Forgotten Weapons
Forgotten Weapons 16 Sep 2016
1,459

Up next


US WW2 Springfield Sniping Rifles

 351 Views
In General

Sold for:
$8,050 (Standard M1903A4)
$13,225 (Marine M1941 Unertl)
$2,588 (1903A4 w/ M84)

Cool Forgotten Weapons Merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons

The primary sniper rifle used by the United States in World War II was the M1903A4 Springfield, a version of the exisiting 1903A3 with the iron sights removed and replaced with a Weaver 330C scope (adopted by the military as the M73B1). This was a low-power optic, but was centrally mounted on the rifle to avoid and of the windage issues caused by prismatic scopes.

The 1903A4 was the US' first truly mass-produced sniper rifle, with more than 28,000 being manufactured during just two years of the war (1943-44). The rifle was taken out of production when the M1C sniper adaptation of the Garand was formally adopted, although production of the M1C would be delayed until the end of the war. The 1903A4 would remain in service after WWII, with later scopes being approved as replacements for the M73B1 (in this video, we will take a look at one equipped with an M84, the optic adopted for the later M1D).

The US Marine Corps, of course, had to be a bit different, and adopted their own sniper rifle variant in 1941, a 1903A1 fitted with an 8 power Unertl scope. These scopes were a tradeoff, being significantly more fragile than the M73B1, but also being much better for long range precision shooting. The USMC, taking much pride in their culture of marksmanship, was happy to make that trade, and the rifles served well throughout the war.

http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons

Related:
Japanese Type 97 Sniper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvoeQvHbCyc
US WWI Sniper Rifles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dWICTS0g-E
Mosin Nagant M91/30 PU Sniper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFA5U5FwJbo
M3 Infrared Sniper Carbine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvfABFaiBVo
M1D Sniper Garand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqcMwiKfxb8
ZF41 Scout Scope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oNTKnYMfI8
2 Gun Action Match - WWII Snipers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUPOD99urCE

Show more

Up next