M1903 Springfield

Springfield M1903 Mk 1 - .30-06

Closeup detail of the M1903 Springfield above - this model is receiver cut for a Pedersen Device.

Springfield M1903 Transitional (pre-WW2) issue - .30-06

The Springfield M1903 was the first service rifle to be adopted by all branches of the United States Armed Forces. It is a Mauser-style turnbolt action with a 24" barrel, 5-round staggered-column box magazine contained within the stock, and straight-grip single-piece stock. It fired the new high-velocity .30-'06 caliber cartridge which would become the standard US rifle and machine-gun round for the next 50 years.

Background

Development

During the Spanish-American War, US Army troops in Cuba found their Krag-Jørgensen rifles severely outmatched by the Spanish Army's M1893 Mauser rifle. The high-velocity and flat trajectory of the 7x57mm cartridge compared to the .30-40 Krag made the Spanish rifle more accurate, and the Mauser design allowed for immediate reloading of the entire magazine via stripper clips, whereas the Krag could only be loaded singly. This gave the Spanish a decisive advantage in rate-of-fire. A more powerful .30-40 cartridge was developed in 1899, but generated too much chamber pressure for the rifle to withstand repeated firings. It was decided that an entirely new rifle was needed. Thousands of M1893 rifles - surrendered by Spanish troops in Cuba - were returned to the US and extensively studied at Springfield Armory, where it was decided that the Mauser was the superior design. A prototype rifle was produced in 1900; interestingly, it was very similar to Rifle No.5, the final M1892 Mauser prototype in the US Army rifle trials of 1892. This design was rejected, and a new design combining features of the 1898 Krag rifle and the 1893 Spanish Mauser was developed.

Design

The new M1901 prototype combined the cock-on-opening bolt, 30" barrel, magazine cutoff, stock and sights of the Krag-Jørgensen with the dual locking lugs, external claw extractor, and staggered-column magazine of the 1893 Mauser. Taking a cue from the Gewehr 98, a large safety lug was added to the side of the bolt behind the extractor, which would engage the receiver bridge and prevent the bolt moving rearwards. The bolt handle was also bent downwards, to make operation of the bolt faster. It fired an entirely new .30 caliber cartridge, which propelled a 220gr round-nosed bullet at 2,300ft/s. The design was unsuccessful, however, and returned to the drawing board for further improvements.

Following then-current trends in service rifles, the barrel was shortened to 24" after it was discovered that a longer barrel offered no appreciable ballistic advantage, and the shorter barrel was lighter and easier to handle. This "short rifle" also eliminated the need of a shorter carbine for mounted troops or cavalry. A spike-type bayonet with storage in the forend of the stock was added to the design, and the new design was officially adopted as the United States Rifle, Caliber .30, Model 1903.

Almost immediately it underwent two important modifications. In 1905, with 80,000 rifles aready produced, then-US President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the spike bayonet redesigned; he believed it was too flimsy for combat. A conventional blade-type bayonet, the M1905, replaced it and all rifles already produced were retrofitted for the new bayonet. The .30-'03 cartridge was also troublesome; the bullet caused excessive wear on the rifling, and the round-nosed bullet was aerodynamically inefficient. A new cartridge, propelling a 150gr spitzer bullet at 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s) with improved propellant and redesigned case was approved in 1906, becoming the ubiquitous .30-'06. All existing rifles were re-chambered and re-sighted for the new cartridge.

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The M1903 Springfield and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Specifications

• Weight: 8.65 lb (3.9 kg) depending on wood density
• Length: 44.9 in (1,140 mm)
• Barrel length: 24 in (610 mm)
• Cartridge: .30-03 Springfield; .30-06 Springfield
• Action: Bolt-action
• Muzzle velocity: 2,800 ft/s (853 m/s)
• Feed system: 5-round, 25-round (Air Service variant) stripper clip, internal box magazine
• Sights: Leaf rear sight, barleycorn-type front sight, Aperture rear sight, barleycorn-type front sight (M1903A3)

