M1903A3 Springfield Airsoft Gun

Like many shooters my introduction to firearms came at school where a number of almost antique SMLE MKIVs were held in the armoury for target shooting purposes. These old rifles, once you got the hang of pulling the butt tightly into your shoulder to avoid bruising from the vicious recoil of the .303 round, were a pleasure to shoot; the feeling of the bolt snapping solidly into battery and the preparation for the shot (breathe in, breathe out…) always put me in a very happy place.

Things inevitably move on though, and as I got further into shooting sports the old bolt actions were put aside for more up to date semi automatic models. Looking back it strikes me now that this process can lead you away from the basics of shooting, with distances and disciplines taking you down a path away from some of the very best rifles ever made.

Realism

In relation to airsoft replicas this has been very much the same process for me. Once upon a time I was more than happy with a spring powered bolt action with a nice bit of glass sitting happily on top. I’ve spent many pleasant hours with friends setting up targets and “going for the bull” with this type of rifle. Advances in battery technology initially saw me straying from this path, and this has continued as Airsoft Electric Guns (AEGs) have got better and better over the years. In relatively recent times though there has been a continuation of the move to gas powered replicas that are ultimately more realistic in both form and function than their battery powered relations.

There have been gas powered full blowback handguns on the markets as airsoft replicas for many a moon now, and the quality of gas to drive these has just got more and more reliable. That said gas magazines can be the bane of an airsofters existence, especially in colder weather when they do tend to “vent” with some force! If an airsoft gas magazine is well maintained and cared for though they can give years of excellent service.

The desire for more realism in replica long arms has once again been driven by the “M4/AR” series of rifles that seem to be almost all dominating in the world of airsoft, but the positive side of this is that numerous manufacturers have taken the opportunity to widen their offering, making use of increasingly reliable gas magazine technology to offer up some extraordinary historical models as well as their modern counterparts.

This is turn has led to the rise of historically themed airsoft. Once again, there have been electrically powered WWII replicas of the Thompson, the MP40, the PPSH, and the BAR and they’ve all been very good. There have been some forays into gas operated period firearms like the Luger, the M1911, and there are even some great M1 Carbines to be had. I have an ancient “Trench Gun” in my collection that is gas powered through the replica shells, but I would be loathe to take this out to a skirmish, keeping it instead for my USMC living history display. More recently (I use this as a relative term) we’ve seen KAR98’s hitting the WWII airsoft field, and this in turn has lead to G&G Armament following up with their take on the iconic M1903 Springfield.

Got To Be In It…

Now I’m one of those individuals who never enter competitions; simple reason why? I NEVER win anything. At IWA 2013 G&G Armament gave us the first look at their new, gas driven M1903 Springfield bolt action rifles and everyone present had a good drool over what looked to be a stunningly attractive replica. Two models were on display, a version with chromed parts as used by the Rifle Display “Spinning” Teams in the USA, and a more mundane yet still beautifully achieved ‘field version’.

Although only shown in sample form at the show, G&G, as expected now, put on a “giveaway” of numerous of their new models. At the last moment I was persuaded by my friend and fellow airsoft enthusiast Ben to place my card in the draw, and beggar me if it didn’t come out as the last draw of the day! I happily gave Sylvia from G&G my details, and she advised that a prototype Springfield would be on its way to me as soon as they went into production. Over the moon? You betcha!

Research

Taking a sample to production though is a lengthy process, but I made good use of my time waiting to do my usual thing and start researching the real rifle that I would soon be receiving a replica of. In 1892 the US Army adopted the Krag-Jorgensen rifle, but very soon the limitations of this already somewhat dated rifle became apparent and the Ordnance Department once again found themselves looking for a replacement. The final choice was built on a Mauser system put together under licence in the USA, and as it was first manufactured at the Springfield Armoury the rifle immediately became known as the “Springfield Rifle”, although the official nomenclature was “US Magazine Rifle, Caliber .30in, Model of 1903”.

With changes in bullet technology, notably the German Army “Spitzer” or pointed bullet, the original rifle model that used ball was slightly redesigned and the amended cartridge entered service as “Cartridge, Ball, Caliber .30in, Model of 1906”; this in turn led to both rifle and bullet coming to be known as “.30-06”.

As with SMLE models, the American designers decided to kill two birds with one stone, and although based on the Mauser system as stated previously, the production “Springfield” was built to fulfil the needs of both infantryman and cavalry soldier. It was long enough to be accurate in the first role, but short enough to be used from the saddle in the latter. By the time America entered WWI in 1917 it is estimated that nearly 850,000 M1903 rifles had been produced by Springfield Armoury and the Rock Island Arsenal, and it soon proved to be a reliable and deadly battlefield weapon.

