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Title:	RIFLE, MILITARY -  U.S. RIFLE MODEL 1903 NRA SPORTER .30 SN# 1367251
Maker/Manufacturer:	SPRINGFIELD ARMORY
Date of Manufacture:	1930
Eminent Figure:	BROPHY, WILLIAM S.
Catalog Number:	SPAR 2020
Measurements:	OL:111.7CM 44" BL: 60.9CM 24" 8.75 lbs.

Object Description:

U.S. RIFLE MODEL 1903 NRA SPORTER .30 SN# 1367251
Manufactured by Springfield Armory, Springfield, Ma. in 1930 - Sporterized half-stocked Model 1903 rifle made at Springfield Armory for sale to NRA members. Carbonia blacked buttplate, "bright" bolt, and "browned" barrel and receiver assembly. The top of the follower polished bright, guard and floorplate carbonia blacked. Other parts finished same as for the service rifle. Equipped with M1922 type half stock without grasping grooves. Weapon has an overall length of 44" and a barrel length of 24". Weapon weighs approximately 8.75 lbs. Star gauge barrel. Star gauge number - I/1247. These weapons were targeted and the test targets were furnished along with their star-gauge record. Rifle originally sold for $50.84 (including packing) in 1924. Weapon weighs approximately 8.75 lbs. Approximately 6,500 made from 1924 to July, 1934.

Markings:
Receiver: U.S./SPRINGFIELD/ARMORY/MODEL 1903/1367251. (Underside: 1247).
Barrel: S.A./Ordnance Bomb/10-30.
Band: U.
Bolt: 7. 136725 etched on.
Rear sight base: D93.
Triggerguard: A.

Weapon donated to the Springfield Armory NHS by William S. Brophy on July 4, 1981.

SPRINGFIELD RESEARCH SERVICE:
02/20/1931-SPT-DCM RIFLE SALES 1922-42 - Serial numbers compliments of Frank P. Mallory, www.armscollectors.com.

ANNUAL REPORTS:
AR, 1935 - "The last U.S. Rifle, Cal..30, M1903 N.R.A. Sporting Type was sold in July, 1934."

Notes: "Lt. Col. William S. Brophy, Noted Firearms Expert, Dies. Lt. Col. William S. Brophy, a former NRA Director, and a Marlin Firearms Co. employee, collector, competitive shooter, author and veteran of three wars, died February 20 (1991) at his home in North Haven, Conn. He was 75.
A member of the NRA Board of Directors from 1974 until 1979, he served on many NRA committees and most recently sat on the board of National Firearms Museum Fund. Col. Brophy had also served as an American Rifleman contributing editor since 1975. In 1987 he won the NRA Professional Public Service Award. The award is given to recognize the professional contributions made by individuals to NRA and shooting sports.
Col. Brophy's military career included service in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He served in a variety of capacities, including as Chief of the Research and Development Office, U.S. Army Arctic Test Center at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and as Ordnance Maintenance Advisor to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam.
After his career in the Army, Col. Brophy went to work for Marlin Firearms in 1969 as the senior technical manager, where he continued to work until his death.
Col. Brophy was well-known for his efforts in the shooting sports, both as a competitor as well as a coach, referee and official. A Distinguished Rifleman, he was a former New Jersey and Maryland Highpower Rifle Champion. He attended the National Matches at Camp Perry for many years from 1935 to 1972. He placed in the President's 100 in 1940 and 1967.
He was a member of the U.S. Army Rifle Team from 1953-57 and served as captain of the U.S. Army pistol team from 1961-63. In 1963 he was officer-in-charge of the Army International Shooting Squad as well as coach of the U.S. Pan American Shooting Team. He also served as the U.S. member of the skeet jury for the Pan American Games that year.
He was the U.S. Army observer at the 1962 World Shooting Championship in Cairo, Egypt. In 1968 he was a member of the U.S. Palma Team, and in 1979 he was captain of that team.
Col. Brophy also authored five books on firearms: L.C. Smith Shotguns, The Krag Rifle, Plans and Specifications of the L.C. Smith Shotgun, The Springfield 1903 Rifles, and Marlin Firearms.
He was active in his home state of Connecticut as a gunsmith, having operated several shops and serving in a number of capacities with local shooting and collecting clubs. He was a past president and honorary life member of Ye Connecticut Gun Guild and an honorary life member of the Marlin Firearms Collectors Ass'n. In 1985 he was admitted to the Connecticut State Rifle and Pistol Ass'n Hall of Fame.A native of Oak Park, Ill., Col. Brophy is survived by his wife, Genevieve; son Lt. Col. William S. Brophy, III; and daughter Gail B. Barry." - American Rifleman, April 1991.