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Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Cold Steel (Bian di lang yan)	Peter Ho	Mu Liangfeng		2011
Cold Steel (Bian di lang yan)	Tony Leung Ka Fai	Capt. Zhang Menzi		2011
Cold Steel (Bian di lang yan)	Mickey He	Xiao Wu		2011
Cold Steel (Bian di lang yan)		Chinese military snipers		2011
Shutter Island	Leonardo DiCaprio	US Marshal Teddy Daniels		2009
Shutter Island		Prison Guards		2009
Spoils of War		US Marines	Archive footage	2009
Public Enemies		US Army soldiers		2009
Public Enemies		Prison guards		2009
Public Enemies		Vigilante		2009
Fido	Tim Blake Nelson	Mr. Theopolis		2006
Fido		US Army soldiers		2006
Fido		Zomcon guards		2006
The Lost City		Cuban rebels		2005
King Kong		US Army soldiers		2005
Pearl Harbor		US military personnel		2001
Commander Hamilton		Libyan troops		1998
The Quest		Dobbs' men and Turk smugglers		1996
Last Man Standing		One of the men who massacres the truck convoy		1996
Silent Hunter			Seen in Eli's cabin	1995
Clear and Present Danger		US military honor guard	With metal parts chromed	1994
Forrest Gump	Gary Sinise	Lt. Dan Taylor's ancestor		1994
Child's Play 3		Kent Military School students		1991
Born on the Fourth of July		4th of July celebration cadets		1989
Sahara	Cliff Potts	String		1983
Sahara	Perry Lang	Andy		1983
Ragtime		police officers		1981
The Big Red One	Lee Marvin	Private Possum		1980
The Police War (La Guerre des polices)		French police	Scoped	1979
Go Tell the Spartans		South Vietnamese militia		1978
The Muthers		Pirates, Camp guards		1976
Midway		United States Marines		1976
Dillinger		Vigilantes		1973
The New Centurions		L.A.P.D. Honor Guard		1972
Big Jake		Texas Rangers		1971
Two Mules for Sister Sara		French soldier		1970
100 Rifles		Mexican soldiers, Indians		1969
The Sand Pebbles	Steve McQueen	Jake Holman		1966
The Sand Pebbles	Richard Attenborough	Frenchy Burgoyne		1966
The Professionals		Mexican soldiers		1966
The Professionals		Rebels		1966
Tarzan and the Valley of Gold		Vinero's soldiers		1966
The Dictator's Guns (L'Arme à gauche)	Leo Gordon	Morrison		1965
55 Days at Peking		US Navy sailor		1963
The FBI Story		South American soldier		1959
China Gate		French Legionnaires		1957
A Bullet For Joey		US Navy sailor		1955
Battle Circus		North Korean soldier		1953
Blowing Wild	Ward Bond	Dutch Peterson		1953
		Local policemen
Viva Zapata!		Mexican soldiers and rebels		1952
Tokyo Joe		US Army soldiers		1949
It's a Wonderful Life	Ward Bond	Bert the cop		1946
Back to Bataan		Philippine guerrilla fighters		1945
The Story of G.I. Joe		US Army soldier		1945
They Were Expendable	John Wayne	Lt. JG 'Rusty' Ryan		1945
They Were Expendable		US Navy sailor		1945
The Fighting Seabees		CB recruit		1944
Bataan	Robert Taylor	Sgt. Bill Dane		1943
Bataan	Thomas Mitchell	Cpl. Jake Feingold		1943
Bataan	Barry Nelson	F.X. Matowski		1943
Sahara	Louis Mercier	Jean 'Frenchie' Leroux		1943
Sahara		German soldiers		1943
Gung Ho!				1943
Guadalcanal Diary	Richard Jaeckel	Private Johnny "Chicken" Anderson		1943
Air Force	various	U.S. military		1943
Sergeant York	Gary Cooper	Sgt. Alvin C. York		1941
Sergeant York	George Tobias	Pvt. Michael T. "Pusher" Ross		1941
Sergeant York	David Bruce	Pvt. Bert Thomas		1941
Sergeant York	Jack Pennick	Cpl. William Cutting		1941
Sergeant York	Lane Chandler	Cpl. Murray Savage		1941
The Fighting 69th	James Cagney	Pvt. Jerry Plunkett		1940
The Fighting 69th	Jeffrey Lynn	Sgt. Joyce Kilmer		1940
The Roaring Twenties	James Cagney	Eddie Bartlett		1939
The Roaring Twenties	Humphrey Bogart	George Hally		1939
The Roaring Twenties	Jeffrey Lynn	Lloyd		1939
Each Dawn I Die		Army National Guard soldiers		1939
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer		rebels		1935
Heroes for Sale		U.S. Army		1933
Four Sons	James Hall	Joseph "Dutch" Bernle		1928
Wings		U.S. Army		1927

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Air Date
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.		various characters		1964-1968
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.	Robert Vaughn	Napoleon Solo		1964-1968
The Sopranos	Tony Sirico	Paulie	"House Arrest" (2.11)	1999-2007
Doctor Who	Hugh Quarshie	Solomon	"Daleks iin Manhattan"	2005 - ????
Doctor Who		Hooverville citizens	"Daleks in Manhattan"	2005 - ????
Bonnie and Clyde (2013)		police officer	scoped	2013

