The Wilmington morning star., 1940-03-31
Ponder Smoke
BY
EDMUND M'LAURIN

Each week brings forth from
readers a number of technical ques-
tions on the shooting game, but is
is seldom that these questions share
much in common, and it is. there
fore, rather surprising to receive
during the past several days over
half a dozen inquiries which are
so closely related that they could,
as in this instance, be grouped n
answered under the title, Military
Rifles of the United States from
1873 to 194O." Undoubtedly the wide
publicity now being given the new
Garand semi-automatic rifle is re-
sponsible to some extent for the
increased interest being manifested
in military arms Of the United
States.
Back in 1873, Uncle Sans Of
fetal army rifle was the old U. s.
Springfield, model 1873, caliber 40
10, as described in this column last
week. BY 1898 government troops
were being supplied with a new
rifle, the popular 30-4O bolt-action
Krag, a magazine loading repeating
rifle that was essentially a great
improvement over t h e former
Springfield 45-7O. The Krag was IN
turn succeeded in 1903 by t h e
Springfield BOOB, which fired a go
grain bullet from a rimless type
cartridge of considerable velocity. In
1906 the government recalled all
Springfield rifles issued since 1908
and ~re-designed them to take the
5000 cartridge, with a Splitter
(pointed) bullet of $50 grains, the
new rifle being known as the Spring
field .30-06, or, in Uncle Sans own
words, the U. S. Rifle, caliber 80,
M190S. chambered for the 1906 type
cartridge, the year of the change.
Since then the Springfield, cal. 80,
M1903, rifle has become to be re.
garded as probably the most accu-
rate military arm in the world, and
along with the Enfield, served ad-
mirably during the difficult days OF
the World war.
Contrary to popular opinion, the
Enfield rifle never took precedence
over the Springfield, but was mere
ly adopted as a temporary con
venience. At the time of Americas
entrance into the European conflict
the American gun manufacturers
were under contract to supply the
British forces with their standard
Enfield. Faced with a shortage of
Springfield rifles, and finding that
some of the American munition
makers we're fooled to make the En-.
field, Uncle Sam simply took over
the control of the sources of sup.
ply and altered the existing equip
ment 50 that the Enfield rifle would
chamber the Springfield cartridge
By November 9, 1918, according to
the War Department, 2,5O6, 3O7 En-
field and Springfield rifles were in
the hands of the American forces.
Many of the wartime Enfields, and
some of the best of the lot were
manufactured at the Eddystone, Pa.
plant.
For the benefit of certain inter-
ested readers, I will add that es
sentially the Springfield .3O-O6, mo
del 1908, is a 7.62mm arm, weighing
3 lbs, 8 o., with a rifling consist
ing of four grooves having a twist
of n complete turn every ten
inches of the barrel length. The car
fridge used gives an average muz.
zle velocity of 1900 #. per second.
generates approximately $1,000
pounds of breech pressure p e
square inch when fired, and has a
striking energy sufficient to pene-
-rate a IA inch steel plate at 400
yards. The so-called star-guagee
Springfield, which so many people
regard as a vastly superior weapon
the as-issued Springfield is moth
[ng more than an ordinary Spring
leld which has been measured more
han an ordinary Springfield which
mas been measured for bore accu-
'acy every inch of it's length with
special gauge with three fingers
IN its end, forming a star; hence
he descriptive classification. Rifles
passing the star-guage tesla n d
5ery few fail to do so-bear q, small
tar on h muzzle of the bar