G’day all,

I presume our protaganist’s old rifle is the ‘Springfield’ - the US Rifle Model 1903 - an accurate, reliable Mauser type bolt-action. The original cartridge for which it was designed, the .30” Government Model 1903 fired a round nosed bullet weighing 220 grains. This round would have tended to pick up the nomenclature of the rifle ... thus .30” US to distinguish from the later model 30-06.

This was replaced by the newer Model 1906 (the 30-06) - the same cartridge but a lighter, pointed bullet of 180 grains. The lighter, pointed bullet gave much better range and effect against “thin-skinned targets” (that’s you and me, folks!) whereas the older bullet, particularly when it was made with a full calibre soft point, was a much more effective stopping round against heavy determined game like the bear mentioned in the song.

I suspect that something like this accounts for the old hands’ insistence on the description of the rifle's calibre as .30” US (properly 30-03)- rather than the far better known 30-06 model of military fame.

Regards,

Bob Bolton