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Title:RIFLE, MILITARY -  U.S. RIFLE MODEL 1903 .30 SN# 246498
Maker/Manufacturer:ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL/CAMERON
Date of Manufacture:1917
Eminent Figure:
Catalog Number:SPAR 6316
Measurements:OL:110.4CM 43 1/2" BL: 60.9CM 24"

Object Description:

U.S. RIFLE MODEL 1903 .30 SN# 246498
Manufactured by Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, Il. - Standard Model 1903 bolt-action rifle as manufactured by Rock Island Arsenal. Blued finish with full-length walnut stock. Five-shot, staggered column, fixed magazine loaded with five loose cartridges or from a five-shot charger clip. 4-groove rifling, right hand twist. Blade front, M1905 leaf with aperture and notch rear sight. Muzzle velocity 2700 fps. Effective range 800 yards. Maximum range 3400 yards. Effective rate of fire is about ten rounds per minute. Checkered buttplate with well. Weapon equipped with Cameron-Yaggi mount.

Markings:
Receiver: U.S./ROCK ISLAND/ARSENAL/MODEL 1903/246498.
Barrel: RIA/Ordnance bomb/9-17.
Stock: O/P in circle. J. Forend: RI.

Weapon transferred to the Museum on 2 November 1932. At that time weapon was appraised at $16.38.

Notes: "1917: Resumed production for war on 25 Feb. 1917. At the start of World War I had produced 235,513 complete rifles, Cal. .30." - Campbell

"Anticipating America's entry into World War One, or 'The Great War' as it was known, the Ordnance Office issued an order to Rock Island Arsenal on September 5, 1916, to put the Model 1903 rifle-making shops back in operation. By February 25, 1917 the workmen had been recruited and trained, the machines returned to working order, and Rock Island was back in the business of making the Model 1903 'Springfield'. Although records indicate rifle production officially started on February 25, 1917, some component parts production apparently started earlier as RIA rifle barrels have been observed dated as early as '12-16.' Serial numbers of the World War One era rifles production was suspended January 30, 1918 and new heat treating procedures investigated. New receiver serialization resumed May 11, 1918 with number 285507. Approximately at serial number 319921, on or shortly after August 1, 1918, Rock Island began making bolts and receivers from nickel steel in place of the double heat-treated Class C steel. However, double heat-treated receivers were produced intermittently through July 1919. The highest receiver serial number is 430742, struck July 31, 1919.
Starting at serial numer 238000 and ending with 430742, a maximum of 192,743 rifles could have been produced, but actually one would expect fewer than that figure, given those destroyed in the spring of 1918 for metallurgical reasons, and others used in tests or found unsatisfactory during inspection and proof firing." - Ferris

