Specifications
The U.S. rifle, Model of 1903 was 44⅞ inches (1.098 m) long and weighed 8 lb 11 oz (3.95 kg). A bayonet could be attached; the M1905 bayonet blade was 16 in (406 mm) long and weighed 1 lb (0.45 kg). From 1906, the rifle was chambered to fire the .30-caliber M1906 cartridge (.30-06 cartridge), later the M1 (1926) and M2 Ball (1938) rounds. There were four standard types of cartridge:
- Ball— consisted of a brass case or shell, primer, a charge of smokeless powder, and the bullet. The bullet had a sharp point called a spitzer bullet, and was composed of a lead core and a jacket of cupro-nickel (later gilding metal), and in the M1906 design, weighed 150 grains (9.7 g). The bullet of the M1906 cartridge, when fired from the rifle, had an initial velocity of 2,800 ft/s (820 m/s).
- Blank— contained a paper cup instead of a bullet. It is dangerous up to 33 yd (30 m).
- Guard— had a smaller charge of powder than the ball cartridge, and five cannelures encircle the body of the shell at about the middle to distinguish it from ball cartridges. It was intended for use on guard or in riot duty, and it gave good results up to 200 yd (180 m). The range of 100 yd (91 m) required a sight elevation of 450 yd (410 m), and the range of 200 yd (180 m) required an elevation of 645 yd (590 m).
- Dummy— this was tin-plated and the shell was provided with six longitudinal corrugations and three circular holes. The primer contains no percussion composition. It was intended for drill purposes to accustom the soldier to the operation of loading the rifle.
The rifle was sighted for 2,500 yd (2,300 m) and had a point-blank range of 500 yd (460 m). The maximum range of the ball cartridge, when elevated at an angle of 45°, was 4,890 yd (4.47 km; 2.78 mi).
The rifle was a magazine-fed clip-loader and could fire at a rate of 20 shots per minute. Each stripper clip contained 5 cartridges, and standard issue consisted of 12 clips carried in a cloth bandolier. When full the bandolier weighed about 3 lb 14 oz (1.8 kg). Bandoliers were packed 20 in a box, for a total of 1,200 rounds. The full box weighed 100 lb (45 kg).
| Material | 200 yards | 180 meters | 600 yards | 550 meters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial steel | 0.30 in | 0.76 cm | 0.10 in | 0.25 cm |
| One-inch broken stone, gravel | 4.80 in | 12.2 cm | 4.29 in | 10.9 cm |
| Hard coal between 1-inch (25 mm) boards |
9 in | 23 cm | 7 in | 18 cm |
| Brick masonry, cement | 2.20 in | 5.6 cm | 1.2 in | 3.0 cm |
| Brick masonry, lime | 2.4 in | 6.1 cm | 1.2 in | 3.0 cm |
| Sand, dry | 9 in | 23 cm | 12.2 in | 31 cm |
| Concrete, 1-3-5 | 3.0 in | 7.6 cm | 2.0 in | 5.1 cm |
| Oak | 27.2 in | 69 cm | 11.8 in | 30 cm |
| Sand, wet | 15.0 in | 38 cm | 13.0 in | 33 cm |
| Pine | 26 in | 66 cm | 11.8 in | 30 cm |
| Earth, loam | 20.1 in | 51 cm | 16.1 in | 41 cm |
| Grease clay | 59.8 in | 152 cm | 31.9 in | 81 cm |
150 rounds concentrated at one spot will break a 9 inches (23 cm) wall of brick masonry at 200 yd (180 m).
The bore of the rifle is 0.30 inches (7.62 mm) in diameter. It was then rifled 0.004 in (0.1 mm) deep, making the diameter from the bottom of one groove to the bottom of the opposite groove 0.30787 in (7.82 mm) of the barrel.
The 1903 rifle included a rear sight leaf that could be used to adjust for elevation. When the leaf was flat, the battle sight appeared on top. This sight was set for 546 yd (499 m)., and was not adjustable. When the leaf was raised it could be adjusted to a maximum extreme range of 2,875 yd (2,629 m). The rear sight could also be adjusted for windage.
The 1903A3 rear sight was an aperture sight adjustable both for elevation and windage.
Read more about this topic: M1903 Springfield