1903 Sniper rifle pictures

[pcaru1]

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Some cool pictures I came across the other day. 1903's in action. Comments?

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[JGaynor]

Llooks like the sniper in the foreground of the second pic is using a a rifle w/ a straight (GG) stock. I guess its the exception that proves the rule.

Thanks for posting these BTW. I believe I have seen them before but they were halftone renditions in books and the details were less distinct.

Regards,

Jim

[vintage hunter]

The rifle in the first photo definitely has a straight grip stock as well as what looks like a Winchester A-5 scope in Unertl mounts. It also looks like both rifles in the second picture have straight grip stocks, the finger grooves are plainly visible on the closest one.

[Mike D]

Those are good photos pcaru! Though not technically an '03 sniper, I like this photo of an A4 "in use" from LIFE mag.

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Looks like the rifle is "cocked and ready"! Staged photo, no doubt!

[Promo]

I was also wondering how a M1903 with a Winchester A5 scope was being photographed in color. Didn't know they had such possibilities back then. But I love them anyway

[Johnny Peppers]

Kodachrome film came out in 1935, and Kodacolor film came out in 1942.

[pcaru1]

I don't know if the first picture is authentic, but it looks like he has the front sight protector on his rifle. Was this the case for snipers in case they needed "back up sights" ??

[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.

[Johnny Peppers]

The A5 and the Unertl could be removed from the rifle and the standard sights used, but in the case of the 03A4 you no longer had a rear sight so a front sight was of no use either. The A5 and the Unertl also had a carrying case for when they were removed.

[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