"The First World War (1914-1918) saw the utilization of antiquated infantry tactics pitted against modern technology of machine guns and repeating rifles. The results were predictable and horrible; the lives of many brave men were squandered in scores of useless and futile frontal assaults. After both sides wearied of such wholesale butchery, the war settled into the slightly less bloody stalemate of trench warfare. Sniping developed into something of a fine art with many casualties being inflicted. Both sides sniped at each other ceaselessly during the often long periods between large scale assaults or trench raids.
When the United States entered the war in 1917, both the American military and the public were very familiar with the tales of horrendous casualties occuring in the trenches of France. There was much concern over needlessly spilling American blood by such seemingly wasteful tactics of warfare. It was recognized that a solider firing form a trench position would be required to expose his head and this could obviously be fatal if an enemy sniper happened to be shooting back. Many devices were considered to reduce such casualties in the trenches. These included various types of body armor, special helmets with protective visors, metal sniper shields and a variety of periscopes to view over the top of the trenches.
One of the more interesting and practical of these experimental devices was the Cameron-Yaggi Periscope Rifle. The weapon was developed by two Cleveland rifle enthusiasts, James L. Cameron and Lawrence E. Yaggi. Cameron and Yaggi began the preliminary work on their invention even before the United States entered World War One. A working model was fabricated, which Yaggi took to the battlefields of Europe and informally demonstrated to British and French troops. Both allies were using ordinary box periscopes to observe the German trenches, but still had to expose themselves to fire their rifles. Yaggi heard many complaints of the German's seeing the glint of the periscope lenses and then holding their fire until the Allied soldiers raised their heads to shoot. Reportedly, both the 'Tommies' and 'Poilus' were enthusiastic about Cameron and Yaggi's invention.
After Yaggi returned from Europe, he and Cameron worked to perfect their weapons using some suggestions received by the battle-hardened British and French. Since the United States had just entered the war, Cameron and Yaggi were aware that their trench periscope rifle must be based on the standard U.S. service rifle, the M1903 Springfield. The Ordnance Department was deluged with many ideas by civilian inventors; a few of these had some practical value, while others could best be described as crackpot. Preliminary consultation with Ordnance Department representatives made it clear to Cameron and Yaggi that the United States government would not be interested in any type of special trench warfare rifle that would require any significant or permanent alteration to the standard M1903 Springfield service rifle.
With these parameters in place, the two inventors began to refine their apparatus and make it acceptable to the U.S. Ordnance Department. The refined prototype consisted of the metal framework that supported a standard M1903 rifle. The rifle was held in place by a leather strap that secured the butt into a metal boot at the rear of the framework and a metal clamp that gripped the small of the stock. A thin leather pad cushioned the portion of the framework that rested on the shoulder and the shooter's hand was placed on top of the wooden grip. The remote trigger was located in front of the wooden hand grip. This was attached to the rifle's trigger by means of a hinged extension lever. Thus, when the remote trigger was pulled, it released the rifle's trigger. The remote bolt handle was also located in close proximity to the wooden hand grip. This remote handle was attached to the rifle's bolt handle by means of an extension lever. The extension slid along a metal rod and could be raised and lowered to manipulate the rifle's action. The extension bolt lever held the rifle's bolt knob in a concave metal socket that was adjusted to the proper tension by means of a knurled metal thumb screw.
Since reloading the rifle would necessitate removing the entire apparatus from the shoulder, a 25-round extension magazine was utilized to increase the sustained firepower of the weapon. The '03 rifle's standard floorplate, follower and spring were removed and the extension magazine was inserted. The original floorplate assembly could easily be replaced if necessary. In addition to being used with the Cameron-Yaggi rifle, the 25-round extension magazine was utilized with the Air Service Rifle. This rare weapon was a stripped-down version '03 Springfield and intended for use on aircraft and in observation balloons. Relatively large numbers of the 25-round extension magazines were manufactured and it is probable that some were intended to be used with standard '03 service rifles for trench warfare, but this has not been absolutely confirmed. In any event, the Cameron-Yaggi rifle was likely the impetus behind the development of the 25-round '03 extension magazine.
The heart of the Cameron-Yaggi rifle was its periscope sight.Cameron and Yaggi apparently experimented with periscope sights having varying degrees of magnification. One sight with 4x power has been recorded and at least one has been observed that does not have any magnification power (1x). All known Cameron-Yaggi periscope sights have cross-hair reticles. The lenses of the periscopes were recessed so as to reduce chances of glint or reflection, a suggestion previously offered by the Allied troops in France.
