This World War I-production M1903 Springfield is identifiable by the finger-groove stock and the humpback handguard that was designed to protect the rear sight when the rifle was thrust into a cavalryman’s rifle scabbard.
Photos By James Walters & Butch Simpson
When the U.S. went to war against Spain in 1898, only the regular U.S. Army had been armed with smokeless-powder Krag-Jorgensen rifles. The Krag, a well-made and accurate rifle, had several shortcomings. For instance, the .30 Army (.30-40 Krag) cartridge was outclassed by the Spaniards’ flat-shooting 7x57 Mauser. And the Krag had a very slow method of charging the magazine: manually, one round at a time. The Spanish Model 1893 Mauser was loaded via a stripper-clip charger, and that enabled the individual soldier to maintain an impressive rate of fire.
In 1900, the Army established a commission to develop a new rifle. The first model, known as the Experimental Rifle of 1900, used a bolt with dual front locking lugs and--as on the then-new 98 Mauser--a third locking lug on the rear of the bolt that bore against the receiver bridge. A nonrotary extractor permitted easier bolt manipulation and prevented double feeding of cartridges. It retained the Krag’s 30-inch barrel and used a similar stock, sights, and fittings. A single-column, charger-loaded magazine held five .30-caliber, rimmed cartridges, and a cutoff was included to quiet the fears of those members of the military establishment who feared “excessive expenditure of ammunition.”
In 1901, a new rifle with a flush-mounted magazine and a ramrod-style bayonet was developed. It used a rimless .30-caliber cartridge consisting of a bottlenecked case 2.564 inches in length, loaded with 44.5 grains of Laflin & Rand W.A nitrocellulose smokeless powder. The cartridge propelled a 220-grain roundnose FMJ bullet to 2300 fps. This rifle and cartridge performed well enough to be approved for experimental issue as the U.S. Rifle, .30 Caliber, Model 1901 and the Caliber .30 Ball Cartridge Model 1903.
After two years of field trials, the commission recommended that the barrel length be shortened to 24 inches to allow one rifle for both infantry and cavalry use. It also
recommended that a different rear sight be used. Both changes were approved, and the rifle was adopted as the U.S. Magazine Rifle, Caliber .30, Model 1903. The rifle’s overall length was 43.25 inches, and its weight was 8.8 pounds. The finalized cartridge, the Caliber .30 Ball Cartridge Model 1903 (.30-03), used the same bullet at the same velocity as its predecessor, but it had a thinner rim.
Model 1903 Springfield Accuracy
Factory Load
Velocity (fps.)
100 Yard Accuracy (in.)
.30-06
Winchester USA 147-gr. FMJ
2811
2.50
Remington UMC 150 gr. FMJ
2783
2.25
Notes: Accuracy is the average of four, five-shot groups fired from a Caldwell Steady Rest at 100 yards. Velocity is the average of five rounds measured 15 feet from the gun's muzzle.
