The U.S. Model 1903 Springfield Rifle

100 years of service to both our soldiers and our sportsmen

The Guild members involved decided to pay tribute not only to the Springfield but also to some of the people who made it a classic sporter of choice. With this in mind, they chose to style it after the great pre-war Griffin & Howe rifles and to chamber it for the famous .35 Whelen cartridge.

Edward LaPour, Bremerton, WA, performed the metalwork on the ACGG #18. Ed welded the rear receiver bridge over and machined it into a square bridge configuration. The left side of the action, where the bolt stop normally lies, was welded to create a smooth surface for engraving and to allow a new, handmade bolt stop to sit flush with the surface when the bolt stop is closed. Ed then made a new bolt stop pivot pin, spring and plunger system to hold the bolt stop in its open and closed positions. He welded a Griffin & Howe side mount scope base to the side of the receiver. He facilitated the later stocking by extending the weld rearward over the ejector area, creating a flat side from the base to the end of the receiver. A new bolt handle was fabricated and welded on to clear a low mounted scope. To create a more pure sport look, Ed welded up all signs of the military clip charger slots and installed a Canjar trigger mechanism with a new "classic" trigger shoe. Although he did install a new three-position safety, he kept the Springfield 1903 cocking knob. Jim Wisner of Precise Metalsmithing Enterprises, Chehalis, WA, supplied a one-piece trigger guard/floor plate assembly. In keeping with the style of the overall project, the team chose to use an Austrian Kahles 2-7x26 mm scope. This required new scope rings for the Griffin & Howe single lever mount. John Krieger, Krieger Barrels, Germantown, WI, supplied the .35 caliber oversized barrel blank which Ed fashioned into a medium sporter contour with an integral barrel band sling swivel and an integral banded rear sight ramp with a secondary recoil lug underneath. The rear sight ramp carries sight blades with one standing and two folding leaves calibrated for 50, 100 and 200 yards and so engraved. The front sight ramp is a barrel band type provided by Precise Metalsmithing Enterprises with a custom hood.

From the moment the U.S. 1903 Service Springfield Rifle became available to the sportsmen of this country, gunsmiths and stockmakers began transforming it not only into plain hunting rifles but also into one-of-a-kind custom rifles. Many early stockmakers had a hand in creating what we call the "American classic gunstock" and many of them did it using the Springfield. Names such as Wundhammer, Shellhammer, Linden, Owen, and Griffin & Howe come to mind. With this in mind, the stock for the 2003 ACGG Rifle was designed to fit with this period. Stockmaker Bruce Farman, Bremerton, WA, chose a quarter-sawn piece of California English walnut with fiddleback from end to end. The lines of the stock are "softer" than today’s stocks tend to be but are typical of stocks from the pre-war period. The cheekpiece carries the English style of rounded ends and has a beaded shadow line following the circumference, one at the top and another at the bottom, with a convex area between the cheekpiece and stock. Bruce fashioned light fluting along each side of the comb nose. The buttstock ends with a steel buttplate typical of pre-war sporters. The forend is tipped with Ebony. The grip cap is steel and is of a style used by Wesley Richards during this era. The rear sling swivel is a two-screw style inletted into the toe line and compliments the barrel band front swivel. Bruce finished the stock with traditional hand rubbed tung oil and checkered it 24 lines per inch in a point pattern with a fine-line border to accent the points.

Oregon City, Oregon Engraver Robert Evans used a style called "blackleaf" which is similar to engraving done by Arnold Griebel in the 1930’s. Bob also included a modest amount of gold highlights. The metal was blued and then the engraved areas were French grayed.

Unlike previous Guild raffle projects that have included a leather covered display case, the 2003 project is displayed in a French-fitted display stand made by Ralph Powell of Beaverton, Oregon. Ralph fashioned this lovely piece of furniture from walnut with exotic maple marquetry inlays. The legs are removable and store in a compartment under the rifle. The interior is lined with blue ultra-suede and has compartments for the oil bottles, turn screws, brush, and cleaning rod. All handles and other fittings are solid brass. The cleaning rod set, Marvin Huey of Kansas City, MO made dust mop and custom turn screw.

Bruce Farman, Stockmaker
2563 NE Wm E Sutton Ave
Bremerton, WA 98311
(360) 692-4188

Robert Evans, Engraver
332 Vine St
Oregon City, OR 97045
(503) 656-5693

Photography by: Turk’s Head Productions, Inc.