|
...of them was made "over here" by Winchester, Remington and a Remington subsidiary in Eddystone, Pennsylvania.
And both versions of those "Enfields" served their respective nations well in two world wars. Even more, they were a prime example of the manufacturing capability this nation once had because these rifles were produced in such quantity and quality it boggles the mind.
Both the Pattern 1914 and the M1917 resulted from an emergency when their respective countries declared war on Germany--Britain in 1914 and the United States in 1917. Both war declarations were reckless moves because neither nation had enough rifles. At least they didn't in the beginning, and one must be left wondering what either country would have done if not for the manufacturing might of American arms makers.
In 1914 Britain was right on the verge of switching military rifles from their No. 1 Mk III SMLE .303 (Short Magazine Lee Enfield) to the Pattern 1914. One of the features to be incorporated into the new rifle was a new military cartridge--a rimless .276 to replace the archaic rimmed .303. However, with the declaration of war the project was shelved and the British wisely decided to stick with their old "Smellys." But the new design was too good to waste so they contracted with American gun makers to put it into production, albeit and wisely as a .303.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Both Winchester and Remington accepted contracts for huge numbers of Pattern 1914s, and such were lucrative enough Remington even purchased the Eddystone factory to help. Production actually started early in 1916. By the time the United States became involved in April 1917, the combined production of Pattern 1914s amounted to more than 1,200,000 rifles in about 15 months. That figures to about 80,000 a month or about 2,667...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos
have been removed from this article.
More articles from Guns Magazine
Lawyer sentenced.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS), July 01, 2008
Henry moving to New Jersey.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS), July 01, 2008
Industry careers.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS), July 01, 2008
Woman soldier awarded Silver Star.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS), July 01, 2008
Canada honours Gurkhas.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS), July 01, 2008
Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.
Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication
name or publication date.
About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company
analysis or best practices in managing your organization,
Goliath can help you meet your business needs.
Our extensive business information databases empower business
professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible,
authoritative information they need to support their business
goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting,
company research or defining management best practices -
Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.
|
