We tried the rifles with mil-spec ammunition, with a modern hunting-type load, and with a mild handload featuring Speer’s 150-grain Hot-Cor spitzer bullets. So the barrel of our test Springfield was a replacement. Our Remington-Springfield had a four-groove barrel, though Remington was the instigator of the two-groove barrel, and these were fitted to all 03A3s as they were made when new, according to Hatcher. After serious inspection, we now believe the Enfield is all original. 30-06, of course, and at first glance, we would have guessed that both had been through at least one trip to the armory. The test rifles were both made by Remington. We acquired two rifles, a 1917 Enfield that might well have been in the trenches in the “Great War,” as WWI is sometimes called and an 03A3 Springfield that probably saw action in WWII.
Hatcher delves into the 1917 Enfield and its variants, too. It is a fine source, though concise, but we’re sure there are other reference books available. He discusses the specific steel makeup, alloy variations, heat treatments, and modifications to the makeup of the rifles, and has serial-number references along the way. The history and makeup of these rifles is well discussed in numerous volumes, so we won’t go into detail here, but will tell you some of the most detailed information on the Springfield is given in Julian Hatcher’s Hatcher’s Notebook. Among many different types and makes that saw active duty, the two that stand out were the 1903 Springfield and 1917 Enfield, both chambered in.
fought WWI (and part of WWII) with bolt-action rifles.
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