Repair Barrels

[Surpmil]

So it was explicit that these were defective, but new production rather than defective new and/or salvaged?

Slightly tangential, but bearing in mind the recent thread on the scrap and salvage campaigns in WWI and the vast numbers of weapons recovered in various states of repair, is it known whether private industry was involved in the salvage and refurbishment of small arms?

By 1918 it may have been found cheaper and a better use of manpower to hand over some of that work to private industry: a soldier on the Continent requires to be housed, fed, clothed and cared for whereas a civilian employee of a private company involves such costs only indirectly. A man fit enough for service overseas is generally fit enough for some form of front line service and fit men were beginning to be in short supply by 1917, to say nothing of 1918.