M1903 Springfield Rifle

M1903 Springfield was the first service rifle to be adopted by all branches of the United States Armed Forces. It is a Mauser-style turnbolt action with a 24″ barrel, 5-round staggered-column box magazine contained within the stock, and straight-grip single-piece stock. It fired the new high-velocity .30-’06 caliber cartridge which would become the standard US rifle and machine-gun round for the next 50 years.

The new M1901 prototype combined the cock-on-opening bolt, 30″ barrel, magazine cutoff, stock and sights of the Krag-Jørgensen with the dual locking lugs, external claw extractor, and staggered-column magazine of the 1893 Mauser. Taking a cue from the Gewehr 98, a large safety lug was added to the side of the bolt behind the extractor, which would engage the receiver bridge and prevent the bolt moving rearwards.

The bolt handle was also bent downwards, to make operation of the bolt faster. It fired an entirely new .30 caliber cartridge, which propelled a 220gr round-nosed bullet at 2,300ft/s. The design was unsuccessful, however, and returned to the drawing board for further improvements.

Following then-current trends in service rifles, the barrel was shortened to 24″ after it was discovered that a longer barrel offered no appreciable ballistic advantage, and the shorter barrel was lighter and easier to handle. This “short rifle” also eliminated the need of a shorter carbine for mounted troops or cavalry. A spike-type bayonet with storage in the forend of the stock was added to the design, and the new design was officially adopted as the United States Rifle, Caliber .30, Model 1903.

Almost immediately it underwent two important modifications. In 1905, with 80,000 rifles aready produced, then-US President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the spike bayonet redesigned; he believed it was too flimsy for combat. A conventional blade-type bayonet, the M1905, replaced it and all rifles already produced were retrofitted for the new bayonet.

The .30-’03 cartridge was also troublesome; the bullet caused excessive wear on the rifling, and the round-nosed bullet was aerodynamically inefficient. A new cartridge, propelling a 150gr spitzer bullet at 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s) with improved propellant and redesigned case was approved in 1906, becoming the ubiquitous .30-’06. All existing rifles were re-chambered and re-sighted for the new cartridge.

Is the 1903 Springfield still made?

the M1903 remained in service as a standard issue infantry rifle during World War II, since the U.S. entered the war without sufficient M1 rifles to arm all troops. It also remained in service as a sniper rifle during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

Is the Springfield 1903 A good gun?

The rifle’s action was smooth and reliable under the worst battlefield conditions, and a trained shooter could get off 10 to 15 shots a minute. Accuracy was excellent, out to an effective range of 656 to 1,000 yards, with hits possible at 2,500 yards. Due to its range, the 1903 rifle was also used as a sniper rifle.

How much is a CMP 1903?

Right now an original 1903 in excellent condition will average $1,200 to $1,700 or so.

How many M1903 rifles were made?

Between 1903, when production began, and 1936, Springfield Armory turned out more than one million M1903 rifles with many modifications. An additional one-third million rifles were produced at the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois.

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