The M1903 as a Close Combat Weapon

[Art]

No bayonet

I was going to put this on the '03 forum but figured it would get more play here. This fellow is not recommending you give up your AR but the results are interesting. I will say that police rifle and shotgun courses tend to be less challenging than pistol courses. In my experience and qualifying with rifles is almost always inside 100 yards, in this case inside 50 yards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoV6ZF11-5w

[bruce]

Works well. Learning to work the bolt hard and fast is the most important skill. Can't baby the thing. Palm the bolt knob. Don't use the fingers. Sincerely. bruce.

[togor]

Thanks for posting, Art.

As a professional southpaw I recommend that part-timers work the bolt with their left hand. Yes it's a reach-over move but you don't booger up your hand that way.

[Art]

Thanks for posting, Art.

As a professional southpaw I recommend that part-timers work the bolt with their left hand. Yes it's a reach-over move but you don't booger up your hand that way.

...actually the way the Brit army taught lefties who just couldn't master the rifle right handed; cant the rifle to the left, reach over the action and grasp the bolt handle, pull back to extract and eject, feed the new round and then straighten the rifle. This can be done very rapidly, not quite as fast as right handed but pretty darn quick...as you know. The big fly in the ointment with this method for an Enfield is the comparatively weak ejection.

On the reload drill, if he'd gotten all five off he would have been a super star. 5 shots in 12 seconds with a reload is the equivalent of 20+ rounds a minute sustained! Not hard with an SMLE if you've practiced some, but only a master of the '03 could pull that off. Four shots was the equivalent of 16+ aimed rounds per minute which is not bad at all with a Springfield.

[Former Cav]

but only a master of the '03 could pull that off. Four shots was the equivalent of 16+ aimed rounds per minute which is not bad at all with a Springfield.

huh?? I've seen some old guys at NRA rifle matches in the sitting and prone rapid fire phases get there 10 rounds off with time to spare. And they were all in the 10 and X !!

[togor]

huh?? I've seen some old guys at NRA rifle matches in the sitting and prone rapid fire phases get there 10 rounds off with time to spare. And they were all in the 10 and X !!

The Jim Owens remark about a scared bolt gunner comes to mind.

[Cosine26]

I competed as a high Power bolt rifle shooter for many years. (I am a lifetime Master) It was quite common for a bolt rifle shooter to fire his first clip, look into his scope, make a wind adjustment and finish well before the 60 of 70 seconds expire for 200 and 300 yard RF strings.

[Art]

I competed as a high Power bolt rifle shooter for many years. (I am a lifetime Master) It was quite common for a bolt rifle shooter to fire his first clip, look into his scope, make a wind adjustment and finish well before the 60 of 70 seconds expire for 200 and 300 yard RF strings.

Cosine and Former Cav. That was exactly what I said. I didn't say it can't be done but there are a lot of good shots who can't do it. You have to be extremely good with an '03 to do what you two are talking about; which means you are exactly the type of person I was referring to. I'm good with a bolt gun but I can't do what you can and frankly, even if I spent the time you do on it I would probably never reach your level because I don't have the genetic gifts when it comes to vision and fine motor skills. I've seen people who were good with a gun from the jump. It's called talent. Lucky them. I was not one of those.

When I was a somewhat mediocre runner in college I thought that anyone who couldn't run four miles under 24 minutes was a slacker or lacking in competitive spirit because I could do it under 22 minutes, under 21 minutes on a really good day. I later realized I had been unfair. Some people no matter how hard they work, how scientific their training, or how good their attitude were never going to run under 24 minutes ever.

If it was easy everybody would do it. If just training and practice could accomplish it there would be a lot more Master shooters. Can I equal what this old boy can do with an '03 (16 shots on a silhouette in one minute, probably. Can I put 20 shots on a silhouette with an SMLE at 200 yards in one minute, yep on a good day if I don't blow a reload. Can I do what you can? No. Can everybody learn to do what you can? Absolutely not.

You can't put in what God's left out.

[togor]

Art: Sub 5:15 for 4 miles is a nice clip. I was in similar territory. Good to have made use of youth while it was there, yes?

[Art]

Art: Sub 5:15 for 4 miles is a nice clip. I was in similar territory. Good to have made use of youth while it was there, yes?

Yep. I ran against the big boys though. In my three SEC meets I never finished better than 10th...from last. The top five places in my last one in 1971, ran under 19 minutes, the top three well under 19 minutes. You run about 18:35-40 for 4 miles you can motor. Of course some of those boys would later run in the Olympics.

After my final season at LSU my coach told me "If you just had a couple more steps you could have been a great one."

Those were good times.

One of the bad things about getting old is you don't forget being young.