The First SMLE Trials Rifles: Lessons From the Boer War

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3 жыл бұрын

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In the aftermath of the Boer War, the British military needed to address critical issues of practical marksmanship with its troops. The Long Lee rifles it had deployed to South Africa suffered significant problems in making real-world hits on the battlefield. In addition to investing in better musketry training, the military chose to radically change its rifles.
In place of the Lee rifles and carbines, a single short rifle pattern would be issued for all branches of service (cavalry, artillery, and infantry). A stripper clip loading system was introduced to speed reloading and a full-length handguard for improving bayonet handling and reducing sight mirage. A windage adjustable rear sight was mandated, and a stout full protective hood added around the front sight. A new nosecap design was implemented to put the weight of the bayonet onto the stock, and not on the barrel where it would impact the rifle’s zero.
Two different patterns of rear sight were considered. The A pattern design was a tangent type sight like a Mauser, pinned at the front. The B pattern used a ladder sight, pinned at the rear. Five hundred of each were made, and put through a rigorous set of remarkably practical field trials. The testing involved not just static shooting for accuracy, but also shooting against timed disappearing targets, camouflaged targets, and snap shooting. The trial winner was the A pattern design, and it went into mass production in 1904 as the Short, Magazine, Lee Enfield Mark I - the first SMLE.
As adopted a few minor changes were made from the trials rifles, most notably a change from a full front sight hood to a pair of stout protective Ewings, to allow more light onto the sight. In addition, the design was almost immediately updated to a MkI* pattern, with a stronger rear sling swivel, rounded corners on the receiver, and a storage trap added to the buttplate.
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Пікірлер: 519

@mattfleming86 3 жыл бұрын

"I'm going to make it just a little bit longer..." Ian if you put out a full length documentary every day, I'd watch.

@xgford94 3 жыл бұрын

Me too, He did one on firearms markings...you would think “how boring “ but no it was awesome kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fql6Z9N90rWzmoE.html

@moderatemexicanamericanpat4904 3 жыл бұрын

Feature length as nutnfancy says

@richarddixson1971 3 жыл бұрын

I DO! Bet you Do TOO!!

@medic7698 3 жыл бұрын

So would I

@leighneil 3 жыл бұрын

Just when you thought there could not possibly be another Forgotten Weapons video on the .303.

@pmc9088 3 жыл бұрын

Rule # 1, you can never have to much Rule # 303

@brentkeller3826 3 жыл бұрын

Mwuh-hah-hah-hah-haaaa! The .303 lurks everywhere, waiting to leap out at you with another incremental change to scandalously and lasciviously wave before your incredulous eyes!

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

I'm sure that there's an Enfield Ian hasn't covered yet. Maybe he will find one in .402!

@keithorbell8946 3 жыл бұрын

@@ScottKenny1978 in the Cadets at school we used to use Lee Enfield .22 single shot target rifles.

@mementomori7911 3 жыл бұрын

@@keithorbell8946 How does that work? No Magazine?

@tomyorke3412 3 жыл бұрын

My great grandfather fought in WW1 from 1914-1918 in the Hull pals (look it up its cool) and in his own words the only times he ever cried or got to that point was when his son was born and when he had to give up his SMLE after the war when his battalion got stood down and disbanded. Us Brits loved these rifles he made me join the army now i have left it after some years this made me think of him.

@xzqzq 3 жыл бұрын

I would bet in 1939, with war again on the horizon, the Brits regretted dumping most of their WWI guns into the ocean, as reportedly happened.

@Sasha7N 3 жыл бұрын

I love how Ian calls himself a francophile but also very clearly has an special place in his heart for the history of the Bo'er War

@funkyneil2000 3 жыл бұрын

Another result of the trouble the Boer marksmen gave the British Army was the encouragement of civilian target shooting in the UK. Eventually leading to the current target shooting club system that is in place now. Smallbore shooting was pushed in more built up areas as a way of teaching marksmanship in confined areas. There a lot of small bore clubs (including my own) who opened their doors in the early 1900s and are still going!

