The following are examples of fencing rifles that were used by the United States and Great Britain. The first two illustrations show examples that are the same length and weight as the 1903 Springfield. The second illustration is a close replica of the SMLE used by Great Britain.
This bayonet drill rifle has no markings but is probably Eastern European and possibly East German. The design of the sling mounting seems to be similar to the Russian Mosin. The end of the barrel has a padded knob and the shaft is spring loaded.
The bayonet fencing rifle shown below was made by the English firm of Webley & Scott in 1914. It has Canadian markings on the barrel assembly. The long forward extension is spring loaded and retracts into the barrel assembly on impact.
M14 Training Rifle
Very little information has surfaced relative to this training rifle. This skeletonized rifle is made of aluminum and closely resembles the M 14 military rifle. A photograph exists that shows these rifles being used by Marines for bayonet drill practice. It has no moving parts but can carry the standard M6 service bayonet. It seems unusual that it was not supplied with a special padded bayonet if it was specifically designed for bayonet drill. The rifle is unmarked but was probably made between 1957 and 1963 when the M 14 was being used by the US military. Since this training rifle is made of aluminum, I would suspect that it was also used in situations where the rifle would be subjected to wet conditions. It is also possible that an aluminum casting was the most economical way of producing a training rifle for whatever the need might have been. There is an additional rod below the barrel that is not typical of the M14 rifle. I suspect that this rod was designed to reinforce the rather slender aluminum barrel which would have been susceptible to bending. The cut outs in the aluminum stock appear to have been made and located to replicate the weight and balance of the M14 military rifle.
Although this rifle does not meet the general requirements of a training rifle, it may have met very specialized training needs. I will classify it as a bayonet drill rifle rather than a training rifle until further information surfaces.
From the paper, Non-Firing Drill and Training Rifles, by By Malcolm MacPherson
This is the safest way to carry an unloaded or replica rifle. Everyone needs to adopt this carry right away- Port Arms is not the way to transport a rifle unless you are in formation and there isn’t anyone around.
Carry Arms is a move executed while carrying a a rifle, fire axe or pike pole. This is the safest way to travel with any piece of equipment, especially a rifle. When traveling to and from your practice area, at a drill meet, etc., this is the safest way to carry your rifle, axe or pole.
Pictured below are the movements for the rifle.
The command is, Carry, ARMS, and is given while at Attention and at Order Arms. The command is executed at quick time in 3 counts.
Begin, Attention/Order Arms
Count 1
Count 2A
(immediately assume the next position, 2B, below)
Count 2B
Count 3
For a complete description of this move and all other drill movements for the flag, rifle, sword/saber, ceremonial pike pole and ceremonial fire axe, get your copy of The Honor Guard Manual.
One of the subjects that the World Drill Association Adjudication Manual and Rule Book teaches Drillers, instructors and judges about drill is performance levels: Basic/Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced and Standard-Setting. To achieve these levels a Driller’s or team’s drill must be described using these terms as well. What does basic, Intermediate or advanced drill look like? It’s mostly a mater of opinion and depends on a Driller’s abilities, but I will attempt a loose definition. Some friends of mine have helped me with this over the last year and I appreciate their efforts- I’m finally getting to publish it!
Any multiple-appendage movement at the same time (arms with legs, etc.)
Advanced Unarmed Exhibition Drill
Any multiple-appendage and body movement at the same time (arms with legs, head and body movement)
Basic Armed Exhibition Drill Moves
Behind-the-Back drop: from Left/Right Shoulder, the rifle is brought to horizontal across the shoulders, dropped behind the back and caught with the free hand.
Exchange, Left/Right Shoulder Falling: Two Drillers at Right Shoulder allow the barrels of their rifle to fall forward into the other Driller’s free hand.
Roll, Shoulder: From right shoulder, the rifle will fall back from the shoulder to be caught by the right hand and repositioned at Order Arms.
Spin, Front: Any spin to the front that does not go higher than the head.
Spin, Port: A move that rotates the rifle a full 360 degrees. Starting and finishing positions are Port Arms. AKA: Half Spin
Spin, Side: Any spin to either side that does not go higher than the head.
