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

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 • Jul. 21, 2021

Theodore Roosevelt, the combat-hardened Rough Rider, ordered development of the Springfield rifle.

From Washington Times • Jan. 31, 2016

In June, the Martin family loaned the elder Martin’s Springfield rifle and a German-made Confederate sword to the state for one year.

From Washington Times • Jan. 27, 2015

In June, the Martin family loaned the elder Martin's Springfield rifle and a German-made Confederate sword to the state for one year.

From US News • Jan. 27, 2015

When they reach the highest point the flag is put up, and this is usually made on the spot, of a red silk handkerchief, one corner run through the rammer of a Springfield rifle.

From Army Letters from an Officer's Wife, 1871-1888 by Roe, Frances Marie Antoinette Mack