03 Rifle Team

[JBinIll]

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[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

Neat picture, JB. Do you know the year?

jt

[JBinIll]

No I don't sorry.By the gear I see and uniforms I'd guess between 1912 and 1916.

[Jeff L]

Maybe taken at Sea Girt.
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[cplnorton]

Have you guys seen a good location or book with these vintage pics of the rifle teams? Like 1916 or before? I've found some of the pics in the Man at Arms magazine but the detail is lacking.

Is there a history division or a book that someone put out with those pics? These couple, the detail is incredible.

Thanks so much for any leads!

[JBinIll]

Maybe taken at Sea Girt.
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I believe it was.I saved that picture from a posting elsewhere and I believe it did say at Sea Girt.

[JBinIll]

Have you guys seen a good location or book with these vintage pics of the rifle teams? Like 1916 or before? I've found some of the pics in the Man at Arms magazine but the detail is lacking.

Is there a history division or a book that someone put out with those pics? These couple, the detail is incredible.

Thanks so much for any leads!

I have not.A lot of those old pictures were from magazines and newspapers and the quality is terrible.

[Dan Shapiro]

Have had the same problem locating vintage photos. My Grandfather shot on the USMC Rifle Team at Perry in 1919. So far have been unable to locate any photographs. Even contacted Hq, USMC. Nothing.

[RandyNH]

Pinterest can often turn up National Match photos of good quality scans, as well as other period rifle teams or military photos with M1903's or Krag's in use. Many taken with 'wet plate' large-format news cameras, which had great image quality and detail.

Example of 1905 NJ rifle team at Sea Girt from Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/305048574733908459/

New Jersey has an archive with some good shots - example is NJ State team in 1903 - using Trapdoor Springfields, not '03's (sorry):

https://www.state.nj.us/state/darm/NationalGuardPhotos/jpg/SDENG010A071.jpg

Sea Girt - 1903 - looks like Krag country: https://www.state.nj.us/state/darm/NationalGuardPhotos/jpg/SDENG010A402c.jpg

This looks like a Camp Perry rifle team shot to me - NJ:

https://www.state.nj.us/state/darm/NationalGuardPhotos/jpg/SDENG010D010.jpg

NJ Camp Perry Rifle team - 1929 - great shot:

https://www.state.nj.us/state/darm/NationalGuardPhotos/jpg/SDENG010D015.jpg

Check out these dapper '03 aficionados headed out to the range:

https://www.state.nj.us/state/darm/NationalGuardPhotos/jpg/SDENG010B004.jpg

Other States may maintain similar archives, and may have digitized and put on line older materials which were only in paper archival format previously. Worth checking for States in which you are interested for similar materials.

And, the National Archives has a huge photographic collection - there is National Match photography there for Sea Girt, Camp Perry and related items dealing with M1903 use in the early 20th Century:

http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/photography-index.html

The National Archives will make you very high quality prints of the items they have in their collection, or allow download of a high-res scanned image on many items. You can print from that format, of course.

Google and Bing are your friends. Trick is to get the right search keywords/search string worked out which pulls up relevant links, and then drill down from there to the source materials and scanned photos.

Enjoy the hunt. I've found a lot of great material out there, many of the photos are high-resolution scans of old glass plate or large format news camera negatives, with amazing detail captured as a result.

[RandyNH]

I will dig up some of my finds for M1903 rifle team and Sea Girt/Camp Perry National Match photos and will post on this thread for all of you to enjoy and download. One of the items I'm always on the hunt to collect and save.

Most everything is public domain, some will be some items I've purchased off Ebay but am happy to scan and share for fellow '03 fans to enjoy.

Personally, I have hours of fun looking at the photos and imagining what it must have been like during the 'Golden Age of the M1903' when you could get them new out of the shipping box from Springfield Armory with fresh cosmoline, clean 'em, and go to the range to sight in and enjoy with the old National Guard and civilian shooters of that era.

My grandfather told me of days in Washington, DC when civilian shooters traveled 'out of town' on the streetcars with rifles and gear in hand to the 'countryside' of College Park, Maryland to go shooting out in the country with their M1903's just after WWI. Nobody paid them the least attention back then, if you can imagine such a time!

[cplnorton]

Yeah I would love to see them. Dan what was your Grandfather's name? I'm digging in this Era a lot with the Marines. I might find him.

[Allen Humphrey]

No I don't sorry.By the gear I see and uniforms I'd guess between 1912 and 1916.

Thanks for sharing the photo. Besides the rifles, I always get a kick out of the "personalized" hats.

[Dan Shapiro]

Thanks, any help would be appreciated. Name: Cpl David Shapiro

Enlisted in 1900 at 8th and I at the age of 15. Rank was 'applicant'. Six months later, promoted to the rank of 'boy'. Became a drummer and moved on to Trumpeter. During WWI was promoted to Temporary Lieutenant, however wasn't sent to Europe, instead got sent to the Caribbean. Retired in 1929 after 30 years as Sgt Major.

[Cosine26]

In re: the original picture. It looks to me as if the M1903's have "swept back" bolt handles which would mean that the picture was later than 1918. It may be the prospective of the picture but both the rifles in the left front appear to have the swept bolt but it is morel obvious on the second rifle from the left.
FWIW

[M1Tommy]

Cool photos there!

I shot a 60 round (plus sighters) all prone 600 match with my 1903A3.... once. Wifey thought I'd been in a fight when I got home that night.
I didn't win, but I wasn't close to bottom either.

Tommy

[JBinIll]

In re: the original picture. It looks to me as if the M1903's have "swept back" bolt handles which would mean that the picture was later than 1918. It may be the prospective of the picture but both the rifles in the left front appear to have the swept bolt but it is morel obvious on the second rifle from the left.
FWIW

I think that is a distortion due to the angle in the image.The two rifles in the back are pretty much straight on views aren't bent handles.Taken with the uniforms and equipment,cartridge belts,it is certainly before 1916.Some of the stuff would have been pretty dated even for the NG post-1918 IMO.

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