Spins, Left-/Right-Hand Front: the Driller continuously spins the rifle in either hand.
Tick Tocks:
Intermediate Armed Exhibition Drill Moves
Aerial, Front: A move that involves a full release of the weapon, oftentimes including more than one full rotation of the rifle while in midair. For example, a “Triple Aerial” would involve 3 rotations. The starting position is Port Arms; ending can vary depending on the desired effect. Spins go higher than the head.
Aerial, Side: Any spin on either side that goes higher than the head.
Arm Rollover: While spinning the rifle, allowing it to literally roll over the forearm.
Exchange, Order Arms: An under-handed toss to the Driller in front of you. The rifle usually make a half or 1 ½ rotation.
Port Exchange:
Power Stop: A move involving the stop of a spinning rifle with any variations of hand placements or movements. The rifle must stop where the hands first touched the rifle, and no excess movements or follow-through.
Roll, Reverse Shoulder: The rifle will be taken to the fore of a Drillers shoulder from behind by using the forward momentum of the rifle to rotate it over the shoulder. The driller usually bends at the waist to achieve full effect.
Skips: A movement in which an extra spin is added when performing two handers. Variations of skips can include: Left to Left, Left to Right, Right to Right, and Right to Left.
Spin, Two-Handed Front: A two handed spin that involves both hands exchanging the rifle to create a “hopping” effect. The rifle can spin as many full rotations as the driller wishes, and can be stopped in multiple ways. Starting positions and ending positions vary by how the move is used in a routine.
Stop, “X”: (where “X” is “foot,” “leg,” “thigh,” forearm,” etc.) A move involving a stop of a spinning rifle by extending the body part to stop the rifle.
Toss, Shoulder: A toss from the right or left shoulder vertically that ends with the arm fully extended, the weapon fully vertical and being held by the upper hand guard, and oriented with the barrel pointing towards the ground. AKA: Liberty
UTL: Under the Leg, any rifle movement involving the manipulating of the rifle under the leg.
Advanced Armed Exhibition Drill Moves
Catch, Behind the Back (BTB): A movement thrown from the wrist as if performing the first half of the Fire Knife. Upon catching, use both hands to halt the rifle parallel to the ground.
Crucifix: Pose with rifle rested on arm and exchanged to other arm
Cut Throat: Created by Andres Ryan,
Eclipse: A Rising Sun, with an aerial included when the rifle is positioned behind the head.
Exchange, Left/Right Shoulder Launch: From either shoulder, the rifle is tossed into the air and caught by the recipient at approximately shoulder level.
Exchange, OTH:
Fire Knife: While the Driller is at Port Arms, with both hands on the rifle, the rifle is twisted to make a figure 8.
Flyin’ Hawaiian: any aerial where the driller spins around 360 degrees before catching.
Hawaiian Punch: Behind the Head parallel stop
Hesus*: Move where the Driller takes a cross-like pose while the rifle is tossed overhead.
J-Hook: Created by Jake Spears, the rifle is tossed so as to remain horizontal throughout the entire move. It is caught behind the back at the barrel.
Joker: UTL throw to UTL Catch
Lockjaw: Created by Constantine H. Wilson,
Mogadoa:
Ninja,Full A Rising Sun, with an aerial included when the rifle is positioned behind the head.
Ninja: A move which involves a catch of the rifle, generally with the left hand extended over the head and right hand curled behind the back, which is usually caught behind the back or to the side. Can be performed one-handed.
OTH Skips: Same as Single- or Double-Handed, but allowing the rifle to rotate on its own in between manipulating it with either or both hands.
OTH: Over-The-Head, the rifle is tossed above the head while it remains horizontal.
OTH, Single- or Double-Handed: Same as the OTH, but using one of both hands to keep the rifle in the air.
Roll, Back: Created by Matthew Wendling, Moving the body to create multiple rotations of a rifle on the Driller’s back
Roll, Rattler: Behind the head thumb roll
Roll, Thumb:
Spin, Bent-Over Flat:(with/without body rotation):
Spin, Double, Pound (DSP):
Spin, Palm: the rifle rotates on the palm of the hand while horizontal
Sun, Falling:
Sun, Rising: The rifle is spun in one full rotation behind the head from right to left.
