THE M1903 SPRINGFIELD RIFLE

From the collections of the Swedish Army Museum in Stockholm

From the Manual, a U.S. Infantry Soldier in 1917

My cousin, Jim Mears, just gave me the Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Infantry of the Army of the United States - 1917 - that belonged to our grandfather, Peter Haugland.

It's amazing, full of wonderful information including military discipline, weapons and their use and care, camping, cooking, taking and guarding prisoners, codes, maps, first aid, French, and many other things, even a form for last will and testament.

But for here I'll simply mention that in 1917, during WWI, the rifle the U.S. Army was using was the .30 caliber M1903 Springfield. This is a magazine rifle, just over 43 inches long, weighing 8.69 pounds, and sighted for ranges up to 2,850 yards. (Its maximum range, when elevated at 45 degrees, is 389 yards less than 3 miles.) Its bayonet weighs 1 pound and has a 16 inch blade.

The color picture of the M1903 Springfield above I found elsewhere online, but the following diagram is a fold-out from this cool 350-page Manual:

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