Springfield Rifle

More to Explore

People and Groups

Themes

Events

Related Topics

Recommended Articles

  • History of War

    History of War

    Fought over resources, land or ideological differences, wars have continued to redraw the world map.

  • Plattsburgh, Battle of

    battle during the War of 1812 that resulted in an important American victory on Lake Champlain that saved New York from possible British invasion via the Hudson River valley.

  • Ho Chi Minh Trail

    elaborate system of mountain and jungle paths and trails used by North Vietnam to infiltrate troops and supplies into South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos during the Vietnam War.

  • Battle of White Plains

    (Oct. 28, 1776), in the U.S. War of Independence, indecisive action forcing American withdrawal, part of the British campaign of 1776 to defeat American Gen.

any of several rifles that were standard infantry weapons of the U.S. Army most of the time from 1873 to 1936, all taking their name from the Springfield Armory, established at Springfield, Mass., by the U.S. Congress in 1794. The armoury had produced smoothbore muskets from its earliest days, and between 1858 and 1865 it turned out more than 840,000 .58-calibre rifled muskets. In 1866, it began adapting the muzzle-loading rifles to breech-loading, single-shot rifles by making a “trapdoor” for the breech with latch, firing pin, and extractor for the cartridge case.

From 1873 to 1892 the armoury turned out breech-loading, single-shot Springfield .45-70s (.45 calibre with 70 grains of black powder). Between 1892 and 1903 the U.S. Army used a Norwegian-designed Krag-Jørgensen bolt-action repeating rifle, but in the meantime the Springfield gunsmiths were studying the German Mauser, a five-shot bolt-action repeating rifle. The United States adapted the Mauser into the Model 1903 Springfield, a rifle that, after some modifications to accommodate Model 1906 ammunition, entered history as the Springfield .30-06, one of the most reliable and accurate military firearms in history. The Springfield served as the principal U.S. infantry weapon until 1936, when it was replaced by the Garand (M1) rifle of World War II—also designed at the Springfield Armory. When the Springfield .30-06 was retired, it was widely modified into a sporting rifle that is still prized for its accuracy.

Copyright © 1994-2009 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. For more information visit Britannica.com.

Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!

Advertisement

This Day in History

May 28

Lead Story

Appeal for Amnesty campaign launches, 1961

On this day in 1961, the British newspaper The London Observer publishes British lawyer Peter Benenson's article "The Forgotten Prisoners" on its front…

Shop HISTORY

See More

Classroom Study Guides