Back to MP's comment about Sgt. York. I came across a discussion of Alvin York and what rifle he used somewhere, but I can't recall just where somewhere was. The discussion was that York used a 1917 Enfield because his entire unit was armed (Division? Brigade?) with 1917s. The same discussion said they used 1903s in the Sgt. York movie because everyone "knew" that York must have used a Springfield and because the movie prop house had Springfields.

That seemed a reasonable explanation at the time. I have since used both rifles on the target range (firing from the military prone position) and find I far prefer the 1917. Dig out your copy of Whelen's "The American Rifle" and read what he has to say on pages 126 & 127.