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Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Firearms--Collection and preservation; Military museums--Handbooks, manuals, etc; Firearms--Maintenance and repair; Military museums; Handbooks and manuals;

Abstract

The small museum of today is confronted with a multitude of curatorial problems; these decisions ultimately influence the success or failure of the historical agency. A common dilemma in a majority of museums is the proper management of a firearms collection, especially modern military weapons. Due to the lack of qualified museum personnel (people knowledgeable in the administration of firearms) and an acute shortage of comprehensive resource materials, modern arms have been seriously neglected. This situation has resulted in improper conservation methods, ineffectual interpretation and in some instances the complete disregard for a collection of this nature. Furthermore, these circumstances have encouraged the use of the services of overzealous amateur gunsmiths and collectors. These are often unfortunately individuals who, while having the best of intentions, do more harm than good to the historical piece. While flintlock and caplock arms of an earlier period, because of their simple function and corresponding lack of moving parts, are more easily maintained, twentieth century firearms present a greater challenge for the non-specialist. Bolt action, semiautomatic and fully automatic weapons are composed of multiple internal mechanisms, components which require attention if the overall piece is to be preserved. Possibly the greatest detriment to the preservation of military small arms of the World wars is that such material has not yet attained the romantic aura associated with "antique" firearms. Modern arms, in keeping with industrial productivity, were mass produced by the millions as efficient fighting implements; fine hand crafting and decorative embellishment were of no concern. While these devices are of fairly recent origin they are nonetheless historic pieces. This study will attempt to overcome some of the misconceptions often associated with military firearms and provide sufficient information for the proper administration, historic interpretation and care of such a collection. Sixteen U.S. Army weapons of the first and second World wars will be discussed in detail with attention to individual development, physical characteristics, mechanical operation and the correct basic disassembly procedure required for each piece. Every effort has been made to place the artifact within its unique historical context by citing when the weapon was produced, why it was produced, how it was operated and how it was intended to be employed and by whom. This information is supplemented by an accessory list for each small arm. A separate chapter is devoted to the cleaning and care of firearms. In addition, the appendix consists of a compilation of supplies and services, listing professional gunsmiths and gun dealers, firearms parts suppliers, cleaning equipment and military surplus outlets available to the small museum. Research for this project was pursued through several methods. In addition to the dozens of bibliographically cited publications, original manufacturers (including wartime contracted civilian firms) were consulted through written correspondence. Many of these companies supplied invaluable information in the form of wartime histories, original catalogs and brochures, statistics and production methods, as well as answers to specific questions. Numerous museums and private collectors contributed material and/or permitted the author to examine weapons within their collections. During the research of each weapon the actual firearm was inspected by the author. Various modified arms were compared and contrasted to their original design, as were the multitude of accessories for each weapon. Finally, the branches of the United States Army, especially the office of the Chief of Military History, contributed to this project a great quantity of microfiche taken from original United States Army Ordnance Department manuals and specific small arms manuals of both World Wars. These sources and accompanying suggestions proved indispensable to the completion of this study. This work is intended as an instructive museum manual. The content is frequently technical in nature and may be confusing if the firearm concerned is not immediately at hand. Moreover, this paper must not be considered a complete work unto itself, but should be utilized in combination with other sources as cited in the bibliography.

Year of Submission

1982

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of History

First Advisor

Glenda Riley

Second Advisor

Donald Shepardson

Comments

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Date Original

1982

Object Description

1 PDF file (334 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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