“Tag: world war I”

April 2023 marks the 125th anniversary of the German military adoption of Paul Mauser’s Gewehr 98 bolt-action rifle. Its seminal design formed the basis for the most widely distributed family of military arms of their type in history and still influences commercial rifle manufacture to this day. So, what, exactly, made the Model 98 so incredibly successful?

The "U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903," better-known as the M1903 Springfield, has become one of the most popular U.S. military small arms to collect. What should the discerning collector look for in a potential buy? Here are the features to watch out for.

Despite the U.S. Army's initial rejection of the Colt M1895, the "Potato Digger" soldiered on with a fruitful service history around the world.

Not until the .30-’06 Sprg. cartridge breathed new life into the sputtering ’03 Springfield was the rifle ready to become a battlefield legend. The .30-’06 chambering and other changes combined to make the ’03 America’s greatest military bolt-action.

Winchester's New Haven facility closed in March 2006, thus ending a century-and-a-half tradition of military and sporting rifles being made in that city. The contributions of the Winchester factory to the security of this country and the pleasure that its products have given generations of sportsmen must be remembered.

Q: I came across this photo of an M1911 pistol fitted with some sort of metal cage, presumably to catch the fired cartridge cases. Can you shed any light on this item?

During World War I, production shortages and equipment shortages placed a large burden on the manufacture of arms in the United States. This included M1911 pistol production by Colt, which developed an interesting hybrid with Springfield Armory to alleviate shortages.

Watch this American Rifleman Television segment of "I Have This Old Gun" from 2020 to learn about the U.S. M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle in .30-'06 Sprg.

Arms of all sorts were in high demand at the onset of the Great War, including a new type of close-quarters combat firearm: the repeating shotgun. Though several designs were explored, only a few made it into the trenches before the Armistice was signed.