Agreed that the 1917 "Enfield" was a better practical battle rifle; the sights alone made it that. The much-derided 03A3 fixed that problem, tho.
Always amused by the memory of ARVN militia with '17 Enfields and '17 Colts--tiny troops with HUGE guns! However, Philippinos are generally small, and their pre-WWII army was mainly armed with these huge guns--didn't stop them from killing a lot of Japanese when they had decent leadership.
Are you refering to the Army of the Republic of Viet Nam? I saw lots of ARVNs, but never with M1917s or '17 Colts. M-1 Carbines and Garands is what I remember.
