From British muskets to today’s M27 IAR, weaponry has advanced while preserving the Marine ethos.
“Every Marine is, first and foremost, a rifleman.” That saying has been an unofficial motto of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) practically since its beginning. Yet, it wasn’t accurate in its earliest days, as the first two Battalions of Marines raised for service as a landing force for the Continental Navy in November 1775 did not carry “rifles” but rather muskets.
However, the point remains that today, every Marine, including those in non-infantry roles, must undergo basic rifle training, and each is expected to qualify with a service rifle. Precisely what that rifle is (or was) has evolved in the nearly 250 years since the forerunner of today’s USMC was established.
The service recently shared a recap of the dozen and a half “service rifles” that have been carried by United States Marines from its humble origins.
“The key thing that the Marines have always done is focus on precision marksmanship,” said Jonathan Bernstein, the Arms & Armor Curator at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia.
“They were always looking at how to make their Marines more precise with their weapon fire.”
The Gun That America Used to Gain Independence: The Brown Bess
The USMC noted that its “first” service rifle wasn’t even technically a rifle. Instead, back in 1775, the Continental Marines would have carried the British Short Land Pattern Musket, more commonly known as the “Brown Bess.”
In other words, “the first American weapon” was the same British musket carried by the now infamous “Red Coats.”
Those serving in the Continental Marines would have had the opportunity to exchange their British-made muskets for French-made ones, notably the Model 1763 or Model 1777 Charleville Flintlock muskets. The two most common calibers were .75 caliber for the British Brown Bess and .69 caliber for the French-made Charleville muskets.
It wasn’t until after the American Revolution that a domestically made long gun was in the hands of the reestablished Marine Corps. That would be the 1795 Springfield, the very first musket to be produced at the famed Springfield and Harpers Ferry armories. As Bernstein noted, it was “a derivative of the Model 1777 Charleville,” yet it was still manufactured in the United States.
The musket was subsequently improved in 1816, but the significant change came with the introduction of the Springfield Model 1835, the first domestically produced long gun to utilize a percussion cap instead of a flint-steel striking mechanism.
That led to the development of the Springfield Model 1855, a “rifled musket” that could fire the then-new conical Minié ball, which greatly improved range and accuracy. The Model 1855 was the standard infantry weapon used by both sides in the American Civil War. It was further enhanced as the Springfield Model 1861, which was widely employed by Union forces, including the US Marine Corps.
The Marines Upgrade Their Service Rifles Over Time
Small arms design continued to evolve in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. This led to some lesser-known rifles being adopted by the USMC, including the Model 1895 Winchester-Lee “Straight Pull Rifle,” a firearm that saw brief use during the Spanish-American War and the Boxer Rebellion. Though its adoption was short-lived, its lasting legacy is that it is the rifle included on the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal.
During the First World War and the early stages of the Second World War, the US Marines carried the famed Springfield Model 1903, which was later replaced with the adoption of the M1 Garand, a weapon considered among the best service rifles of its time. The final rifle developed and produced at the famed Springfield Armory was the M14, a gun that earned as much scorn as respect from those who carried it in the Vietnam War.
With the introduction of the AR-15/M16, the USMC entered a new era that began with the M16A1 and continued to the M4A1 carbine. Though the M16 was noted for its teething issues, it soon became a respected rifle for its accuracy and reliability.
Today, the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle is what every rifleman now carries. It has succeeded in effectively bridging the gap between a standard assault rifle and a light machine gun, providing greater range and firepower.
The rifle carried by the US Marine Corps has evolved significantly, and it has come a long way from the Brown Bess and Charleville muskets used 250 years ago, but the role of those carrying it hasn’t changed. They’re still all “a rifleman, first and foremost.”
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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