SPRINGFIELD MODEL 1903 MILITARY RIFLES These were produced from 1907 to 1945 | |||||
First serial Number of each year | YEAR | Number Produced | |||
269451 | 1926 | 4464 | |||
337862 | 1927 | 10501 | |||
358085 | 1928 | 20635 | |||
398276 | 1929 | 32505 | |||
456376 | 1930 | 31355 | |||
502046 | 1931 | 34265 | |||
531521 | 1932 | 21908 | |||
570561 | 1933 | 15878 | |||
595601 | 1934 | 49720 | |||
620121 | 1935 | 4491 | |||
632826 | 1936 | NONE | |||
761658 | 1937 | 36855 | |||
1,055,092 | 1939 | NONE | |||
1,162,501 | 1940 -- 1943 | NONE | |||
1,211,300 | 1944 | NONE | |||
1,239,641 | 1945 | 59685 | |||
1,252,387 | -- | -- | |||
1,261,487 | -- | -- | |||
1,267,100 | -- | -- | |||
-- | -- | -- |
.
1903 Model rifles were manufactured by the following manufacturers : Remington Rand --Smith Corona -- Rock Island Arsenal - -Springfield Arsenalwho was the largest manufacturer
1903 rifles were manufactured in only 3 caliber's :22 caliber --303 Caliber and 30-06 caliber's .
Early rifles only had 2 lands and 2 grooves .
There were 74500 rifles built with bayonets built in and are known as model 1905.
All 1903 rifles were 5 shot .
There were a very small number of cutaway model's produced .
There were 910 stripped 1903's manufactured for the air service in 1918.
The 1903A1 was adopted in 1929 for the director of civilian marksmanship.
There were 101778 model 1903's converted for the Pederson Device and known as the Mark 1.
There were a small number of sniper rifles manufactured or converted and number less than 4000.
There were 18000 National match guns manufactured from 1921 to 1928.
There were 11000 national match rifles manufactured or converted from 1928 to 1940.
There are a unknown number of guns remanufactured with Star Gauged barrels for NRA members .
There were 153 National Match special rifles produced in 1924.
There were 195 NB National match rifles manufactured 1925 - 1926.
There were 6500 N.R.A. Sporters produced 1924 - 1933.
There were 589 N.B. Sporters produced In 1925 - 1926 .
There were 566 Heavy barrel match rifles produced from 1922 - 1930.
There were 15525 Hoffer-Thompson rifles 22 Gallery rifles produced from 1907 to 1921.|
We recommend the following books on this Subject :
The 1903 Springfield rifle by William S Brophy.
Copyright© 2004 Gun-Data.com. Stromae racine carre zip. All reproduction rights reserved.
Springfield M1903 | |
---|---|
Type | Bolt-action rifle |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service | 1903–present |
Wars |
|
Production history | |
Designer | Springfield Armory |
Designed | 1903 |
Produced | 1903–1949 |
No. built | 3,004,079[1] |
Variants | See Variants |
Specifications | |
Mass | 8.7 lb (3.9 kg) |
Length | 43.2 in (1,100 mm) |
Barrel length | 24 in (610 mm) |
Cartridge | .30-03; .30-06 Springfield |
Action | Bolt action |
Rate of fire | 10–15 rounds/min |
Muzzle velocity | 2,800 ft/s (850 m/s) |
Effective firing range | 1,000 yards (910 m) |
Maximum firing range | 5,500 yards (5,000 m) with .30 M1 Ball cartridge |
Feed system | 5-round stripper clip, 25-round (Air Service Variant) Internal Box Magazine |
Sights | Flip-up rear sight graduated to 2,700 yards (2,500 m), blade post-type front sight. M1903A3: Aperture rear sight, blade type front sight. |
Blade type | Bayonet |
- 1History
- 1.3Development
- 1.6World War II
History[edit]
Background[edit]
Advances in small arms technology[edit]
Springfield 03a3 Serial Numbers
Development[edit]
U.S. Rifle Model 1900 .30 prototype[edit]
U.S. Rifle Model 1901 .30 prototype[edit]
Adoption[edit]
World War I and interwar use[edit]
World War II[edit]
Sniper rifle[edit]
Foreign users[edit]
Post Korean War service[edit]
Today[edit]
Specifications[edit]
- Ball: consisted of a brass case or shell, primer, a charge of smokeless powder, and the bullet. The bullet had a sharp point called a spitzer bullet, and was composed of a lead core and a jacket of cupro-nickel (later gilding metal), and in the M1906 design, weighed 150 grains (9.7 g). The bullet of the M1906 cartridge, when fired from the rifle, had an initial velocity of 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s).
