CHAPTER VII
Modern Military Rifles Critically Examined
ACTUAL war experience seems to point to the conclusion *Vi that, given a good, serviceable rifle—and all the rifles of the Great Powers and many of those of smaller Powers come into this category—the fighting value of the weapon depends more on the practical skill of the user than on any mechanical refinements which engineering or ballistic knowledge may have suggested.
As a matter of fact, the differences in effectiveness of all the best rifles are so small tHat they can easily be mastered by the human element. Good points can be nullified by lack of skill, whilst the handicap that should be introduced by a bad feature in a rifle may easily be more than made up for by highly developed aptitude on the part of the users. In one type of rifle, also, a weak or unscientific feature may be counterbalanced by another extremely good one. An instance of this may be seen in our own latest pattern short rifle. This still has the very unscientific bolt, with the lugs at the rear end of the bolt instead of close up to the base of the cartridge-case; but the slight inaccuracies brought about by this might easily be made up for on active service by the ease and rapidity with which the backsight can be adjusted with the thumb only of the left hand. The bolt is the worst to be found on any modern military rifle; the backsight is the best.