The entire Cameron-Yaggi apparatus gave the appearance of being heavy, bulky and unwieldy, although it only added about six pounds to the standard '03 rifle's weight. Obviously, the weapon was not designed to be carried for great distances, although it could be slung over the shoulder when necessary. Holding the apparatus on the shoulder without support could be a bit ungainly, but for its intended purposes (firing from fixed trench positions) it was entirely practical.
The refined Cameron-Yaggi '03 rifle was initially demonstrated in the United States by Lawrence Yaggi at a range in Winthrop, Maryland in the summer of 1917. One of the spectators present was the noted marksmanship proponent Colonel C.B. Winder. After observing Yaggi firing the rifle for some time, Winder requested permission to fire it for himself. As stated in a 1917 Arms and Man article: "...About the first thing the peculiar framework suggested to the Colonel was KICK. But when Yaggi fired the rifle he seemed to experience no inconvenience....Afterwards, describing the effect of the heavy service charge on the weapon held in the light framework, (Winder said): 'There was a lot less kick to it than the rifle ordinarily gives. The whole framework, rifle and all, just seemed to rock back a little.'
The added weight of the metal framework helped to dampen the rifle's recoil. Even though the eyepiece of the periscope was very close to the shooter's eye, the effects of the recoil rocked the periscope away from the eye. With the barrel resting on a trench parapet or a similar brace, the Cameron-Yaggi could be comfortably fired for extended periods without the shooter experiencing fatigue or other undue hardship.
Cameron and Yaggi completed the refinements to their weapon and formally submitted it to the Ordnance Department for testing and evaluation in late 1917. Only a few prototype rifles were fabricated. No two of the Cameron-Yaggi rifles observed are exactly alike. The handful of specimens extant all vary in some respects, including the slightly different configurations of the metal framework and placement of the trigger assemblies and slightly varying bolt and trigger extension lever designs.
The precise number of Cameron-Yaggi rifles produced is not known but likely numbered only a dozen or so. The Springfield Armory Museum reportedly has several and four or five (in varying degrees of completeness) are known to be in private hands.
There is no record of the Cameron-Yaggi rifle being formally rejected by the Ordnance Department, and the weapon was apparently still being evaluated at the time of the Armistice on November 11, 1918. This would seem to indicate that the government felt the invention had some merit. On the other hand, the fact that it was not adopted and ordered into production soon after its preliminary testing in lThere were other inventions similar in purpose to the Cameron-Yaggi. The best known of these is the Guiberson periscope rifle. This weapon featured a collapsible hinged stock and a much smaller and less effective periscope than Cameron-Yaggi's sightascope. The Guiberson was not adopted and does not seem to have elicited the same degree of official interest as did the Cameron-Yaggi.
Cameron and Yaggi announced plans for similar contrivances to be used with the M1917 Enfield rifle and the Lewis light machine gun, although none are known to have been produced for either weapon.
Further refinements and development of the Cameron-Yaggi was dropped after the end of World War One. The doctrine of extensive trench warfare understandably fell out of vogue very quickly and no need was seen for such weapons as the Cameron-Yaggi trench periscope rifle.
Today, the Cameron-Yaggi may be viewed as a thoroughly anachronistic, even slightly bizarre, weapon. However, to a Doughboy three quarters of a century ago, the Cameron-Yaggi would likely have been viewed in an entirely different light. With skilled German marksmen only a few hundred yards away, shooting a Springfield '03 at them while safely ensconced in the trench position would not have seemed like a bad idea at all. In a combat environment where raising one's head to shoot at the enemy was often one's last act on earth, the strange looking contraption with the goose-necked periscope sight would undoubtedly have been much appreciated. It is unfortunate that the Cameron-Yaggi rifle did not have an opportunity to prove itself in the crucible of battle. Instead, the Cameron-Yaggi remains a rare and little-known, though thoroughly fascinating, footnote to the history of American military weaponry." - Bruce Canfield, Man At Arms, September/October 1993.

"Since we no longer use bolt-action rifles in the military service, many people never learn how to use them. The curse of the bolt gun is short-stroking. If you don't withdraw the bolt far enough, you will not pick up the next round and will be rewarded with a click when you expect a bang. This is a bad development and may get you killed. Show that bolt no mercy. Slam it back!" - Jeff Cooper, GUNS & AMMO. February, 2006.

Also see, Arms and the Man, October 6, 1917.

References:
Brophy, William S. THE SPRINGFIELD 1903 RIFLES. Stackpole Books. Harrisburg, Pa. 1985.
Campbell, Clark S. THE '03 ERA: WHEN SMOKELESS REVOLUTIONIZED U.S. RIFLERY. Collector Grade Publications Inc. Cobourg, Ontario Canada. 1994.
Ferris, C.S. ROCK ISLAND RIFLE MODEL 1903. Scott Duff Publications. Export, Pa. 2001.

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