The Gun Blogs

M1903
Designed: 1900
Designer: Springfield Armory
In service: 1903–1957
Wars: World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War (limited)
Specifications
Weight: 8.7 lb
Length: 44.9 in
Barrel length: 24 in
Cartridge: .30-03 Springfield and .30-06 Springfield
Action: Bolt-action
Muzzle velocity: 2,800 ft/s
Feed system: 5-round internal box magazine

After the Army armed with Krag-Jørgensen rifles went head to head with Spain armed with Mausers in the Spanish American War they knew they needed a new rifle. Mauser's stripper clip loading system combined with its high velocity flatter trajectory round was far superior to the Krag's loading system that required you to load one round at a time and the fact that the Krag's action was unable to handle the pressures from newer, high velocity rounds.

After the war the War Department exhaustively studied and dissected several examples of the Mauser Model 93 rifle captured during the Spanish-American War. They then combined features of both the U.S. Krag Rifle Models 1894-1898, and the Mauser Model 93, to produce the new U.S. Springfield Rifle Model 1903. Still, the 1903's used so many design features from the German Mauser that the U.S. government paid royalties to Mauserwerke.

By the time the US entered World War I in April 1917, 843,239 M1903s had been produced at Springfield and the Rock Island Arsenal. Equipping the American Expeditionary Force, the M1903 proved lethal and efficient against the Germans in France. During the war, the M1903 Mk. I was produced which allowed for the fitting of a Pedersen device (which I will discuss in a coming post). After the war, the M1903 remained the standard American infantry rifle until the introduction of the M1 Garand in 1937.

The M1903 and the M1903A3 rifle were used again in combat alongside the M1 Garand by the U.S. military during World War II and saw extensive use and action in the hands of U.S. troops in Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific. The US Marines were initially armed with M1903 rifles in early battles in the Pacific, such as the Battle of Guadalcanal, but the jungle battle environment generally favored self-loading rifles. The US Army Rangers were also a major user of the M1903 and the M1903A3 during World War II with the Springfield being preferred over the M1 Garand for certain commando missions. It remained in service for snipers, grenadiers and "scout snipers" throughout the rest of the war.

After the Korean War, active service use of the M1903 was rare. Still, some numbers of them remained in USMC sniper use as late as the Vietnam War. The U.S. Navy also continued to carry some stocks of M1903A3s on board ships, for use as anti mine rifles. Today you can find this rifle at your local gun range and they can be purchased though the Civilian Marksmanship Program.

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Ammo Guns And War