The
1903 Springfield
Classic
Test: 1903 Springfield NRA Sporter
by Garry James, Guns & Ammo Magazine
Someone once said that the Model 98 Mauser was a hunting rifle,
the Mark III SMLE a battle rifle, and the 1903 Springfield
a target rifle.. As the ’03 was basically a Mauser-style
action, this is a double tribute to the 98, but the Yankee
Springfield added a few wrinkles of its own—good and
bad.
The
’03, as its name implies, was adopted in 1903 as a replacement
for the well-made but flawed Krag-Jorgensen.
The 1903 Springfield NRA Sporter was a nifty .30-06 made at
Springfield Armory for purchase by NRA members.
Designers
took the Mauser action and altered it by replacing the single
firing pin with a two-piece unit. While a broken pin could
be more easily fixed, the modification caused the assembly
to be somewhat weaker than the original. Too, the gun’s
breeching setup owed more to the Krag than the Mauser, resulting
in less case support and some gas control problems. It was
also fitted with a magazine cutoff—an arrangement that
was in vogue at the time but which proved to be pretty much
of a fifth wheel. The cutoff prevented rounds (the gun held
five) from being stripped off from the magazine and allowed
it to be fired single shot, should the need ever arise. The
gun that originally appeared in 1903 had a full-length walnut
stock, blued barrel and other metal parts, case-hardened receiver
and a sophisticated ladder sight. An unusual feature was an
integral rod-style bayonet that harkened back to a similar
design on the Model 1884 .45-70 "Trapdoor" rifle.
President
Theodore Roosevelt looked at the gun and, while he was pleased
with it overall, made some suggestions that resulted in a
somewhat changed—and improved—version that appeared
some two years later. The new gun dispensed with the fragile
rod bayonet and incorporated a lug on the front barrel band
for a more conventional blade. The rear sight was also changed
and made more robust and user-friendly.
The
round developed for the 1903 was a Mauser-style rimless cartridge
that fired a 220-grain cupro-nickel-jacketed roundnose .30
bullet at some 2,300 feet per second (fps). Following the
adoption by the Germans of a 154-grain spitzer bullet that
had a muzzle velocity of 2,880 fps, U.S. Ordnance officials
began rethinking our 1903 round and came up with an improved
version with a 150-grain spitzer bullet and MV of 2,700. The
new "Model 1906" (or .30-06) case was .070 inch
longer than its predecessor and more than lived up to its
promise as a military round. With various loadings it became
one of the world’s preeminent hunting rounds and a not
too bad targeteer.
There
is little question that the improved 1903 Springfield was
one of the handsomest military rifles ever designed.. It worked
well and saw early use in the Philippines, Mexico and in Europe
during World War I, though in the latter conflict it was overshadowed
by the Model 1917 U.S. "Enfield," which was issued
in greater numbers.
The
’03 proved to be pretty versatile. Such modifications
as an Air Service version with a 25-round extension magazine
and chopped stock to be carried in observation balloons were
essayed, as was a modification of the gun that could be fitted
with a semi-automatic "Pedersen Device." A pretty
good sniper version topped with, among others, a sophisticated
prismatic Model 1908 Warner-Swazey scope saw some use in Flanders.
To put the gun on safe, the lever is pushed all the way to
the right. This is similar to the Mauser system, which the
Springfield emulates.
It
was recognized early on that the ’03 Springfield was
no slouch on the target range either, and moves were made
to improve the rifle for competition. Several National Match
models were worked with, one of the more popular being the
NRA Sporter, which was first introduced in 1924.
Manufactured
at Springfield Armory, this gun could be purchased by National
Rifle Association members. The original cost of the gun was
a not insubstantial $50.84, which was reduced to $42.50 by
1932. It sported a 1922-style half-stock with pistol grip
and no finger grooves, a National Match-quality action, a
heavy star-gauged barrel, and steel shotgun-style buttplate.
The military sight was replaced with a Lyman 48 receiver peep.
While
the gun was finished pretty much in the manner of the military
arm, the bright bolt had a serial number electric-pencilled
on the body of the bright metal bolt. Some 6,500 of these
guns were made between 1924 and 1933, when Springfield ceased
manufacture. There was enough competition from private companies
such as Griffin & Howe to make the venture redundant.
Like
its martial brother, the NRA Sporter had a three-position
safety mounted on the rear of the bolt, a cutoff and knurled
cocking piece. To put the gun on safe, the tab is moved all
the way to the right. A central, vertical position keeps the
gun from firing but allows the bolt to be withdrawn. To remove
the bolt, one simply puts the cutoff in its middle position
and slides the assembly from the receiver.
Our
evaluation NRA Sporter was a pristine example that had obviously
seen little use. The bore was perfect and the very nice, relatively
un-stagey trigger came in at an agreeable 2½ pounds,
about 3 pounds lighter than the triggers I’ve tested
on standard military ’03s. The gun shouldered well and
the bolt worked like glass.
Sighting
on the gun, as per original specs, consisted of a precision
Lyman Model 48 with knob adjustments for elevation and windage.
The front sight was a military blade style, knurled at the
rear of the base to reduce glare. Chosen ammunition for our
evaluation was 143-grain PMP FJBT, 165-grain Federal Premium
and 150-grain Winchester Supreme Power Point Plus. After a
bit of fiddling with the sight, the gun hit pretty much to
point of aim at 100 yards and gave consistent 1-inch-plus
groups—not bad for a shooter like myself with superannuated
vision. Functioning was perfect. The gun was comfortable to
shoot on the bench or off, and the heavily checkered, curved
buttplate was a definite shooting aid.
Without
question, the NRA Sporter was an absolutely lovely gun and
one, I am sure, that could be made to perform even better
in the hands of a serious target shooter. Perhaps the thing
that impressed me most about the piece, though, was that it
showed that it was actually possible for a private individual
to purchase a high-quality sporting arm from a federal armory
and that shooting sports were not only condoned but promoted
by the government!
Good
lord, how things have changed.
This
article courtesy of Guns
and Ammo Magazine.