@Wakey585 3 жыл бұрын

With even a few pubs opening their own rifle ranges, where you would pay the baykeep for a few rounds of .22 which they kept behind the bar... brilliant madness. I know of a couple around Wiltshire which intrigued me while I was taking Lunch while out for a cycle ride.

@shatbad2960 3 жыл бұрын

Let's hope they survive the endless lockdowns!

@brittakriep2938 3 жыл бұрын

@@Wakey585 : With airguns, this existed also in Germany.

@gregdaweson4657 3 жыл бұрын

@@Wakey585 what you call madness, i call FREEDOM!!!

@johnkelinske1449 3 жыл бұрын

They did that way back in the mid 1800s when war with the French was a possibility.

@richardpowell4281 3 жыл бұрын

You know Ian is excited when he gets ahead of himself and says "Let me back up"

@MrDmitriRavenoff 3 жыл бұрын

It just shows how much knowledge and passion he has for historic firearms. All praise Gun Jesus! :)

@JanTuts 3 жыл бұрын

3:08 In other words "we are _very consistently_ missing our target" :D

@TruthNerds 3 жыл бұрын

The first Imperial stormtrooper rifle…

@babalonkie 3 жыл бұрын

@@TruthNerds Only they are still waiting on the improvements... ;)

@bigblue6917 3 жыл бұрын

True, but very accurately missing the target.

@dhk7986 3 жыл бұрын

@@TruthNerds "Only Imperial Stormtrooper are so precise." "Yeah, Ben, but they must not be accurate."

@schwadevivre4158 3 жыл бұрын

One other effect of the Boer Wars and the revelations about the comparative marksmanship of British levies compared to the Boer farmers was the introduction of workplace gun clubs with indoor ranges. This happened particularly in large Civil Service buildings, banks and insurance companies. There was even a range, which I used, in the basements of the British Museum into the 1980s

@haroldlee4037 3 жыл бұрын

High precision with low accuracy would be a tight group that is not centered on the point of aim. High accuracy but low precision would be bragging about that one round that center-punched the bullseye, ignoring the shotgun pattern on the target.

@acomingextinction 3 жыл бұрын

That's pretty much the mnemonic I was taught to remember the difference: precision = pattern.

@MrMzr-er7kb 3 жыл бұрын

Accuracy: Hitting your Zero. Precision: Doing it again.

@herbertliedel7019 3 жыл бұрын

My first hunting rifle (White tail deer in Michigan) was a .303 Jungle carbine. Bought at Kmart about 1956 with 3 packs of British military ammo for the hefty sum of $15.00. Took years to get most of the cosmoline off. Took my first deer at 150 yards one shot. Still have that carbine in my collection.

@RhinoRobM 3 жыл бұрын

a small arms committee, and strangely enough not a single T-Rex on it (which is just a major oversight cause of all things that you'd think would be an expert on having small arms...)

@enricopaolocoronado2511 3 жыл бұрын

Lee Enfields are, in my opinion, the best looking bolt-action rifles ever made.

@tokyosmash 3 жыл бұрын

Agree

@titilouis5688 3 жыл бұрын

I Know to

@DaDaDo661 3 жыл бұрын

The No1 MK 3 is better looking that the No4 I think the full wood enfields are the best. I own quite a few of each

@G_Flash84625 3 жыл бұрын

Mauser for me ^.^

@mattberry4457 3 жыл бұрын

i never thought they were good looking but a great rifle. kind of the glock of its day. not the belle of the ball but the one you would pick when things got unpleasant.

@RiderOftheNorth1968 3 жыл бұрын

Remember that the UK ( and the Commonwealth) included most kind of climates we have on this planet and their rifles needed to function in them all. From near arctic through rainforest to desert.

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, though what was unexpected was the combat accuracy testing in the SMLE trials. That was probably the first time it was done like that, in history.

