Ammo for 1873 springfield trapdoor rifle
Officially, the M1903 was rendered obsolete upon adoption of the M1 Garand in 1936. Replacement of the M1903 Springfield Rifle There are two models of the M1903 Springfield that were specially developed for use by combat snipers, each with its own Olive-Drab page: In 1929, the NM rifle was modified with a Type-C stock in place of the non-pistol grip Type-S or "straight stock." In this new form, the NM rifle was designated as the M1903A1 National Match. By 1910, select rifles were test-fired and their barrels star-gauged for accuracy. In 1908, the M1903 became the official National Match (NM) rifle. 30-caliber M1903 Springfield rifle served as the principle military service match rifle. National Match and Sniper Use of the M1903 Springfield Rifleĭuring the 1920s and 1930s, the. The rear sight was moved from the barrel to the receiver and changed to a peep sight (see photo above). Many milled parts were replaced by stampings and a less expensive stock was substituted. Production improvements for the war were recognized by a change in the rifle designation to M1903A3. During World War II, Remington Arms and Smith-Corona produced M1903 rifles. During WW I, Springfield Armory produced over 265,620 Model 1903 rifles but the primary rifle of that war was the M1917 Enfield. However this was insufficient to arm U.S.troops for an undertaking of the magnitude of World War I. Dupont, DE, provided courtesy of Phil Nohl.īy the time the United States entered World War I, approximately 843,239 standard service Model 1903 rifles had been manufactured. Rifle, Cal.30, M1903 in sitting position, from 1932 US Army Training Film, Ft. Subsequently the rod bayonet was abandoned in favor of the " Model 1905 Knife Bayonet."įiring U.S. Rifle production was suspended in January 1905, after the Secretary of War received a letter from President Theodore Roosevelt criticizing the rod bayonet as being too delicate for combat. 30-06 cartridge, developed for the Springfield but which became the Army's standard round for many firearms, is on the linked page. The M1903 Springfield was the first US Army rifle to use stripper clips, which held five rounds together for easy loading. They fashioned a clip loading magazine rifle in which the cartridges were contained within the stock, preventing damage to an otherwise exposed magazine. On August 15, 1900, Springfield Armory completed an experimental magazine rifle which they believed to be an improvement over the Krag. The Mauser was superior from the standpoint of rapidity of loading and the ammunition it fired. During the Spanish-American War of 1898, it was recognized that the Spanish Mauser, Model of 1893, exhibited characteristics superior to the "trapdoor" Springfield and Krag rifles carried by the United States troops.