Description

The M1903 Springfield, officially the U. S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1903, is an American five-round magazine-fed, bolt-action service repeating rifle, used primarily during the first half of the 20th century.

The M1903 was first used in combat during the Philippine–American War,^[and it was officially adopted by the United States as the standard infantry rifle on June 19, 1903, where it saw service in World War I, and was replaced by the faster-firing semi-automatic eight-round M1 Garand starting in 1936. However, the M1903 remained in service as a standard issue infantry rifle during World War II, since the U.S. entered the war without sufficient M1 rifles to arm all troops. It also remained in service as a sniper rifle during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. It remains popular as a civilian firearm, historical collector's piece, a competitive shooting rifle, and as a military drill rifle.

The U.S. military's primary sniper rifle during World War II, re-dubbed the M1903A4. The adoption of the U.S. Rifle, Caliber. 30 M1903A3 by the U.S. Army on May 21, 1942, had its roots in the activity that ended on the beaches of Dunkirk, France, in June 1940.