@RiderOftheNorth1968 3 жыл бұрын

@@ScottKenny1978 True, and perhaps the fact that the UK was so globaly outspread is part of that decision? Who knows. The "Brits" ARE known, from time to time, for taking lessons from reality.

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

@@RiderOftheNorth1968 well, I expected the "every possible environment" as part of the Empire. The "targets the color of the surrounding area" was a first ever, I believe.

@MB-nn3jw 3 жыл бұрын

The 1904 is a Queensland Government, Australia issue. Q^G visible on the knox at 13.25. One from Australia.

@romanbrough 3 жыл бұрын

In addition to subsidising many shooting clubs for young people, (including girls), the government paid more attention to the Territorial Army,( US equivalent would be the National Guard) Many of the BEF first sent were Territorials, including interestingly, some from Ireland. The government also found that many of the volunteers for the Boer war, were simply not fit enough, and some steps were taken to correct this. The Germans believed that the British had loads of machine guns, whilst what they were really facing, was well trained troops, used to firing accurately and fast. Also some German officers really thought of British troops as second rate, based on their performance in the Boer war. The survivors, learnt better. So, better guns, better shots better training. (Not going to comment on the Offriicers).

@adlerarmory8382 3 жыл бұрын

Edward the Long Shanks "Arrows cost money. Use up the Irish"

@richardtoms9161 3 жыл бұрын

I find it very interesting that this trial was unique in that it replicated actual combat conditions. You would think that would be the most important aspect of any military arms trial. Thank you for a wonderfully informative video.

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

Remember that the Boer War was really the start of the complete revolution in how infantry fought.

@charles_wipman 3 жыл бұрын

All the Lee Enfields look beautiful to me, this ones are not an exception.

@lunabluevinemassacre6182 3 жыл бұрын

Mauser best Springfield beautiful Enfield fastest bolt/ most rounds Mosin garbage rod

@charles_wipman 3 жыл бұрын

@@lunabluevinemassacre6182 My fav lines are the Lee Enfields, the M1 Garands and the SVT-40; In that order. but if we've to just stick to the WWI infantry rifles... Lee Enfield and Fedorov M1916, that's my opnion.

@lunabluevinemassacre6182 3 жыл бұрын

Out of WW1? G98 FOR ME

@tays8306 3 жыл бұрын

@@lunabluevinemassacre6182 Pattern of 1914 enfield for me. My fave to shoot out of my collection. Laser accurate, mauser action, cock on close like a lee enfield. Doesnt get any better. But who am I kidding. I love all of my lee enfields.

@noahhughes2501 3 жыл бұрын

@@lunabluevinemassacre6182 never understood this garbage rod thing, the mosin is good as long as you don't consider the late WW2 models. The foreign Mosins are particularly good

@leighneil 3 жыл бұрын

I notice that the production rifle is Queensland Government marked.

@stevedevice1866 3 жыл бұрын

I'll bet my left one its an old QRA one. They once had a magnificent arsenal. Last time I was there there were still a few old actions.

@medic7698 3 жыл бұрын

Had to look after the Empire old boy.

@Alan.livingston 3 жыл бұрын

We loved the No1 mk3 so much we used it through both world wars and Korea. When I was a kid they were cheap and easy to find in great nick. These days a good example will command quite the price.

@medic7698 3 жыл бұрын

@@Alan.livingston when I was in it was the SLR and then the bloody awful SA80.

@mattrich7998 3 жыл бұрын

I have two 1904 mk1s. One's marked to 5th Light Horse and the other to the 12th Light Horse.

@pitiedvod 3 жыл бұрын

This video would make me squeal like a little school girl, but I am English so all I could do was give a slight nod in approval. Oh I love everything to do with SMLEs.

