The 1903 was a nice step up to previous rifles that the US used, but both Germany and Britain were ahead of them at the time. The Mauser does have a smoother bolt operation system and packs a punch. Accuracy between these two is almost the same and they both have a 5rd clip magazine. The biggest thing going for the Springfield is that it is still used as a sniper system in a lot of countries today and is still a huge fan among st the Marine Corps.