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Springfield

M1903/03A4
ID Guide
Safety of Early receivers
Springfield
There were no failures in five of the years (1908-10,
1912, 1915).
Heat treatment changed between serial number
750,00 and 800,000

Rock Island
The overall failure rate of the Rock Island
manufactured receivers was nearly
double that of those manufactured by Springfield
There were no receiver failures of rifles
manufactured for five of those years (1905-6, 1913-
14, and 1917)
Heat treatment changed by serial number 285,506
Arsenal rebuild stock markings
Marking on Stock Arsenal Performing Overhaul
AA Augusta Arsenal
AN Anniston Arsenal
BA Benicia Arsenal
HOD Hawaiian Ordnance Depot.
MR Mt. Ranier Arsenal
OG Ogden Arsenal
PaOD Panama Ordnance Depot.
POD Philippine Ordnance Depot.
RA Raritan Arsenal
RIA Rock Island Arsenal
RRA Red River Arsenal
SA Springfield Armory
SAA San Antonio Arsenal
Remington M1903/A3/A4
Month-end Serial Numbers

1941 M1903/A3

Oct 3000009
Nov 3001282
Dec 3005963

1942 M1903/A3

Jan 3017335
Feb 3029316
Mar 3051205
Apr 3077187
May 3105878
Jun 3138819
Jul 3169956
Aug 3198937
Sep 3224009
Oct 3258293
Nov 3295471
Dec 3338671

1943 M1903/A3 M1903A4

Jan 3384420
Feb 3458758 3407193
Mar 3520614 3408656
Apr 3573277 3409166
May 3710958 3409290
Jun 3780746 3411732
Jul 3824829 3414499
Aug 3888272 3417914
Sep 3955409 3420874
Oct 4023778 3422503
Nov 4088927 3423968
Dec 4147887 3424856

1944 M1903A3 M1903A4

Jan 4187457 3427087


Z4001083
Feb 4209xxx Z4002980
4993747
Mar 4996805
Apr 4998493
May 4998558
Jun 499859x

Smith-Corona M1903A3
Month-end Serial Numbers

1942

Dec 3613711

1943

Jan 3623568
Feb 3633908
Mar 3647887
Apr 3665790
May 3684449
Jun 3701851
Jul 3707999
C3711999
4718902
Aug 4742368
Sep 4765852
Oct 4789047
Nov 4809923
Dec 4826160

1944

Jan 4840077
Feb 4845831

Approximately 28,000 additional serialized receivers were produced but


not made into rifles by S-C
Springfield Armory. From 1907, the Armory reported the first serial number of the year.
Since no effort
was made to use the receivers in numerical order, considerable variance exists between the
number of rifles built and
the number of serial numbers struck. Therefore, rifle completion dates can not be
precisely determined.

1903 Jul 1 - 1 M1903 production begins with Rod Bayonet rifle (RB assembly:
December 1903 - January, 1905)
1904 Jan 1 - ?
1905 Jan 1 - 91792 Calculated SN (Beard & Ferris)
Last Rod Bayonet rifle completed (74408 RB's made)
Distinctive Rod Bayonet parts production ceased Jan 11,1905.
Generic parts production continues.
M1903 rear sight production ends April 17, 1905
M1905 Bayonet approved May 5, 1905
M1905 rear sight approved and rear handguard swell added after
beginning of fiscal year 1906
Rifle assembly resumes with 1905 modification rifle (knife bayonet)
November, 1905
Split shank swivel appears in fiscal year 1906
1906 Jan 1 - 208192 Calculated SN (Beard & Ferris)
M1906 cartridge approved Oct 15, 1906 (Rifle assembly delayed -
component production continues)
1907 Jan 1 - 269451 Armory starts reporting first serial number of the calendar year
Rifle assembly resumes Feb, 1907
Existing Rod Bayonet rifles altered for M1906 cartridge
Rear fixed sight base cutout eliminated Oct, 1907
1908 Jan 1 - 337862 Rear stock bolt approved Feb 20, 1908
1909 Jan 1 - 358085 Handguard sight line clearance cut authorized August 10, 1909
1910 Jan 1 - 398276 Circa 1910 changes:
Buttplate checkering added
Spare parts container groove added to upper stock recess in butt
Rear sight windage knob diameter changed from .45" to .575"
Spring clips added to handguard
Stock wood lowered and tapered on both sides of front receiver ring
Serifed lettering on the safety eliminated
1911 Jan 1 - 456376 Trigger thickened and serrated
1912 Jan 1 - 502046
1913 Jan 1 - 531521
1914 Jan 1 - 570561 Serifed lettering on cutoff eliminated
1915 Jan 1 - 595601
1916 Jan 1 - 620121
1917 Jan 1 - 632826 Front reinforcing bolt added April, 1917
Buttplate checkering temporarily eliminated
Pyrometers used in forging from Dec 1917 at SN 750001 to prevent
burned metal
1918 Jan 1 - 761758 DHT phased in by Feb 20, 1918 at SN 800000 (plus a little)
Solid shank swivel replaces split shank swivel
2850 yard volley notch eliminated
Bent bolt Handle starts ~1000000
Mark I production begins with SN 1034502
Parkerizing phased in starting late 1918. Never used by armory on
all parts.
Trigger serrations temporarily eliminated
1919 Jan 1 - 1055092
1920 Jan 1 - 1162501 Mark I production ends SN 1197834 (Brophy)
Buttplate checkering returns
Trigger serrations return
1921 Jan 1 - 1211300
1922 Jan 1 - 1239641
1923 Jan 1 - 1252387
1924 Jan 1 - 1261487
1925 Jan 1 - 1267101 Buttplate fine to coarse checkering change
1926 Jan 1 - 1270301
1927 Jan 1 - 1274765
Supply of carbon billets exhausted - a short period of mixed CS and
NS receiver production follows
RIA NS billets used from April 1, 1927 with SN 1275767
RIA parts, bolts, stocks, barrels used at SA
1928 Jan 1 - 1285266 Type C stock standardized on March 15, 1928
SA produces NS receivers from SN 1301000 (Hatcher - actual number
higher)
1929 Jan 1 - 1305901
1930 Jan 1 - 1338406
1931 Jan 1 - 1369761
1932 Jan 1 - 1404026
1933 Jan 1 - 1425934
1934 Jan 1 - 1441812
1935 Jan 1 - 1491532 4859 receivers manufactured between July 1, 1935 & July 1, 1936
1936 Jan 1 - ? Hatcher Hole Starts 1936 on rebuilds
1937 Jan 1 - ? Reported SN (1496023 - Philip Sharpe) too low for reported
production numbers (Minimum 1496391)
1937 Jul 1 - 1497412
1938 Jan 1 - 1510387
1938 Jul 1 - 1516549
1939 Jul 1 - 1525594 SA halts barrel production
1940 Jun 30 - 1536285 Last known serial number struck - substantially higher numbers are
mis-strikes (Beard)
High probability that 1536285 - 1536325 is the range of last serial
number struck (Beard)
SA makes run of M1903 barrels dated 9-40 for USMC
1941 SA commences production of replacement barrels
1942 Mar - Lightening cuts eliminated on newly made fixed sight bases (Beard)
Buttplates
Bolts
Stocks

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