1903 Sniper rifle pictures

[vintage hunter]

To the best of my knowledge the iron sights were retained on all 1903 sniper variants and on 1903a4's the sights were removed. This made the a4 a more streamlined rifle but it had it's drawbacks. As for the sight hood, in my opinion it's the best accoutrement made for the 1903 rifles. If you've ever taken you're '03/'03a3 hunting or most anywhere without it being carried in a case you'll see what i mean, that damn front sight blade will get snagged on everything it gets close to.

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[JGaynor]

To the best of my knowledge the iron sights were retained on all 1903 sniper variants and on 1903a4's the sights were removed. This made the a4 a more streamlined rifle but it had it's drawbacks. As for the sight hood, in my opinion it's the best accoutrement made for the 1903 rifles. If you've ever taken you're '03/'03a3 hunting or most anywhere without it being carried in a case you'll see what i mean, that damn front sight blade will get snagged on everything it gets close to.

In WW1 there were two variants of '03's with Winchester A5's. One had the mounts spaced on 6" centers. The other had the mounts spaced on 7.2" centers. The rifle with 6" centers had the rear base installed squarely on top of the rear sight so the elevation ladder was removed.
The second picture with two snipers was reportedly taken on Oki in 1945. The Unertl equipped USMC sniper rifle is typically seen with an M1903A1 or "C" stock. However the directive creating the rifle basically said "use the "C" stock if available".
The implications being some of the team rifles may have been upgraded with the original straight stock or that the stock might have been replaced at a later date.

Regards,
Jim