Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled "The M1903 Springfield Rifle" and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/the-m1903-springfield-rifle/.
The M1903 Springfield Rifle
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
HayesGreener
Ronin
Sgt Major Janson was a true American warrior and hero. Very few things in history of war were more deadly than a U.S. Marine with a 1903 rifle. Or any rifle, for that matter. Good article
TidalWave
Professional
This is a very interesting article. There’s really two topics : Ernest Jansen, and the 1903 Spgfld !
As an aside, I’ve read in past articles, maybe even here, that the majority of US troops actually carried the Lee Enfield into battle in WWI. (I dunno the truth of it though).
But it’s our 1903 that has become the iconic American Great War rifle
!
As an aside, I’ve read in past articles, maybe even here, that the majority of US troops actually carried the Lee Enfield into battle in WWI. (I dunno the truth of it though).
But it’s our 1903 that has become the iconic American Great War rifle
!
Talyn
SAINT
Not the Lee Enfield but the Model 1917 Enfield (American) were produced and fielded in WW1 in greater numbers, and used by the Americans, than the 1903 Springfield.
www.shootingillustrated.com
en.wikipedia.org
oldschoolguns.blogspot.com
An Official Journal Of The NRA | The M1917 Enfield: America's WWI Workhorse
Where the rubber meets the road, function matters a lot more than form. The M1917 Enfield rifle excelled at function when it counted in America's entry into WW!.
M1917 Enfield - Wikipedia
P14 Enfield Rifle vs. M1917 Enfield Rifle
P14 Enfield Rifle One of the important decisions of the American involvement in the First World War was how to alleviate the rifl...
oldschoolguns.blogspot.com
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TidalWave
Professional
YES ! That’s the one I was remembering… shoulda taken a min and looked it up. Thanks!Not the Lee Enfield but the Model 1917 Enfield (American) were produced and fielded in WW1 in greater numbers, and used by the Americans, than the 1903 Springfield.
An Official Journal Of The NRA | The M1917 Enfield: America's WWI Workhorse
Where the rubber meets the road, function matters a lot more than form. The M1917 Enfield rifle excelled at function when it counted in America's entry into WW!.
M1917 Enfield - Wikipedia
P14 Enfield Rifle vs. M1917 Enfield Rifle
P14 Enfield Rifle One of the important decisions of the American involvement in the First World War was how to alleviate the rifl...
KillerFord1977
SAINT
My father, A Marine, shot expert at boot camp basic training on day 1 of rifle marksmanship. Was only a handful of Marines up to 1957 that shot expert out of the shoot. He scored better in boot camp than almost all Marines with an M1 Garand to that point in 1957. DI’s were floored at his marksmanship. Camp commander even had the DI’s boast him to the Corps. He later was offered White House Guard Duty.
Fast forward to last year. My father at 83 yrs of age out shot my entire family and friends with an AR15. (Saint Victor)
(he never shot an M14 in the Marines . He was the last groups in the late ‘50s to be on M1 Garands still in boot camp)
He wanted to finally shoot an AR15. Other than a bolt deer rifle, he had not touched military rifles since leaving the service in ‘62.
I showed him how to operate the rifle.
He insisted on open sights. No optic.
He took the Marine Kneel and at 100 yards put his first round at 1” low .
next 15 rounds were dead bullseye in a dime.
He stepped back, grunted “ooh rah”
Handed me the Saint.
Told me wasnt all bad for a rifle a child could fire…. And walked off beaming with Marine pride.
he kicked our butts that day with our own rifle. I needed my scope to accomplish his task.
… he also has 20/10 vision at distance still at his age
Fast forward to last year. My father at 83 yrs of age out shot my entire family and friends with an AR15. (Saint Victor)
(he never shot an M14 in the Marines . He was the last groups in the late ‘50s to be on M1 Garands still in boot camp)
He wanted to finally shoot an AR15. Other than a bolt deer rifle, he had not touched military rifles since leaving the service in ‘62.
I showed him how to operate the rifle.
He insisted on open sights. No optic.
He took the Marine Kneel and at 100 yards put his first round at 1” low .
next 15 rounds were dead bullseye in a dime.
He stepped back, grunted “ooh rah”
Handed me the Saint.
Told me wasnt all bad for a rifle a child could fire…. And walked off beaming with Marine pride.
he kicked our butts that day with our own rifle. I needed my scope to accomplish his task.
… he also has 20/10 vision at distance still at his age
Recusant
Hellcat
This is a Remington P14 MKI* from my collection that was brought back after WWII. It was shipped to England in 1917 and may have been used during the first war. I can only speculate how it ended up in a street in Germany in 1945. It many have been captured and taken home by a German WWI soldier, or it could have been issued to some other military group between the wars and ended up being captured by the Nazis and issued as a last ditch rifle. During its time in Europe it was not altered. The stock has a heavy coat of varnish, but there's no telling when that was done. There's not much finish on the exposed metal parts, but the blued finish under the wood looks great. If it could only talk I bet it would have a story to tell!
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HansGruber
Ronin
Not a Lee-Enfirld; they carried the M1917, which was based on the Enfield action. Made by Winchester, Eddystone armory, and Remington.This is a very interesting article. There’s really two topics : Ernest Jansen, and the 1903 Spgfld !
As an aside, I’ve read in past articles, maybe even here, that the majority of US troops actually carried the Lee Enfield into battle in WWI. (I dunno the truth of it though).
But it’s our 1903 that has become the iconic American Great War rifle
Personally, I think the M1917 is superior to the Springfield. Better sights, higher capacity, and it just looks better.
Sld1959
Ronin
My grandfather carried the Enfield for the British, he always told my dad that after trying both he preferred the Enfield.
He had one converted for deer hunting which he used until his death.