Throw, DW:
Throw, Liscomb:
Toss, Scorpion: A movement in which the rifle is thrown under-handed behind the Driller to the front.
Veyran Grab:
*I cannot bring myself to dishonor our Lord by using the letter “J”.
This is where you come in. Obviously, there are descriptions that need to be created and I need your help with that. Also, if I have left anything out, please let me know.
The Steyr rifles were the primary rifle of Austrian-Hungary during WWI and they were also used by Bulgaria and Greece. Rifles surrendered to Italy after WWI were used by Italy during WWII. The work done on this drill rifle appears to have been an arsenal conversion. There is a large well finished slot in chamber area of the barrel. This is really the only visual way of identifying that the rifle has been altered. It is uncertain if the bolt has been altered in any way. Due to the design of the action it is very unlikely that the firing pin has been removed. In all probability all that was altered was to remove the tip of the firing pin. There are no marks to identify when or where this work was done. These rifles have been on the surplus market since WWII so the work could have been done anywhere in the world. I doubt that anyone would have used this approach to produce drill rifles for the civilian market. If I were to guess, I would likely identify it with the Italian military.
Unidentified
This drill rifle is a very close replica of the 1903 Springfield. Although it has no moving parts, the receiver and bolt are more like the Springfield than any other replica that I have seen to date. It has all of the features of the Springfield and they appear to be the appropriate size and in the correct location. All of the metal parts are made of cast iron and they have not been polished to a smooth finish. The stock appears to be made of pine and stained to look like walnut. It is unfortunate that it has no identifying marks.
From the paper, Non-Firing Drill and Training Rifles, by By Malcolm MacPherson
During Creation Week, our Lord said each day’s work was “good.” He then said that the whole of creation was, “very good.” We however, have to dream up all kinds of words to describe how well we or others do. When one describes a volunteer staff and the drill team’s performance both as “amazing” when there is enormous room for improvement, what do you say when the staff and team learn, grow and get better?
Constructive criticism, not platitudes.
One of the reasons this happens is because there isn’t a standardized system for training and judging drill teams- wait a minute, there is a standardized system for training and judging drill teams!
Yes, volunteers and drill teams can be amazing and in order to do the best job you can, educate yourself! There is more to a routine than precision, timing or accuracy. There is more to a routine than its overall effectiveness (which is the usual for the majority of people to see in a performance) and only through educating one’s self can one begin to understand the other aspects of routine creation, performance and adjudication.
There are a number of unidentified drill rifles that have similar characteristics. They are generally unmarked in any way that would identify their origin. They are generally machine made and not one-of-a-kind, although individual specimens of the same model may not be identical. They also may be conversions of obsolete military rifles that were intended for nonmilitary applications. It appears that in most cases they were manufactured between 1900 and 1925. Their variety makes them interesting. At this late date, it is unlikely that most of these will ever be identified.
All of the metal parts on this drill rifle are made of cast iron and none of them are movable. It is well made and a close replica of the 1903 Springfield rifle. The number 238 is stamped into the wood in front of the forward sling swivel. Another rifle of the same make has the number 303 stamped into the wood on top of the butt stock close to the butt plate. I would speculate that they are serial numbers. There are no other identifying marks.
The receiver of this drill rifle is made of cast iron. The bolt is made from a ½” diameter steel rod. A bolt stop controls the travel and rotation of the bolt. The barrel is made of a wooden dowel and the front sight is made of wire. There is no butt plate but there is a narrow piece of wood inset vertically into the butt to strengthen the area. The non-movable trigger is also made of cast iron. There is a stamp on the side of the stock near the grip but it is so small that it is unintelligible. There are no other identifying marks.
This drill rifle was made from a 1891 Russian Mosin rifle. It appears to have been made to look as much as possible like the 1903 Springfield rifle. It may have been a Bannerman conversion that was further modified. The magazine has been cut off and the trigger guard reshaped. All unnecessary parts have been removed and the firing pin cut off. Both front and rear sights have been removed and the barrel shortened.
