APRIL SMITH'S S.T.E.M. CLASS
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THE RIFLE

WEAPONS OF WORLD WAR I


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The Rifle in World War I

Nearly all infantrymen in the First World War used bolt action rifles. This type of rifle had been invented by a Scottish immigrant to the United States, James Paris Lee. The bolt is the device that closes the breech of the barrel. The bolt-action rifle had a metal box, into which cartridges were placed on top of a spring. As the bolt was opened, the spring forced the cartridges up against a stop; the bolt pushed the top cartridge into the chamber as it closed. After firing, the opening of the bolt extracted the empty cartridge case, and the return stroke loaded a fresh round.

Cartridges were put into the magazine by means of a clip. They were made up of open-ended slides or cases within which several cartridges were gripped by the spring metal of the case.

The Springfield was the main rifle used by the American Army during the First World War. Other popular bolt action rifles included the Mauser Gewehr (Germany), Lebel (France), Mannlicher-Carcano (Italy), Lee-Enfield (Britian), Moisin-Nagant (Russia), Mannlicher M95 (Austria) and Arisaka (Japan).

The Rifle Gallery

Click on each image to see what the Springfield Rifle looked like and diagrams describing how they worked.

Tool Box

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Important Terms 

bolt: a device that closes the breech of the barrel on a rifle

bolt-action:  a gun that's firing power comes from a breech that is opened by turning a bolt and sliding it back

cartridge: (also called a round or a shell) is a type of ammunition that packages a bullet.  It is coated with gunpowder and made to fit in the firing chamber of a gun.
​
chamber:  the portion of the barrel or firing cylinder in which the cartridge is inserted prior to being fired

clip:  a device that is used to store multiple rounds of ammunition together as a unit to be inserted into the gun's magazine

James Paris Lee:  a Scottish-Irish immigrant to the United States that invented the bolt action rifle

Springfield Rifle: the main rifle used by the American Army during the First World War

magazine:  the part of a gun, that is usually detachable, where clips are loaded into a gun for firing ammunition  
​
Mauser Gewehr Rifle:  the main rifle used by the German Army during the First World War

rifle:  a gun that has a long barrel and that is held against your shoulder when you shoot it

  • HOME
  • STEM LABS
    • KINDERGARTEN STEM LABS
    • 1st GRADE STEM LABS
    • 2nd GRADE STEM LABS
    • 3rd GRADE STEM LABS
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    • 5th GRADE STEM LABS
  • DATA BASES
    • DEBATE TOPICS DATABASE
    • AMERICAN BIOGRAPHIES
    • AMERICAN REVOLUTION
    • NON-FICTION RESEARCH
    • Animals
    • BIOMES
    • Native American Portal
    • NATIONAL PARKS
    • ALABAMA OUTDOORS
  • PARENT RESOURCES
    • LOGGING K - 1st INTO SCHOOLOGY
    • LOGGING 2nd - 5th GRADERS INTO SCHOOLOGY
    • HOW TO TAKE PICTURES ON A CHROMEBOOK
    • HOW TO HAND IN ASSIGNMENTS
  • CONTACT ME
  • U.S. History Teachers
    • HISTORY RESOURCES
  • NEXT TOP FIRM
    • LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE NEXT TOP FIRM
    • LESSON 2: UNDERSTANDING CLIENTS' WANTS & NEEDS
    • LESSON 3: INTERVIEWING YOUR CLIENT
    • LESSON 4: MARKETING PLAN
    • LESSON 5: DESIGNING A LOGO
    • LESSON 6: BRAND RECOGNITION
  • FUN LAB
  • STEM CHOICE BOARD