
The Navy adopted the M1885, and later different style Lee M1895 (a 6mm straight pull bolt), which saw service in the Boxer Rebellion. Army during the 1880s, though the rifle was not formally adopted. Several hundred M1882 Lee Navy Models (M1882 Remington-Lee) were also subjected to trials by the U.S. In 1882, the bolt action Remington Lee rifle design of 1879, with its newly invented detachable box magazine, was purchased in limited numbers by the U.S. military's experience with the Mauser rifle in the 1898 Spanish–American War, authorities decided to adopt a stronger Mauser-derived bolt-action design equipped with a charger- or stripper clip-loaded box magazine.Īdvances in small arms technology Though a stripper-clip or charger loading modification to the Krag was designed, it was clear to Army authorities that a new rifle was required. The United States Army attempted to introduce a higher-velocity cartridge in 1899 for the existing Krags, but its single locking lug on the bolt could not withstand the extra chamber pressure. The two main problems usually cited with the Krag were its slow-to-load magazine and its inability to handle higher chamber pressures for high-velocity rounds. While the Krag had been issued in both a long rifle and carbine, the Springfield was issued only as a short 24-inch barrel rifle in keeping with current trends in Switzerland and Great Britain to eliminate the need for both long rifles and carbines. Army's Krag, but also the Lee M1895 and M1885 Remington–Lee used by the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps, as well as all remaining single-shot trapdoor rifles. The M1903 not only replaced the various versions of the U.S. The US military licensed many of the Mauser Company's and other German patents, including the spitzer bullet, later modified into the. The M1903's forward receiver ring diameter is 1.305 in (33.15 mm), slightly over the 33 mm (1.30 in) ring diameter of the older 'small ring' Mauser models and less than the 'large ring' 35.8 mm (1.41 in) Gewehr 98. The design itself is largely based on the Mauser M1893 and its successive models up to the Gewehr 98 rifle. The 1903 adoption of the M1903 was preceded by nearly 30 years of struggle and politics, using lessons learned from the recently adopted Krag–Jørgensen and contemporary German Mauser Gewehr 98 bolt-action rifles. They recommended replacement of the Krag. Army board of investigation was commissioned as a direct result of both battles. Likewise, earlier in the day, a Spanish force of 540 regulars armed with the same Mauser rifle under Spanish General Vara Del Rey held off General Henry Ware Lawton's Second Division of 6,653 American soldiers and an Independent Brigade of 1,800 men for ten hours in the nearby town of El Caney, keeping that division from assisting in the attack on the San Juan Heights. The Spanish soldiers inflicted 1,400 U.S. troops armed with outclassed Springfield Krag–Jørgensen bolt-action rifles and older single-shot Springfield trapdoor rifles. JSTOR ( August 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)ĭuring the 1898 war with Spain, the Mauser M1893 used by the Spanish Army gained a deadly reputation, particularly from the Battle of San Juan Hill, where 750 Spanish regulars significantly delayed the advance of 15,000 U.S.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "M1903 Springfield" – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This section needs additional citations for verification.


M1903A3: Aperture rear sight, blade type front sight. 30 M1 Ball cartridgeĥ-round stripper clip, 25-round (Air Service Variant) Internal Box Magazineįlip-up rear sight graduated to 2,700 yards (2,500 m), blade post-type front sight. User dependent usually 15 to 30 rounds per minuteĥ,500 yards (5,000 m) with.
