Springfield Armory M1903 Mark I .308WIN – 1919, 9.5/10 BORE, SPORTERIZED

Adopted by the United States in 1903, the M1903 served as the nation’s standard service rifle before the introduction of the M1 Garand and continued to see extensive use during both World Wars. Renowned for its strong Mauser-inspired action and excellent accuracy. During the First World War attempts were made to increase rate of fire of small arms with combatants experimenting with pistol carbines, semi-automatic rifles, and sub-machine guns. The US threw its hat into the ring with the Peterson device, essentially a handgun minus the grip which could replace the M1903’s bolt and would give the soldier 40 rounds of .30-18 auto (7.65x20mm), with the only requisite modification needed, a small ejection port on the left side of the receiver, which would lead to the the M1903 Mark I designation. This example, serial number 1082339, produced in 1919 by Springfield Armory, has been nicely sporterized. It’s been rebarreled for .308 Winchester and has been equipped with a front red fiber and rear Redfield peep sight, and Redfield Revolution 4-12x40mm scope. It has been refinished and retains 99% finish on all parts and has a mirror bore that rates 9.5/10. It’s been fitted with a Mannlicher style stock with Monte Carlo cheek piece capped with a Decelerator pad. The mechanics function as expected with a smooth action and two stage trigger breaking cleanly at 5.1 lbs. Overall a very nice deer rifle with some interesting history. Specifications and pictures are below. Thanks for looking!