M1903 Springfield

The U.S. Model 1903 Springfield Rifle, manufactured 1903 to 1945, this rifle replaced the Krag-Jorgensen and was the primary U.S. Battle Rifle until 1936, when it was replace by the M1 Garand.

In 1942 Remington Arms redesigned the rifle using stamped parts and designated it the 1903A3. The '03 rifle saw service all the way into the early stages of the Vietnam War, were it was still utilized as a sniper rifle in the form of the 1903A4. The Springfield, manufactured in the U.S. (at Springfield, Massachusetts), was the standard wartime rifle of the U.S. army. It was reliable and produced in a short-barrelled version for issue to the American Expeditionary Force.

In short supply however around half of U.S. soldiers in the field were issued with the M1917 'American Enfield'. The performance of the U.S. rifle was comparable to the British Lee-Enfield, and was also produced in a Mk1 automatic version. The Springfield utilised a licensed Mauser action. Derivatives of the Springfield remained in use until the Korean War.

P1917/M1917

The United States Rifle, Caliber .30, M1917, developed at the Royal Small Arms Factory in Middlesex.

When the United States prepared for WWI, there were shortages of the m1903 Springfield. The '03 manufacturing was not able to keep up with U.S. demand for armaments. The U.S. companies of Remington, Winchester, and the Remington-Eddystone Arsenal, had just completed contracts for m1914 Enfields, for England and were able to retool the existing manufacturing facilities to produce the m1914 in 30-06.

Thus the m1917 was born. Phased out at the end of WWI and replaced by the m1903

Remington 870 "Wingmaster"

Remington 870 "Wingmaster" was introduced by Remington in 1950, and since then become one of the most popular USA-made pump action all-purpose shotguns. Beginning it's life as a versatile hunting shotgun, available in many different configurations and gauges, in early 1970s Remington 870 was adopted by US Military - in 1966 US Marine Corps purchased some thousands of the Remington 870 Mk.1 shoguns (along with Mossberg 590 and Winchester 1200). Military shotguns have extended magazines for 7 or 8 rounds, bayonet mounts, heat shields around the barrels and non-glare, protective and rust-resistant finishes.

The M1941 Rifle was an American short-recoil operated semiautomatic rifle designed by Melvin Johnson prior to World War II. The M1941 competed unsuccessfully with the U.S. M1 Garand. Melvin Johnson campaigned heavily for the adoption of the Johnson rifle by the U.S. Army and other service branches. However, after limited testing, the U.S. Army rejected the Johnson in favor of the M1 Garand rifle developed by Springfield Armory. The M1941 Johnson was ordered by the Netherlands for issue to its troops in the Dutch East Indies, but the Japanese invaded the islands before the rifles could be shipped from California. At this time, the U.S. Marine Corps found itself in need of a modern fast-firing infantry rifle, and acquired some rifles from the Dutch East Indies shipment for issue to its Paramarine battalions then preparing to deploy for action in the Pacific theatre. By all accounts, the M1941 Johnson performed acceptably in combat with the Marines in the early days of the Pacific fighting.

Despite repeated requests to adopt the rifle by the Marine Corps, the Johnson rifle also lacked the support of US Army Ordnance, which had already invested considerable sums in the development of the M1 Garand and its revised gas operating system, then just going into full production. Johnson was successful in selling small quantities of the Johnson Light Machine Gun to the U.S. armed forces, and this weapon was later used by both Para-Marines and the Army\'s First Special Service Force.

The Johnson rifle was also used in the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion by the anti-Castro Brigade 2506.