‘Part One’ of this post is here: Psst, Hey Buddy.
Armed Exhibition Drill Rifles for Sale
The above blog post is great if you want to buy a demilitarized rifle or even a working 1903, M14 or M1 Garand, but what else is out there and are these alternatives right for military drill? Well, let’s look and see:
The Color Guard Rifle
Let’s start with a hot button issue for some Drillers. The (marching band) color guard rifle. Why is this such a hot issue with some? Because it is not a “real” rifle and only weighs about two pounds. The biggest problem with using this type of rifle is a Driller using it like it’s an eight-pound demil. Does this work? Not on your life. This rifle is designed to be whipped around the body at lightning speed and thrown for a 10-revolution toss. Pretending otherwise just makes that Driller look silly. How can they be used? Younger Drillers, for a start. They can be used with solo Drillers and teams as well, but need to be used according to their design.
The DrillAmerica M1 Garand
Then there is the Glendale Industries DrillAmerica Rifle. A fine and affordable M1 Replica that is actually outstanding for honor guard ceremonial use ad good for Drillers. The problem with the DA is that once it gets banged and dinged, it has to be relegated to the practice rifle group. There are some sharpish edges (like the trigger guard), but nothing too serious. What about the moving bolt? It’s a neat idea, but it sticks more than it works.
For the Glendale DrillAmerica M1903 see: The Newest Kid on the Block
The Daisy Drill Rifle 1903
The Daisy Drill Rifle. A great number of Drillers use a Daisy or a hybrid “Spraisy” (Springfield M1903A3 + Daisy Drill Rifle). Currently, this is the choice of world class Drillers for the most part, besides having a demil’d rifle.
The DrillMaster M14 Prototype
The DrillMaster M14 is not in production and may not ever be due to costs. It is virtually unbreakable and the Driller can repair scrapes and scratches. MCJROTC and even NJROTC units are a perfect fit for this rifle.
Keystone Arsenal: M1 Garand, M1 Garand Tanker (6 inches shorter), Krag Jorensen and several others. These are beautiful rifles, but they are only for ceremonial use and not for drill since they are breakable.
The Color Guard Saber
What about a Saber or Sword? These are great pieces of equipment that are used by a small number of drill teams and many armed team commanders. Sometimes an issue arises: the competition host does not allow the either of these pieces of equipment out of the hand of the Driller due to safety concerns. Understandable, but still a big pain; this puts severe limits on the Driller! Hello spinnable saber! It’s not exactly the same as a military saber, but is extremely close.
Now, you can make your own rifle at home! See this article.
The Color Guard Airblade
And then there is the Airblade. Who will be adventurous enough to drill with this? :-) Click the picture to be taken to the web site where it is for sale.
Comments 3
With a man of your taste, you should know how difficult it can be if an SAI were to interupt drill practice with stupid accusations and interuptions for high school commanders. You also know how difficult it can be when you have newbies trying out for the team. How can it be possible to buy your products to try and be as good as the Drill Master.
Thanks write back. Your friend, Joseph Greenough.
Author
Hello Joseph,
Your note seems a little cryptic, but I will answer to the best of my abilities.
1. I do know how difficult it is to try and run a team practice with an instructor who may b less than knowledgeable regarding XD. When I wrote and published my first boo, I knew what I was up against: some instructors and students would grab on to my books and learn as much as possible and then capitalize on their new found knowledge; some instructors would scoff at what I have written mostly because they do not understand it and also because they have “been in this man’s Army for 150 years” and have been teaching just as long with the assumption that through the process of time, they have learned everything they need to know regarding military drill. Some people are harder to reach than others and even fewer people are impossible to reach. We have to deal with all kinds of people in our lives the best we can. In cases of possible difficulty with an instructor where there may be some sort of conflict in the drill team area, I suggest obtaining at least one or two of my XD books and everyone sitting down and reading so that team members and instructors alike can all start from the “same sheet of music.”
2. “Newbies” coming to the team are a welcome constant. Without new team members, the team would cease to exist. I recommend each school developing a training program for all new drill team and color team members. This way everyone begins at the same point and is taught the same thing. Progression always depends on individual abilities, but the training program should be flexible enough to handle this.
3. The products I currently have are my books (http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/drillmaster), and t-shirts that I have developed for Drillers (http://www.zazzle.com/the_drillmaster). There will be more products in the future, but for now, this is it. The items that I have reviewed above are from other companies.
Please let me know if I can be of further help,
DrillMaster