Rifle company

“ Coming next to the more personal equipment of the soldier, we find the necessity confronting the Ordnance Department to manufacture shoulder rifles by the million and cartridges for them by the billion. The great war brought the machine gun into its own, requiring in the United States the manufacture of these complicated and expensive weapons by the tens of thousands, including the one-man automatic rifle, itself an arm of a deadly and effective type. ”

“ The hunting and sporting rifles of the warehouses—even if the police has not rendered them useless by the removal of a part of the mechanism—are no match for the magazine rifle of the soldier even at close quarters. Up to 1848 one could make his own ammunition out of powder and lead, today the cartridge for each rifle model varies, being similar only in that all of them are the product of large industry and not to be extemporized, which renders most rifles useless unless one has the special ammunition made for them. ”

“ Small-bores have become the fashion of the day, and for military purposes they are decidedly the best, as a greater amount of ammunition can be carried by the soldier, while at the same time the range and trajectory of his weapon are improved. The new magazine rifle adopted by the Government is only '303, but this exceedingly small diameter will contain 70 grains of powder with a bullet of hard alloy weighing 216 grains. ”

“ For the last twenty years there has been much controversy between the advocates of two styles of rifles—that is, the weapon with a comparatively small bore and long, solid bullet and a moderate charge of powder, and the weapon of comparatively large bore with a very heavy charge of powder and a short bullet, often with a hollow end. The first is the type of rifle that has always been used by ninety-nine out of a hundred American hunters, and indeed it is the only kind of rifle that has ever been used to any extent in North America ”

“ Manufacturers of fine guns from all parts of our own country, and many from Europe, flocked to the camp of the sharp shooters offering their goods, each desirous of the credit of furnishing arms to a body of men so well calculated to use them effectively, and many fine models were offered. The choice of the men, however, seemed to be a modified military rifle made by the Sharpe Rifle Manufacturing Co., and a request was made to the war department for a supply of these arms. ”

“ There are many prominent establishments engaged in the manufacture of modern muzzle-loading rifles, some of them carrying splendid reputations, hence in this case a good deal of reliance can be placed upon brands. For instance, should a rifle be seen marked to Wesson, it is a guarantee of a good gun, for the reputation of the manufacturer is worth too much to admit of risking its tarnish by putting upon the market goods bearing his brand that are not fully up to all that is claimed for them. ”

“ That meant a trip to the gunsmith's, for a new hatchet and to have the mainspring of the rifle replaced. Nobody could afford to have a rifle that couldn't be trusted, least of all a hunter and prospector. And he'd had words with Alex Barrett, the gunsmith, just the other day. ”

“ The chief factory of the laboratory department is the great sight of the Arsenal, as here the visitor witnesses twenty or thirty most curious operations, the more important only of which he can stop to examine amid the whirlwind of machinery that everywhere meets his sight and vibrates on his ear. The manufacture of elongated bullets for the rifles affords perhaps the most startling novelty of all. The rifle itself is not a greater advance upon old Brown Bess than is the Minié bullet upon the old one-ounce ball. ”

“ We are not unfrequently asked to advise as to the quantity of ammunition a single sportsman should take abroad in order to enjoy a fair amount of shooting. The duration of the proposed excursion, nature of game about to be followed, and the proclivities of the intending traveller, will all influence the bulk of the store he should provide himself with. Still, a hint or two may at any rate serve for a basis for him to regulate his purchases by. Supposing, then, that a No. 12 or 11 muzzle-loader, an 11 or 12 bore muzzle-loading rifle, and either a brace of double pistols or a revolver, are taken ”

“ My little chaps gave them a rotten time.'
I could not help thinking of those little brown-skinned, half-naked natives, with their bags of cartridges and their rusty rifles, gliding from tree to tree, through the thick undergrowth, and never giving the regulars a moment's rest, day or night. At night-time too! I shuddered to think of it, and began to have a most wholesome respect for those tattered ragamuffins of his.
'How many have you?' I asked him.
'I don't know,' he said. 'We have something like five thousand rifles, but whenever there is a spare rifle there are hundreds to claim it. ”

“ His unit usually has on hand a supply of weapons damaged or out of commission for one reason or another. If, therefore, any part of the soldier's rifle is broken or damaged, he can go to the stock of unused guns on hand and take from another rifle the part which he requires; and it will fit his gun, provided there has been standardization in the rifle manufacture at home. But if the guns have not been standardized and each weapon is a filing and tinkering job in the assembly room of the factory, then the soldier in the field is not likely to be able to find a part that will fit on his gun ”

“ Except in the case of some who may fancy the old Kentucky rifle, all guns will probably be made with half-stock. It would be hardly advisable to keep only a very limited stock of full length stocks on hand. If such are to be roughed out, pay particular attention to have the grain of the wood as straight as [114] possible the full length where the barrel is to be let in.
How to Stock a Gun.—Stocking a gun is the most difficult portion of the gunsmith’s trade. The change from iron work to the manipulation of wood is so great that many workmen refuse to work at both branches of the business. ”

“ It is impossible to doubt that the large population of this country is armed to the teeth. Since the expiration of the Peace Preservation Act the purchase of firearms has been incessant. At the stores in Westport, where carbines are sold, more have been disposed of in the last five months than in the ten previous years, and revolvers are also in great demand. The favourite weapon of the peasantry, on account of its low price and other good qualities, is the old Enfield rifle bought out of the Government stores, shortened and rebored to get rid of the rifling. ”

“ It would be an impertinence for a tyro like myself to offer any remarks on the merits or demerits of any rifle. Not only do the fashions change almost as quickly as in millinery, not only do great shikaris advise, advertise, and adventure with any weapon that could possibly be of service to anyone, but my knowledge, even after the experience gained in our long shoot, is confined to the very few firearms we had with us. They might not have met with unqualified approval from all men ”

