Billy Shears
Member
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2008
- Messages
- 1,020
I have to disagree with you. The Enfield has more than just a ten round magazine going for it. The bolt really was quicker to operate, thanks to a 60 degree bolt turn (as opposed to the Mauser's [or Springfield's] 90 degrees), a shorter bolt throw (thanks to the rear locking lugs, which meant the cartridge didn't have to be pushed past the locking lugs to be chambered), and the cock on closing action. All these features made for a faster cycling bolt action, which was advantageous in a battle rifle. This came at the cost of less theoretical accuracy. I say theoretical, because while it may be true that the front locking Mauser-type bolt has more absolute mechanical accuracy, it really didn't make any appreciable difference in an iron-sighted battle rifle shot by an ordinary soldier -- and anyway, as the No.4 sniper rifle showed, the Lee-Enfield action was still capable of very great accuracy.I think that if you look past the max cap of the rifle, which is its finest point, it really isn't anything special. So, I'll disagree that it's the best. I think for functions sake, the 1903 was hands down the best that saw use.
As for the '03, I really can't agree that it's better. It's not any sort of improvement on the German original from which it was copied, and as fielded in WWI, it had a few significant flaws. One was the straight stock, which was not superior to the semi pistol grip stock of the Enfield or the Mauser, and shooters of the WWII '03A3 always preferred to shoot the C stock versions with the semi pistol grip, as opposed to the straight stock variants, which they said seemed to kick harder. Another problem was the sights. The Springfield's sights were great for a target rifle, but the M1917 Enfield had much better battle sights, despite the lack of windage adjustment. Also, the M1903's sights were regulated so that point of aim and point of impact coincided at, IIRC something like 500 yards, which meant that in the trenches, where actual ranges were much shorter, most of the shots US infantrymen fired (those that still had the Springfield, as opposed to the M1917, which was used by the majority of doughboys) actually went over the heads of the German soldiers.