M1903 Springfield
Sign in to saveAlso known as United States Rifle, Caliber .30-06, Model 1903, Springfield 1903 rifle
American 5-round magazine fed, bolt-action service repeating rifle
Key facts
- Type
- Bolt-action rifle
- Place of origin
- United States
- In service
- 1903–1936 (as the standard U.S. service rifle) 1936–1970s (as a U.S. Army sniper rifle)
- Used by
- See Users
- Designed
- 1903 ( 1903 )
- Manufacturer
- Springfield Armory Rock Island Arsenal Remington Arms Company Smith Corona
- Unit cost
- $41.35 (1938), equal to $946 now
- Produced
- 1903 ( 1903 ) –1949 ( 1949 )
- Number span no built
- 3,004,079
- Variants
- See Variants
- Mass
- 8.7 lb (3.9 kg)
- Length
- 43.2 in (1,100 mm)
- Barrel length
- 24 in (610 mm)
- Cartridge
- .30-03 Springfield .30-06 Springfield
- Action
- Bolt action
- Rate of fire
- User dependent; usually 15 to 30 rounds per minute
- Muzzle velocity
- 2,800 ft/s (853 m/s)
- Effective firing range
- 100–300 yd (91–274 m)
via Wikipedia infobox
~39 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The M1903 Springfield, officially the U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1903, is an American five-round, non-removable, staggered-row box magazine-fed, bolt-action, repeating service rifle, used primarily during the first half of the 20th century.
The M1903 was first used in combat during the Philippine-American War and was officially adopted by the United States as the standard infantry rifle on 19 June 1903. It saw service in World War I and was replaced by the faster-firing semi-automatic eight-round M1 Garand starting in 1936. However, the M1903 remained a standard-issue infantry rifle during World War II, since the U.S. entered the war without sufficient M1 rifles to arm all troops. It also was used as a sniper rifle during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. It remains popular as a civilian firearm, collector's piece, a competitive shooting rifle, and as a military drill rifle.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “M1903 Springfield” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.