with a "D" on the underside of the safety lug and a fancy "2" under the bolt handle. No other markings. Markings are clear and I am confident they are not being miss-read. Any thoughts?
I looked in all my books and saw nothing. Does it have a large or small gas vent?
Last edited by Tom; 04-24-2012 at 12:04.
D on bottom of safty lug shows on chart as 1910/1911.. 2 on bolt handle is more than likely a sub-inspectors mark...Originally Posted by Allen Humphrey
Small hole
Allen,
Follow the link:
"D" Bolt Steel Lot Code
This should answer your question.
J.B.
Last edited by John Beard; 04-24-2012 at 08:37.
Thank you all. So it looks like SA 1910 to early '11 production. The "2" under the handle was throwing me off I guess.
On a side note: This is the first early production bolt I have ever been able to look at in detail. The machine work is vastly superior to any other bolts I own or have seen. There are virtually no tool marks on the body and the work around the safety lug is perfect. All the surfaces of the bolt face and locking lug are smooth and crisp. This is true even in comparison to my nearly new J5 bolt. When side by side an A3 bolt looks like it was chewed out of an ingot by a beaver.
...as does the rest of the M1903A3 compared to a pre-WWI M1903!
But, on the other hand, they needed rifles in WWII, and they didn't have to be "pretty" ones!
"We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst."
--C.S. Lewis
Allen, if you're so terribly unhappy with your J5 bolt, I could relieve your mind and take it off your hands!
I'm looking for a straight handled J5,,,,,,
Haha! You guys are a tough crowd! Despite the mental anguish, I'll keep the J5 (bent handle by the way)
To be fair, if I were grading the fit and finish of these bolts, the D bolt would be a 10 and the J5 would be a 9. I have an A3 bolt that might get a 2.5 on the scale. A "1" would be a piece of rusty bent concrete re-bar jammed in the action.
As an engineer myself I frequently take part in trade off decisions about how a mechanism might look and cost compared to function. I applaud the folks who made some tough decisions in the A3 design. As Rick said, they needed rifles and they made the right choices to get them.
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