Stocks ofexisting M1903 rifleswere quickly depleted to train and equip Americas fighting men.
Remington had taken over M1903 production during September 1941, using well-worn tooling originally from Rock Island Arsenal.
Classic walnut stocks with finger grooves gave way to utilitarian straight-line stocks.
As the number of tiny changes mounted and the wartime production pressures grew, U.S.
Ordnance decided to discontinue production of the M1903.
Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903A3was born.
The new aperture sight was positioned closer to the eye and proved easier to use.
For marksmen, the M1903A3s effective range remained at about 1,000 yards with the.30-06 cartridge.
Emergency Concerns
As the war continued, machining and finishing operations continued to be abbreviated.
The 03A3 barrels were simplified by replacing the original Springfield four-groove jot down with two lands and grooves.
Occasionally, the modifications created solutions to problems with the original design.
Also, the 03A3s stock furniture parts were produced from stamped metal.
Famous rifles like the Mauser, Arisaka and Mosin-Nagant all witnessed changes to their once elegant manufacturing standards.
The same was true with the M1903A3 Springfield rifle.
In truth, the Springfield rifles, including theM1903A3s, played a significant role as combat weapons.
The M7 Grenade Launcher fitted to the M1 rifle disabled the Garands semi-auto firing capability.
With the M7 launcher in place, the Garand could only be fired by cycling the action by hand.
The bolt-action M1903 rifles used the M1 Grenade Launcher and operated normally while the clamp-on launcher was attached.
