1903 Springfield, R.I.A. manufacture, serial # 1...in my hands!!!

[tark]

The rock Island Arsenal Museum held its Christmas party today. And tradition was followed...cases were unlocked and we are allowed to hold and have pictures taken of some of the artifacts. I have long wanted to get my hands on # 1 and I finally got to today. This rifle was taken off the assembly line and taken directly to the Museum. It was not proof tested as it was never destined to be issued, or even fired. ( It never was, it is literally unfired. ) It does have a Conrad Nelson cartouche dated 1905 which was rather unusual because the cartouche is not usually stamped on the stock until after proving and final inspections are done. There are no proof marks anywhere on the rifle. I was somewhat surprised at the blued extractor. It appears to be nitre blued but it might be fire blued, although heating an extractor is not something I would want to do. The rifle has rather nice wood that the pictures don't do justice to. As can be seen in the fourth pic, the stock does have some minor handling dings. The fit and polish of the parts on this rifle are superb as can be seen in the fifth pic. I was surprised that the blueing on the receiver seems a bit greyish in color.

We made no attempt to extend the rod bayonet. Actually, we never "moved" anything. As can be seen, nobody touches it without gloves on.

This rifle is a true " holy grail " among collectable firearms. It is in its original, unaltered configuration. It is a pristine example of an Iconic, historic firearm that was used arm American soldiers and win a world war. And it is serial # 1. There is only one serial # 1.

Well, actually there are two. Springfield Armory ( the real one, not the one in Geneseo, ) # 1 was converted to a Knife bayonet gun and rechambered to 30-06 and sent off to war. A lieutenant in France noticed one of his men had # 1 and took it away from him. It was sent back to S.A. and today is on display at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Springfiels Mass. Having been in a war, it is pretty beat up.

 

[Nature Boy]

unbelievably cool!

 

[silicosys4]

Dang. I've gotten to see some really cool guns in person during a trip to the Cody firearms museum, Roosevelts "big medicine", Pattons Garand, Annie Oakley's rifle, etc...all behind glass.
Thats definitely a treat and an honor.

 

[tark]

Here's two more pics. The girl in the pic is Caroline, one of our Museum Specialists. When she worked for the Park Service in California she caught, measured and tagged rattlesnakes. She is holding a Mojave Rattlesnake, which has the most potent venom of any snake in this hemisphere. The front half of the snake is in a plastic tube. She is a hunter and a shooter and she is a lot of fun to swap stories with.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Wow!

 

[troy fairweather]

Very cool

A shop I worked in doing bluing did the first few batches of the cz 1911s, believe these were the first usa made gun to have the cz name on them. The owner was gifted from cz the first one, he used to keep it in his desk safe. After a few of my first work days he showed it off to me, even had a nice Plaque and a cleaning kit and other stuff cz gave him. After looking it over for a few minutes looking it over I said it's a shame you can't shoot it. Without a word he grabbed a loaded mag from the safe and said go out back and fire the magazine off. Didn't have to tell me twice.

 

[1948CJ2A]

That looks like a good sporter candidate... rebore that thing to maybe a Whelen... alter the bolt, drill and tap receiver for an optic and toss the stock aside and get something more desirable. JUST KIDDING!!! That's a great story and an amazing piece of history you got to hold. Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[EMC45]

That looks like a good sporter candidate... rebore that thing to maybe a Whelen... alter the bolt, drill and tap receiver for an optic and toss the stock aside and get something more desirable. JUST KIDDING!!! That's a great story and an amazing piece of history you got to hold. Thanks for sharing!!!

CeraKote it burnt bronze and throw it in a Tapco or Ramline stock too.

 

[tark]

That looks like a good sporter candidate... rebore that thing to maybe a Whelen... alter the bolt, drill and tap receiver for an optic and toss the stock aside and get something more desirable. JUST KIDDING!!! That's a great story and an amazing piece of history you got to hold. Thanks for sharing!!!

CeraKote it burnt bronze and throw it in a Tapco or Ramline stock too.

May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits!!!

 

[troy fairweather]

CeraKote it burnt bronze and throw it in a Tapco or Ramline stock too.

No worse a ATI stock lol.

