The .30-06 cartridge is now 106 years old, and yet today it's still one of the most popular rifle cartridges in the U.S. That's for good reason. Invented to deal with human beings, it's powerful enough for any game on the North American continent when properly used. I thought it would be fun to trace its history through the rifles using it in our armed forces.
This first one is now over 100 years old. It is a Model 1903, made at Springfield Armory in January, 1906, chambered for the old .30-03, which used a 220-grain bullet. It was recalled and re-barreled to the newer spitzer-bulleted .30-06 cartridge in August, 1908. It was apparently parkerized in the WWII period. In spite of it being a "low number" rifle and therefore supposedly being unsafe to shoot, this one has seen considerable use. Apparently it was used for target shooting, because it had a cardboard shim in the stock near the muzzle that was rather charred from barrel heat. Note the straight-down rather than swept-back bolt handle.
This next one is the quintessential World War I-era Model 1903 Springfield, with later arsenal rework. The receiver was made in September or October of 1918. In 1946, it was re-barreled and parkerized. This is typical of most of the '03s from the WWI period.
Strangely, most of our troops in France in WWI used the 1917 "Enfield" rifle. This was a modification of the Pattern 14 British rifle, changed to fire the .30-06. It used a cock-on-closing action, had a bridge-mounted peep sight, and had a capacity of six rounds rather than the 5 rounds of the '03. I once worked with a WWI vet who used one and swore by it. They were made by Remington, Winchester, and Eddystone Arsenal. This Winchester example was produced in September, 1918.
John D. Pedersen, a talented inventor, came up with what is today called the Pedersen Device; a semiautomatic bolt that reciprocated within the '03 receiver. This formerly top secret device fired a pistol-size cartridge, fed from a magazine that slanted away from the top of the breech area. The rifles that were made for it were designated as the Mark I, and featured a small ejection port in the left side of the receiver, plus modified parts to enable use of the Pedersen magazine and semiautomatic triggering. This scheme came too late for use in WWI, and most of the devices were later scrapped. The rifles can still be found here and there. Here are two views of a Mark I made in 1919. It carries the acceptance mark of Elmer Keith at the Ogden, Utah arsenal. All the Pedersen-modifed parts are still intact as is the original finish. This has the very rare Model 1927 web sling. It's the only one I've ever seen, and I bought it immediately when I saw it and recognized what it was.
Rock Island Arsenal also made Model 1903 rifles that were almost identical to those made at Springfield. This one left RIA in 1919.
Between WWI and WWII, the Model 1903A1 appeared and became standard. The main change was that it used a pistol-grip stock without finger grooves. This particular rifle came out of Springfield in 1934. It was one of many that were re-stocked, re-barreled and re-finished during the WWII period. Note the early straight bolt handle used on this one.
It was "the greatest battle implement ever designed" according to General George Patton. This was the incomparable M1 rifle, the design of John Cantius Garand. Adopted in 1936, it gave our soldiers a reliable semiauto rifle when most of the participants in WWII had few or none. This example was made at Springfield Armory in 1941; it was lend-leased to the British during the war and bears British markings.
A talented Marine Corps captain, Melvin Johnson, designed and produced a unique recoil-operated semiautomatic rifle. It unsuccessfully competed for an Army contract, but the Marine Corps bought a number to equip their para-Marines and raiders. The Model of 1941 Johnson rifle is a rare one to find today, and it's become a very valuable and sought-after collectible. This one left Johnson Automatics in 1941.
At the beginning of WWII, the government dusted off the retired Rock Island Model 1903 machinery and donated it to Remington so that they could begin to produce the '03. The first Remington '03s were similar to the earlier RIA guns, but soon production shortcuts were instituted to allow better volume. This was known as the M1903 (modified). The visual tipoff is the use of a non-grooved rear sight base, a "no finger groove" stock and non-grooved sight adjustment knobs. This one was made in 1942.
Almost immediately, Remington recognized that to fulfill production quotas, they would have to modify the '03 still further to speed things along. Their solution, approved by the Army Ordnance Department, was the Model 1903A3. (The Model 1903A2 was a subcaliber accessory for artillery). The '03A3 featured many stamped parts and a receiver-mounted adjustable rear sight similar to that used on the .30 caliber M1 carbine in later production. Here is a Remington example, made in 1943.
The Model 1903A3 was also produced by the Smith-Corona typewriter factory. It also saw wide use in WWII. This one was also made in 1943. Note the use of pins rather than stock bolts in the stock - another wartime expedient measure.
Our standard sniper rifle during WWII was known as the Model 1903A4. It was basically a modifed 'A3 and most were equipped with scopes made by the W.R. Weaver Company in El Paso, Texas. They sure weren't the best sniper weapons in the war, but they gave service in both the European and Pacific theaters of operation. All were made by Remington; this one in August of 1943.
After the war, many '03A3s were chromed and used for parade and ceremonial uses. I remember using them in both high school and college as a member of ROTC drill teams. This rifle was originally made by Remington in 1943. It remained fully functional, although many of these "parade rifles" were made inoperable, as they were mostly just for show.
The .30-06 cartridge was officially retired for rifles in 1957 as the new M14 rifles were phased in, replacing the M1 rifles which had been produced by a number of manufacturers after the war. It continued to be used in machine guns for quite a while after the war. It's still a powerful and effective round, although the military rifles which used it are quickly becoming relics and collector items.
