RandyNH
02-08-2016, 06:37
Found an interesting photo when reviewing pictures from the 1913 Gettysburg Reunion - the 50th - the BIG one - of some US Army soldiers who were on duty in the Veteran's camp, with their ten-year old M1903's in hand.
Was just amused by their expressions (probably having just concluded a discussion with the old veterans about THEIR muzzle loading M1855 and M1861 Springfields and other variants in use at the time), and thought 'If those guys could time travel out to 2013, what would they think of our standard-issue M16A1 and M4's in use as the main battle rifle in use in Afghanistan and in Iraq, and note that you can't shoot M1903's at the National Matches anymore - now also dominated by 'mouse guns'?
What would they say, and how would they react if they had to trade in their '03's for M16's?
You'd have to label them as 'Mouse-Gun Skeptics' about the Stoner system and the itty-bitty 5.56mm 55 and 62 grain cartridges when compared to the 30-06 and the 150 grain FMJ, especially beyond 400-500 yards:
1. 'Using 55 and 62 grain bullets - that's like a mosquito biting an elephant, and expecting him to pay attention!'
2. 'Why do you have to shoot someone more than once to stop them? Why five or ten times to have any effect? We didn't have to do that with our Krags, and not with our '03's!'
3. 'How far away can you hit something reliably with those little black things? What, only 300 or 400 yards, and not if there's a high wind or lots of brush in between? We're just getting started at 600 yards with our '03's!'
4. 'The gun jams if you drop it in the mud, or don't clean the bolt properly? We can swim through mud, and our '03's still work just fine.'
5. 'Failures to extract? Can't get empty cartridge case out of the chamber? Never have a problem with our '03, using the Mauser action design and extractor with getting cases out!'
6. 'Can't get a round to chamber? What's that 'forward assist' thingy? We just push the bolt forward, chamber the round and bring the bolt handle down to lock the lugs, ready to fire. What 'failure to chamber' problem?'
7. 'You lost your magazine, and now you have a single-shot weapon? Well, our '03's don't have a detachable magazine to use, and they're plenty fast with stripper clips to reload! Let us demonstrate the 'Mad Minute' for you with an '03!'
Interesting to note that the old, 'obsolete' M14's were dug out of storage, rebuilt and re-purposed for Designated Marksman Rifles and sniping duty (note the Smith Enterprise 'CrazyHorse' updates to M14's) for long-range shooting and high-accuracy requirements. They filled a critical need for long-distance precision marksmanship that the old '03's had filled in the pre-WWI and WWI era as a 'main battle rifle' that the 'assault rifles' of today could not.
And, then there's Morris Fisher, USMC marksmanship marvel in the 1920's....with an '03. And what the Marines did at Belleau Wood at 500-800 yard ranges to the Germans with their '03's.
I have some other stories about long-range shots with the '03 being taken during the Punitive Expedition (chasing Pancho Villa), and down in the Central American states during the Marines 'stabilization visits' in the 1920's. One of them involved a USMC marksman in a fortified location making a daily shot at a church bell some long distance away (in the neighborhood of 600-800 yards away) just to 'ring the bell' to make sure the insurrectos knew the Marines were alert and ready for any attempts on their position.
You have to wonder what the same time and effort on marksmanship training of that era with the M1903 would produce today with a similar focus on 'long-range marksmanship' as it was practiced back in the day.
If I could only time-travel back to 1913......and be able to purchase one of those new NRA M1903's directly from Springfield Armory.
3424234241
Was just amused by their expressions (probably having just concluded a discussion with the old veterans about THEIR muzzle loading M1855 and M1861 Springfields and other variants in use at the time), and thought 'If those guys could time travel out to 2013, what would they think of our standard-issue M16A1 and M4's in use as the main battle rifle in use in Afghanistan and in Iraq, and note that you can't shoot M1903's at the National Matches anymore - now also dominated by 'mouse guns'?
What would they say, and how would they react if they had to trade in their '03's for M16's?
You'd have to label them as 'Mouse-Gun Skeptics' about the Stoner system and the itty-bitty 5.56mm 55 and 62 grain cartridges when compared to the 30-06 and the 150 grain FMJ, especially beyond 400-500 yards:
1. 'Using 55 and 62 grain bullets - that's like a mosquito biting an elephant, and expecting him to pay attention!'
2. 'Why do you have to shoot someone more than once to stop them? Why five or ten times to have any effect? We didn't have to do that with our Krags, and not with our '03's!'
3. 'How far away can you hit something reliably with those little black things? What, only 300 or 400 yards, and not if there's a high wind or lots of brush in between? We're just getting started at 600 yards with our '03's!'
4. 'The gun jams if you drop it in the mud, or don't clean the bolt properly? We can swim through mud, and our '03's still work just fine.'
5. 'Failures to extract? Can't get empty cartridge case out of the chamber? Never have a problem with our '03, using the Mauser action design and extractor with getting cases out!'
6. 'Can't get a round to chamber? What's that 'forward assist' thingy? We just push the bolt forward, chamber the round and bring the bolt handle down to lock the lugs, ready to fire. What 'failure to chamber' problem?'
7. 'You lost your magazine, and now you have a single-shot weapon? Well, our '03's don't have a detachable magazine to use, and they're plenty fast with stripper clips to reload! Let us demonstrate the 'Mad Minute' for you with an '03!'
Interesting to note that the old, 'obsolete' M14's were dug out of storage, rebuilt and re-purposed for Designated Marksman Rifles and sniping duty (note the Smith Enterprise 'CrazyHorse' updates to M14's) for long-range shooting and high-accuracy requirements. They filled a critical need for long-distance precision marksmanship that the old '03's had filled in the pre-WWI and WWI era as a 'main battle rifle' that the 'assault rifles' of today could not.
And, then there's Morris Fisher, USMC marksmanship marvel in the 1920's....with an '03. And what the Marines did at Belleau Wood at 500-800 yard ranges to the Germans with their '03's.
I have some other stories about long-range shots with the '03 being taken during the Punitive Expedition (chasing Pancho Villa), and down in the Central American states during the Marines 'stabilization visits' in the 1920's. One of them involved a USMC marksman in a fortified location making a daily shot at a church bell some long distance away (in the neighborhood of 600-800 yards away) just to 'ring the bell' to make sure the insurrectos knew the Marines were alert and ready for any attempts on their position.
You have to wonder what the same time and effort on marksmanship training of that era with the M1903 would produce today with a similar focus on 'long-range marksmanship' as it was practiced back in the day.
If I could only time-travel back to 1913......and be able to purchase one of those new NRA M1903's directly from Springfield Armory.
3424234241