Maybe just his blankets then.
Some unfortunate experiences with the Spanish Mauser in the Spanish-American war no doubt had something to do with it.
Of course you mean the US Army regarding the Krag, and not the Navy/Marines. They swapped their Winchester-Lee’s for Springfields for similar reasons, and were reluctant to swap them for Garands later on because it would make it harder to earn the pay bump for qualifying as rifle expert shooters.
I’m developing a whole list of names for dogs!!!
The Canadian Rangers, patrolling the Canadian High Arctic, were equipped with the Lee–Enfield No 4 rifle until 2015 for the same reason. They now use the C19 rifle, a Finnish bolt-action rifle slightly modified for Canadian service.
A “Springfield” 1903 was such a close copy that the U.S. agreed that they infringed on Mauser’s patents and paid royalties (75 cents per rifle) until that was ended as part of the WWI peace settlement.
I own 14 military surplus rifles of the World War eras, and the Mauser and Springfield are by far the closet together in feel; the Mosin Nagents feel very firm and solid , with the Enfields very loose, and the Springfields and K98 Mauser in between.
I have a Lee-Enfield No. 4, a Mauser-built 1917 Gev 98 (modified to a K98), and a Yugoslavian K98. (Plus an Inland (GM) and an IBM M1 Carbine.)
Because most of us are Yankee Doodles - do you expect us to go the extra inch, pronunciation-wise?
Dan
Which pretty much proves the stupidity of institutional thinking, because the Garand is a much better weapon than the Springfield and just as accurate in the right hands.
Gotta be Springfield, because as LG371 noted, it was a Mauser. Just with the numbers filed off and a new paint job. I own over a dozen Mausers. But I shoot the Garand. Besides, that would be a great name for a dog even without the backstory.
British English with their leftenants drinking claret seems more egregious, but it might be intentional considering historical rivalry even when they were on the same side.
I’m curious which ones you prefer. I’ve shot SMLE, Springfield 1903, and K98. The first two had been “sporterized”, but I thought the K98 kicked hard.
The Yugo M48s seem fairly common now.
I’ve never gotten around to shooting the Enfield. The Mauser kicks like a thing that is known for kicking very hard.