- Blank: contained a paper cup instead of a bullet. It is dangerous up to 33 yd (30 m).
- Guard: had a smaller charge of powder than the ball cartridge, and five cannelures encircle the body of the shell at about the middle to distinguish it from ball cartridges. It was intended for use on guard or in riot duty, and it gave good results up to 200 yd (180 m). The range of 100 yd (91 m) required a sight elevation of 450 yd (410 m), and the range of 200 yd (180 m) required an elevation of 645 yd (590 m).
- Dummy: this was tin-plated and the shell was provided with six longitudinal corrugations and three circular holes. The primer contains no percussion composition. It was intended for drill purposes to accustom the soldier to the operation of loading the rifle.
Variants[edit]
- M1903 (1903): developed for the .30-03 (also known as the .30-45) cartridge. Used original Type S stock.
- M1903 Bullpup (1903): experimental bullpup conversion for the USMC.[32]
- M1903 (1905): changed from a rod type bayonet to the knife type Model 1905 bayonet and to the improved Model 1905 sight.
- M1903 (1906): modified again to specifically fire the new M1906 .30-06 cartridge ('Ball Cartridge, caliber 30, Model of 1906').
- M1903 NRA (1915–1917): sold to National Rifle Association members and stamped NRA on the forward tang of the trigger guard.[33]
- M1903 Air Service (1918): issued to aircrew with permanent 25-round magazine and modified Type S stock forend designed as backup for if a plane's machine gun jammed in combat.[34]
- M1903 Mark I (1918–1920): modified for specific use with the Pedersen device.
- M1903 NM (1921–1940): selected rifles produced at Springfield Armory for National Match shooting competition. Production barrels were measured with star-gauges, and those meeting specified tolerances were stamped with an asterisk shaped star on the muzzle crown. These barrels were fitted to selected receivers with hand-fitted and polished parts. The bolt was left unblued while the receiver and barrel were finished with a black Parkerizing process. Some bolts have the safety direction reversed to prevent it from striking the nose of a right-handed shooter, and those made from 1924 to 1929 have the knurled cocking piece removed to decrease lock time. Early rifles used the type S stock until the type C stock became standard in 1929. Rifles made for sale to NRA members (priced at $40.44) were drilled and tapped for a Lyman 48 receiver sight and had either a type B (or NB) stock with no grasping grooves and a noticeable drop at the heel for a long pistol grip, or a special National Match stock with a high comb and pistol grip. Total production was 28,907. Most were issued to service teams and 25,377 were reconditioned at Springfield armory after one year of match use. Reconditioned rifles have a large gas-escape port drilled into the left side of the receiver.[35]
- M1903 Bushmaster carbine (1940s): the barrel and stock were cut down 18 inches (460 mm) for easier use in Panama; 4,725 such rifles were made. It was a training rifle and saw no action. After World War II most were dumped into the ocean and surviving pieces are rare.
- M1903 with 'scant' stock (1942): in late 1941, before the 1903A3 was standardized, Army Ordnance wanted to standardize on a pistol-grip stock for all M1903 rifles. There were thousands of stock blanks that had been sized for the old straight stock. They weren't deep enough for the full pistol grip of the Type C stock, so they were modified to allow a 'scant' grip that was the largest grip they could form. These 'scant' stocks would only fit on a 1903, and would not fit an 03A3. Springfield only rebuilt existing M1903 rifles using this stock in 1942 and marked the cut-off seat with a small 's'.
