Magazine cutoff on 03/A3

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x westie

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Always curious why the 1903A3 rifle continued to be manufactured with the magazine cutoff,....these rifles were designed for mass production in World War 2...why continue with such a antiquted system,...i can't imagine a U.S. troopie shooting his 03/A3 ...and inserting one .30 cal rd.....one at a time.....thats what the stripper clips are for.

Your thoughts ?
 
A magazine cutoff was a military mindset amongst the upper echelon. They were concerned that a rifleman would just fire too fast & run out of ammo. So they came up with the concept of the cutoff to slow them down & keep a full mag for when it was " really needed ".
To quote the old saying, " a solution to a non existant problem ".
 
A Springfield bolt won't close on an empty magazine unless the follower is depressed. If the cutoff is engaged, the bolt can be cycled when the rifle is unloaded. Can be useful in training.
Initially, of course, the cutoff was intended for single loading.
Springfield rifles were rather widely used during WW2, particularly in the early period of US involvement. They tended to be relegated to secondary issue as the M-1 became available in large numbers.
 
x westie said:
Not to sure what you mean by not issued in World War2....?
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I thought they were being replaced basically at the same time the M1 was being issued when the entered the war. They wouldn't have been undergunned with the '03 at the time, they weren't facing anything more advanced.
 
Hitzy said:
I thought they were being replaced basically at the same time the M1 was being issued when the entered the war. They wouldn't have been undergunned with the '03 at the time, they weren't facing anything more advanced.
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I understand what you are saying about the M1 been the main issue rifle of the U.S. infantry and Marine Corps.....but i have seen photo's of Military Police carrying the 03/A3 in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944....also i read in the book "Ordanance Went Up Front"...by Roy Dunlop ..a Armorer with the U.S.Army..he mentione's that he and some of the men in his unit went ashore in the Philippines in 1944 with the 03/A3...
 
The cutoff was integral with the bolt stop so no saving would have been had by eliminating it.
 
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