MHI Copy 3 ' FM 23-6 WAR DEPARTMENT BASIC FIELD MANUAL U. S. RIFLE, CALIBER .30, M1917 28 October, 1943 9R4#aV-NCMASSIFIED av A~UTeQF,_ DOD DIR. 5200. 1 R D Uo~n o traetdimer,-The inform tiin ofintaed in re- atrieted documents and the essential eharacteristics of restricted material may be given to any person known to be in the serviee of the United State and to persons of undoubted loyalty and discretion who are coopersting in Government work, but will not be communicated to the public or to the pres eceept by autborized military pble relatoa agencies. (<SeeaLo par. 18b, ARB 80-5, 21 Sep 1942.) FM 23-6 BASIC FIELD MANUAL U. S. RIFLE, CALIBER .30, M1917 Dissemination of restricted matter.-The information contained in re- stricted documents and the essential characteristics of restricted material may be given to any person known to be in the service of the United States and to persons of undoubted loyalty and discretion who are cooperating in Government work, but will not be communicated to the public or to the press except by authorízed military public relations agencies. (See also par. 18b, AR 380-5, 28 Sep 1942.) UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1943 WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON 25, D. C., 28 October 1943. FM 23-6, Basic Field Manual, U. S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1917, is published for the information and guidance of all con- cerned. [A. G. 300.7 (15 Sep 43).] BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR: G. C. MARSHALL, Chief of Staff. OFFICIAL: J. A. ULIO, Major General, The Adjutant General. DISTRIBUTION: Bn and H, 2-7, 9, 10, 17-19 (2); C, 2-7, 9, 10, 17-18 (1), 19 (3). (For explanation of symbols, see FM 21-6.) II TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1. Mechanical training. Paragraphs SECTION 1. General ------__________ _.___________-- _ 1-3 II. Disassembly and assembly ____________-___ 4-7 III. Care and cleaning____________________-____ 8-17 IV. Functioning ______----------------------- 18 V. Spare parts, appendages, and accessories __ 19-21 VI, Instruments .-------------------_________ 22 VII. Ammunition ________________________-___ 23-29 CHAPTER 2. Marksmanship-known-distance targets and transition firing. SECTION I. General ______________________-- - ___... 30-38 II. Preparatory marksmanship training-______- 39-46 III. Qualification courses __________-______-___ 47-51 IV. Range practice___________________________ 52-55 V. Equipment, targets, and range precautions_ 56-58 VI. Small-bore practice____________ __________ 59-62 CHAPTER 3. Marksmanship, moving ground targets. SECTION I. General -____________ ________ __ _______ 63-64 II. Moving vehicles.-_________ ____.___._____ 65-67 III. Moving personnel________________________ 68-69 IV. Moving-target ranges_____________________ 70 CHAPTER 4. Marksmanship, aerial targets. SECTION I. Nature of aerial targets for rifle___________ 71-72 II. Technique of fire___________-__ ______ ___ 73-77 III. Marksmanship training____-___-----______ 78-82 IV. Miniature range practice__________________ 83-85 V. Towed-target and radio-controlled-airplane- target firing------- _____________------------ 86-89 VI. Ranges, targets, and equipment____________ 90-95 CHAPTER 5. Technique of fire of rifle squad. SECTION I. General -___________-- .............. __ 96-98 II. Range estimation_________________________ 99-103 III. Target designation________________________ 104-107 IV. Rifle fire and its effect__________________-_- 108-114 V. Application of fire________________________ 115-122 VI. Landscape-target firing_--________----- ___ 123-130 VII. Field-target firing __________._--_________ 131-134 VIII. Destruction of ordnance matériel__________ 135 CHAPTER 6. Advice to instructors. SECTION I. General-___________________ ______.- _-__ 136 II. Mechanical training____-__----- ______ __ 137 III. Marksmanship, known-distance targets___ 138-154 IV. Marksmanship, aerial targets_--_ __--_--- 155-159 V. Technique of fire________________-__--_-- 160-167 VI. Safety precautions____-__----------------- 168-169 Page INDEX ------------------- ------- ----------- 313 IIT FM 23-6 __ L BASIC FIELD MANUAL U. S. RIFLE, CALIBER .30, M1917 (ENFIELD) (This manual supersedes FM 23-6, S August 1942; including C 1, 5 November 1942, and C 2, 22 April 1943.) Attention is directed to FM 21-7 for details as to how appropriate training films and film strips are intended to be used and how they are made available for use during training with the U. S. rifle, caliber .30, M1917. CHAPTER 1 MECHANICAL TRAINING Paragrapbs SECTION I. General _-____ _ __------------------------------ 1-3 II. Disassembly and assembly___------ _---_------- 4-7 III. Care and cleaning---________----------------- _ 8-17 IV. Functioning __-.___-__________--_-------_------- 18 V. Spare parts, appendages, and accessories _______- 19-21 VI. Instruments_______-_________________________--- 22 VII. Ammunition______---_ _________----------____ _ 23-29 SECTION I GENERAL * 1. OBJECT.