This is the rear sight from a M1903A1 Springfield rifle. It is a "ladder" sight, graduated out to over 2,000 yards. I have to wonder what utility these sights really were on a battlefield, they seem designed for target shooting. On the ladder part is a notch that is visible when you flip the sight flat, supposedly regulated for a 500 yard zero.
This is the rear sight from a Moisin-Nagant M1891/30. They were originally calibrated in arshins; the Soviets recalibrated them to meters when they reworked the rifles. The sights are sturdier, if not as precise, and to my non-groundpounder eyes, seem better suited for the intended use.
(I need to get better at the exposure bit, sorry.)
6 comments:
It is a "ladder" sight, graduated out to over 2,000 yards. I have to wonder what utility these sights really were on a battlefield, they seem designed for target shooting.
In the WWI-WWII era volley fire was thought to be a useful tactic. Soldiers were to set their sights to the intended range, take aim at a mass of other soldiers, and let 'em fly.
Basically, take the tactics used back when we all had muskets but stretch them out to a mile. Same idea, newer technology.
True, but from what I heard, a study of the effectiveness of rifles during both wars showed that most of the shooting was done at ranges under 100 yards; i.e., "up close and personal."
Those ladder sights are from a M1903A1 that was made in 1942. One would have thought that after Ww1, when it became obvious that machine guns had the "shoot long ranges at lots of soldiers" role, that simpler sights would have been adopted for the M1903A1, when that model first came out in the 1920s.
`Course, we went the other way and adopted a varmint round in the 1960s, but that is a topic for another time.
The M1903A1 in 1942 would have been issued in a specialty role. The frontline rifle at that time was the M1 Garand (not the carbine, the .30-06 rifle). It may be that this rifle was issued for the sharpshooting role. It certainly was not issued as a standard infantry rifle in 1942, the experience of WWI had taught the U.S. Army that the M1903A1 was far too heavy for that role and that its long range was not necessary. Indeed the Army would have preferred that the M1 Garand be chambered for a lighter round, but unfortunately finances and logistics required that they stick with the hoary old .30-06 round.
I would be curious as to whether the ladder sights you photographed were common on all M1903 variants, or just on the particular variant you photographed. Not being a M1903 maven, I really wouldn't know.
Just did some more Googling. It appears that the rifle you have was made with the original Rock Island Arsenal tooling that had been in storage for close to 20 years by that time, and that due to a shortage of front-line rifles, the M1903 was indeed issued to front-line troops. As the war went on the sights were simplified. In short, what you have is basically a WW1 rifle manufactured in 1942 with the exact same tooling that was used to manufacture the WW1 rifles. Well, actually, by that time I suspect some parts had already been substituted by Remington due to the tooling wearing out, but the sights obviously were not yet one such part.
The reason the Springfield has a sight graduated to 1,000 yards is because that is how soldiers were trained. Marksmanship training was done at huge ranges where every soldier was required to shoot at bullseye targets out to 500 yards.
Early combat experience in Viet Nam finally caused a change in training. The Army taught marksmanship on 300 meter ranges, followed up with "quick kill" training which emphasized the "instinctual aim" concept, which can be effective.
Badtux, the Springfield was the rifle that was used in basic training throughout the war. Soldiers going to infantry units were trained on the Garand in advanced infantry training.
(The original purchase plan for M-1s had the last National Guard units getting M-1s in 1964. The Army was kind of short of money in the 1930s for some obscure reason. :) )
As you alluded to, the Marines went ashore at Guadacanal with Springfields.
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