bolt markings and hardness safety
issues and answers here......
this will be updated as i find info..........................................................................................
 
                                 
BOLTS
A team was sent in January,1918, from the Ordnance Dept. in Washington to Rock Island Arsenal to investigate heat treatment methods. During the course of their investigation, they found that some bolts had not been properly heat treated. Under test, the lugs sheared off with as little as 4,000 lbs of force. The normal shearing force should have exceeded 20,000 lbs of force.The subsequent order that was issued to suspend production specifically applied to both receivers and bolts. this comes from the national archives in d.c.The report was authored by Captain R.P. Johnson, Captain R.L. Penney, and Captain F.H. Schoenfuss. The report was entitled,"Memorandum: Heat Treatment of Rifle Components at Rock Island Arsenal" The aforementioned officers prepared the report at Rock Island Arsenal and transmitted it to Col. John T. Thompson and Major W.P. Barba in Washington. The report was dated January 20, 1918.
The report documented that a substantial part of the heat treatment problem was temperature non-uniformity in the heat
treatment furnaces. Some components were being overheated while some where being underheated at the same time.
As a result, those being overheated came out too brittle and those being underheated came out too soft. They
recommended that the heat treatment furnaces be torn down and replaced with new more modern furnaces with better
temperature uniformity. The problem was exacerbated by the Springfield Class C carbon steel used in bolts and receivers. That particular grade of steel was extremely sensitive to heat treatment temperature. In response to the report, Gen. Wheeler of Army Ordnance sent a telegram to Rock Island Arsenal on January 26, 1918,
ordering them to suspend production of receivers and bolts. Subsequent to Gen. Wheeler's order, RIA suspended bolt
and receiver production for several months and replaced their furnaces.

The "NS" stamped beneath the safety lug of your straight handled bolt indicates it was made from nickel steel at Rock Island Arsenal circa late 1918 or early 1919. The flaming bomb with the number "50" underneath is a Rock Island subinspector's mark. If in good condition, the bolt is considered safe for shooting. some say that No straight handled bolt will be properly marked NS,most are swept back.all made from rock island arsenal.Straight bolts were produced after the start of double heat treat and N.S. and after 800-900,000 is when the swept bolt came.The numbers 1,2,3, and 8 are common to SC bottom bolt handle flats as well as inspector stamps. Tests run at Rock Island Arsenal in 1918 found that some bolts had been overheated and some had been underheated during hardening. The result was that some bolts were overly hard and brittle and some were too soft. When used in a rifle, the soft bolts exhibited a rapid increase in headspace when fired. marked "S30" and the one marked "I8" are both casehardened bolts from low number rifles,The predominant failure mode necessitating replacement of the Model 1903 rifle bolt is wear and/or upset of the left locking lug from impact with the magazine cutoff. Straight handle bolts span the single-double heat treatment threshold, so the shape of the handle does not provide a sure determination of the type of heat treatment the bolt received. j5 bolts are double heat treated and considered safe to use.Springfield and Rock Island single heat treated bolts are so configured, and are considered potentially too brittle for safe shooting. With the advent of double heat treating in 1918, at Springfield, the bolt handles began to be swept, or bent slightly to the rear. This was to aid in rapid fire and it serves as a means of identifying the DHT bolts.Later nickel steel bolts are marked NS. The J5 is a steel lot code, and the existance of J5 straight and J5 swept handle bolts puts the change in handle at mid-1918,J6 is also DHT and straight tho or swept as the cae may be.. All later replacement, and 03A3 bolts have swept handles,SA DHT bolts have a rearward sweep to the handle as well as a slight rearward bend in the tapered part of the handle shank. SC 03A3 bolts also have this subtle bend. Remington 03A3 bolts are rearward swept, but the tapered portion is unbent. It is believed that all or virtually all of the Rock Island bolts are straight handled. The single heat treat, double heat treat and nickel steel bolts. So it is imparative to identify a straight handle bolt before firing. If no identity can be ascertained, it is adviseable to consider it unsafe. Rock Island implemented the swept bolt handle in early 1919 near the very end of their production. The swept handle profile was implemented at both Rock Island and Springfield to simplify machining of the bolt handle. The swept handle of a Rock Island bolt has a very different profile from the swept handle of a Springfield bolt.Springfield did indeed process some leftover Rock Island bolts in the late 1920's. No distinct examples showing a
combination of Springfield and Rock Island manufacture, however, have been found or reported to date.

smith corona bolts
The “CC” marked bolts are the products of the Commercial Controls Corporation. Bolts found in the original packaging
have documented this. Contrary to published reports, Chrysler Corporation had nothing to do with these bolts.

A “CC” marked bolt is not correct for a factory assembled U.S. Smith-Corona Model 03-A3 rifle. Refer to page 445 of
the book WAR BABY, by Larry L. Ruth. The stockholders of the National Postal Meter Company voted to change the
name of the company to Commercial Controls Corporation on April 26, 1944. The company had received a contract for
the manufacture of spare parts for the Model 1903 rifle as announced on March 12, 1944 (see page 458).

Production of the M1903 “CC” marked bolts occurred after Smith-Corona rifle production had ceased.The L.C. Smith & Corona Typewriter Co. did not need the “CC” bolts. They had no shortage of the nice blue/black “X” marked bolts as evidenced by known spare parts packaging. Also, they are of the squared safety lug (not contoured) design, and the adoption and introduction of the squared lug was at the very end, or perhaps
after the end of SC original production. all correct smith bolts are blued.

some markings for the correct serial numbers on
   rems,sorry i dont havem all but heres a few.
   Rem3925xxx 9-43
   Rem3967xxx 8-43
   Rem4087xxx 9-43
   Rem4096xxx 9-43
   Rem4102xxx 9-43
   Rem4161xxx 9-43