This Quaker gun is based on the 1895 Dutch Manlicher rifle. The sights have been removed and the magazine cut off. It has a full length wooden barrel which makes the gun much lighter in weight. It is the same overall length as the 1903 Springfield rifle. This type of drill rifle was made for use by youth organizations.
This rifle is unmarked and is difficult to place with any certainty. It has the appearance of a non military rifle but it is 43″ long, which is long for a toy. It has a wooden barrel and no lock mechanism or barrel bands. If it had more detail I would suspect that it was probably a toy. It appears to be machine made, which means that it is unlikely it is one of a kind. It has many of the characteristics of a drill rifle and it could have been produced for youth drill corps. It has been included here as a drill rifle to encourage collectors not to overlook such specimens but to retain them for further study.
This is a war relic from the Vietnam War. It is obviously hand made and is only marginally functional.
This wooden drill rifle is interesting in several ways. No information has surfaced to give any insight into who may have produced this wooden drill rifle. It is entirely made of wood but it has a very accurate profile of the 1903 Springfield rifle. There is a very high probability that these were produced between 1915 and 1920. On the right side of the receiver area of the stock the number 103933 has been stamped into the wood. Since there are no other identifying marks, I would presume that this is a serial number. If so, there were more of these drill rifles produced than any other similar type that has surfaced to date. To have produced and sold this number of wooden drill rifles they must have advertised widely during the WWI period. It is hoped that an advertisement from this period will be found that will identify this drill rifle.
This is another example of an early drill rifle that is very simple yet probably too long to be a toy. It is 40-1/2” long , has a wooden barrel and metal bands. It has the appearance of a musket rather than a modern bolt action rifle. I suspect that this was designed for drill purposes at a boys military school.
This unidentified drill rifle is obviously patterned after the 1903 Springfield. It is close to the same overall length and has a stock profile similar to the Springfield. It has a stacking swivel and two sling swivels and the front barrel band has a bayonet lug. However, the receiver and sights are significantly different. The receiver is abnormally long which makes the upper hand guard much shorter than the Springfield. The receiver has a bolt with a bolt handle that can be pulled straight back to engage a sear mechanism attached to the trigger. When the trigger is pulled it allows the bolt to spring forward. The bolt does not rotate. The fixed sights are much higher than the sights on the Springfield and are a different shape.
This is one of those rifles that is hard to classify. It has many of the characteristics of a training rifle but it probably was designed as a drill rifle. There are no markings on the rifle that can be used to identify the maker. I suspect that it was made between 1910 and 1930.
From the paper, Non-Firing Drill and Training Rifles, by By Malcolm MacPherson
These drill rifles were made by F.A. Requarth Co. in Dayton, Ohio. Frederick August Requardt was born in Germany in 1835. The family emigrated to the United States (Verona, Ohio) and Americanized their name to Requarth. In 1852 he left their Ohio farm and became an apprentice wood turner with a Dayton firm called Blanchard & Brown Co. In 1860 he opened his own wood turning business in Dayton where the business prospered. The Wright brothers bought spruce from him to build their first airplane. He guided the business for 50 years until his death in 1910. The company is still in the lumber business today. They suffered two setbacks in the early 1900’s. In 1913 a huge flood damaged their business and in 1915 they suffered a catastrophic fire that destroyed their building.
They made a drill rifle that was patterned after the 1873 Springfield Rifle and sold to a variety of youth organizations and military schools. The exact dates of this production is unknown. However, it is possible to piece together an educated guess. Literature indicates that some of these drill rifles were made for the Boys Brigade. The Boys Brigade was a youth organization that promoted rifle drill, as well as other fun activities having Christian values. It was a world wide organization that started in Scotland in 1883. The American branch of the Boys Brigade was started in 1887. The drill rifle production probably started shortly after that date and ended at the time of the flood in 1913. By the time they had rebuilt the business, the demand for drill rifles had started to diminished and by the end of WWI in 1918 the demand was practically non existent. I would speculate that they produced these drill rifles between 1887 and 1915. Some of the drill rifles had a brass plate on the left side of the stock. This plate always carries the name THE REQUARTH GUN and some also carry the name and address of the distributor.
