During the final development of the M1903 the Small Arms Firing Regulations of 1904 was released and authorized the issue of telescopic sights on rifles to specially designated marksmen. M1903 Springfield was introduced and into production, the Ordnance Department began developmental work on a telescopic-sighted version of the new rifle. There are few differences, other than cosmetics, from the original M1903 prototype rifles and while it was officially adopted in 1906, it retained the M1903 model number. The total length of the rifle was 43.2″ and it weighed in at 8.69 lbs.

It had a 24″ barrel, a “turn-down” bolt, five round internal magazine that could be either loaded with a stripper clip or individually, and was fitted with a ladder style rear sight. The original M1903 rifles featured a straight stock, lacking the pistol grip that was added with the later A1 version of the rifle in 1929. The rifle and cartridge were officially adopted by the US Military in 1906 and remained the standard service rifle for 40 years and served as a sniper rifle for nearly 60. 30 caliber pointed-nose bullet which would come to be known as the. When developing the M1903, Springfield Armory patterned it after the renowned Mauser designs and then paired it with a 150 grain.

That is where the US M1903 rifle came onto the scene.

Additional Notes: These are rare and very collectible sniper riflesĪt the end of the 19th century, the United States needed a new battle rifle to modernize their current rifles and to bring them into the 20th century.

Unertl serial numbers