WWI rifles: Who had the best?

J

Jeff Simmons

Active member
As an American, I am partial to the 1903 Springfield 30.06-caliber rifle. I had the opportunity to fire one of these, and had no problem hitting a target 200 yards away. (Many snipers used the Springfield in WWII). Aside from accuracy over distance, it also had a 10-shot magazine, whereas most WWI rifles had a five-shot magazine. Growing up in West Virginia (USA), I hunted for deer with men who carried the Springfield some 60 years after the war.

However, I must admit (sadly) that two other WWI rifles were the most outstanding: The French Lebel 1886/93 and the German Mauser Gewher 98.

The highly-accurate 8mm Lebel set the pace for firearms designers to follow in many nations; it was the first small-bore military rifle using smokeless powder, and it had a tubular magazine under the barrel that held eight rounds.

The 7.92 mm Mauser was -- very simply -- made with excellence, and its design was often copied. Although it had a five-shot magazine, a soldier could easily fire 15 aimed shots per minute with the Mauser. Like the Springfield and Lebel, it had outstanding accuracy.

Does anyone else agree or disagree? I look forward to your replies.
 
Experts usually say the best battle rifle is usually the Lee Enfield, with the Springfield being the best target rifle & the Mauser being named the best hunting rifle. So if the subject is best battle rifle....
 
All Springfield variations have 5 shot magazines.
'Cept maybe the Pedersen
Any GI using Iron sights was expected to hit a man size target center of mass at 500 yards.
The Springfields had the best sights of all of them and they got better with the 03a3.

I have no idea how one decides "the best" rifle, machinegun, pistol, etc, ad nauseum.

Pick what you like.
 
I think they were all outstanding designs, however if I would pick one...the German Mauser.
 
misinformed

I was misinformed about the magazine capacity of the Springfield. I based that statement on one source, whereas I usually consult several before writing anything. I just checked another and it confirmed that the Springfield had a five-shot magazine, not ten. Guess you can't believe everything you read.
 
One of the best must have been the 303 Enfield Rifle. You could bash it around drop it in the mud and it would work. It had a ten round magazine on it and the leaf sights on the WW1 model also you could set the sights not only for distance but windage as well. The French rifle had a problem with the magazine and when using the bolt you could some how or other collect two bullets and the tip of the second one could set off the first one and you rammed it into the breach which did not do you a lot of good if it was your rifle.
The German rifle was an excellent bit of kit but if I remember rightly it only had a five round magazine.
The Enfiled rifle was built under license in the US
 
LeEnfield said:
One of the best must have been the 303 Enfield Rifle. You could bash it around drop it in the mud and it would work. It had a ten round magazine on it and the leaf sights on the WW1 model also you could set the sights not only for distance but windage as well. The French rifle had a problem with the magazine and when using the bolt you could some how or other collect two bullets and the tip of the second one could set off the first one and you rammed it into the breach which did not do you a lot of good if it was your rifle.
The German rifle was an excellent bit of kit but if I remember rightly it only had a five round magazine.
The Enfiled rifle was built under license in the US
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Built here for UK, & modified to 30-06 & used by the US as the M-1917.
 
The Lee-Enfield had a ten round magazine, its bolt action was the fastest of any of the guns in service, and it would take all sorts of abuse and still work

ps: The current world record for aimed bolt-action fire was set in 1914 by an instructor in the British Army—Sergeant Instructor Snoxall—who placed 38 rounds into a 12 inch wide target at 300 yards (270 m) in one minute using a Lee Enfield.
 
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Did they have the Thompson Machine Gun during WWII and did they use it? I know they had it, but did they use it? Seeing some gangster movies reminded me of this question? Please answer (I didn't make a new thread because it would be too much trouble and waste)
 
Korean Seaboy said:
Did they have the Thompson Machine Gun during WWII and did they use it? I know they had it, but did they use it? Seeing some gangster movies reminded me of this question? Please answer (I didn't make a new thread because it would be too much trouble and waste)
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I assume that you mean WW1

It dates from 1918, but the war was over before a prototype could be sent to the troops in Europe
 
Wow

38 hits in one minute with the Enfield...Amazing. I always considered myself to be a pretty decent shot, but nothing like that.
 
My choice would be the M1903A3 Springfield, it can hit a target accurately at 800 yards if it needs to, packs a hard punch with .30-06, and is reliable. It has some damn good ironsights too.
 
I would have to go along with the Rifle number 1 Mark III Enfield and I have shot most of the rifles of that war, except the Greek and Serbian stuff. It was not only an accurate piece, it was probably the most rugged and reliable bolt gun. The rear locking lugs make the action fast to operate and they are easier to keep clean. It is a more robust piece that the Springfield, and, of course, heavier. Interestingly, the rifle that the U.S calls the 1917 Enfield is scorned by many armchair historians. They claim it is too long, clumsy, heavy, etc. This view was not shared by the U.S. Army who concluded after WWI that the 1917 Enfield should replace the Springfield. That didn't happen and I'm sure you can see why. Congress would never allow it. The 1917 is actually a modified Mauser and shares little with the Number 1 Mark III except ruggedness.
 
Remington 1858 said:
I would have to go along with the Rifle number 1 Mark III Enfield and I have shot most of the rifles of that war, except the Greek and Serbian stuff. It was not only an accurate piece, it was probably the most rugged and reliable bolt gun. The rear locking lugs make the action fast to operate and they are easier to keep clean. It is a more robust piece that the Springfield, and, of course, heavier. Interestingly, the rifle that the U.S calls the 1917 Enfield is scorned by many armchair historians. They claim it is too long, clumsy, heavy, etc. This view was not shared by the U.S. Army who concluded after WWI that the 1917 Enfield should replace the Springfield. That didn't happen and I'm sure you can see why. Congress would never allow it. The 1917 is actually a modified Mauser and shares little with the Number 1 Mark III except ruggedness.
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I had a bolt action Lee Enfield WW2 surplus 303. A heavy rifle with a big brass butt plate and a manual snipers sight. weighted oh at least 10 pounds, maybe more. How similar is this to the rifle your referring to? This was a very accurate rifle with a bit of a kick. This was also easy to clean and it never malfunctioned.
 
Remington 1858;675519. The 1917 is actually a modified Mauser and shares little with the Number 1 Mark III except ruggedness.[/QUOTE said:
Actually the M-1917 is a modified Enfield. The US was making Enfields for the British, in .303. The gun makers convinced the US Army the fastest way of quickly ramping up production of US made rifles was to convert the Enfield to 30-06. The M-1903 Springfield was a modified Mauser that the US was paying Royalties to Mauser for the design.
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The 1917 Enfield has two forward locking lugs. That is a Mauser characteristic, although it doesn't have a safety lug like a Mauser. The bolt handle locks into a recess in the receiver bridge, so that takes the place of the usual Mauser third lug. The rifle cocks on closing like an Enfield, a Mauser cocks on opening. The 1917 Enfield locks the bolt open on the last shot. It's true that the U.S. Springfield is closer to the Mauser action than the '17 Enfield which is why the U.S. wound up paying royalties. The 1917 Enfield or Pattern14 Enfield in it's original form is a hybrid.
 
JOC said:
I had a bolt action Lee Enfield WW2 surplus 303. A heavy rifle with a big brass butt plate and a manual snipers sight. weighted oh at least 10 pounds, maybe more. How similar is this to the rifle your referring to? This was a very accurate rifle with a bit of a kick. This was also easy to clean and it never malfunctioned.
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Have you a photograph of your rifle, then I'll be able to identify it for you.
 
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