-This chapter is designed to give the soldier training that will insure his ability to take care of the rifle and keep it in operation. * 2. DESCRIPTION OF RIFLE.--a. The U. S. rifle, caliber .30, M1917 (fig. 1) is a breech-loading magazine rifle of the bolt type. It is popularly referred to as the "Enfield rifle." The ammunition is loaded in clips of five rounds. Ammu- nition bandoleers for this rifle have six pockets with a total capacity of 60 rounds. 2 BASIG FIELD MANUAL i m 0 .~u T i1 < .t TiK~,~ o o_ oZ ~ lRH 9 0z z o oE z <z u I < o .o -~a:"v :. < , z in rr JLi e (10~~~~~ w y _ 0 w cii, v, rI U. S. RIFLE, CALIBER .30, M1917 2-3 b. Miscellaneous data: Weight, without bayonet-__________ pounds__ 9. 187 Weight, with bayonet_ ______________ do____ 10. 312 Length, without bayonet ___________ inches__ 46. 3 Length, with bayonet -______________ do--_. 62. 3 Diameter of bore_______-____________ do-_-- .30 Trigger pull: Minimum ___-_____________ ____ pounds__ 3. 0 Maximum__---_______________.____ do ___ 7.0 Rifling: Number of grooves ---- ___---- _______------ 5 Twist, uniform, left hand, one turn in-_____-_--- ________---------- inches--__ 10 Sight radius (distance from top of front sight to rear side of leaf, leaf raised) __-- do----.... 31. 76 Sight radius (battle sight)____________-do_ __ 31. 69 Magazine capacity-------___----- __ rounds__ 6 e. Rear sight.-The rear sight of this rifle has no windage gage. The leaf contains a peep sight which moves vertically on a slide and hence makes no correction for the drift of the bullet. The battle sight is of the peep type and is at- tached to the lower end of the leaf. It is raised to position for aiming when the leaf is laid and is adjusted for a range of 400 yards. The leaf is graduated from 200 to 1,600 yards. It is graduated in multiples of 100 yards from 200 to 900 yards and in multiples of 50 yards from 900 to 1,600 yards (fig. 2). d. Front sight.-The front sight is protected by wing guards and is adjusted laterally during assembly at the arse- nal. It is locked in position, after adjustment, by ppsetting part of the metal base into the lock seat with a punch. * 3. ORGANIZATION FOR INSTRUCTION.-Instruction is con- ducted by officers and selected noncommissioned officers. Squad leaders supervise the work of their squads, and the remaining noncommissioned officers assist as directed. Teaching is facilitated if the unit is divided into small groups. 3 4-5 BASIC FIELD MANUAL FiGURE 2..-Rear sight, U.S. rifle, caliber .30, M1917. F .SECTION II DISASSEMBLY AND ASSEMBLY * 4. BEGINNING OF TRAINING.-This training will begin as soon as practicable after the soldier receives his rifle. In any case it will be completed before any firing is done with the rifle by the individual. Concurrently, instruction in the care and cleaning of the rifle will also be covered. I 5. NOMENCLATIJRE (fgs. 1, 2, and 3).-The names of the principal parts to which reference is made in mechanical U. S. RIFLE, CALIBER .30, M1917 5-6 training are readily learned as this training progresses. In- structors will therefore take care to name the parts clearly and correctly. A sufficient knowledge of nomenclature is gained by the soldier during instruction in mechanical train- ing. * 6. DISASSEMBLY WHICH SOLDIER MAY PERFORM.-FOr clean- ing, only the following parts of the rifle may be removed by the individual soldier: Floor plate. Follower. Magazine spring. Gun sling. Bolt (including striker, mainspring, sleeve, cocking piece, and extractor). a. To remove and dissassemble floor plate and follower.- Insert the bullet end of a cartridge through the hole in the floor plate and press down on the floor plate catch. At the same time press the floor plate to the rear with the left thumb. This releases the floor plate, which may then be re- moved together with the magazine spring and follower. Raise the rear end of the magazine spring until it clears the spring stops on the floor plate and draw it out of its mortise; in the same manner separate the magazine spring from the follower. b. To remove and disassemble bolt.-Place the butt of the rifle under the right armpit and hold the stock firmly against the body with the right arm. With the left thumb, pull the bolt stop to the left and at the same time raise the bolt handle and draw out the bolt to the rear (figs. 4 and 5). Hook a loop of strong string on the dismounting hook on the cocking piece lug and holding the bolt in the left hand and the string .in the right, draw the cocking piece out until the lug clears the end of the bolt (fig. 6). Then by nioving the right hand in a circular path counterclockwise, unscrew the sleeve and with- draw the sleeve, cocking piece, mainspring, and striker from the bolt. 5 ~~6 ~ BASIC FIELD MANUAL 2e E- a oz , w M ": '- IE 0 z z w a: W:1« r n ll:d 5 QmZ~ ,_i l:oaL 3L CI 1.