The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-05-01

the first munitions were Inspected by
and Russian army officers they
found inaccuracies sufficient to cause
rejection, and this necessitated over
hauling all the separate gauges and
the provision of more rigid standards
and q centralized inspection system.
When Uncle Sam entered the var
he had more than 100000 Springfield
rifles In the hands of troops and In
reserve. Government arsenal facil-
tiles were inadequate to provide the
hundreds of thousands Of new rifles
required for training a great army In
this country and eQuipping and pro-
viding rife wastage as troops were
sent abroad. BY that time private fire.
arms manufacturers had developed
facilities for large quantity production
of the British Enfield rife, and there
was the Of turning out this
arm In large quantities for training
purposes during the period OF eight
or ten months while the draft contin-
gents were being turned into soldiers.
The British Enfield rife uses ammuni-
ton different from the United States
firearm. Had there been no time for
notifications, American troops might
have been trained with the British
Enfield, using British ammunition, and
would have been capable soldiers fair.
ly well armed. so far as the rifle was
concerned.
Fortunately, however. our war prep
arations were laid out In the light Of
British experience, allowing sufficient
time for the training and equipment
essential TO results In modern war.
Therefore 1t vas possible to not only
rechamber the British Enfield 20 take
standard Springfield ammunition, but
to materially improve the British rifle
and Its manufacture In the light OF
American experience. BY standardiz-
ing the parts so that they would as
semble readily and properly. the pro-
duction Of the rifle was very greatly
accelerated and a reasonable degree
of interchangeability of parts liable to
break In the field vas secured. Our
ordnance experts, backed by private
provide ample quantities of the arm
known as the United States rifle,
model of 1917. This rife is not Off
cially known as an Enfield, because,
although the latter served as Its basis.
II has been redesigned and given fea-
NYr.ao xyhtah u.afyn a. ,t~t,nIIr ms
weapon.
Adopt Enfield Rifle.
While the number of modern rifles
on hand at our entrance into the war
was nothing like a. large as II should
have been, II vas equal to the mum
Der of modern rifles which Great Brit,
ain had on hand when she entered the
war In 1914. AS the necessary ma.
chlnery was not available to produce
sufficient quantities of Springfield
rifles In a short time, II vas decided tc
adopt the British Enfield rife, thu
production of which was large In thi.
country and could be materially In
creased to meet our needs In a shorter
time than It would require to raise tn,
output Of Springfields.
The Springfield rifle was known Il
be In many respects superior to thu
British rifle. The British government
realized this before the war and had
adopted an improved rifle, caliber .276
firing a high-pressured cartridge like
the United States government car
fridge, but did not have time to make
them, and had to retain its old rife
and cartridge.
Our position. however, was differ
emit. An army had TO be selected un
der the draft and trained for service
which gave us ample time to make i'm
provements which the British govern
ment had intended to make, and which
practically placed their rifle, as mold
fed In this country. or an equal foot
ing with our own.
The model 1917, United States rife
as the improved Enfield Is called, is
thoroughly trustworthy and reliable
arm In every respect. and no appre
hension need be felt when 1t Is real
ICED that II is a great improvement
over the rife which the British force
In France have used so effectively TO
the past three years and are still US
ing.