This historical re-enactment film from the early 1980s titled “Springfield Armory” is a National Park Service Museum film that was presented by the National park Service U.S. Department of the Interior. The film discusses the importance of the Springfield Armory to the US Army and its military strategy, the development of the M14 rifle, and the solidifying of an American system of manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution. Through historical archival footage and re-enactment, the film takes the viewer from the foundation of the armory right after The Revolutionary War to its closing in 1969 and all of the inventions that came out of it. The film was produced by the National Park Service Division of Audiovisual Arts in collaboration with The American Precision Museum Association, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, National Museum of American History Smithsonian Institution, Slate Mill Historic Site, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation amongst others.

U.S. Marine walks through the M14 rifle, officially the United States rifle (0:31). Historical reenactment of rifles used throughout US history by military personnel (0:46). Springfield Armory logo (1:18). Montage / re-enactment showing the use of the rifle or musket as an important weapon in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI, WWII and beyond (1:25). Secretary of War Henry Knox (1:35). Map featuring Springfield, Massachusetts (2:12). Craftsmen and metalsmiths at work at the armory: European system of rudimentary production line (2:48-4:30). The War of 1812 and new demand for weapons (4:43). Thomas Blanchard walking through invention of the first machining lathe for interchangeable parts (4:52-6:18). Water mill and sources of energy for factories (6:33). Superintendent James Wolfe Ripley hosts a British delegation to study American technology and production methods (7:05). Milling machine to cut metal (8:34). Storage of manufactured weapons (9:33). Military inspection of manufactured goods by contractors (10:06). Contributions of Springfield Armory during The Civil War (11:04). Industrial Revolution and growth of the Springfield Armory (11:55). U.S. Army Ordnance Department effort to develop military rifle (12:25). United States Capitol Dome (12:44). M1903 Springfield and World War I (12:47). Victorious soldiers march the Champs-Élysées with the Arc de Triomphe in the background in Paris (13:27). John Garand and invention of semi-automatic M1 Garand (13:46). Production of M1 Garand during World War II (15:09). 1964 Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara closed the Springfield Armory (16:27). Closing credits (16:51).

The M14 rifle, officially the United States Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire battle rifle chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO (.308 in) cartridge. It became the standard-issue rifle for the U.S. military in 1959, replacing the M1 Garand rifle in service with the U.S. Army by 1958 and the U.S. Marine Corps by 1965. The M14 was used by the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps for Basic and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s.[

We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com