Small Arms Firing Manual, 1913. Corrected to 4/15/17 (Changes 1-18)
Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1917. Revised Edition. Hardcover. [2], 268, [4] pages. Definitions. Illustrations. Fold-outs. Tables. Index. Pages have darkened somewhat, boards soiled, top and bottom edges of spine worn. Small arms include revolvers and pistols, rifles and carbines, assault rifles, submachine guns and light machine guns. Together with light weapons (heavy machine guns; hand-held grenade launchers; portable anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns; recoilless rifles; and mortars of calibers of less than 100 mm), they comprise the Small Arms and Light Weapons category. "Since weapons in this class are capable of being carried, if a small arm, by one person or, if a light arm, by two or more people, a pack animal or a light vehicle, they allow for mobile operations where heavy mechanized and air forces are not available or are restricted in their capabilities owing to difficult mountain, jungle or urban terrain." In the U.S. military, small arms are "man portable, individual, and crew-served weapon systems used mainly against personnel and lightly armored or unarmored equipment" More