@AdmV0rl0n 3 жыл бұрын

Amazing info. Its a big subject, Boer war, and what happened - but within bounds, British Army did something unusual. It get out of its own way, parked a lot of conservative thought, thinking and process and did things like this. And, it shifted the army to an army, IIRC that gave soldiers 200 rounds a year to shoot/practice with. This IIRC was more than twice anyone else, and in many cases way more than anyone else. In 1914, The Germans invaded places, and in France, they faced what was named in arrogance - The British "contemptible little army" - which made a legend for itself in history, gave the Germans a significant bloody nose, and let to reports back to the leadership that 'The British all have machine guns' care of the weight of fire this contemptible little army gave when fighting the Germans. That small army was indeed wrecked over a period of very intense fighting. Its remnants forever bore the name, with which they had pride - contemptables. Those who made it through the initial period, went on to serve and train men in numbers that dwarfed the original BEF. We can assume British Army Marksmanship to this day has lessons from those learned.

@brittakriep2938 3 жыл бұрын

You have forgotten, that the British troops had been professional soldiers for years in constant training, while the German troops had been conscript/ reserve soldiers, where the last longer training was perhaps some years ago. The british system was only possible, because Great Brittain is an island country. If Brittain would be a continental country, where an enemy, perhaps with allies, could invade with full speed and from many directions, the situation would have been different, because in such a case, a huge number of quickly mobilizeable soldiers is necessary, to train all in a high standard , would habe been impossible.

@AdmV0rl0n 3 жыл бұрын

@@brittakriep2938 Er, no. In 1914, the German ARMY was generally viewed as one of the finest in the world, with 700,000 men and officer core. It had a high level of training as part of that. The conscripts you talk about are real, but you choose to ignore the core. Sorry but no. And in any case, I was talking about the background, the rifle, and the outcome, not other armies or states - apart from notes from those who faced them.

@brittakriep2938 3 жыл бұрын

@@AdmV0rl0n : Before 1914 there had been three types of armies. 1) Professional armies: As far as i know, this had been volunteers, who served 20-30 years. This had been the best trained armies, but in comparison to population, rather small. In USA there had been State Militias ( today National Guard), but i don't know about their equipment and training. In Great Brittain, as far as i know, also some semi- official militias existed. 2) Countries , in which every young man had the duty to serve in the army for some time, perhaps two years, and then they became part of the reserve, from time to time, they had to do some training again. In german language Wehrpflicht, isn' t this called conscript army? The german version of this seemed to be the best one, but only the professional officers had those wellknown quality of training, the reserve officers not so much. Also the reserve soldiers had not the knowledge of a professional soldier. And the units called Landwehr , this soldiers had been older than Reserve, had not so modern equipment. The units of Landsturm, the oldest soldiers, had in 1914 rather old equipment and also their training was not so modern. In other continental armies it was similar. 3) Militia armies. In few countries, for example Sweden or Switzerland, the young men also had the duty, to serve , but only few months. So it is doubtable, if this only rather short trained soldiers could sucessfully fight against better trained troops. ( In 1912 Wilhelm ll visited Switzerland, watched a great Manöver / training of Swiss troops , and said: The Swiss officers and soldiers seem to know their job.). So, every system had strong and weak points.

@johnegan7622 3 жыл бұрын

They may have retained lessons learned regarding marksmanship but they obliterated all lessons learnt regarding the Lee Enfield as evidenced by the creation / introduction of the L85.

@AdmV0rl0n 3 жыл бұрын

@@johnegan7622 While I understand the sentiment, wholly different generations, suppliers, evals, and more. The L85 A2/3 having had rework that should have been original is a good weapon. When you only make a new weapon with decades apart, your 'new' weapon skills don't really exist. The prior gun wasn't even theirs - L1A1 was a modded gun from elsewhere.

@peregrinatus 3 жыл бұрын

That was really cool. Thanks, Ian.

@ScrapYardDog64 3 жыл бұрын

Never bored of LE's thanks for another fabulous history class Ian.

@blacksquirrel4008 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, learned a lot from this, not least of which was it the short “Magazine Lee Enfield” rather than the “Short Magazine Lee Enfield” as I had assumed.

