Posted on 10/13/2008 4:49:43 PM PDT by sig226
The repeating magazine rifle firing the new cartridges at velocities in excess of 2,000 fps proved it’s worth in countless engagements ranging from Spion Kop in Natal, to San Juan Hill in Cuba, to Mukden in Manchuria. The repeating magazine rifle became king of the battlefield. The trained British regulars of the “Old Contemptibles” could fire an estimated 12 to 15 rounds per minute of accurate rifle fire. Their sustained rate of fire during the Battle of Mons and during the constant rear guard actions during the retreat towards Le Cateau was so daunting it lead the German high command to reach the conclusion each British Battalion was equipped with 20 to 30 machineguns, when in fact they were only issued four.
The wide open tactics employed in Germany’s Schliefen plan and Frances counterstroke, Plan 17, called for maneuver and combined arms attacks, with both light cavalry performing in the traditional scouting roll and heavy cavalry, some still wearing archaic steel breastplates and helmets, sporting lances and heavy sabers in addition to their carbines, poised to ride in and exploit the “breakthrough.”
Infantry and field artillery were to operate in support of one another depending on the circumstances, while the cavalry waited in the wings. The “galloping batteries” of light field artillery were still riding hell bent for leather in order to unlimber their guns in open fields in direct sight of the enemy. Firing over open sights, the gunners braved accurate rifle fire unheard of when their tactics were first developed. While the war of maneuver lasted, the rifle was indeed king of the battlefield, with the small number of machineguns employed in the opening months of the war providing the occasional demonstration of horrors to come.
The battle sight setting of the rifles carried by the major combatant nations in 1914 provides some insight into the type of combat the militaries expected to encounter during the next war. The “battle setting” represents the closest possible range at which the rifles sights were set to aim directly at the target. At any range closer than this, the soldier had to hold low. This was the reason sergeants in most armies of the day stood on the firing line repeatedly screaming, “Aim at their knees!”
The prevailing military wisdom at the beginning of the 20th Century was war would be fought in open order at the substantial distance favoring newly introduced high-velocity smokeless powder cartridges. Maneuver, as had been the basic tenet of both strategy and tactics from time immemorial would remain wide open, which explains the continued preeminence of cavalry in every army of the day, in spite of the lessons learned to the contrary in numerous small wars fought towards the close of the 19th Century.
In a war of maneuver, the machinegun was considered of limited advantage being too cumbersome it was believed, to keep up with the rapid advance of the infantry. In many armies of the era, machine guns were still relegated to the artillery rather than the infantry. In addition, the ordnance boards fought the adoption of the machinegun tooth and nail as they had with the introduction of the repeating rifle two decades earlier! How could the already over burdened supply columns ever successfully feed such a wasteful weapon as the machinegun with enough ammunition once the fighting commenced? These same logistics officers believed the average infantryman would empty all of his cartridge pouches within 20 minutes of battle being joined! Small arms fire was to be tightly controlled by the NCOs in every army, another reason why archaic magazine cut-offs survived into the early 20th Century.
The old adage, “The military is always prepared to fight the last war over again” was very much the case in 1914, despite recent evidence the nature of weapons technology had forever changed the face of war. Since the advent of the rifled musket, proponents of defensive warfare from prepared positions, such as Confederate General George Longstreet, had argued well-trained riflemen behind earthworks could not be taken in direct assault by the devil himself!
This was repeatedly proven during the American Civil War prior to the widespread use of single-shot cartridge rifles, let alone repeating rifles. Throw in high-velocity repeating rifles with an effective range of over 1,000 yards when fired at massed targets, and it should have been back to the drawing board for the high command in order to develop new tactics better suited to the effectiveness of the new weaponry.
But the real precursors to WWI were to be found in the siege of Petersburg during the American Civil War and on a much larger scale during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. In both instances, rapid long-range accurate defensive fire forced the attackers to go to ground. The spade became the soldier’s best friend rather than the rifle. Modern rapid firing field artillery, epitomized by the famous and revolutionary French 75, throwing air-bursting shrapnel or HE shells at the rate of 15 rounds per minute only heightened the need to dig even faster! The transition from the open warfare envisioned by the high command to the importance of digging in the moment a unit halted under fire is most graphically and brilliantly described in Erwin Rommel’s great work, Infantry Attacks. This is a must read for anyone interested in military history, small unit command, leadership, inspired tactics or WWI in general. This excellent treatise on small unit tactics is based on Rommel’s experiences during the Great War as a junior officer in the Elite Wurttemberg Mountain Battalion. It was written after the war and published in 1937. The book chronicles Leutnant (and later Captain) Rommel’s experiences throughout the war, including his participation in the Battle of the Frontiers that preceded the Race to the Sea, which in turn culminated in the ultimate stalemate in the trenches once there were no more flanks to be turned!
After only 17 days in the field, Lt. Rommel made the following observation. “In contrast to this, (the 3rd Battalion which had suffered heavy casualties) the 2nd Battalions pick-and-shovel work on the barren hill paid large dividends. In spite of an artillery bombardment lasting for hours, our casualties were very small.” The handwriting was already on the wall and what was to come should have been apparent to someone other than this lone 23-year-old junior officer!
Sorry, I noticed you want something for 800 meters. You’re looking for the 7.62 X 51[.308] caliber. Go to the link and see Armalite’s AR-10. There’s also Springfield Armory’s M1A but that needs a lot of care and maintenance.
For someone who is new at this, you might be better getting a good decent hunting rifle with a heavy barrel such as a Remington 700 in .308. You will spend as much on the scope as the rifle if not more.
You won’t be able to hit anything with a Mini30 beyond 400 yards. The design doesn’t allow it.
Look at my profile page. There are three examples. One for carry, one full sized and my daughter in law is shooting her Kimber [Commander sized].
I can’t even a see a coffee can at 800m. I’m focusing on milk jugs at 200 yards and that’s the sight reach of my old eyes.
I’m going to yell at you and I hope you don’t mind.
NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO BUY COLLECTABLES AND ANTIQUES.
You’re welcome.
I was laughin’ so hard I was choking! ... Sweet land of Liberty Vallance
I had to watch it three times. I don’t even watch TV so I almost didn’t watch it when someone sent it to me in an email.
No one can see coffee cans at 800. I bought a laser rangefinder for Christmas last year. The 1/2 welding tanks I shoot at from 400 yards is the best anyone can do.
I have one rifle with a scope. But I lost my boresight in the last divorce move so I can’t even zero it properly and don’t shoot it anymore. I shot 48 out of 48 in the ten Saturday with a MarkII Ruger at 45 feet. But that’s just havin’ fun.
Thanks for the advice; however, the 98k is a wonderful and very excellent shooter.
fr_freak go to a gun shop and try both the 700 and a Browning A-bolt see which one you like best (fits you best).
If it’s a bolt action, yank the bolt out, look down the barrel at your target and adjust the scope.
WARNING! All of your adjustments for the scope will be reversed since you’re not adjusting the barrel to the scope but the other way around.
You should be in the x ring in five shots.
I don't know about the 800m thing, but Saiga (Russian) has a model in .308.
The semi-auto M-14, known as the M-1A, IIRC, can do that distance if you can.
Until the holes get to plentiful. Then the owner has to walk down there and give the tanks a one third turn. Then they are good to go.
Well, the new owners of Winchester are making the model 70 again.
Of course, some of my old milsurps can definitely hold their own and ammo is plentiful.
(I'm a Mosin nagant fanatic)
I put that one in my desktop file, to watch when I need a good side splitter. Shatner does such a good job as Crane. Seems to be right in character for him don’tchaknow.
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