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Originally Posted by Mohoender
For my part I'll chose an even older weapon and one of British origin, dating back to WW1: the Lee Enfield.
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Actually, about 20 years prior, as the .303 caliber, rifle, magazine, Lee-Enfield. The shorter SMLE was introduced in 1904. The British had actually adopted a replacement based on the Mauser, the Pattern 1914 Enfield, prior to WWI. However, the immediate need for rifles led to the SMLE remaining the primary British rifle. As the M1917, in .30-06, the Pattern 1914 served in the AEF in larger numbers than the official M1903 Springfield since Winchester and Remington were already tooled for the rifle.