CLASSIC GUNS
A Century Of Springfields
America's great '03 is 100 years old.
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In the dawn of the 20th century King George V replaced Queen Victoria on the British throne, but the sun still never set on the British Empire. The German Kaiser was not yet a huge concern, but Germany's industrial power was starting to worry the long-dominant Brits. Across the pond a young upstart named Theodore Roosevelt was president of a still-young nation, and he was starting to wield his Big Stick--worrying the staid Europeans to no end.
In 1903 Roosevelt got a brand new "Big Stick" in the form of the 1903 Springfield service rifle. It replaced the smooth-operating Krag-Jorgensen in .30 U.S. (.30-40 Krag), in service only since 1898. It became the longest-running standard service rifle in United States history (fact), the most beloved rifle action of the 20th century (popular opinion) and was the best bolt-action military rifle the world ever saw (my opinion).
In longevity, the muzzleloading .58-caliber Springfield rifle of the 1860s was replaced in part by the same rifles converted to breechloader, using the .50-70 cartridge, between 1866 and 1873. In 1873 the trapdoor Springfield was adopted, using the .45-70 cartridge. Twenty-five years later the Krag, America's first repeater, was adopted, but there were still many trapdoor Springfields in service when the '03 Springfield was adopted just five years later.
The Springfield remained our standard service rifle until replaced by the semiautomatic Garand in 1942, although it was late in World War II before the replacement was complete. The Garand was replaced by the M14 in 1957, with the M-16 officially adopted in 1964.
So, on the surface, at this writing the '03 Springfield and the M16 are tied for longevity in service at 39 years each, and it seems certain the M16 will win. I don't think that's either fair or accurate.
Standard 1903 Springfields remained in service throughout, although there were several mild revisions--peep sights, pistolgrip stocks (1903A1 through 1903A4). The key is that the Springfield barreled action adopted in 1903 remained unchanged for its 39 years. The M16 has undergone several significant revisions in its 39 years--to the M16A1 with bolt assist, to the M16A2 with heavy barrel and different twist and eventually to the M16A4 with different sights and accessory-mounting rail (mostly cosmetic). So I believe the good old '03 has the record for longevity as a service rifle.
The Springfield saw us through countless "banana war" skirmishes as America flexed her muscles. It made the last great cavalry campaign with Pershing into Mexico and was our standard battle rifle--augmented by 1917 Enfields--in World War I. It was the Springfield that fought so hard--and lost--in the Philippines and on Wake Island. And it was the Springfield--and its 16-inch bayonet--that triumphed on Guadalcanal when the fleet sailed away and left General Vandegrift's First Marine Division alone. Consistently more accurate than the Garand, it remained in limited service among snipers, sharpshooters and die-hards throughout World War II, Korea and the earliest years of Vietnam.
My comment about the Springfield being the most loved rifle action of the last century is impossible to prove, but few shooters over the age of 40 would dispute it. Prior to World War II the Springfield was the sporting rifle action of the elite. It started with Theodore Roosevelt himself, who used a Springfield extensively on his historic 1909-10 African safari. It continued for decades--Stewart Edward White, Ernest Hemingway, Col. Townsend Whelen. It was the action of choice for great American custom makers like Griffin & Howe and R.F. Sedgely. After World War II the floodgates opened, with literally millions of surplus Springfields suddenly available for a song. A surplus Springfield was the first centerfire for most shooters of my generation, me included.
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