03a3 Drill Rifle

[AK4774]

I have a 03a3 drill rifle that has a pressed in 5/16 dia plug in chamber and want to remove it and inspect before giving up and looking at a new barrel. Tried hammering 1/4” rod from muzzle end and it won’t budge. Not sure if hardened rod and hydraulic press or bigger hammer would do it or what it’s going to take. Don’t want to damage muzzle either. Read where most have chamber and/or rifling damage if plug does come out.
Just checking to see who has worked on these before and hopefully came out with a shootable barrel. There was no welding or torching done to this rifle, just the stubborn plug. Guess I’m going to try to test drill the visible end and see how hard the metal is and go from there. Rod interference starts at cartridge shoulder and ends at black mark on barrel.

 

[AK4774]

See there are no aspiring, aka wanna/have to be, gunsmiths here on the gulf coast glock (&AR) forum. Back to building legos…

 

[boatbum101]

IF you can find a GI barrel that's the easiest way Just need to finish ream chamber to headspace on a " go " . CMP IIRC have Criterion barrels which are button rifled Kriegers . Rather they come pre-threaded & extractor relief pre-cut I don't know . Custom blank you'd be looking at more than guns worth . Threads are uncommon size / pitch , breech has to be coned , extractor cut milled . Quite a bit more machining work than say a Rem 700 . Add the price of a good blank . As stated a surplus GI is least costly but hard to find . Stick to a new in the cosmoline one . 2 or 4 groove don't matter both will shoot . 1903 in good shape will mechanically hold 1.5 MOA , offhand with issue sights 3 MOA or less . Shooter being limiting factor .

 

[AK4774]

If anyone has rear sight, mag follower and spring laying around let me know and of course barrel in the likely need for better one AFTER I GET THIS PLUG OUT.

 

[boatbum101]

Having been in a similar situation roughly 25yrs ago , this is what I'd do .
Haunt CMP & C&R milsurp forums . These will be your best bet on finding genuine USGI parts . Your job regardless of source is seperating good servicable from junk / other folks problems . IMHO one is more apt to find quality from other shooters / collectors . Like all crowds there will be sharks too . Reviews/ feedback & past forum posts will usually give one a feel about the other party . Existing parts places like Numrich , Sarco & rest of the Shotgun News places vast majority is used parts of dubious origin / quality . Another possibility is buying a rifle built on a National Ordanance reciever , IF you can find one for a reasonable price . Recievers are junk , out of spec etc. Rest of parts are straight GI so price accordingly . New GI barrel figure around 200 , rear sight 75 , follower / spring 25 up . If you wait to find parts around here IMHO you spittin in the wind .

 

[72sofsme]

CMP had listed USGI 03A3 barrels recently in last six months. Try them

link:

Civilian Marksmanship Program eStore

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Somebody on here must have a bore cam to look in there? I'm guessing they put it in from the chamber with a press?? Maybe using hydraulic pressure from the end of the barrel you could push it out??
What a shame though, we had welded shut M1's in boot camp, another waste.

 

[Daezee]

Sarco has new Remington 03A3 2 groove barrels at $189.95.

 

[AK4774]

Anyone have a 24” long 1/4” hss drill bit? May could make one by welding std bit to rod but don’t know how straight I could get it. Need hardened rod if I’m going to hammer or press any more forceful than I already have. Probably waste of time but I seem to do a lot of that. Have bore scope but wish I would have looked before I put oil in bore, now it has too much reflection from bore cam light to see much detail but believe it’s just drove in there.
Joined cmp forums recently (thought I had yrs ago but) and going to check out sarco. Really need a stock and few other parts too but don’t want to invest a pile of change into a pieced together prob 1000$ rifle. Don’t think I’ve bought anything from sarco since they had cases of 308 for 150$…. Delivered maybe?

 

[oneshot]

When you get a new barrel or used one you will need to have it put put on will have to have it indexed , chamber reamer to head space. , head space gauges, Just for starter, possible a way to take a little off of the shoulder to index the barrel. This just for starting.. best way to get the rod out is to remove the barrel. then . put a good barrel on .Have been there have done about 10 of these . I have removed several rods , and have not been able to reuse the barrel as a shooter but it does make very good bushing for other things. To drill the rod out with out possible massing up the rec. you will need to make bushing to guide the drill bit. Just my 6 cents jj .