Originally Posted by David Zincavage
The pro-argument:

That rifle is over a century old. It has obviously been fired many times, and it's still intact and here.

Decades ago, my father picked up an original unsporterized military form 1903 Springfield. I took it out and plinked with it many times. It was a low number Springfield, but I was not aware of the heat-treating issue at the time. It never blew up.

The anti-argument:

A fellow who posts here paid a lot of money for this Meunier Springfield which blew up on him. I bet you can find the thread.


[Linked Image from zincavage.org]

The Meunier you mention blew up as a result of careless reloading, not as a result of heat treat. The heat treat may have contributed to the number of pieces it ended up in, but with the pressure generated and the resultant escaping gases, very few rifle would have stayed in one piece.

John