It has been determined that at least three different distributors sold these drill rifles. The following names have been found on this plate.
Cincinnati Regalia Co. Cincinnati, Ohio
Pettibone Mfg. Co. Cincinnati, Ohio
William Read & Sons, Boston Mass.
All of these companies sold sporting goods and/or military and band items. One specimen only lists The Requarth Gun and the Dayton, Ohio address. It is presumed that this specimen was sold directly from the factory. There are also specimens that have no plate or any other form of identification. The drill rifles was generally patterned after the 1873 Springfield in that it had a side hammer and a hinged breech block but in all other features it was unique. It is 47 1/4″ long, which is about an inch shorter than the 1873 Springfield Cadet model. The lock mechanism was made of cast iron and was rather crude in design and execution. For all of it’s shortcomings, it was more elaborate than many other drill rifles of that period. It would be interesting to find an advertisement that indicated the cost. There were two different models (A &B) that were basically identical with the exception of a bayonet lug on the Model A. Little is known of the bayonet other than that it was a socket bayonet and that it was held in place by a cylindrical pin in the front sight location.
The stock appears to have been made of maple and stained or painted to look more like walnut. The barrel is an integral part of the stock and was stained or painted black. There is a short barrel section the extends past the end of the stock. This extension has a short metal sleeve over it. The butt plate is made from a thin piece of sheet metal. There is no evidence to suggest that they ever had any barrel bands or sling swivels. All of the metal parts appear to have been originally nickel plated but are now often found to be well browned from rust. The trigger mechanism was simple but not well designed or heat treated. Many of the surviving specimens have a trigger that no longer functions to catch or release the hammer.
From the paper, Non-Firing Drill and Training Rifles, by By Malcolm MacPherson
Carson Long Military Institute is a direct descendent of Bloomfield Academy which was founded in 1835. It is currently the oldest boarding school in the United States that still has military training. In 1914, Bloomfield Academy was purchased by Theodore K. Long and, in 1916, he renamed the school Carson Long Institute as a living memorial to his son William Carson Long. In 1919, military training was established at the school.
From 1919 to date, various types of drill or training rifles have been used by Carson Long Military Institute. The earliest type of drill rifle was the In-Vu model 25 “Rookie”. This was made entirely of wood and had the general profile of the 1903 Springfield rifle. It is short and light weight and would have been suitable for young Cadets. They still retain three of these in their museum. They have several photographs in their museum that show Cadets carrying drill rifles. The earliest dated photograph shows them carrying 1873 Trapdoor Springfield rifles. These rifles had the barrels cut off to 24″ and the forearm shortened to about carbine length. Later photographs show the 1903 Springfield, the Pattern 17 Enfield, the M1 Garand, and the M16 rifles. None of these rifles had any external alteration but some were altered so that they could not be fired.
The following photographs are of rifles at the Carson Long Military Institute museum.
From the paper, Non-Firing Drill and Training Rifles, by By Malcolm MacPherson
In an advertisement from 1918 the In-Vu Mfg. Co. address is listed as 8 Lehigh Ave. Geneva, N.Y. It should be noted that Lehigh Ave. was renamed Lehigh Street in the 1930’s to be consistent with the orientation of streets and avenues in Geneva. During WWI this area was on the northern edge of the City of Geneva and was comprised of warehouse type buildings. None of the Business Directories for that period list the In-Vu Mfg. Co. This would indicate that they were being manufactured by some other company. The Assessor’s Office in Geneva has indicated that in the early 1920’s the property at 8 Lehigh Ave was owned by the Torrey Park Lumber Company. This company is listed in the Geneva Business Directory from 1901 through 1910. In 1901 they are listed as ”Dealers in Lumber, Lath, Shingles, Sash, Doors, Blinds, Wall Plaster”. This would be an indication that they must have had a production facility as well as a lumber yard. The 1905-6 directory lists the Torrey Park Lumber Yard address as “North Genesee Street near the L V R crossing”. The letters stand for the Leigh Valley Railroad. The rail line crossed North Genesee Street just south of Avenue D, which places the Torrey Park Lumber Yard less than a block away from 8 Lehigh Ave. The 1907-8 directory also lists the Torrey Park Lumber Co. at this location. In 1909-10 Torrey Park Lumber Co. had no special advertisement but were listed as one of three lumber yards in the area. It is interesting to note that a Eugene Cuddeback is listed as manager of both the Torrey Park and Rogers Lumber Companies at this time. They were not listed in the Geneva Business directory between 1910 and the early 1920’s, but there is evidence that they remained in business during this period.
