Minor what if: US adopts M1885 Remington-Lee.

[BrotherToAll]

I know its a minor POD, but I'm curious about the knock off effects of the US moving towards a modern army with reapeating arms early on in the mid and late 1880's. I was thinking that maybe, just maybe I know I'm pushing it and its border line ASB, that the US military would become focused on accurate fast fire and put aside the old ways.

So lets say the US military decides to go that rout and focuses not only on accuracy but rate of fire as well, what effects does this have down the road and what effects do the M1885 Remington-Lee and its more advanced modernized varients have on the battle fields of the Spanish-American war and the Boxer Rebellion?

[CanadianGoose]

IOTL Army started adoption of Crag just dozen years later. Adoption of black-powder M1885 half-decade before world switched to smokeless powder would just result in a bunch of obsolete rifles in American armoury.

[Ghost 88]

Originally Posted by CanadianGoose

IOTL Army started adoption of Crag just dozen years later. Adoption of black-powder M1885 half-decade before world switched to smokeless powder would just result in a bunch of obsolete rifles in American armoury.

Unless the bolt or chamber are not strong enough, changing a bolt action from BP to Smokeless should not cause huge problems. Changing a self-loader is another story altogether. However I know of few BP self-loaders a side from the Gatling, and its basic design took well to Smokeless.

[Fearless Leader]

If the Americans go down the same road of development with the M1885 Remington-Lee as the British, we might not see the development of the M-1 Garand.

From what I've read, the M1885 Lee had a superior bolt action system that would later contribute to the amazing Lee-Enfield which served the British well into the 50's. Now assuming the Americans follow the same path, the development of a semi-automatic rifle would be pointless considering that they have at least, one of the best bolt-action rifles in the world.

A lack of M-1's would certainly force the Americans to develop a better LMG than the BAR....