The M1903 Springfield, formally the United States Rifle, Caliber .30, Model 1903, is an American magazine-fed, bolt-action rifle used primarily during the first half of the 20th century. It was officially adopted as a United States military service rifle on June 19 1903, and saw service in World War I. It was officially replaced as the standard infantry rifle by the faster-firing, semi-automatic M1 Garand, starting in 1936.

However, the M1903 Springfield remained in service as a sniper rifle and as a standard issue infantry rifle during World War II, solely as sniper rifle during the Korean War, and the early stages of the Vietnam War. It remains in use as a civilian firearm and as a military drill rifle. The 1903 adoption of the Springfield bolt-action was preceded by nearly 30 years of struggle and politics, as well as lessons learned from the recently adopted U.S. Models 1892-98 Krag and contemporary German Mauser bolt-action rifles.

The M1903 not only replaced the various versions of the Krag, but also the Lee Model 1895 and M1885 Remington-Lee used by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, as well as the remaining trap-door Springfields (Model 1873). While the Krag had been issued in both a long rifle and carbine, there would be only one Springfield type; this was a break from the existing trend. The two main problems usually cited with the Krag were its slow-to-load magazine and its inability to handle higher chamber pressures for high-velocity rounds.

Which of these was more important is a matter of debate, as is the impact of the Mausers encountered in the 1898 Spanish American War. What is known is that the Mauser design that competed in the 1890s competition with a stripper clip magazine was defeated by the Krag (as well as many other designs) with its rotary magazine reloaded one cartridge at a time. Note that a special sort of stripper clip for reloading the Krag magazine all at once came later.

Also, the Mauser model in the trial had about the same muzzle velocity as the Krag.

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