Originally Posted by
Beamr
this raises the question: what is the oldest western weapon still in active duty within western military (by design and/or manufacturing date)?
BUFF takes the date to 1950's, anything more vintage?
Try the M1917 Enfield, the American modified Enfield P14 of 1914 AKA the No 3 Rifle, which is still used by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol in Greenland which is an elite Danish naval unit. They use a a bolt action rifle as it is more reliable in the extreme cold than automatic rifles, quite important when you have an angry Pola Bear who sees you as their next meal bearing (no pun intended) down on you.
I have used a P14 from 1914 re-barrelled from .303 to 7.62 and modified to single shot at Bisley at ranges up to 800yds. It is a lovely rifle to use with. It has a modified Mauser action, which is so much better than the Lee Enfield No 4 action, that I have also used, that I wondered how we ever won a war with the Lee Enfield!