https://www.americanrifleman.org/article...m_campaign=0520

I can imagine the grumbling and sputtering of the old ordnance men as they were more or less forced to adopt these pipsqueak-like bullets in their newfangled rifle. Nevertheless, three years later, the 150-gr. spitzer bullet was made standard, and the cartridge was renamed the .30-06 Springfield.

To preserve the early barrels that had a somewhat longer throat for the 220-gr. bullet, these early rifles were returned to the Springfield Armory where their barrels were removed; one thread was removed at the breech and headspaced for the new cartridge. That is why some of these early 1903s have a barrel slightly less than 24 inches long. Now, of course, these examples are quite rare.

Another change adopted in the 1903 was the elimination of the sliding rod-type bayonet and replacing it with a removable blade-type bayonet. President Theodore Roosevelt felt the sliding-rod bayonet was too flimsy and ordered the replacement.

When the U.S. entered World War I, the Springfield and Rock Island armories had made some 843,000-plus 1903 Springfields. Wartime feedback indicated that some rifles failed and injured the soldiers using them, though no fatalities were recorded.

An investigation into these failures showed that many receivers received a single heat treatment or were case-hardened. This was insufficient to handle the higher pressures of the .30-06 cartridge, because some of the carbon could be burned out in the single heat treatment process.

Both armories quickly changed to a double heat treatment process that ensured the carbon content of the steel would remain up to specification. This occurred at approximately serial number 800,000 at the Springfield Armory and 200,000 at the Rock Island facility.

So-called “low number” Springfields—those with serial numbers lower than those mentioned above—are worth less than the “high number” rifles on the market today, and many gunsmiths recommend that they not be fired.

The 1903 Springfield had a pretty good manufacturing and service run. Made from 1905 through 1949, with more than 1.3 million produced, the rifle saw service from 1907 to 1974. Many of the latter-year uses were as a sniper rifle. The 1903 Springfield has a reputation of being very accurate and reliable.

Volumes have been written regarding the variations of the 1903 Springfield—everything from wartime manufacturers (including such names as Remington and Smith-Corona) to specialty rifles like one with an Elder-type periscope stock for trench warfare use and a National Match meant for competition. There were even some special NRA variants sold to NRA members from 1915 to 1917. These are stamped “NRA” on the forward portion of the trigger guard.

After World War I, 1903s began to appear on the surplus market and have always been popular with both target shooters and hunters. Thousands have been “sporterized” and a cottage industry catering to this desire flourished from the 1920s through the 1960s.

Today, the 1903 Springfield carries quite a premium, as do most 20th century military rifles. Parts rifles—those built up from surplus and/or remanufactured parts—are attempting to sate the market as well.

More than a century after its introduction, the gun that started out as a blatant patent rip-off remains quite popular. There’s probably a reason for that.