The GMC CCKW

Hello all,

I've been wondering, could a M1917 Enfield rifle ever have been found, in place of a M1 Garand or Carbine, in the rifle rack inside the cab of a CCKW during WWII? I know that these rifles were not used in frontline service but i also know that they were used in limited services during this time.

Thanks for any responces,

Steven
Port Angeles, WA

Probably not. Most of the 1917's were used on the home front along with the 1903 Springfield's for training and state militia duty. On the other hand, the 1903A3 Springfield rifles manufactured by Remington and Smith Corona in 1943 and 44 would be totally correct in the rifle rack of a CCKW, Jeep or any other military vehicle. There a lot of those available in the ROTC form right now, that is with the bore at the breech welded up so they won't fire. Otherwise the actions are functioning and they look like they are ready for combat. Also they don't have to be shipped to a Federal Firearms Licensed dealer. They can be shipped directly to you. SARCO has them for sale as well as Gunbroker and Ebang on line. The are a lot cheaper than an M1 Garand or M1 carbine and totally correct in your truck.

If you had your CCKW assigned to a British regiment then the cousin to the 1917 Enfield, the P14 Enfield (1914) manufactured by Remington would be perfectly correct. Recently some P14's have been listed on Gunbroker for reasonable prices.

Hi Army Driver:

Don't mean to take you to task but, by the time US vehs like the CCKW were arriving in the UK and Aus, the Commonwealth armies were firmly using the Lee Enfield No 4 or the SMLE (in the case of the Aussies). The P14 or P17 were pretty much consigned to training in the second world debacle... the Home Guard and the Air Forces used them as 'front-line' weapons but didn't have a lot of CCKWs!

As a side note I've been in the military (way up in the Great White North) for 35 years nnow and I can couont on one hand the times I've seen the boys actually use the rifle racks... usually placed in an awkward spot and difficult to deploy quickly... I know I have permanent scars from the magazines of FN C1A1 (SLR to the Brits) smacking my knees to death in M38A1's!!

Cheers! Mike

I stand corrected, so the P14, like the 1917 were not considered as front line battle rifles. On the other hand, the U.S. Marines continued to use the Springfield model 1903 in the Pacific, even though the M1 Garand had been available. A lot of the American Army was also equipped with the 1903A3 Springfield, especially in North Africa.
You very right about rifle racks. They are cumbersome but like in all of our desires to present our old historic military vehicles as combat ready, we just have to have a rifle rack and a rifle in it.

tru' 'nuff!!

I was in a parade several years ago, when i had a 43GPW, and there was a guy in the parade in an M151A2 with a no. 4 Enfield in the jeep. I guess it was the only battle rifle he owned, but then 98% of the people that looked at him, his jeep and his Enfield would have never known what it was. It was just an old Army jeep with a real rifle in it,

While it is true that M1917 Enfields were primarilly training rifles, it is possible they could have ended up in a CCKW rifle rack at some point. Strange things happen in the military, especially in wartime. Deployed overseas, not likely, but stateside training, especially early war...could be.

Just adding mud to the mix.