I hope you enjoyed this brief summary!
John
This first one is now over 100 years old. It is a Model 1903, made at Springfield Armory in January, 1906, chambered for the old .30-03, which used a 220-grain bullet. It was recalled and re-barreled to the newer spitzer-bulleted .30-06 cartridge in August, 1908. It was apparently parkerized in the WWII period. In spite of it being a "low number" rifle and therefore supposedly being unsafe to shoot, this one has seen considerable use. Apparently it was used for target shooting, because it had a cardboard shim in the stock near the muzzle that was rather charred from barrel heat. Note the straight-down rather than swept-back bolt handle.
This next one is the quintessential World War I-era Model 1903 Springfield, with later arsenal rework. The receiver was made in September or October of 1918. In 1946, it was re-barreled and parkerized. This is typical of most of the '03s from the WWI period.
Strangely, most of our troops in France in WWI used the 1917 "Enfield" rifle. This was a modification of the Pattern 14 British rifle, changed to fire the .30-06. It used a cock-on-closing action, had a bridge-mounted peep sight, and had a capacity of six rounds rather than the 5 rounds of the '03. I once worked with a WWI vet who used one and swore by it. They were made by Remington, Winchester, and Eddystone Arsenal. This Winchester example was produced in September, 1918.
John D. Pedersen, a talented inventor, came up with what is today called the Pedersen Device; a semiautomatic bolt that reciprocated within the '03 receiver. This formerly top secret device fired a pistol-size cartridge, fed from a magazine that slanted away from the top of the breech area. The rifles that were made for it were designated as the Mark I, and featured a small ejection port in the left side of the receiver, plus modified parts to enable use of the Pedersen magazine and semiautomatic triggering. This scheme came too late for use in WWI, and most of the devices were later scrapped. The rifles can still be found here and there. Here are two views of a Mark I made in 1919. It carries the acceptance mark of Elmer Keith at the Ogden, Utah arsenal. All the Pedersen-modifed parts are still intact as is the original finish. This has the very rare Model 1927 web sling. It's the only one I've ever seen, and I bought it immediately when I saw it and recognized what it was.
Rock Island Arsenal also made Model 1903 rifles that were almost identical to those made at Springfield. This one left RIA in 1919.
Between WWI and WWII, the Model 1903A1 appeared and became standard. The main change was that it used a pistol-grip stock without finger grooves. This particular rifle came out of Springfield in 1934. It was one of many that were re-stocked, re-barreled and re-finished during the WWII period. Note the early straight bolt handle used on this one.
It was "the greatest battle implement ever designed" according to General George Patton. This was the incomparable M1 rifle, the design of John Cantius Garand. Adopted in 1936, it gave our soldiers a reliable semiauto rifle when most of the participants in WWII had few or none. This example was made at Springfield Armory in 1941; it was lend-leased to the British during the war and bears British markings.
A talented Marine Corps captain, Melvin Johnson, designed and produced a unique recoil-operated semiautomatic rifle. It unsuccessfully competed for an Army contract, but the Marine Corps bought a number to equip their para-Marines and raiders. The Model of 1941 Johnson rifle is a rare one to find today, and it's become a very valuable and sought-after collectible. This one left Johnson Automatics in 1941.
At the beginning of WWII, the government dusted off the retired Rock Island Model 1903 machinery and donated it to Remington so that they could begin to produce the '03. The first Remington '03s were similar to the earlier RIA guns, but soon production shortcuts were instituted to allow better volume. This was known as the M1903 (modified). The visual tipoff is the use of a non-grooved rear sight base, a "no finger groove" stock and non-grooved sight adjustment knobs. This one was made in 1942.
Almost immediately, Remington recognized that to fulfill production quotas, they would have to modify the '03 still further to speed things along. Their solution, approved by the Army Ordnance Department, was the Model 1903A3. (The Model 1903A2 was a subcaliber accessory for artillery). The '03A3 featured many stamped parts and a receiver-mounted adjustable rear sight similar to that used on the .30 caliber M1 carbine in later production. Here is a Remington example, made in 1943.
The Model 1903A3 was also produced by the Smith-Corona typewriter factory. It also saw wide use in WWII. This one was also made in 1943. Note the use of pins rather than stock bolts in the stock - another wartime expedient measure.
Our standard sniper rifle during WWII was known as the Model 1903A4. It was basically a modifed 'A3 and most were equipped with scopes made by the W.R. Weaver Company in El Paso, Texas. They sure weren't the best sniper weapons in the war, but they gave service in both the European and Pacific theaters of operation. All were made by Remington; this one in August of 1943.
After the war, many '03A3s were chromed and used for parade and ceremonial uses. I remember using them in both high school and college as a member of ROTC drill teams. This rifle was originally made by Remington in 1943. It remained fully functional, although many of these "parade rifles" were made inoperable, as they were mostly just for show.
The .30-06 cartridge was officially retired for rifles in 1957 as the new M14 rifles were phased in, replacing the M1 rifles which had been produced by a number of manufacturers after the war. It continued to be used in machine guns for quite a while after the war. It's still a powerful and effective round, although the military rifles which used it are quickly becoming relics and collector items.
I hope you enjoyed this brief summary!
John
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