Springfield rifle

American  

noun

1. a single-shot, breechloading .45-caliber rifle used by the U.S. Army from 1867 to 1893.

2. Also called Springfield 1903.  a bolt-operated, magazine-fed, .30-caliber rifle adopted by the U.S. Army in 1903 and used during World War I.

3. a single-shot, muzzleloading rifle of .58-inch caliber, used by the Union Army during the Civil War.

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Springfield rifle British  

noun

1. a magazine-fed bolt-action breech-loading .30 calibre rifle formerly used by the US Army

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Etymology

Origin of Springfield rifle

After Springfield, Mass., site of a federal armory that made the rifles

Example Sentences

He gave me a bolt-action Springfield rifle when I was 7.

From Salon

The modified Springfield rifle that was buried alongside lawman and gunfighter Wild Bill Hickock in South Dakota in August 1876 is expected to fetch up to $200,000.

From Reuters

He added, “It’s what you stoop to when the indefensibility of your case requires that you attack a man who is wearing a Springfield rifle on a field of blue above a Purple Heart.”

From Salon

He was carrying his full combat kit, plus six rounds of 81-mm mortar ammunition, wrapped in a life preserver so he could float it ashore, and an old 1903 Springfield rifle.

From Washington Post

He promoted the 1903 Springfield rifle for his troops.

From Washington Times