This numbers produced grew and grew, and the M1903 went on to serve in WWII with continued effectiveness, notably by the USMC during the battle for Guadalcanal. Although the M1 Garand was being adopted swiftly as the main “battle rifle” of the US Forces, the Springfield continued to be favoured by some for its ruggedness and simplicity, especially by snipers in the M1903A4 variant where the rifle was fitted with permanently mounted telescopic sight blocks, and the Weaver Company “Telescope Sight M73B1” (you’ll notice one of these used to great effect by “Private Jackson” in the movie “Saving Private Ryan”). Although officially replaced in service by the M1 Garand the Springfield continued to serve in limited numbers for military use during both the Korean and Vietnam Wars, again most usually in sharpshooter or sniper guise.

Finally!

So, after many an email back and forth to Taiwan, the one I was finally waiting for dropped into the inbox; the Springfield was on its way! It arrived shortly before the British Airsoft Show 2014 and I was delighted to be able to take it and show it off to airsoft retailers and players alike. Everyone that touched it commented on the excellent build quality and the finish of the woodwork, but it wasn’t until after the show that I was able to fully get to grips with it, gas it up, and get on with testing proper.

The G&G Springfield is by no means a small rifle, and if you’re used to an MP5 or M4 CQB variant then you are definitely going to find it unwieldy. That said if you have an M14 or similar, the overall length of 1115mm/43 inches (the real thing was 1097mm/43.20 inches) is going to feel very familiar. Weight wise too the replica is not far off; the real Springfield came in at 8lbs 11oz (3940g) whilst the G&G is a respectable 7lb 10oz (3465g),

As I mentioned earlier the finish is absolutely superlative. All metal parts (and just about everything apart from the stock is metal!) are finished in a nice dull grey, and the real wood stock is finished probably more perfect than the real thing ever was! Sights are simple with a straightforward front blade and an M1903A3 style aperture sight, which is adjustable for both windage and elevation, on the rear of the receiver. If you want your own Springfield to reflect the pre-1942 model then you’ll probably want to change this to a forward mounted leaf sight, but this should be relatively easy to achieve once you source the correct part.

Twin Gas Systems

The rifle arrived beautifully presented in a full colour box complete with two green gas magazines (I understand that the C02 mags are still under final development), a cleaning rod, a box of .25g BBs, and a full colour instruction manual in English. G&G describe the M1903 as “One Rifle, Two Systems” which refers to the fact that the same rifle can use either green gas or C02 magazines, the latter proving advantageous for colder climates. Once I’d stripped it down, given it a cursory wipe down, I got to grips with the safety mounted on the top of the bolt, and the hop up adjustment which is formed to replicate one of the securing bolts above the magazine well. The magazines themselves are chunky full metal affairs, each holding just nine BBs, which are easy to charge with gas thanks to an innovative filling method; the face of the magazine holding the BBs slides off to allow access to the filling valve then snaps solidly back in place when you are all gassed up.

So, all ready to go; bolt smoothly to the rear, back into battery and I was good to go… but it vented gas like there was no tomorrow in one huge hissing could of vapour. Whatever I did resulted in exactly the same outcome and had me scratching my head. I was soon back online to G&G; I’m not in the market to write off a new gun unnecessarily and I’ll always give the manufacturer a chance to rectify things if possible. My experience over the years with G&G is that they genuinely listen to their customers, and once again their response was exemplary. Detailed pictures were taken and sent, and at IWA 2014 I sat down with them face to face to explain my experiences. We managed to isolate a problem with the bolt itself as being the culprit, and I was assured this would be promptly dealt with.

Less then two weeks after the show a new bolt arrived in the post, and since then the Springfield has performed without a flaw. Now THAT is what I call service and it is a huge “hats off” to G&G Armament for their professionalism and attention to customer service; I wish all airsoft manufacturers were that dedicated!

Performance

So without further ado it was off to chrono and shoot. Initially I carried out the chronograph with .20g BBs and WE Airsoft Europe Premium Green Gas, and the first BB downrange went off with a satisfying crack at 424fps! Over the course of the magazine that dropped off to a site friendly average of 360fps, perfectly respectable for a bolt action. Moving to the range I filled one magazine with .20g and the other with .25g; once the hop was set the BBs were flying straight and true out to 40m plus, and even moving to the heavier weight was still giving me a good 35m with almost pinpoint accuracy. This is a rifle which will definitely hold its own in the right game situation.

Overall I have been extremely impressed, not only by the Springfield itself, but by the approach and friendliness of G&G Armament. For the dedicated WWI or WWII airsoft player this is most definitely a rifle that will find a space in any collection, and in a themed skirmish it’s going to work very well indeed. I can see that this replica may also be of great interest to anyone who is a WWII USMC re-enactor, as it really does look that good. At your local airsoft “Sunday Skirmish” you’re probably only going to use this is “sniper mode” due to the low magazine capacity, but it’s certainly a model that would work well in that role. I personally fancy having a go at turning this into the M1903A4 sniper variant myself, and when the C02 magazine is ready it’s a bolt action model I could grow to love for all year round use.

Now I just have to hope that G&G release a Weaver M73B1 replica sight to go with the rifle, and that Soldier of Fortune have a nice leather sling for me at this years War & Peace Show!

For more technical information please visit www.guay2.com. I understand that my good mates at www.swindonairsoft.co.uk are expecting stock of the Springfield imminently.