Must-have books for the 1903 Springfield/ Rock Island rifle collectors

[Gary L. Bush]

This question comes up on the 03 forums: “What reference books should an 03 collector have?”

The answer seems to always be the same:
1) Brophy’s The 1903 Springfield Rifles
2) Clark Campbell’s The ‘03 Springfield Rifles’ Era

There are also warnings about a few less-than-accurate books.

Three very accurate and well written 03 books that are seldom mentioned and are more than worthy of note are:

1) The Rock Island ’03 by C. S. Ferris - 1992
2) The Rock Island Rifle Model 1903 by C. S. Ferris - 2001
3) Springfield Model 1903 Service Rifle Production And Alteration 1905-1910 by C. S. Ferris and John Beard - 1995

I consider these three books a must have-for all serious 1903 Springfield / Rock Island collectors.

Just Venting
Gary L. Bush

[Fred]

I want to find the 2nd book of the first list and the 3rd book in the second list.

[Rick the Librarian]

Nick Ferris' and John Beard's book is out of print. You used to be able to pick up copies online for relatively cheap, but the prices have gone up.

[Dan Shapiro]

Got that right, Rick. When they come up, "cheap" isn't part of the description..............

http://www.amazon.com/Springfield-service-production-alteration-1905-1910/dp/0963412310/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382820622&sr=8-1&keywords=john+beard%2B1903

[Rick the Librarian]

Awhile back, I recommended that a guy get a copy (assuming they were the maybe $20-30 I had previously seen them go for). He thanked me, but said that $150-200 was a little out of his budget. I looked and he was right!!

[Fred]

How many pages does it have?

[Rick the Librarian]

66 pages, counting notes. One of my favorite quotes is in the front of the book:

"As fine a rifle as it turned out to be, it surely had a shaky and complicated start in life"

--William Brophy

[LAH]

Got that right, Rick. When they come up, "cheap" isn't part of the description..............

http://www.amazon.com/Springfield-se...n+beard%2B1903

Wow...I just might part with mine for the bargin price of $500.00..

[Rick the Librarian]

I once ask the authors if they ever thought about republishing the book and was told most likely not. A very handy little book on the early M1903s.

[Gary L. Bush]

Check Abe Books .com
It should always be the starting point when looking for an old book.

Gary Bush

[Rick the Librarian]

I go one better ... try addall.com - it has Abe Books plus about 30-35 others.

[Col. Colt]

I would add E.C. Crossman's "Book of the Springfield" and also his "Military and Sporting Rifle Shooting" both of which explain the world the M1903 lived in! Neither is a "Collector's Book" in the usual sense, they were written for Springfield Users in the 1930's! A lot of wonderful information on how to actually SHOOT an '03, accesories, long gone shooting positions, and arcane accessories also. The original printings are not hard to find, at least on Ebay, and the later, revised "Book of the Springfield", updated post-WWII by Roy Dunlap for Samworth Publishing, and the NRA Palladium Press Leatherbound reprints are also not hard to find.

Campbell's book comes in three editions, I believe. Is the last one superior and sufficent, containing all the knowledge and fine drawings of the earlier works, or are there things of merit in the two earlier editions that were not completely carried over to the final edition?

It is sad that a number of great referance books, to include the Ferris/Beard books and the expensive M1911 Referance series that now goes for $5-600 are no longer available to a growing market of people who could use them. It may enrich a few rare book dealers, but it is not helpful to the collecting world to NOT have information available to more people. Some of our Experts won't live forever, and when they die, the information they spent a lifetime learning may sadly be gone forever with them. CC

[Fred]

John Beard... Please write a big book on the subject!

[Mike D]

Damn, I had no idea about the current prices on the alterations book. Glad I got a copy a few years ago.

I would not leave out Canfields' latest, "An Illustrated Guide to the '03 Springfield Service Rifle". It is very handy.

Mike