Complete collection of every printing of 1903 manual...

[Fred]

Here are eight printings by Year of official manuals for The U.S. Magazine Rifle Model Of 1903, Caliber .30. They are from 1904 (a copy), 1906, 1908, 1909, 1911, 1914, 1917, 1919. All but the very first (1904) are originals.
The 1919 book has had the hard front cover folded back to reveal the Cover or Title page.
All of these manuals have Very interesting details concerning the evolution of the 1903 Springfield.

I'm going to put these up as a group on the WTS forum.

[Fred]

[Fred]

[Fred]

[Fred]

[Ironlip]

Very cool Fred. I've got a couple of originals but that's the most complete set I've seen.

[Fred]

Thanks Ironlip. I've got one extra 1908 and two extra 1909's that I'll be selling on the WTS Forum too. They have worn or stained covers. I'm keeping an extra 1917 dated printing that I have because I have a rifle from 1918 and just figured that I ought to have the book too.

Just wanted to give a Heads Up for anybody interested. I'll have prices for everything there with the WTS listings soon.

[5MadFarmers]

Nice. I don't think I'd call it a "complete set of every printing" though.



1904 was printed on "unobtainium."



The other printing of 1908. No, that's not "aftermarket" and is an original. That is the printing that the reprints typically copy on that one.



1915 printing of 1914 edition.



1918.

[Fred]

That's a neat 1918!
Well, I've got these years for sale anyway. They're pretty neat to have, so get em while you can!

[5MadFarmers]

That's a neat 1918!

Thanks.

They're pretty neat to have, so get em while you can!

If you insist.



Maybe keep them in binders? When a binder fills start another then?

[5MadFarmers]

In 1855 they printed a manual for the musket. The GPO didn't exist so it was printed in Philadelphia by a commercial printer. Next was the 1861 printing for the altered musket by the newly established GPO. After that Springfield got a printing press and they typically printed them under GPO approval. The documents weren't part of a "set" or anything like that.



In 1904 document 1467 was printed. This document established the numbering system for Ordnance forms and publications. The trapdoor and Krag versions of the "Description and Rules for the Management of" manual were retroactively assigned a number and the new M-1903 manual was assigned 1923 as its' number.

That 1919 manual you have isn't part of that set. It's the "Handbook of" instead of "Description and Rules" book. So for our purposes it's the same manual but it's not an Ordnance Document 1928 and the number (987) isn't part of the series.

The 1904-1917 editions have pasteboard covers. 1918 does not. 1919 doesn't either as that was intended to be inserted in a binder with other documents - unlike the 1928 which was a stand-alone book. So if there is a "cover" on your 1919 that's not normal.

In 1923 the "SNL" series was fresh and new with the M-1903 receiving one with it being "B3."
In 1924 the "Handbook of the Rifle" (987) was superseded by Training Regulation 320-10. Let's call it an "abridged" copy of the Handbook but much is the same:



So 1900s and 1910s were "DRMs" and then the 1919 "Handbook."
1920s were the Training Regulation, Technical Regulation (I'd have to check if it had one), and the SNL (B-3).

In the 1930s they started replacing the Training Regulations with the "Basic Field Manual." That's not the WW2 FM set - it existed from 1932 to 1939. The "BFM" for the M-1903 is the logical successor to the earlier books.
Then, during WW2, the BFM was replaced by an FM (23-10). The Technical Regulations were replaced by Technical Manuals (TMs). The SNLs were broken out into three (7/8/9). So SNL B-3, Ord 7 and SNL B-3, Ord 8, etc.,



BFM and FM. That was the end of the road (caveat document revisions by date).

[5MadFarmers]

There is a small hardcover book printed while the 1928s were current. Straw colored cover. Have it around here - forget what it's for. M-1903 specific though. Odd thing.



Prior to War One scorebooks were typically printed commercially. Bull's-Eye was popular.



Marines. If you have M-1903 serial 1092567 you have an USMC rifle.



During War One they printed a government one. Tan color with M-1917 info for the M-1917 and blue cover with M-1903 data for the '03.



Replaced in the early '20s by TR150-15.



Which was replaced by an AGO form. That comes in tans, blues, and greens.



Which was replaced by a newer AGO form which is a smaller book.

====

Perhaps 50% of the 1928s I own have, written inside, information about who owned it. Sometimes locations and sometimes rifle serial numbers. So perhaps 50% on name/location but only 25% on serials.
For the scorebooks it's probably 80% on serials. So a rifle, by serial, person, location, date, and what cartridge headstamp they were using.

Call it the slow expensive way to build a more interesting SRS.

[CPC]

Very nice thread, thank you for sharing...

[Fred]

I enjoy Learning all of these neat things!
Yes, the books I find with names, ranks and units are very interesting! I've a USMC manual with a rifle serial number in it. Really interesting!!