M1903A3 Springfield
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 610 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.94 kg
- Introduced
- 1942
About
What it is, and why it matters
The M1903A3 Springfield is a bolt-action rifle, a World War II production-simplified version of the venerable M1903 Springfield chambered in .30-06 Springfield. Adopted in 1942 and manufactured chiefly by Remington Arms and the Smith-Corona typewriter company, it replaced machined components with stamped parts to speed wartime output and substituted the original leaf-type tangent rear sight with a sturdy receiver-mounted aperture (peep) sight, improving practical accuracy. It served alongside the M1 Garand as a substitute-standard service rifle, drill rifle, and sniper platform throughout WWII.
When the United States entered World War II, M1 Garand production could not yet equip the entire force, so the older bolt-action M1903 was rushed back into mass production. The A3 simplification (stamped parts and a robust receiver peep sight) was the wartime expedient that kept this 1903-era design fighting through 1945.
The A3 differed from earlier M1903s mainly in its use of stamped metal parts and a rear receiver-mounted peep sight. Its accurized sibling, the M1903A4, served the US military as a sniper rifle into the 1960s.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Remington Arms
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1942 to 1944
- Variant of
- Wartime production
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 610 mm
- Overall length
- 1097 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.94 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 5
- Magazine
- Fixed box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Parkerized
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 823 m/s
- Effective range
- 550 m
- Maximum range
- 4100 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Receiver mounted aperture sight
Stripper clip loading- Stamped parts
Mauser type bolt
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 75 .30-06 Springfield rifles | 3.94 kg | 3.40 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 73 .30-06 Springfield rifles | 1097 mm | 1100 mm | Near the median |
| Barrel lengthAmong 75 .30-06 Springfield rifles | 610 mm | 584 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 78 .30-06 Springfield rifles | 5 | 4 | Holds more rounds than about 80% |
Answers
Questions about the M1903A3 Springfield
How much does the M1903A3 Springfield weigh?
The M1903A3 Springfield weighs 3.94 kg (8.69 lb) empty.
What caliber is the M1903A3 Springfield?
The M1903A3 Springfield is chambered in .30-06 Springfield.
How many rounds does the M1903A3 Springfield hold?
The M1903A3 Springfield holds 5 rounds, fed from a fixed box magazine.
How long is the M1903A3 Springfield?
The M1903A3 Springfield is 1097 mm (43.2 in) long overall, with a 610 mm (24.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the M1903A3 Springfield?
The M1903A3 Springfield is made by Remington Arms (United States). It was designed by Springfield Armory.
When was the M1903A3 Springfield introduced?
The M1903A3 Springfield was introduced in 1942 and discontinued in 1944.
How does the M1903A3 Springfield operate?
The M1903A3 Springfield uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- United States Army
- 1942
- United States Marine Corps
- 1942
Provenance
Confidence in this record
86%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/m1903a3-springfield' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "m1903a3-springfield", "name": "M1903A3 Springfield", "manufacturer": { "id": "remington", "name": "Remington Arms", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1816, "website": "https://www.remarms.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": "active", "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "f839df62af811e3e261014e3302be8a7e112b5d78fb2f9f7bfad68d74817c9c8" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1942, "barrel_length_mm": 610, "weight_empty_g": 3940, "action_type": "bolt_action"}