"Most frequently called the NRA Sporter, the official designation of the sporter is: 'Rifle, U.S.cal. .30, Model 1903, sporting type, star-gauged, fitted with Lyman No. 48 receiver sight.
To fill the demand for a quality bolt action sporting rifle, this desirable collector's '03 was first announced in 1924. The 1925 DCM sales list priced it at $49.50. It was available only by purchase. The last year of availability was 1932 when it was priced at $42.50.
The action of this rifle is hand fitted. The bolt and extractor are polished, to provide smooth operation, and the serial number is etched on the bolt body. The barrels are star-guaged. The muzzle has a mark stamped on the crown to indicate successful passage of the star-gauging test. Issue-type front sight and Lyman No. 48 receiver sights were standard.
The sporter stock is the Model 1922 caliber .22 rifle stock without finger grooves and with two stock reinforcing bolts added. The barrel band is specially manufactured to fit the shape of the barrel and stock.
The barrels are nicely polished and do not have the rough turning marks typical of the service barrel when the Model 1905 rear sight band is removed. The contour and shape of the sporting-type barrel is very much like the caliber .22 barrel. It is marked to the rear of the front sight with S.A., the Ordnance bomb and flame and the manufacturing date of the barrel. During a short period of time the Sporter could be special-ordered drilled and tapped for telescope blocks.
None of these rifles were Parkerized. All had a quality blued finish that was equal to any commercial finish on the market. The wood was finished by hand and treated with linseed oil.
Sporting-type barrels and the Model 1922 sporter-type stock, as well as polished bolts and all other National Match parts, were available for purchase from the Ordnance Department through the Director of Civilian Marksmanship.
Unfortunately for the uninformed collector of the '03, the availability through the DCM of stocks, barrels and parts and pieces of many of the '03 models resulted in hybrid rifles of mismatched parts that were intended by the original owner to be a working rifle and quite adequate for his original purpose. However, close inspection will usually reveal a flaw in the quality of finish or matching of parts, or signs of amateur gunsmithing, and establish that the rifle is not 'right.'
During 1926 the Armory manufactured 589 of the Sporter-type rifles with a slightly different shape to the pistol grip, which was like the M1922M1 caliber 22 issue rifle stock. The new stock was not liked and quickly dropped in favor of the original Model 1922 sporter stock.
A total of approximately 5,538 of the NRA Sporting type '03s were manufactured. It was discontinued, only because the Ordnance Department was being criticized for competing with commercial enterprises in the sporting rifle industry. Yet, until that industry introduced similar rifles; the Springfield Armory Sporter was the finest American-made bolt-action rifle available to the sportsman.
After the sporting-type rifle was discontinued from production, some few were specially assembled to be used as trophy rifles." - Brophy

THE MODEL 1903 NRA SPORTER - The "Great War" introduced a generation of Americans to .30 caliber bolt-action rifles. Whether it be the '03 Springfield or the M1917 Enfield many Americans had the opportunity to handle a clip-fed, turning-bolt rifle for the very first time. The Springfield Armory, though not realizing it at the time, had created a demand for a similar type rifle for civilian use. The public wanted a sporting version of the '03 and they wanted it in .30-06 caliber.
The 1920s was a good time for the Armory to make such a rifle. Production was winding down on the '03, not a great deal of testing was going on, and with the exception of the semi-automatic development, theIn 1924, the Director of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM) authorized the sale of .30 caliber barrels shaped to the contour of the .22 caliber for use with the M1922 stock. Demand was so high that the decision was made to build a completely new rifle. Production on the rifle began in 1924 and sales began later that year. Although referred to as the M1903 Sporter, its official designation was "Rifle, U.S. cal. .30, Model 1903, sporting type, star-gauged, fitted with Lyman No. 48 receiver sight."
The M1903 NRA Sporter was a first-class arm. The barrels were star gauged and targeted with the test targets and star gauge record furnished to the buyer. The front sight assembly was the same but the rear sight was either the Lyman 48B or 48C. The bolt was polished bright as was the follower. The receiver assembly and barrel were blued. The trigger guard and floor plate were blackened using the carburizing process. In a test comparing these rifles to the average '03 National Match, the results were about dead even with only a slight advantage to the '03 National Match.
The weapon shown here was manufactured in October, 1930. This rifle, serial number 1367251, was first sold through DCM on 20 February 1931. At some point it was later purchased by Lt. Col. William S. Brophy. LTC Brophy donated it to the National Park Service on 4 July 1981. LTC Brophy generously donated a variety of objects to the Springfield Armory and he always made sure those donations were made either on Memorial Day or the 4th of July.
These rifles were not cheap. The original price was $50.84 but later reduced to $40. In 1929. By 1933 civilian firms, especially Winchester, were voicing objections to the fact that a U.S. government institution was competing with the private sector. Production ended in 1934 and only surplus parts and accessories could now be sold. The total production was 6,547 with the last 29 Sporters manufactured in 1937 being issued to the Department of Justice.

"Manufactured from 1923 to 1938, total production 7,136. Serial number range 1,252,387 to approx. 1,520,000." - Harrison

This was the weapon that was to compensate for the lack of .30-06 Sporters. By 1933, commercial firms were voicing objections to the Springfield Armory selling arms in the private sector. Winchester voiced the loudest objections, and perhaps this explains the uneasy relationship the Armory and Winchester had through World War II.

"Found in serial number range 1260000 to 1445000." - Flayderman

References:
Brophy, William S. THE SPRINGFIELD 1903 RIFLES. Stackpole Books. Harrisburg, Pa. 1985.
Campbell, Clark S. THE '03 ERA: WHEN SMOKELESS POWDER REVOLUTIONIZED U.S. RIFLERY. Collector Grade Publications Inc. Cobourg, Ontario, Canada. 1994.
deHass, Frank. BOLT ACTION RIFLES. Revised Edition. DBI Books, Inc. Northbrook, Il. 1984.
Flayderman, Norm. FLAYDERMAN'S GUIDE TO ANTIQUE AMERICAN FIREARMS...AND THEIR VALUES. 8th Ed. Krause Publications. Iola, Wi. 2001.
Harrison, Jesse C. COLLECTING THE '03 SPRINGFIELD. The Arms Chest. Oklahoma City, Ok. 1993.
Poyer, Joe. THE MODEL 1903 SPRINGFIELD RIFLE AND ITS VARIATIONS. North Cape Publications, Inc. Tustin, Ca. 2001.
Walter, John. RIFLES OF THE WORLD. DBI Books, Inc. Northbrook, Il. 1993.
Walter, John. RIFLES OF THE WORLD. 2nd Ed. Krause Publications. Iola, Wi. 1998.