 

[Nature Boy]

CeraKote it burnt bronze and throw it in a Tapco or Ramline stock too.

Something that nice at least deserves a Boyd’s stock. I’d D&T it for a scope, re-barrel it to a 6.5 Creed and YEE BOY you’d really have something then

 

[tommy.duncan]

Well...let's start off that's absolutely amazing!!

The flame on that stock is awesome!!
Thanks for sharing those pictures!!

 

[mavracer]

Thanks for sharing, very cool

 

[Mk-211]

I would like to load 5 rounds of aught six in it and go to town.

Could you imagine being the first person to get that privilege?

 

[tark]

I would like to load 5 rounds of aught six in it and go to town.

Could you imagine being the first person to get that privilege?

The rifle is, of course, still a 30-03. But it would shoot 06s just fine.

Something that nice at least deserves a Boyd’s stock. I’d D&T it for a scope, re-barrel it to a 6.5 Creed and YEE BOY you’d really have something then

Extra fleas for you!

 

[Walkalong]

unbelievably cool!

Indeed!

 

[GoldieMI]

that's awesome. I have a 1909 build of the 1903 Springfield (mine is a 1909 Rock Island)
She still gets shot with some light rounds every year just to keep her feeling appreciated.

 

[horsemen61]

@tark most Impressive

 

[Skylerbone]

I should have known, because I’ve been to the museum, that this one didn’t reside in Atkinson but I got a little yippity and was ready to leave work to come beg to shoot it! Seems the time I spent licking the glass is still as close as I’ll ever get to that beauty, but thank you Tark for putting hands on it for all of us out here in onlooker land.

 

[tark]

and was ready to leave work to come beg to shoot it!

It pains me to say this, but as a museum firearm artifact, in the Army's Museum system, the gun had to be rendered inoperable:

This was done long ago by grinding off the tip of the firing pin.

Geeze, guys, couldn't you just have removed a spring or something??

 

[41 Mag]

Thanks for sharing. Just being able to view something like that would be an honor in of itself with all of the history behind it, to hold it, well would probably be a bit overwhelming.

Thanks for the report.

 

[792mauser]

Very nice

 

[tark]

Thanks for sharing. Just being able to view something like that would be an honor in of itself with all of the history behind it, to hold it, well would probably be a bit overwhelming.

Thanks for the report.

It was very overwhelming. Here is another overwhelming moment. This is a pic of me holding General John Buford's Cavalry saber. It was taken in the museum five years ago before the renovation. (When we still had lots of guns!)

On July First, 1863, the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Buford's two regiments held off Heath's division for about three hours. 2400 men against 18,000. Buford's men were successful largely because most of them carried breech loading rifles; a hodgepodge of various makes...Smith's, Sharps, Merrell, Maynard's and some Spenser repeating rifles. There is a rumor ( legend ) that Buford's men were armed with Spenser Carbines. This is not true. The Spenser Calvary carbine did not go into production until after the battle.

Buford probably saved the union that day. General Reynolds division arrived in time to keep the Confederates from taking the high ground. Without Buford's actions, the Confederates might have won the battle, marched on Washington and ended the war.

The last pics are the exhibit as it is today. I am as big a history nerd as they get. The historical artifacts in the museum make me tingle just looking at them.

John Buford lived in Rock Island, Illinois before the war. After he died, in December, 1863, from typhoid fever, at some point his saber was given to the Daughters of Union Veterans. They donated it to the Museum in 1959. It is unknown when it was engraved, but John Buford was a Major General for only a few hours. He was promoted by a currier, sent be Lincoln, on his death bed.

He was only 37.

 

[hso]

I have long wanted to get my hands on # 1 and I finally got to today. This rifle was taken off the assembly line and taken directly to the Museum. It was not proof tested as it was never destined to be issued, or even fired.

That's truly an artifact! What an honor.

 

[41 Mag]

Truth be told I had ancestors on both sides of the lines, but more so from the south. To me personally neither makes a hill of beans today, but the truth is a LOT of good men perished on both sides. It is simply a shame that history cannot remain history and has to keep being dredged back up by folks who had no idea of the real implications of either side. That is one fine sword, and the history behind it is fascinating.

Thank you for sharing...