Pennsylvania Game News - September 2009 - 62

around 1900 when the search for a new service rifle and cartridge began. In 1903 the Springfield Model 1903 rifle was adopted, along with a 308-caliber cartridge called the .30-03 Springfield. The Springfield 03 was such a close copy of the Mauser 98 (dual locking lugs, large extractor claw, milled slot in receiver to accommodate the stripper clip and a safety lug) that we paid $200,000 in royalties for patent infringements. The differences were that the Springfield had a cone type of breech (the Mauser had a square breech), a 2-piece firing pin, it retained the Krag flared cocking knob and magazine cut-off (which also acts as a bolt stop in allowing it to be taken out of the action), the 3-way wing safety has a fully adjustable ladder rear sight. The Springfield 03 was a strong design, but the early ones had a flaw in the single heat treating process that left some of those actions brittle enough to where they have been know to break when hit or dropped on a hard surface or, worse, when fired. There was no way of knowing which ones were brittle, so as a precaution they were recalled and doubled heat treated to make them stronger. Those models made at the Springfield Armory above 850,000 and those made at Rock Island Armory above 286,000 are considered safe. Years later both armories abandoned the double heat treatment process and went to nickel steel receivers that were as strong or stronger. There were several models of the Springfield 03, and many books have been written in detail, but here is a quick overview. The 03A1 had a pistol grip stock and fully adjustable rear sight on the barrel. The 03A2 was a practice rifle placed in tank cannons. The 03A3 had a stamped trigger guard and straight stock, and fully adjustable sights were moved to the top of the receiver. The 03A4 was a sniper rifle without open sights but had a Weaver 330 scope (also Lyman Alaskans and Unertls) installed. The Mark I was a 03 cut for the semi-auto Pederson device. Other versions 62 included the Springfield Sporter, the M1922 (the .22LR version of the 03) and the famous National Match 1903, which dominated the competitive target ranges for many years. About four million Springfield 1903s and its versions were made at Springfield & Rock Island armories, Remington Arms and Smith Corona Typewriters. Springfields made great sporters and many thousands have been customized throughout the years. Those rifles that have been left in military dress command higher and higher prices each year, and even the customized ones from outfits such as Griffin and Howe fetch a good price. The .30-06 cartridge needs no introduction, but for those of you who might have noticed my “.30-03 cartridge” of earlier mention and thought that it was a typo; it wasn’t. The original Springfield 03 rifle was chambered for the .30-03 cartridge, which was a rimless case in 308-caliber that incorporated a 220-grain round nose bullet at 2,400 fps. When the United States military realized the ballistic advantages in the German spitzer 8mm bullet, in 1906 they shortened the cartridge neck a little and switched to 150- and 174-grain spitzers and renamed it the .30-06 Springfield. Those ballistically superior bullets created a longer freebore in the chambers, so Springfield called back the rifles and cut a little off the breech end and set the barrel back enough to accommodate the shorter cartridge. The new 150and 174-grain bullets traveling at 2,700 plus fps were ballistically superior to the older 220-grain round nose slug. Needless to say, for the past 100 years the .30-06 cartridge has been our mainstay round, and has been chambered in every type of action a sportsman could want. For hunting big game the 150- to 165-grain bullets are perfect for deer and antelope, and for anything larger, such as moose, elk and bears, there are the 180- to 220-grain missiles. For long range accurate shooting it’s hard to beat the 168- to 190-grain GAME NEWS

Pennsylvania Game News - September 2009

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