# Was the M 1917 Enfield rifle used in basic training for WWII? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 24, 2021, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-m-1917-enfield-rifle-used-in-basic-training-for-wwii/940701 "2021-04-24T15:42:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-m-1917-enfield-rifle-used-in-basic-training-for-wwii/940701/21 "2021-05-02T07:47:28Z")
My first shooting experience (in my early teens) was at a local **Air Cadets** range, firing a SMLE III converted to fire .22 rimfire. All the weight, none of the recoil … ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-m-1917-enfield-rifle-used-in-basic-training-for-wwii/940701/22 "2021-05-06T13:25:17Z")
It would seem less than ideal to train guys with a bolt action rifle and then have them go in the field with a semi auto. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-m-1917-enfield-rifle-used-in-basic-training-for-wwii/940701/23 "2021-05-06T14:08:21Z")
Well, yes, it’s _far_ less than ideal. But it’s better than, say [training with a broomstick](https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2018/09/28/britains-broomstick-army/). Which has been done by a NATO military as recently as [2015](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/02/19/germanys-army-is-so-under-equipped-that-it-used-broomsticks-instead-of-machine-guns/)! Needs must, and all that. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-m-1917-enfield-rifle-used-in-basic-training-for-wwii/940701/24 "2021-05-06T14:21:45Z")
> [@gdave](#): > > Well, yes, it’s _far_ less than ideal. But it’s better than, say [training with a broomstick](https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2018/09/28/britains-broomstick-army/). Which has been done by a NATO military as recently as [2015](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/02/19/germanys-army-is-so-under-equipped-that-it-used-broomsticks-instead-of-machine-guns/)! > > Needs must, and all that. - Bad news when they run into a bunch of guys pretending to be a tank. ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-m-1917-enfield-rifle-used-in-basic-training-for-wwii/940701/25 "2021-05-08T01:24:36Z")
Apparently the M1917 Enfield equipped Home Guard units, per [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1917_Enfield#World_War_II): > Many were bought by the United Kingdom through the [British Purchasing Commission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Purchasing_Commission) for use by the [Home Guard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Guard_(United_Kingdom)); 615,000 arrived in Britain in the summer of 1940, followed by a further 119,000 in 1941.[[13]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1917_Enfield#cite_note-13) These were prominently marked with a red paint stripe around the stock to avoid confusion with the earlier P14 that used the British .303 round. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-m-1917-enfield-rifle-used-in-basic-training-for-wwii/940701.md?page=1)