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January 17th, 2005 Gun of the Week - The Springfield 1903. This gun was the one used between 1903 and 1945 (officially) by the US Military. It replaced the Krag-Jorgensen rifle used between 1892 and 1903, and was supplemented by the M1 Garand. It shot the .30-06 cartridge, effective to approximately 1000 yards in the hands of a capable rifleman well trained in its use.
If you think it looks a lot like the Mauser, you are correct. The Krag that it replaced faced off against the Mausers held by the Spaniards in the Spanish-American War. The Krag not only shot a relatively slow round but the magazine was cumbersome to load, and was not well like by troops who had to face the Mauser. The 1903 addressed these and several other issues, copying most of them from the Mauser. There was such consistency between the weapons that a lawsuit was decided in Mauser's favor - repayment was made after World War 1 in the form of credit against German war debt. Surprisingly it was not the primary weapon used by American troops in World War 1. The British-originated Enfield was more numerous, but both of them were less utilized than grenades - in trench warfare, a second grenade can be thrown faster than a second shot from a bolt-action rifle can be fired. The 1903 became the basis for the Pedersen device, a bolt replacement that allowed the rifle to become semi-automatic. Had the devices been produced in sufficient quantities they would have had an enormous impact on the Germans. No one else in the war had any type of semiautomatic, one-man portable rifle. Unfortunately for semiautomatics, the war ended before sufficient quantities could be fielded. It is estimated that less than a quarter million of the devices were ever produced and even fewer survived the post-war disarmament. The 1903 remained in use throughout World War 2, first as a primary weapon (it was easier to manufacture than the Garand) and also as a sniper weapon for both the Army and the Navy. The sniper in Saving Private Ryan used one (equipped with a Marine scope). Following World War 2 it was retired from the US inventory, but scattered use continued into the Vietnam war, mainly as a sniper rifle. Sad day at work - I had to give up my flat screen monitor for use at a trade show in a week. I'll get it back, but not until next month. Grrr. If Pittsburgh faces Philadelphia in the Super Bowl they had better perform better than they did this weekend. Roethlisberger had a rookie year game - not surprising, since this is his rookie year, but still. Now, when the Jets defense scores more than the Jets offense, it doesn't speak well of the Jets defense - and it speaks even less of the Steelers offense. The Steelers came through in the last quarter, getting close enough for the touchdown that tied the game. The OT offense was good enough too - they got closer to the goal line than the Jets offense did, and the two field goal attempts were harder to make. The Steelers have a lot of work to do this week. I hope the Patriots get lazy, but hopes like that don't win games. Touchdowns do. |
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