HayesGreener
Ronin
The elderly gentleman who taught me to shoot trap nearly 60 years ago was a WWI veteran. He was an exceptional marksman and even in his late 60's was a champion shooter. He told me that in the trenches in WWI both sides were stalled in their trenches to the point that the enemy lines became neighbors. A tactic that they used was to bring in teams of snipers during the night and the following morning when the "neighbors" showed themselves they would shoot them, and then move on. He trained a team of those riflemen. He had 1903 rifles in his collection, and I always assumed that's what they used in the trenches, but now I am not so sure. He also told me that a number of troops brought privately owned rifles to the war in the early days as there were not enough rifles to go around. I regret that in my youth I did not recognize the value of sitting and talking to the old timers to get more of their oral history.
Susquash
Master Class
Really great article on classic '03! I always wanted one but price was too expensive when I finally got around to it. I have owned several 1917 Enfields and I love those rifles. My go to rifle for hunting for a number of years was a 1914 Enfield converted to 7 MM Magnum by Century Arms. Just could not miss with that gun, was heavy enough to absorb recoil and held six rounds as compared to other 7 MM Mags that only held 4 or 5. Even had one converted from '06 to 9.3 MM x 62 Mauser for a bear gun for my son in Alaska.
The rifle with which many WWI US Troops carried into battle in later 1917 and throughout 1918 was the P-17 Enfield produced by Remington Arms and Winchester. Before the Great War the British were looking for a replacement for the SMLE in a smaller calibre.This is a very interesting article. There’s really two topics : Ernest Jansen, and the 1903 Spgfld !
As an aside, I’ve read in past articles, maybe even here, that the majority of US troops actually carried the Lee Enfield into battle in WWI. (I dunno the truth of it though).
But it’s our 1903 that has become the iconic American Great War rifle
The Enfield Lock Arsensal developed the turnbolt P-13 in a .280 round much as later in the 1920s the original primer actuated Garand rifle was in .276 calibre and held 10 rounds. There is archival photos of 1929 era West Point cadets test firing the Garand invented Springfield Arsensal .276 calibre rifle. Today we have the 6.5 Creedmore as "the latest reiteration" of the painfully obvious..less recoil and higher velocity with optimum ballistic performance for either a 20th Centurey or now a 21st Century battle rifle.
The .276 round in the both the Pedersen and Garand rifle development was KIA by General MacArthur and others who knew millions of rounds of 30'06 were in storage so John Cantius Garand, a Canadian from Quebec, reworked his design so that by 1936 the "gas trap" Garand rifle emerged with "teething problems" finally solved by Dec 7th, 1941.
Later on folk lore opines that US troops in the Pacific threw away their WWI era Springfields and picked up " the greatest battle implement" ( General Patton, 1944) ever invented up until that time.. a M-1 Garand with its en bloc clip.
The onset of the Great War in August 1914 some 97 years ago "nixed" the British Enfield Lock Arsenal P-13 and .280 calibre development; however rechambering it in .303 and having it produced in the USA by Remington supplemented British forces' armaments at the Front.
In 1917 when America finally entered the Great War Col Thompson got the P-14 rechambered in 30'06 for US forces. There were just not enough Springfields produced "at Springfield".
When Gary Cooper made in 1939 his award winning performance in the "Sergeant York" film, Sgt Alvin York himself was asked in his role as script advisor on the movie set which rifle he had used in achieving his Medal of Honor. He feistily replied it was a "Springfield" NOT a P-17 or Winchester or Remington made P-17 Enfield.
A " Lee Enfield" gives credit in the "Lee" to Paris Lee another Canadian then US firearms inventor. Enfield is the British arsenal at Enfield Lock on an English canal if my memory serves. I really like BOTH the Springfield and the P-17 and most of all the M-1 Garand simply because of the great cartridge ALL are chambered for. A "battle round" that will HIT out to a 1000 yards with iron sights. All you need is a "frame hold" on a NRA or DCRA target at that range.
Col Townsend Whelen in his 1918 book " American Rifleman" wrote a chapter and photo demonstration as to why he preferred the P-( 19)17 to the Springfield. Its perennial fault is that it is "overlength" but more robust especially the SIGHTS with a receiver battle sight. Many were issued as sniper rifles in the P-14 .303 Chambering.
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John Delich
Alpha
Dabbs article about the '03 Springfield is wrong. He completely neglected the .30-03 cartridge, aka. the ".30 Army." The .30-06 is called that because it is .30 caliber and was adopted in 1906. The 1903 Springfield is called that because it was adopted in 1903. So, what does Dabbs think the 1903 Springfield was chambered for in 1903? It couldn't have been chambered for the .30-06 because it wasn't 1906 yet. Perhaps we should have better editorial work an more thorough research. Even Wikipedia knows about the .30-03.
en.wikipedia.org
.30-03 Springfield - Wikipedia
William Floyd
Alpha
My first adult rifle. That sight set up, absolutely brilliant. Such a brilliant piece. Thank you for the article, I hope one day to find a replacement.
Hello, I noticed in your article that you mention the Pederson device and the number of units made. Do you know how many of the rifles "M1903 MK I" were made for the device? I was once told that there were only 65K or so of them made so I was just trying to find out how rare the one I managed to get a hold of is. Thank you for your time!Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled "The M1903 Springfield Rifle" and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/the-m1903-springfield-rifle/.
Yes, they are nice. My dad refinished one to a hunting rifle back when they were $50 or so, it is the most accurate .30-06 that we have. The one I bought is what I am trying to find out more info on is the M1903 MK I. It was specifically modified for the Pederson Device and had an ejection slot milled through the left wall of the receiver to handle the .30 Calibre pistol cartridge if fired on semi-auto.