Reading all
11 messages in thread
message board home
message board home
Next
7/18/2023 2:05:31 PM
 
Reply
or ReplyNewSubject
Section 9: Military Weapons Subject: U.S. M1917 "Enfield" Msg# 1189455
|
||||||
|
The sights were a huge difference. The M1917 had an aperture sight on the bolt bridge while the Springfield had an open sight forward of the receiver bridge that was too far from the user's eye for a combat rifle. The M1917 introduced this concept to U.S. military rifles and every one since, starting with the Garand, has had an aperture sight close to the user's eye. Even the stopgap Springfield M1903A3 built for WWII was modified, changed from the M1903 to have an aperture sight, the M1903's open sight being abandoned.
This was something we could thank the British for, as they designed the never-produced Pattern 1913, which became the Pattern 14, and which we adopted as the M1917 in .30-06. And though it took the British longer to get an aperture sight finally adopted, they finally did with their own No.4 rifles. I don't know about the aura of the Springfield. I think once soldiers and Marines started using better rifles, they liked them fine. |
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
For reference, the above message is a reply to a message where: They cocked on closing unlike the Springfield which cocked on opening and they had a "protected" rear sight. If I'm not mistaken these were the only differences? A very sturdy battle rifle in all respects but it never had the aura of the "Springfield"! Image below from Mark Freburg - Image Title: U.S. M1917 "Enfield" Image Info: U.S. M1917 Enfield, America's primary battle rifle in WWI. When we entered the war, it was quickly determined that our government arsenals could not produce enough M1903 Springfield rifles to arm the rapid build-up of troops, so we turned to Winchester and Remington to convert the rifle they had been previously building for Great Britain, the Pattern 14 Enfield in .303, to our own .30-06. Doing so, Winchester and Remington (with two factories) churned out enough M1917 rifles that the vast majority of U.S. troops were in fact issued with the M1917, not the M1903 Springfield during the war. Larger image available! Click image to see it.  |