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven				2002
Forgotten Hope				2003
Hidden & Dangerous 2				2003
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth				2005
7554				2011
Verdun	"Springfield M1903"			2015
Battlefield 1	"M1903"			2016

Animation

Film/TV Show	Actor	Character	Note	Date
The Iron Giant		US Army soldiers		1999

M1903A1 Springfield Rifle

M1903A1 Springfield - .30-06

M1903A1 Springfield sniper rifle with 7.8x Unertl scope - .30-06

M1903A1 Springfield sniper rifle with 7.8x Unertl scope - .30-06

The M1903A1 Springfield was introduced in 1929, with the only alteration being the C-type pistol-grip stock. The US Marine Corps utilized the M1903A1 with a scope added as their standard sniper rifle during World War II.

The M1903A1 Springfield and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
White Christmas		U.S. Army soldiers		1954
Best Seller	Brian Dennehy	Dennis Meechum	with M82 scope	1987
Letters from Iwo Jima	MSgt. Tom Minder	US Marine sniper	with 7.8x Unertl scope	2006
Let the Bullets Fly		henchmen	no scope	2010

Television

Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Date
The Pacific		US Marine Sniper	with 7.8x Unertl scope	2010

Video Game

Game Title	Appears as	Note	Release Date
Forgotten Hope 2		with Model 330 Weaver scope	2005
Call of Duty: World at War			2008
Heroes & Generals	Springfield M1903	unscoped and with M84/Unertl scopes	2016
Mafia III			2016

M1903A3 Rifle

Remington M1903A3 rifle .30-06

An M1903A3 Rifle manufactured by Remington Arms for use during World War II. Note the C-type pistol-grip stock - .30-06

Anticipation of American involvement in World War II lead to the US War Department contracting with Remington Arms and Smith-Corona Typewriter Company to produce M1903 rifles to supplement production of the M1 Garand. Remington began production at serial #3,000,000 in September 1941 using old tooling from Rock Island Arsenal put in storage in 1919. As the older tooling wore out, Remington replaced unnecessary milled parts with stamped replacements, which helped to simplify and speed up production, and also improved the design by replacing the original rear sight with a peep sight on the receiver bridge. By serial #3,330,000 the design had been modified so much that it was decided to give the model a new designation, United States Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903-A3. In October 1942 Smith-Corona began production of the M1903A3 in Syracuse, New York. Smith-Corona rifles were produced using a number of subcontractors, primarily barrels made by High-Standard Manufacturing and Savage Arms. Production of the M1903A3 ended February 12, 1944 when production of M1 Garand rifles was deemed sufficient for the war effort.

The M1903A3 was extensively used by Allied forces in World War II; it was the primary battle rifle of the 1st Brazilian Infantry Division in Italy, and was extensively used by Free French forces after August 1943. It would see action with postwar French forces in Indochina and Algeria. While the basic M1903 and the M1903A1 were distinguished by the use of either a straight-grip stock or a C-type pistol-grip stock, both stock types were used interchangeably in the M1903A3 without any change in designation.

The M1903A3 Springfield and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
The Fighting Seabees		US Marine and CB members		1944
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms		National Guard soldiers		1953
Never So Few		Burmese and american soldiers		1959
Battle of the Bulge		U.S. Army Soldiers		1965
The Wild Bunch	Ben Johnson	Tector		1969
The Wild Bunch	Strother Martin	Coffer		1969
The Wild Bunch		U.S. Army soldiers		1969
The Wild Bunch		Mexican Army soldiers		1969
Badlands		Police officer		1973
Dillinger		U.S. Army soldiers		1973
Ironweed	Jared Swartout	U.S. Army officer		1987
Return from the River Kwai		Japanese soldiers, Miao tribesmen, former Allied POWs		1989
Courage Under Fire		U.S. Army soldiers	With metal parts chromed	1996
The Scoundrel's Wife		U.S. Coast Guard sailors		2002
Gallipoli: End of the Road	Gürkan Uygun	Mushin		2013
Gallipoli: End of the Road	Umut Kurt	Hasan		2013
Gallipoli: End of the Road	Mehmetcan Diper	Eyüp		2013
Gallipoli: End of the Road	Inanç Koçak	Kostas		2013
Gallipoli: End of the Road	Emir Çiçek	Sgt. Enver Çavuş		2013
Gallipoli: End of the Road	Fikret Yildirim Urag	Capt. Ibrahim Adil		2013
Gallipoli: End of the Road		Turkish soldiers		2013

