Gun Myth: The 1903 Springfield was the main battle rifle of US forces in WWI.Gun Fact: 75% of US sol

Gun Myth: The 1903 Springfield was the main battle rifle of US forces in WWI.Gun Fact: 75% of US soliders actually used the 1917 Enfield.Before WWI the British standard battle rifle was the Short Magazine Lee Enfield .303 rifle.  British ordinance decided that it wanted a more accurate rifle that was patterned off the German Mauser rifle design.  The result was the P-14 .303 Enfield rifle.  When WWI began the British mainly manufactered the SMLE but also contracted American companies to produce the Enfield P-14.  When the United States entered the war, the Army Ordinance department decided that it would be easier to adapt P-14 production to .30-06 caliber cartridges rather than retool the gun industry to manufacture Springfield rifles.  Thus the .303 P-14 Enfield was converted into the 30-06 1917 Enfield. -- source link

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