Mae's Top 10 Rifles of WWI
Added 2020-10-13 05:50:14 +0000 UTC
Comments
I honestly was not expecting the Ross to get on the list, but I'm very happy to see it there. I love the Ross, if only Canada had done some bloody field trials before the war began.
Joshua McCoy
2020-10-23 18:56:35 +0000 UTCHi Ian love the content been a fan for several years now. Have you ever been to the John Browning Museum in Ogden Utah. I went a few years ago and it is not a big museum but the collection is excellent. I believe that more people should be aware of perhaps the best firearms designer the world has ever seen.
Sean S.
2020-10-20 06:55:51 +0000 UTCSemi auto for the win!!! Though I’m glad the M1917 made the list.
Luke Telling
2020-10-20 04:15:27 +0000 UTCA great way to cap off an amazing series. Thank you so much for many happy hours viewing! I have to agree that I share your soft spot for the Type 38 - Nambu is a legend. I have to agree, too, with your final top ten of mainstream infantry rifles; very balanced, and as objective as it is possible to be. The only thing you might wish to consider, though, is a weighting for entry date in the war. Yes, the M1917 Enfield may technically be the best bolt action rifle of the Great War (it should be, it was nearly 20 years newer than the Gewehr 98), but it arrived with the AEF at a time when the rifle's importance had declined relative to artillery, machine guns and the all-arms battle. The rifle's heyday was the opening months of the war, before the armies had gone to ground. With that in mind, it could be argued that the SMLE pips the M1917 to first place (but I would say that - I'm a Brit). Although, to be fair, whilst the BEF's feats have entered legend, the reference army of the war was always the German, and so the Gewehr 98 was probably the most important (without even considering its derivatives). Just a thought.
Martin Smith
2020-10-18 20:23:46 +0000 UTCExcellent episode guys, very informative! Thanks for this.! Andy
Andy Oshea
2020-10-18 19:37:45 +0000 UTCI meant on YouTube itself (especially within a smart-tv rendering of YT), not via email.
Brian Ingram
2020-10-18 14:11:08 +0000 UTCYour notifications show up in your email. Check your spam folder.
General Jack Ripper
2020-10-18 13:01:24 +0000 UTCThis is a great top ten. I like to hear her comments along with the historical reasons. This is very well done.
Henry Chavez
2020-10-17 20:00:25 +0000 UTCIn the never-ending "The Algorithm is out to Get Us" saga, I've noticed that unlike my other subscribed channels, YouTube never notifies me when C&Rsenal drops a new video. I do have the Notification-Bell clicked on the channel. But in my channel-feeds (on the left side of the screen) or in the Bell at the top-right, there is *never* something saying "C&Rsenal just posted ____." I bring this up because oddly, there's no issue with that for Forgotten Weapons or InRange TV (among my gun-related subs), or from any non-gun content creators (even some of the WWII ones that previously proclaimed "YouTube Hates History!" Mentioning it in case it's part of the being-squashed-by-the-algortihm battle you've fought for a while now...
Brian Ingram
2020-10-17 18:13:31 +0000 UTCWhat a great episode. Nice to see a top ten. Would be nice to see you make another guest appearance at our Virginia Collectors Show again. The show is planned to go on Nov. 7-8.
Richard Valenzi
2020-10-16 02:53:51 +0000 UTCNo Savage 99 musket? I am disappointed and sad. :U
Kyle Jones
2020-10-15 20:19:32 +0000 UTCAgreed it was ideal as a target rifle but not up to the rigours of service.
Keith Hickson
2020-10-14 14:11:22 +0000 UTCWe did, my goof, but it was not first issue but was bought to equip many local regiments.
Keith Hickson
2020-10-14 14:10:14 +0000 UTCUmm ...Alvin York 1x 1911 + 1x 1917 and No the British didn’t use the 1917...they used the 1914 coz .303 not 30.06
Ben Clayton
2020-10-14 13:10:29 +0000 UTCWell done
Ben Clayton
2020-10-14 13:02:53 +0000 UTCWell, your 10 candidates for Project Boltening.
Simon Tan
2020-10-14 08:48:58 +0000 UTCGreat job on the episode. I have been waiting a long time for this ever since the tease way back during the SMLE episode. Looking forward to pistols, I have no idea which ones will be on the list.
Zachary Tenney
2020-10-14 04:12:37 +0000 UTCOut of curiosity, where would the Winchester M1895 lever-action end up on the list? I know it is complicated, but still did see significant issue being the third most common rifle-action in Russia and I am not aware of them being hated by the troops and as the mud test from Ian and Karl on InRange makes it appear that it can handle mud fairly well. What are some of the key things that hold it back from being on the list?
Zachary Tenney
2020-10-14 04:09:50 +0000 UTCOr a video on the optimized WWI weapons (rifle/carbine or short rifle, pistol, and light machine gun) for the "Republic of Mae"?
Jason
2020-10-14 04:02:38 +0000 UTCIn spite of the official history, Cpl. Alvin York agreed with me and swapped his issued M1917 for a Springfield in France. He was worried that he would have to pay for the issued rifle if he admitted swapping it off. My Eddystone Enfield barrel has greatly oversize groove ID, enough to shoot over diameter (0.312") cast lead bullets better than issue 30-'06 ammo. I always assumed they used left-over 303-caliber P14 barrels as a war-time expedient.
James A. Boatright
2020-10-14 02:20:19 +0000 UTCMy problem with my No. 1 Mk. III SMLE is its 1 foot shift in point of impact at 100 yards when the bayonet is attached. Hence the heavy barrel of the No. 4. I also never cared much for the US M1917 Enfield, probably because mine was made by Eddystone. My low-numbered M1903 Springfield has always been significantly more accurate. I shot out and replaced the original barrel, avoiding the 2-groove variety.