- M1903A1 (1929–1939): changed from a straight stock to a pistol grip type stock (Type C stock). The pistol grip stock was conducive to improved marksmanship and was fitted to National Match rifles until World War II. Pistol grip stocks became standard for later M1903 production and were subsequently fitted to older rifles. The Army considered any rifle with a pistol grip stock an M1903A1, but M1903 receiver markings were unchanged.[36]
- M1903A2 (1930s–1940s): basically a stripped A1 or A3 used as a subcaliber rifle with artillery pieces.
- M1903A3 (1942–1944): sights were changed to an aperture (peep) system mounted on the receiver, and the rifle was modified for easier production with stamped metal parts and somewhat different grip and stock (late model Type S stock; no finger grooves).
- M1903 (Modified) (1941–1942): Transition production of M1903 rifles by Remington Arms until the M1903A3 design was implemented involved modification of various parts creating a hybrid between the M1903 and M1903A3.[18]
- M1903A4 (1942): an M1903A3 modified to be a sniper rifle using an M73 or M73B1 2.5× Weaver telescopic sight and different stock, and omitting the iron sights.
- Bannerman Springfields: At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the Scottish-born military surplus magnate, Francis Bannerman VI (1851–1918), assembled 1,000 M1903 rifles from surplus parts which were rebored to accept British .303 ammunition. These he presented to the British Army together with the associated bayonets, pouches and webbing, as a patriotic gesture. Unfortunately, the conversion was not a success and it was found that the rimmed .303 cartridge would not feed properly from the magazine.[37] The rifles were stamped 'DP', i.e. fit for 'drill purposes' only, and presented to the City of LondonVolunteer Training Corps who were otherwise without any weapons.[38]
In popular culture[edit]
Users[edit]
Trapdoor Springfield Serial Numbers
- Brazil[39]
- Cambodia[40]
- China[41][30]
- China[40]
- Costa Rica[14]
- Cuba[40]
- France[40][42]
- Ethiopian Empire: received after World War II.[43]
- Greece[40]
- Haiti[44]
- Honduras: 2,083 M1903s in 1950[45]
- Japan: Captured during World War II. Used by National Police Reserve after the war.[46]
- South Korea[47]
- Kingdom of Laos[48]
- New Zealand[49]
- Nicaragua[14]
- Peru[50]
- Philippines[51][40]
- South Vietnam[42]
- Taiwan[52]
- Thailand[40]
- United Kingdom[49]
- United States: still in use with the JROTC units.[40]
- North Vietnam[41]
See also[edit]
- .30-06 Springfield – The cartridge most M1903s are chambered for
- Gewehr 98 – Contemporary German rifle
- Lee–Enfield rifle – Contemporary British Army rifle
- M1 Garand – The M1903 Springfield's official replacement
- M1892-99 Krag rifle – The rifle that the M1903 replaced in the U.S. Army service
- M1895 Lee Navy – The rifle that the M1903 replaced in U.S. Navy and Marine Corps service
- M1917 Enfield – A substitute standard rifle issued during World War I
- Pedersen device – A modification to allow for semiautomatic fire from the M1903
- Springfield rifle – For all other 'Springfield' rifles
- Springfield Model 1922 – A cadet rifle, designed to mimic the M1903 Springfield rifle for training purposes
Notes[edit]
- ^'SPRINGFIELD ARMORY US MODEL 1903 RIFLE SERIAL NUMBER RANGES'. Bowers Firearms. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information, Volumes 23–24 (11 ed.). University Press. p. 328.
- ^ abcCanfield, Bruce N. (2003). '100 Years Of The '03 Springfield'. American Rifleman. 151 (March): 42–45&78.
