What is the description of bolt-action rifles in world war 1?

Answer 1

There were very accurate, high velocity weapons, firing bullets of somewhere around .30 caliber, using smokeless powder. Most had a five round magazine, but the British rifle could hold ten rounds. The cartridges were carried by the soldiers on "stripper clips" which held five. This fitted into a slot across the back of the bolt assembly, with the bolt open, and the soldier could press the top of the cartridges with his thumb and strip them off the clip into the rifle magazine. There was a spring beneath the metal plate at the bottom of the magazine to push the cartridges up. After loading the magazine, when the soldier closed and locked the bolt, the bolt would pick up and chamber the top cartridge as it went forward. When the soldier turned the bolt handle down to lock the bolt, this cocked the weapon and it was now ready to fire. After firing the soldier pulled the bolt handle up to unlock it, then back, which ejected the spent cartridge case. Then he pushed the bolt handle forward, picking up the next cartridge and seating it in the chamber, then he turned to bolt handle down to lock and cock his weapon. A trained soldier could fire up to one hundred and twenty aimed shots per minute with such a weapon. Most could not manage this rate of fire though, but could still pump out the lead. Such rapid fire made the barrel extremely hot, so all military bolt action rifles had a wooden stock that extended all the way to near the end of the barrel, so the soldier could hold it without burning his hand. These weapons had adjustable sights. The soldier would have to have an idea of how far away his target was so he could adjust his sight to the correct elevation. If the target was within one hundred and fifty yards he needed no elevation. Some, such as the American rifle, had sights which also allowed adjusting for windage - a left or right adjustment to compensate for any strong crosswind blowing between the soldier and his target. These weapons were rugged and reliable, and made the individual soldier much more lethal than in previous wars.