Springfield Armory 1903 US U.S. .30-06 Bolt Action Rifle WWI WWII 1907 C&R

SOLD FOR: $1275

LSB#: 220423MC010

Make: Springfield Armory

Model: 1903

Serial Number: 288258

Year of Manufacture: 1907 (page 374 of Joe Poyer’s book, The M1903 Springfield Rifle and its Variations, 3rd Edition).
Barrel Date: March, 1908

Caliber: .30-06 Springfield

Action Type: Bolt Action, Internal Magazine

Markings: The top of the receiver is marked “U.S. / SPRINGFIELD / ARMORY / MODEL 1903 / 288258”. The top of the Springfield barrel is marked “S A / flaming bomb / 3 – 08”. The safety is marked “SAFE READY” and the magazine cutoff is marked “ON OFF”. The barrel band is marked “U”. The bayonet lug is marked “H”. The bottom of the bolt handle is marked with a punch. The left side of the stock, above the trigger, is marked with a Springfield Armory inspector’s stamp that was used between 1908 and 1915 “B.H.M. in a box”.  The bottom of the grip is marked with a faded “circled P” proof.

Barrel Length: Approximately 24 Inches

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a pinned blade atop a barrel mounted base. A removable protective hood is installed. The rear sight is a “U” notched blade attached to a fully adjustable sight ladder marked from “3-27”. When flipped up separate notches and an aperture on the ladder can be used for sighting.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The two piece hardwood stock has a straight grip, metal nosecap with bayonet lug, stacking loop, barrel band, two sling loops, through bolt, and a metal buttplate with hinged door for storage. The buttplate & stock hardware have been refinished. The buttplate shows discoloration from oxidation. The wood shows cracks and repairs on the top of the grip, in the right finger groove, and along the bottom right edge ending at the front of the bottom metal. The wood shows other scrapes and compression marks. The butt shows spots of mildew. The LOP measures 12 3/4 inches from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The stock rates in about Very Good Plus to Fine overall condition as refurbished.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original. The metal has been treated with cold blue.

Bore Condition: The muzzle & grooves are gray and the rifling is deep. There is erosion in the bore. The erosion is more prominent in the grooves and at the muzzle. The bore shows an M.E. 0.5.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 25% of its current metal finish. The metal has been treated with cold blue but has lost most of the cold blue finish. The metal shows scrapes, thin scratches and varying degrees of thinning. The thinned portions of the metal show discoloration from oxidation. The screw heads show light use. The markings are deep. Overall, this rifle rates in about Very Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None

Our Assessment:  When the US Army was looking for a rifle design to replace the 1898 Krag rifle, they looked directly at the Spanish Model 1893 Mauser. This was due to the fact that the performance of the Model 1893 Mauser was far superior than that of the 1898 Krag during the Spanish-American War. The Model 1903 is basically a redesigned Mauser. A U.S. Patent Court eventually found that the U.S. Army had violated Mauser’s patents and required the U.S. Army to pay the German Mauser manufacturers patent royalties. Payments were stopped once WWI started. The 1903 has a strong reliable action that served the Army for over thirty years in two world wars.

This Springfield Armory 1903 was made back in 1907 so it was around for all of WWI and WWII. It is in pretty good shape for a 115 year old military rifle. Its metal has been treated with cold blue and its stock has been refurbished. The rifle has nice Springfield markings on the receiver and barrel. The receiver markings are in the early Springfield font. The stock is also marked with an early Springfield inspector’s cartouche. This Springfield Model 1903 will add nicely to your military collection.

Springfield Armory 1903 US U.S. .30-06 Bolt Action Rifle WWI WWII 1907 C&R
Springfield Armory 1903 US U.S. .30-06 Bolt Action Rifle WWI WWII 1907 C&R