- ^Sheehan, John (1 October 2006). 'Battlefield tack driver: the model 1903 Springfield in WWI'. Guns Magazine. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- ^Kontis, George (24 August 2011). 'Are We Forever Stuck with the Bayonet?'. Small Arms Defense Journal. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- ^Canfield, Bruce N. (2006). 'From Poor Invention To America's Best'. American Rifleman. 154 (September): 59–61, 91–92&94.
- ^Canfield, Bruce (October 2016). '1916: Guns On The Border'. American Rifleman. National Rifle Association.
- ^Ordnance Dept, United States. Army (15 November 1918). 'Bayonet'(Digital). Handbook of Ordnance Data: 332. OCLC6316176.
- ^Canfield, February 2008, p. 13
- ^ abCanfield, Bruce N. (2004). 'U.S. M1903A1 Rifles'. American Rifleman. 152 (January): 20.
- ^Lyon, Joseph: Some Observations On The Failure Of U.S. Model 1903 Rifle Receivers (http://m1903.com/03rcvrfail/)
- ^ abBarnes, Frank C., Cartridges of the World, 6th ed., DBI Books Inc. (1989), p. 59
- ^Dunlap, Roy (1948). 'Rifles'. Ordnance Went up Front: Some Observations and Experiences of a Sergeant of Ordnance, Who Served Throughout World War II with the United States Army in Egypt, the Philippines and Japan, Including Way Stations. OCLC777744849. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- ^ abcJowett, Philip (28 Jun 2018). Latin American Wars 1900–1941: 'Banana Wars,' Border Wars & Revolutions. Men-at-Arms 519. Osprey Publishing. pp. 15, 17, 45. ISBN9781472826282.
- ^de Quesada, Alejandro (10 Jan 2009). The Bay of Pigs: Cuba 1961. Elite 166. p. 60. ISBN9781846033230.
- ^Vanderpool, Bill 'Bring Enough Gun' American Rifleman October 2013 pp. 80–85&115–116
- ^ abcdeDunlap, Roy, Ordnance Went Up Front, Samworth Press (1948), p. 302
- ^ abcCanfield, Bruce N. (2015). 'Wartime Remington M1903s?'. American Rifleman. 163 (March): 44.
- ^Brophy, William, The Springfield 1903 Rifles, Stackpole Books (1985), p. 187
- ^Dunlap, Roy, Ordnance Went Up Front, Samworth Press (1948), p. 362
- ^ abDunlap, Roy, Ordnance Went Up Front, Samworth Press (1948), p. 301
- ^Bishop, Chris (1998), The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, New York: Orbis Publishing Ltd, ISBN978-0-7607-1022-7.
- ^George, John (Lt Col), Shots Fired In Anger, NRA Press (1981), p. 391: 'Nearly every one [Marine] I talked to [on Guadalcanal] who used the Springfield in combat-without a scope-would have much rather been using a Garand.'
- ^George, John (Lt Col), Shots Fired In Anger, NRA Press (1981), p. 391
- ^George, John (Lt. Col.), Shots Fired In Anger, NRA Press (1981), p. 392
- ^ abGeorge, John (Lt. Col.), Shots Fired In Anger, NRA Press (1981), p. 392–393
- ^George, John (Lt. Col.), Shots Fired In Anger, NRA Press (1981), p. 296–299
- ^Windrow, Martin (20 Sep 2018). French Foreign Légionnaire vs Viet Minh Insurgent: North Vietnam 1948–52. Combat 36. Osprey Publishing. p. 22. ISBN9781472828910.
- ^'L'armement français en A.F.N.'Gazette des Armes (in French). No. 220. March 1992. pp. 12–16.
- ^ abJowett, Philip (10 Jul 2005). The Chinese Army 1937–49: World War II and Civil War. Men-at-Arms 424. Osprey Publishing. p. 19. ISBN9781841769042.
- ^Ball, Robert W. D. (2011). Mauser Military Rifles of the World. Iola: Gun Digest Books. p. 420. ISBN9781440228926.
