New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-28
Springfield Rifles Defects
Three Serious Vices Must Be Over
come to Permit Good Shooting

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Because Of an insuficiency OF Spring
field rifles the American army is to be sup
plied with the English Enfield riHe-and q
good thing it is, too.
Unauestionably, the Springfield is the most
accurate and powerful army rifle ever de-
vised. But it has two major imperfections
and one minor which detract from its battle
efficiency fully 25 per cent That 20 pei
cent deficiency means the death in battle Of
many an American soldier whom 100 per cent
of efficiency would save.
First, the sights are the worst sights ever
attached to any rifle. This is strong state
ment. but I say it advisedly. Whenever the
peep sight is set three other open sights are
simultaneously set. This is radical fault
In the excitement of battle the wrong sight
will frequently be used and the shot wasted
Even at target practice the wrong sight VIII
often be used. A number Of cases came
und.r nv own observation at Plattsburg.
But the worst has yet TO be said. The
battle-sight is set for SAT yards, instead oil
Cor point blank range. The consequence is
ewing TO trajectory, to hit the mark less
than 547 yards distant aim must be taken
below the mark For instance, to hit any
object at 800 yards the aim must be about
two feet below such object. II mans head
is aimed at. and the aim be perfect at 2OO
or 300 yards the bullet will miss him and
harmlessly whistle two feet over his head.
Who is going to stop and think IN the
excitement of battle that the front sigh'
must be held some two feet below the enemy
nred at to make hit?
| venture to say that no big game hunter
who ever lived, and am one, would use the
Springfield battle-sight where dangerous
game might be encountered. 1t would be
instantly discarded. hostile rifeman is the
most dangerous big game on earth. If you
cont get him he is bound TO get you.
Ian Hoy is authority for the statement
that in actual battle there is little effective
rife shooting at more than 200 yards.
later estimate gives the average OF effective
rife fire on the battlefelds of Frauce at but
little more than 100 yards.
Whoever is responsible for the adoption
of the Springfield battle-sight, set at 54'
vaYds, has committed the error on the
amateur theory that with fiat trajectory
such as the Springfield has, the danger held
is vastly enlarged; you may possibly MT
something else even if you don't hit the op-
ject aimed at. Absurd! For even with
shotgun, as all sportsmen know, your aim
must be definite 10 hit the mark; TO shoot
into flock of ducks is TO miss them all.
The Springfield battle-sight should be set
for 100 yards, which is for all practical
rurposes point-bank range. This sight would
be effective for zoo or 800 yards. without
:esetting the sight merely by holding the
front bead bit high on the object aimed at
II should be remembered that in moments
Of great excitement ninety-nine rifemen out
of hundred shoot high and to the right
The Springfield battle-sight multiplies the
common fault. IL would be far better to
have the battle-sight fixed to shoot low than
high as at present.
The second major fault in the Springfield
is in the stock. It is much too short for
the average soldier. The length is 12es
inches, which is about right for short
armed short-necked man five feet tall. IL
should be at least two inches longer for the
man of average height. In consequence OF
the shortness of the stock the Springfield is
"A frghtful kicker. To a man OF average or
above the average height it is an instrument
Of torture. Yet the recoil is only that OF
the average-loaded 10-bore shotgun. But
with a shotgun properly stocked the re-
coil is hardly noticeable. No man can shoot
accurately when his shoulder is being
pounded black and blue; he is certain to
finch.
The third and minor fault Of the Springfield
is that it lacks an iron or brass cleaning rod
In trench warfare rifle must be cleaned
daily and the means OF cleaning must be
always at hand. To expect this necessary
cleaning to be done with single cleaning
rod for every squad of eight is to expect
vain thing. Yet that is the Springfield
system. To be sure, each rife is provided
with cord cleaner. but such cleaning de-
vice is simply useless after the rife has been
fired a few times with nitro-powder.
Two regiments of infantry are engaged
in mortal combat. They are equal in AL
things, in numbers, position, Workmanship,
etc, save only that one regiment has proper
rifle sights and the other the Springfield
abnormalty. The result is never in doubt
The rifemen armed with the rifles equipped
with battle-sights set for SAT yards will be
utterly destroyed.
There is time now to resight and re-
stock the Springfield and provide cleaning
rod for each rife before they shall be used
upon the battlefe.ds of Europe. And these
things ought to be undertaken without delay.
But will they? LIEUTENANT COLONEL.
New York, May %, 1911.