Editing M1903 Springfield (section)

==== Sniper rifle====
[[File:American First World War Official Exchange Collection Q85303.jpg|thumb|233x233px|M1903 Springfield with a telescopic sight]]
The M1903A4, a variation of the M1903A3 was the U.S. Army's sniper rifle of choice during the Second World War. The only difference between receivers was that the model and serial number on the receiver were split on M1903A4 to make room for the Redfield [[scope mount]]. The Redfield scope mount removed the rear peep sight that was standard on the M1903A3. The scope used on the M1903A4 was a Weaver Model 330 or 330C, which was a 2.75x telescopic sight. The receivers were tested by Remington Arms and those that were deemed best, meaning those closest to design specifications were selected to become M1903A4s. The barrels were also selected specifically to be added to the M1903A4 rifle only if they were within almost exact specifications for the design. The front sight on the barrel was never installed on the A4 barrels, however, the notch for it was still in place.<ref name="Dunlap, Roy 1948 p. 302"/>  Barrel specifications were, in general, unchanged between the M1903A3 and M1903A4, however, the War Department did start installing barrels with two-groove rifling instead of four-groove, despite the lack of clear changes from the four-groove rifling that was the standard until 1942.<ref>George, John (Lt. Col.), ''Shots Fired In Anger'', NRA Press (1981), p. 392</ref> From its adoption in 1943 until the end of the war the M1903A4 was used extensively in every theater of operation by both the US Army and the USMC.<ref name="George, John 1981 p. 392-393">George, John (Lt. Col.), ''Shots Fired In Anger'', NRA Press (1981), p. 392–393</ref>

While the M1903A4 was a relatively accurate rifle with an effective range of about {{convert|600|yd|m}}, by some accounts it was inadequate as a sniper rifle. Its limitations on long-range targeting were due to limitations of both the Weaver scopes. The Weaver scopes (later standardized as the M73 and M73B1) had limited,field of view, were  of low magnification, and were not waterproof and frequently fogged over or became waterlogged during humidity changes. The optional M81/82 scopes also had significant flaws; they most notably had less power (2.2x vs. 2.75x) and, like the other scopes on the M1903A4, had serious issues with the field of view.<ref name="Dunlap, Roy 1948 p. 302"/><ref name="George, John 1981 p. 392-393"/><ref>George, John (Lt. Col.), ''Shots Fired In Anger'', NRA Press (1981), p. 296–299</ref> The USMC and the US Army eventually switched to a large 8x scope that spanned the length of the rifle, designed by John [[Unertl Optical Company|Unertl]].