Originally Posted by
Vern Humphrey
The 10 round magazine is an advantage in Volley Fire -- a tactic the British abandoned when their enemies quit standing in serried ranks. The No. 1 MK III* which came out in January of 1916 omitted the volley sights.
Now consider this -- you and I are going to fire 100 rounds as fast as we can -- you have a SMLE, I have a Springfield. We start with loaded magazines. After 5 rounds, I have to reload. You keep firing for another 5 rounds, then you need to reload -- with 5-round clips. At the end of the exercise, I've crammed 19 5-round clips into my rifle, and you've used 18 -- not much difference.