I hope this is OK to post here; I didn’t see anything forbidding it.
I do a bit of solid modeling in my “spare time” (if there is such a thing…) and I’m looking for arsenal drawings for the Springfield 1903 (or 1903-A3) rifle; even if it’s just the receiver. I’ve got some crude drawings from “United States Rifles and Machine Guns” by Fred Colvin and Ethan Viall, but I’m looking for something a bit more “exact.”
I’ve got plenty of other drawings I could trade if necessary.
-WRM
Maybe you have not looked at the entire Colvin & Viall book.
It has extremely detailed, fully dimensioned drawings of every single part of the M1903 rifles. Along with most of the tooling, gauges and fixtures needed for manufacture and inspection, and a description of the machinery used, production rates, and time between sharpening of the cutters involved.
I doubt if you can find any more detailed drawings than that for the M1903.
Yes, I’ve seen all of those (and have them saved); just trying to see if the original arsenal drawings can show me more.
-WRM
I doubt if the Rock Island drawings survive, if they existed at all. I believe that prior to WW1, standard armory practice was to make as per sample with go/no go gauges rather than by drawings. Presumably everything Rock Island had was turned over to Remington, along with their machinery and tooling when Remington was getting ready to make M1903 rifles (albeit in a modified form) for the Brits. Of course, that was halted when we entered WW2, and Remington went on to make M1903s, M1903 (Modified) and the M1903A4 and M1903A4 rifles for U.S. use. All of Remington’s paperwork on these was trashed in the late 1950s or early 1960s, with only fragments salvaged from the dumpsters by the late Clark Campbell. He has some very fine drawings in his books on the 1903 Springfield, possibly based on these.
Springfield drawings, if the have survived, are likely in the regional National Archives (Waltham, Mass?), although the museum at Springfield Armory or at Rock Island may have microfilm copies.
Scott Duff may know more, based on his digging into M1 Garand stuff, so you might contact him.
Thanks John; I’ll try that. I’ve also posted on the Remington Society forum, so maybe that will help as well.
-WRM