“ The park ranger named by the supervisory park ranger is a collateral duty armorer at MNP, and he told us that in 2008 he recommended the Model R0977 because it was the most economical choice and the only rifle that met the mil-spec requirements and the 14.5-inch barrel length criteria in NPS policy. He acknowledged that when he made the recommendation, he knew that NPS policy did not permit park rangers to carry fully automatic rifles. ”

“ For sporting purposes smooth-bored shot-guns and grooved rifles are employed. Both are nearly always double- barrelled, and of late years the old muzzle-loaders have been almost entirely supplanted by the many breech-loading systems recently invented, which enable the sportsman to reload with greatly increased rapidity and uniformity, the latter quality being specially important in rifle shooting. The chief parts composing the arm are the barrel, the lock, and the stock. ”

“ There are some gunmakers in England who turn out the finest rifles that the world has yet seen, and the most costly. They are models of perfection in every particular, but when the best shooting is ascertained it is discovered that they have not proven themselves superior in that respect, to the more substantial (generally speaking) , but less finely finished and less expensive guns of the American makers. It is this matter of a really good rifle at comparatively low figures that has given the American product such an enviable reputation throughout the world. ”

“ A relative of mine, now dead, used to be a mighty seal-hunter. It was before the days of the modern ‘arms of precision,’ long before breech-loaders were in common use, and even before the Enfield or Minié rifles were invented. In those days, the old muzzle-loading rifle was found to be not a trustworthy weapon; he therefore used a very thick metalled fowling-piece, which was deadly up to sixty or eighty yards. ”

“ Recruits.—Although it is only by practice in shooting that a high degree of proficiency can be attained in the use of the rifle, the ammunition allowances are necessarily limited, and are calculated on the assumption that firing will be preceded by a most thorough course of preliminary instruction. Recruits, before they begin a course of firing, must reach a 136 satisfactory standard in aiming, and in holding their rifles steadily while pressing the trigger, otherwise range practice will merely result in waste of ammunition. ”

“ So much more hold of the barrel is at the same time obtained, that instead of one quarter of a turn, which was the utmost that could be safely given in the old way, without danger of stripping the ball, a whole turn round the barrel, in its length, can be given to the two grooved rifles; whereby a far more certain and complete rotatory motion is imparted to the ball. The grand practical result is, that better practice has been performed by several companies of the Rifle Corps, at 300 yards, than could be produced with the best old military rifles at 150 yards ”

“ She said that once she approves the weapon, the park purchases it with its own funds and she is no longer involved in the process. She said that if a park asks to purchase a weapon that does not comply with NPS policy, such as a fully automatic rifle, the request would be sent from the chief ranger at the park through the regional chief ranger and to the DCOP for a waiver. She said that a waiver, if granted, would be in writing and would identify the specific weapon and explain why it is needed at that park. No one from MNP contacted her prior to the purchase of the Colt M-4 rifles. ”

“ That shown at H has a box magazine, and the automatic action is based on the sliding of the barrel within a steel jacket. The rifle shown at I may be used either as an automatic or as a pump-action weapon.
The subject of stock and trigger adjustment is one to which every experienced rifleman devotes considerable attention. The regular stock rifle is built to standard dimensions, and often the stock is found a trifle short. For the man of average reach, a 133⁄4-in. stock, with a 17⁄8-in. drop at the comb, and [48] about 3 in. drop at the heel, will be found satisfactory. ”

“ Nothing gives such confidence to the gun-bearers as the fact of their rifles being good slayers, and they quickly learn to take a pride in their weapons, and to strive in the race to hand the spare rifles. Dust storms, such as I have constantly witnessed in Africa, would be terrible enemies to breech-loaders, as the hard sand, by grating in the joints, would wear away the metal, and destroy the exactness of the fittings.
A small handy double rifle, such as my little Fletcher 24, not exceeding eight pounds and a half, is very necessary, as it should seldom be out of the hand. ”

“ When arms are inspected at the port only, as in inspecting a platoon on parade, the officer or non-commissioned officer will see that the exterior of the rifle is clean and free from rust; that the magazine and action are clean and in good order; that the sights are at zero; and that no parts are loose or damaged. He will here and there examine the bore of a rifle to see 17 that it has been cleaned and oiled, and is free from obstructions. ”

“ But great as the improvements have been in artillery, they are less important than the changes effected in the infantry rifle; for upon the quality of the infantry depends, more than upon anything else, the efficiency of an army. There are many kinds of rifles now in use in the different armies of the world, but in their essential principles they are very similar. All use smokeless powder, and all are provided with a magazine which admits of firing a number of shots without reloading. ”

“ The bore is made of any rifle calibre for any small-arm ammunition, and is fitted with a safety-lock. For our own pieces we use the Lee-Metford cartridges. Four hundred shots per minute can be fired.
The gun consists altogether of ninety-four pieces, but the working-pieces, i.e. those only which need be separated for cleaning, &c., when in the hands of the artilleryman, are less than twenty. It can be handled in action by one man, the operation resembling that of firing a pistol.
The machine weighs 40 lbs., and for use by cavalry or infantry can be mounted on the Dundonald Galloping Carriage. ”

“ A brief examination of the industrial problem presented by the rifle situation in 1917 should make it clear even to a man unacquainted with machinery and manufacturing why it would be humanly impossible to equip our troops with the rifle in developing which our ordnance experts had spent so many years.
The Model 1903 rifle had been built in two factories and only two—the Springfield Armory, Springfield, Mass., and the Rock Island Arsenal at Rock Island, Ill. Our Government for several years prior to 1917 had cut down its expenditures for the manufacture of small arms and ammunition. ”