This sniper version had a Weaver telescopic sight, and the conventional ‘iron’ sights have been removed entirely. The M1903 Springfield proved a fine weapon, serving into the Korean war.
The firing pin is in two pieces, the ejector is not spring-loaded, and an ingenious bolt stop allows bolt removal and acts as a cut-off, so that the rounds in the magazine can be held there while the rifle is used as a single-loader. The US Army adopted a 150 grain pointed bullet, and the rifle sights were modified to match its ballistics.Īlthough basically of Mauser pattern, there were one or two features which made the Springfield unique.
The original bullet for which the rifle was designed was a 220 grain round-nosed pattern, but in 1905 the German Army introduced their ‘Spitzer’ or pointed bullet, which promised improved performance, and the rest of the world hurried to follow suit. The design was modified to use a 24-inch barrel and the first models were issued in 1905. The original design was a long rifle with a 30-inch barrel, but while work was in progress, the British Army introduced its ‘Short’ Lee-Enfield and the US Army decided that they too would adopt this idea of one rifle for all troops. After considering all the designs then available, it was decided to adopt the Mauser system of bolt-action and magazine, and for $200,000 the United States Government purchased a license from the Mauser company. The first magazine rifle of the US Army was the Krag-Jorgensen, but after a very few years of this weapon, work began on developing a replacement. The M1903 is commonly known as the ‘Springfield’ since it was designed and developed, and largely manufactured, at Springfield Arsenal. Some parts were now stamped, but the main difference was the sights, which was moved backwards.Ī series of sniper rifles from the 1903A4 model were used even in the Korean War in the 1950s. This version had been simplified for faster production but was still a well-made infantry weapon. Thus, the Springfield as M1903A3 was taken back into mass production. When the US entered the war in December 1941, the M1 Garand was neither available in sufficient quantities nor were manufacturing capacities great enough. After 1940 some were issued to the British Home Guard, and the units equipped with the Springfield rifle were so satisfied that the rifle was again put into production at the British request. Many of the US troops who landed in Normandy on D-Day in June 1944 were still equipped with Springfield’s.Īlthough the Garand rifle has been introduced to the US Army since 1936, the M1903 Springfield rifle has also been used as a standard weapon during World War II. The M1903 was used by several Allied armies during WW2, including the Chinese Nationalist Army, the British Home Guard and Free-French Army and Resistance fighters.
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