POTD: Springfield Armory Model 1903 .45 ACP Ammunition Test Pistol
Sam.S 10.20.21
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a picture of a Model 1903 Springfield bolt action rifle that has been very modified to be a .45 ACP ammunition test pistol. Test pistols like this one were made to test military ammo for all sorts of variables, but the most generic would be for safety. Ammunition would be taken in the middle of batches in order to best test it’s quality. Other test pistols would be mounted on wires to demonstrate the amount of recoil a specific shell may initiate. This test pistol caught my eye because of the obvious… it has a giant cylinder on it that reminds me of a suppressor. I am unsure what this specific test pistol’s role was.
“This is a documented example of a U.S. military ammunition test pistol and “V” block that would have been used in a Frankford rest. The receiver was manufactured in late 1918 and has been fitted with a 5 inch heavy round barrel with a large cylindrical lead weight that is secured between two steel collars with locking screws that are connected with a rectangular bar on the left side. The bolt is stamped “W L/3” on the top flat of the curved bolt knob. It has a walnut stock with a pistol grip. It is described and photographed on page 227 of “The Springfield 1903 Rifles” by Brophy. With a steel “V” block rest which is described as a “Frankford (arsenal) Rest” in Brophy’s book.”
Lot 3670: Springfield Armory U.S. 1903 Pistol 45 Acp. (n.d.). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/59/3670/springfield-armory-us-1903-pistol-45-acp.