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Air Date
The Pacific	Keith Nobbs	PFC Wilbur 'Runner' Conley		2010
The Pacific	Joshua Bitton	Sgt. J.P. Morgan		2010
The Pacific	Josh Helman	Lew 'Chuckler' Juergens		2010
The Pacific	Tom Budge	PFC Ronnie Gibson		2010
The Pacific	Sam Parsonson	Pvt. William LaPointe		2010
The Pacific		US Marines		2010

Video Game

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault			With scope	2002
Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault			With & without scope	2004
Call of Duty 2				2005
Death to Spies: Moment of Truth				2009
World War II Online: Battleground Europe			Released with 1.34 update	2011
Day of Infamy				2017

M1903A4 Springfield Sniper Rifle

M1903A4 Springfield sniper variant with M84 scope - .30-06

M1903A4 Springfield sniper variant (Remington markings) without scope and with "scant" variation of C-type pistol-grip stock - .30-06

M1903A4 Springfield with Model 330 Weaver scope - .30-06

The M1903A4 is an adaptation of the M1903A3 for sniper use, with the iron sights removed and a low-mounted scope in their place. The M1903A4 was used only by the US Army during World War II, as the Marines preferred their own modified M1903A1 design.

The M1903A4 Springfield Sniper Rifle and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Saving Private Ryan	Barry Pepper	Pvt. Daniel Jackson		1998
Tae Guk Gi		South Korean soldier	With scope removed	2004
Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed		US paratrooper		2012

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Commandos 2: Men of Courage	"M1903 .30-06"			2001
Commandos 3: Destination Berlin	"Allied Sniper Rifle"			2003
Call of Duty				2003
Forgotten Hope				2003
Call of Duty: United Offensive				2004
Day of Defeat		With M82 scope		2004
Call of Duty 3				2006
Far Cry 2			Incorrectly shown loaded with a stripper clip inserted into the bottom of the weapon	2008
Forgotten Hope 2				2005
Medal of Honor				1999
Medal of Honor: Frontline				2002
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun				2003
Medal of Honor: Airborne				2007
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30				2005
Resident Evil 4		With upgradable scope	Inaccurately chambered in .223 Remington	2005
Darkest Hour: Europe '44-'45		With M84 scope		2006
Death to Spies: Moment of Truth				2009
Day of Defeat: Source				2010
World War II Online: Battleground Europe			released with 1.34 update	2011
Sniper Elite V2				2012
Sniper Elite III			"Patriot Weapons Pack" DLC	2014
Sniper Elite 4				2017

Anime

Character	Film Title	Note	Date
	Mayoi Neko Overrun!		2010
Lemure sniper	Baccano!		2007
	Hanasaku Iroha		2011

Sporterized M1903 Springfield

Sporterized M1903 with Weaver telescope.

A Griffin & Howe M1903 Sporter with iron sights.

Springfield M1903 in a Mannlicher Schönauer Carbine stock - .30-'06 This is the screen used rifle (and sling) carried and used by Don Johnson in A Boy and His Dog. The same rifle was also used in The Book of Eli (2010).

Sporterized M1903 Springfield

Sporterized M1903 Springfield

The M1903 and its descendants have long been popular as the basis for custom hunting/target rifles. Famous gunsmith Reginald F. Sedgely and the sporting house of Griffin & Howe (in business since 1923) are two of the most well known makers not to mention the thousands of self-taught hobbyists working in their basements and garages over the past one hundred years.

The Sporterized Springfield Rifle and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
The Book of Eli		Town guard	Same sporterized rifle as used in A Boy and His Dog (1975)	2010
Blue Desert	Philip Baker Hall	Joe	Scoped	1991
The Howling		Colony Resident	Griffin & Howe	1981
Black Sunday	Robert Shaw	Maj. David Kabakov	Scoped	1977
Breaker! Breaker!	Dan Vandegrift	Wilfred	Griffin & Howe?	1977
A Boy and His Dog	Don Johnson	Vic	Customized with Mannlicher Schönauer Carbine (Stutzen) stock	1975
The Dictator's Guns (L'Arme à gauche)	Leo Gordon	Morrison		1965
His Kind of Woman	Vincent Price	Mark Cardigan	Griffin & Howe	1951
His Kind of Woman	Alberto Morin	Lt. Rodriguez	Griffin & Howe	1951
His Kind of Woman		Mexican policemen	Griffin & Howe	1951
High Sierra	Frank Cordell	Slim	scoped sporter	1941

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Air Date
The Walking Dead - Season 3	Lauren Cohan	Maggie	"I Ain't a Judas" (S3E11)	2012-2013