Rifles That Changed Modern Warfare: M1903 Springfield

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Remember that cool sniper in the Saving Private Ryan movie? He was using a M1903A4 Springfield rifle for sniper use.

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The Springfield M1903 was the first service rifle to be adopted by all branches of the U.S. Military. It fired the new high-velocity .30-'06 caliber cartridge. That same cartridge would become the standard U.S. rifle and machine-gun round for the next 50 years.

The rifle was developed when U.S. troops, battling Spanish troops and colonial forces in the Spanish-American War found their bolt-action, .30 caliber Krags and .45 caliber single-shot Springfields much inferior to the bolt-action German Mausers, used by the enemy. It was soon discovered that a more powerful and fast-firing rifle is required. The Krag rifles were too unsuitable for ammo desired by the U.S. Army, and lacked some important features, such as clip-loading, so in 1900, the state-owned Springfield armory was set up to build a new rifle, based on the battle-proven Mauser design.

Some consider the U.S. Model 1903 Springfield to be the most beautiful bolt-action military rifle ever made. Aside from being sleek and stylish, the 1903 Springfield is also reliable, rugged and accurate.

The Model 1903 Springfield was very adaptable. Many were turned to sniper use during the First World War using an elaborate Warner-Swasey scope, some were stripped down and fitted with extended 25-shot magazine for air service in observation balloons, and others were set up to take a curious semi-automatic repeating mechanism designed by John D. Pedersen, but it was made too late for use during that war. There were also .22 trainer and target variants.

The Springfield proved itself to be a great match rifle, and several different versions were set up from the early 1920s into 1940. Even though the 1903 Springfield was replaced by the M1 Garand semi-auto in 1936, a variant of the rifle, the 1903A4, was used as the principal U.S. sniper rifle of World War II.

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Sources: http://www.gunsandammo.com/historical/classics-1903-springfield-rifle/
http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/M1903_Springfield

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