Quote:
Originally Posted by Adm.Lee
Isn't that the rifle that reputedly killed some of its shooters when the bolts popped loose and hit them in the face?
|
"The shortcomings of the rifle were made apparent during the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915. The rifle showed poor tolerance of dirt when used in field conditions, particularly the screw threads operating the bolt lugs, jamming the weapon open or closed. Another part of the jamming problem came from the bolt's outer face hitting the bolt stop, then deforming the thread shape. The bolt could also be disassembled for routine cleaning and inadvertently reassembled in a manner that would fail to lock but still allow a round to be fired, leading to serious injury or death of the operator as the bolt flew back into his face.
"Thankfully such incidents were minor." [Emphasis mine.] Another well-known deficiency was the tendency for the bayonet to fall off the rifle when the weapon was fired. Many Canadians of the First Contingent (now renamed the First Canadian Division) at Ypres retrieved Lee Enfields from British casualties to replace their Ross rifles. Lieutenant Chris Scriven of the Tenth Battalion commented that it sometimes took five men just to keep one rifle firing."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_rifle
Admiral,
"THERE WERE ONLY A FEW FLIPPER BABIES!" (
- Brain Candy)
Apparently, they were made of sterner stuff back then, when getting hit in the freakin' face by an exploding bolt was considered a
minor incident.
"Cheerio lad, you still got one eye left, that's why the Good Lord gave you two, eh?"
Tony