Although there is no positive documentation, it seems highly probable that the Torrey Park Lumber Company was associated with the In-Vu Manufacturing Co. Due to the proximity of the two locations it is possible that the In-Vu name was derived from the fact that the two buildings were in view of each other. I suspect that the Torrey Park Lumber Co. supplied the lumber for the wood rifles and that they were produced in their warehouse facility at 8 Lehigh Ave.
In a 1918 advertisement they indicate that 60,000 of their Drill Rifles were in use. They advertised widely during 1917-18 and this combined with their low cost makes the 60,000 figure seem reasonable. There is no evidence that they had any military contracts for these wooden rifles, although their advertisements do imply that the Ordnance Chief of the US War Department endorsed them. There are no markings on these drill rifles to indicate the manufacturer or the number produced and they have no moving parts. I find their description of their training rifles to be an exaggeration at best. They have the same general profile of the 1903 Springfield but are Non-Firing Drill & much thinner and lighter in weight. They are considerably short of being an exact copy of the 1903 Springfield, as stated in their advertisements. Their primary assets were that they were durable and very inexpensive. With WWI ending, I suspect that demand dropped to the point that it was no longer profitable to produce these drill rifles. They probably stopped production by 1920 but they may have continued to sell their remaining stock until the supply was depleted.
The earliest advertisement that has been located was in the June 30 issue of the Literary Digest. In this advertisement the list 5 different styles. The No. 100, 75, and 50 styles were all of the 1903 pattern. The No. 25 Boy Scout and the No. 10 Young American basically simplified toys. It should be noted that later in 1917 their advertisements did not list these “toys”. I suspect that there was not sufficient demand for these items to warrant the cost of their production. Later in 1917 they introduced a different No. 25 style that was a shortened version of the 1903 Springfield pattern. The full size No. 100 was 43″ long while the new No 25 “Rookie” was only 38″ long. The Rookie style had a similar stock profile to the No. 100 but had no round wooden dowel for a barrel. The No. 75 and No. 50 were the same size and shape as the No. 100 but had fewer accessories. The Lee Enfield pattern was not listed in their advertisements prior to 1918. Therefore, the majority of their production would have been of the 1903 Springfield pattern. The stocks appear to have been made from a soft wood and stained to look like walnut. The wood was probably harvested locally. All of the models had a similar profile and thickness. The No. 150, 100, 75, and 50 had a short wooden dowel that was inserted into the front of the forarm for a barrel. The No. 25 “Rookie” was the lowest grade and had no barrel or swivels.
The following advertisement was found in the Literary Digest dated June 30, 1917.
The following advertisement is undated but was found in a 1918 periodical.
From the paper, Non-Firing Drill and Training Rifles, by By Malcolm MacPherson
The next installment: Carson Long Military Institute
This drill rifle was made in un-weighted and weighted models. Both of these had the same external appearance. The rifle illustrated above is the weighted model. To bring the weight up to 8 ½ lb. a 1″ diameter steel rod 8″ long was inserted in the action area and a 3″ piece was inserted into the butt stock. These holes were then plugged with a short wooden dowel. The barrel on both models was a 5″ length of 5/8″ diameter steel rod. The added weights gave their rifle the same weight and balance as the 1903 Springfield rifle.
The advertisement below shows a rifle with a sling attached although no sling is specified in the list of included items. I suspect that you were required to provide your own sling if one was needed.
From the paper, Non-Firing Drill and Training Rifles, by By Malcolm MacPherson