- ^https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/bc/86/2a/bc862a8a8759f2c76af076277d428f22.jpg
- ^Canfield, Bruce N. American Rifleman (September 2008) pp. 72–75
- ^Forgotten Weapons (2017-11-28), Fight! Othais vs Ian on the Air Service 1903 Springfield!, retrieved 2017-11-29
- ^Norell, James O.E. (2003). 'U.S. M1903A1 Rifles'. American Rifleman. 151 (July): 38–41.
- ^Canfield, Bruce N. (2007). 'U.S. M1903A1 Rifles'. American Rifleman (January): 38.
- ^Ian D. Skennerton, The Lee Enfield: A Century of Lee-Metford & Lee-Enfield Rifles & Carbines, Arms & Militaria Press 2007, ISBN978-0-949749-82-6 (p. 162)
- ^A E Manning-Foster, The National Guard in the Great War, 1914–1918, Cope & Fenwick, London 1920 (p. 17)
- ^Maximiano, Cesar; Bonalume, Ricardo N (2011). Brazilian Expeditionary Force in World War II. Men at Arms 465. Osprey Publishing. pp. 10, 16–17, 44. ISBN9781849084833.
- ^ abcdefghThompson 2013, p. 63.
- ^ abRottman, Gordon L. (10 Feb 2009). North Vietnamese Army Soldier 1958–75. Warrior 135. Osprey Publishing. p. 21. ISBN9781846033711.
- ^ abWindrow, Martin (15 Nov 1998). The French Indochina War 1946–54. Men-at-Arms 322. Osprey Publishing. p. 41. ISBN9781855327894.
- ^Scarlata, Paul (Mar 1, 2009). 'Ethiopian military rifle cartridges: Part 2: from Mauser to Kalashnikov'. Shotgun News.
- ^'Uphold Democracy 1994: WWII weapons encountered'. wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com. 9 June 2015.
- ^Holden, Robert H. (2004). Armies without Nations: Public Violence and State Formation in Central America, 1821–1960. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 287. ISBN9780198036517.
- ^'Philippines pt.2: WWII weapons used 1946-2018'. wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com. November 18, 2018.
- ^Rottman, Gordon L. (December 2002). Korean War Order of Battle: United States, United Nations, and Communist Ground, Naval, and Air Forces, 1950–1953. Praeger. p. 193. ISBN978-0-275-97835-8.
- ^Conboy, Kenneth (23 Nov 1989). The War in Laos 1960–75. Men-at-Arms 217. Osprey Publishing. p. 15. ISBN9780850459388.
- ^ abBrophy, William, The Springfield 1903 Rifles, Stackpole Books (1985), p. 149
- ^Reynolds, Dan. 'The Mauser Rifles of Peru'. carbinesforcollectors.com. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
- ^'Springfield M1903 Bolt Action Rifle'. Armas de las Islas Filipinas. July 22, 2011.
- ^Brophy, William, The Springfield 1903 Rifles, Stackpole Books (1985), p. 150
References[edit]
- Thompson, Leroy (20 February 2013). The M1903 Springfield Rifle. Weapon 23. Osprey Publishing. ISBN9781780960111.
- Ball, Robert W. D., Springfield Armory Shoulder Weapons 1795–1968. Norfolk, VA: Antique Trader Books, 1997. ISBN0-930625-74-9OCLC39273050
- Canfield, Bruce N. (February 2008). ''Low Number' M1903 Springfields'. American Rifleman.
- Engineer Field Manual, War Department, Document No. 355, 1909.
- Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Infantry of The Army of the United States, War Department, Document No. 574, 1917.
- 'Bushmaster '03 Carbine,' American Rifle magazine, April 2005, p. 40.
- U.S. Infantry Weapons of World War II. Bruce N. Canfield, Andrew Mowbray Publishers, 1994.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Springfield M1903. |
- 90th Infantry Division Preservation Group – Reference manual page including several M1903 manuals