![]() ![]() The second option would be to seek another type of rifle with which to augment the standardized M1903. However, it was soon realized that the lag time required to acquire the necessary production tooling and train a new workforce from scratch would be too great to eliminate the looming draconian shortage of rifles. The first was to contract with domestic arms makers to manufacture the M1903 rifle. The War Department had two options for the procurement of additional rifles. However, it was soon apparent that production at these facilities would be inadequate to equip the rapidly growing number of recruits and draftees flooding into training camps across the country. Production of the M1903 was immediately increased at both Springfield Armory and Rock Island Arsenal. There were about 600,000 M1903 Springfield rifles (along with some 160,000 obsolescent U.S.30-40 Krag rifles) in inventory at the start of the nation’s active involvement in the war. Among its myriad of challenges, our military faced a serious shortage of service rifles. When the United States entered World War I, in April 1917, our armed forces were woefully unprepared for the conflict. ![]()
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