James A. Boatright
2020-10-14 02:10:35 +0000 UTCYes, I did come off sounding sort of high handed. Sorry about that Alden. My comments were correct, but I should have worded them more politely. Just trying to add some enlightenment to these discussions. I am a big fan of C&Rsenal.
James A. Boatright
2020-10-14 02:00:25 +0000 UTCLove the Mannlicher-Schonauer but love the G11 a lot more, realizing that it was ineligible for inclusion. I am a sincere fan of the SMLE (Rifle No. 1, Mk. 3*): never experienced rim-lock but never owned one that was better than 3" group @ 100yds (which was the standard for acceptance). This video was absolutely wonderful, Thank you for your work.
Edwin A. Novak
2020-10-14 01:52:21 +0000 UTCYour information is appreciated, your tone is NOT. Since you do not suppport any of the creators here, I can only assume that your only reason to be here is to find fault and point it out. You know what you can do with your firing pin... https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/11648762/firing-pin-impact-studies-by-james-a-boatright-david-tubb
Alden Skinner
2020-10-14 01:49:56 +0000 UTCCan’t wait for you to get hands on a Fedorov (fingers crossed)
Chairman
2020-10-14 01:38:38 +0000 UTCDo we have to wait for the Top 10 Pistols before we get a "Treasonous Defense Minister Sabotages Elbonia's entry in to the Great War" list video?
Andrey Gardner
2020-10-13 23:08:22 +0000 UTCGreat job on a difficult subject. I generally abhor top ten lists. The way you handled your list of best rifles by having two tiers of criteria was brilliant!
Greg Bastian
2020-10-13 20:46:48 +0000 UTCThe 1917 Rifle allowed the United States to field the large number of volunteer troops necessary to make a difference in the last year of the war. Without that production, we would have been sorely short of weapons.
Samuel Schiller
2020-10-13 16:35:40 +0000 UTCIt was adopted by the US Ordinance department, Most figures have more 1917s issued than 1903s. So it was definitely used as a front line rifle.
Dwayne A. Dolly II
2020-10-13 15:16:48 +0000 UTCThe 1917 was produced and fielded in greater numbers in WWI than the 1903 Springfield.
Christopher Dooley
2020-10-13 15:11:55 +0000 UTCI'm going with the Othias list of mainline rifles because it confirms my bias towards the Model of 1917 Enfield. Let's face it, nothing confers the mantle of authenticity and authority like having a source confirm your particular predilection. ;)
Wayne Dygert
2020-10-13 13:52:59 +0000 UTCDefinitely my first choice too, always loved the type 38 arisaka!
Zaccheus jammer
2020-10-13 13:03:41 +0000 UTCAlso, your explanation of why the bolt locking lugs of the Nambu-designed Type 38 rifle are so very strong is not technically correct. All else being equal, the maximum shear stress loading which can be handled is limited by the combined "attachment areas" of the two lugs to the bolt body, and not by the total rear-facing areas of the two lugs (as most people assume). This is covered in basic physics or mechanical engineering textbooks.
James A. Boatright
2020-10-13 11:29:45 +0000 UTCApparently, you have never read nor noticed that the bolt locking lugs of the US M1917 are NOT Mauser-style square locking lugs. The rear locking faces are interrupted square threads of about 8 TPI pitch. The lugs provide great mechanical advantage for the last 30 thousandths of an inch of cartridge seating. The British designers cleverly selected the largest helix angle (2.4 degrees) for the rear faces of those lugs which would not blow open under bolt thrust due to the sliding friction of lubricated steel on steel (0.081, with a safety factor of 2.0). The Weatherby Mark V is a modern bolt action which also uses interrupted screw thread locking lugs.
James A. Boatright
2020-10-13 11:18:58 +0000 UTCRoss Rifle ain't soldier proof....
Guido R.
2020-10-13 10:50:52 +0000 UTCYES! 6,5 for the win!
Matteo Manino
2020-10-13 10:32:16 +0000 UTCGreat job, Mae! Was exciting to see that I have nearly all of your choices in my own collection. Is really fun to watch you guys!
Greg Cooke
2020-10-13 07:44:25 +0000 UTCThirdly the 1917 Pattern Enfield was never adopted as a service rifle in the UK nor, although produced in large numbers, the US (to my knowledge it was issued as a secondline weapon even if favoured by the front line troops)
Keith Hickson
2020-10-13 07:34:31 +0000 UTCSecondly they have in the past discounted rifles due to the fact they need training. Unlike today most town dwellers had never seen a weapon outside the hands of Police so EVERYONE needed training
Keith Hickson
2020-10-13 07:33:10 +0000 UTCThe problem with this list is threefold, they have explained that due to the age of some of these rifles they drop them to waist level to chamber the next round. This negates some of the advantages of rifles such as the SMLE.
Keith Hickson
2020-10-13 07:31:52 +0000 UTC#10 was my number 5, #9 my no clue no experience (lucky!), #8 my 8 (represent those exports!), #7 is my 2 cause Murica, #6 my number 4, /#5 is my nein, /#4 is my 4 (23 years shooting them and didn't know Enfields had rimlock until gun blogs) #3/3 (taking your word never been able to handle, seem amazing) #2 number 2 for sure (I know I have tutu's). Number #1 #1 (no Mauser and no question!) O all the way, my dream firearm and so much potential! What a neat list, fun! Ya'll knocked it out of the park again. G
Gary Newman
2020-10-13 06:46:47 +0000 UTCYASSSS!
Robin Schneidermann
2020-10-13 05:58:36 +0000 UTC
