anyone ever heard this statement??

[Jc5]

Breakeyep,

Thanks for identifying that!

Perhaps someone who has a copy within reach could post the exact and full quote?

[Gibbs505]

Heard it and used it!

[Jc5]

I found an early variation of this quote in the June 1923 issue of "American Rifleman" in an article on the Palma match by Edward C. Crossman, whose books are probably familiar to most readers of this forum. This is the earliest example of this quote I have seen, but there must be an earlier one out there. Keep in mind this is 25 years before Dunlap's "Ordnance Went Up Front."

Here is the exact quote:

"As some German military critic put the matter, the British rifle is a sporting rifle, the American is a target rifle, the German a military rifle, which comes pretty close to stating the facts."

Crossman goes on to praise British rifle for being unbeatable in rapid fire at distances out to 200 yards, but says "it has no chance against our arm in a long-range match." Crossman is talking about putting ten shots into a saucer at 1,000 yards.

Note:
1) Crossman is not the original author of the quote. Crossman is repeating (or paraphrasing?) something he has heard or read from an unnamed "German military critic." Who could this be?

2) Crossman says nothing about a "hunting" rifle. Maybe the saying evolved as it was repeated around the world over time.

3) What does Crossman mean when he endorses the view that the SMLE is a "sporting rifle"? He makes it clear when he calls it "a very speedy, light, fast handling arm which gave fine results in the trenches..."

He talks about the American rifle (presumably the Springfield) as being suitable for long range work---hence the endorsement of it being called a "target rifle."

Unfortunately, his views on the German rifle--and its description as being a "military" rifle---are outside the scope of the article, and so left unwritten.

As this quote about the three rifles evolved, the German rifle somehow became the "hunting rifle"---and I still don't know what that means. The service pattern Mauser doesn't resemble hunting rifles of the WWI era any more or less than the Springfield, except perhaps that its sights were less suitable to target shooting. That hardly makes it a hunting rifle. I really don't think the quote makes much sense as far as the Mauser is concerned, but people keep repeating it.

I'd love to identify the German source that Crossman is quoting.