@blacksquirrel4008 3 жыл бұрын

@@thecommissaruk that’s funny, as that was exactly how I had typed it initially.

@jeffjefferson2676 3 жыл бұрын

Really nice to see this sort of thing. It really shows the thought of the time when it was trialed. Greetings, Jeff

@TheHylianBatman 2 жыл бұрын

I am loving this series. It's so interesting learning about development. And all of this from a video about sights...

@brainkill7034 2 жыл бұрын

“Why not toss one more gun in (this video)” - couldn’t agree more. Thank you for sharing!

@douglasherron7534 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent video, thanks Ian!

@propdoctor21564 3 жыл бұрын

Another entertaining and very informative video from one of my favorite surplus firearms channels.

@hughculliton3174 3 жыл бұрын

Great work as usual, Ian!

@jeffprice6421 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. Thanks very much for this!

@lukehavard7081 3 жыл бұрын

Fun fact: when the MkVII (spitzer) cartridge was introduced just prior to WW1, it was found that mounting the bayonet would now shift POI upwards, due to the nose cap mechanism that had negated such shift with previous round-nosed bullets.

@randomnobodovsky3692 3 жыл бұрын

Interesting detail. Would you be so kind and tell where did you find it? Seems quite interesting and worthy of further reading.

@pr0xZen 3 жыл бұрын

I don't hunt or have a gun license, but I love tech history so have enjoyed your videos a whole lot over the years. Thank you for for this body of work you're creating.

@wazzamagoodiddlydoo 3 жыл бұрын

Fabulous video. Thank you so much.

@Tidebo1 3 жыл бұрын

The Boer War was really quite influential and that influence is really under appreciated. It was a shock to the system. Modern combat.

@rubennasser6907 3 жыл бұрын

We would say around here "Los boers los cagaron a balazos"

@marks_sparks1 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, red cloth against green grass makes an excellent aiming point. Who knew?

@albatross8361 3 жыл бұрын

@@marks_sparks1 in the 1st Boer War, yes (along with some very blanco'ed helmets), but not in the 2nd, when almost everyone was in khaki.

@albatross8361 3 жыл бұрын

Tim, the Mauser 98 was also a shock to US forces in Cuba, and was consequently very much copied in the Springfield...

@keanur6541 3 жыл бұрын

Some say it was the 1st world war. Aus/nz/england/scotland/canada/india against two boer states. Can almost make the case it was the 1st world war .

@randyadams03 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Ian, only Enfieldish rifle I own is a 1967 RFI 2A1 I love it. Sort of a Great, great, great grandson of the original SMLE. Your time and passion is appreciated by all. Tennessee

@zacharyrollick6169 10 ай бұрын

Good taste. I have a 1968.

@klavdy 3 жыл бұрын

Gday from Australia, we love the .303

@S7eveThePira7e 3 жыл бұрын

Love your work, Ian.

@v1_rotate638 3 жыл бұрын

How was this comment posted 4 weeks ago?!

@boingkster 3 жыл бұрын

Lol wtf

@donovanchilton5817 3 жыл бұрын

Patreon, boys

@S7eveThePira7e 3 жыл бұрын

Or I'm a time traveling asshat, one of two

@bryantblake1877 3 жыл бұрын

Good one Ian! Liked your comment about how some soldiers complained about the new rifle’s recoil. Apparently the question of recoil followed the rifle thru it’s many iterations since.because BOTH my Savage and Long Branch No. 4 Mk1*’s “kick” like a mule! 😊

@liammccarron8191 3 жыл бұрын

The Brits could really build a gun, I'll give em that!

@WozWozEre 3 жыл бұрын

'Could'! We've kinda lost it a bit recently 😂

@lifesagamesobeawinner 3 жыл бұрын

@@WozWozEre yeah it took HK to make the sa80 any good. But English shotguns are still renowned worldwide.

@remcodenouden5019 3 жыл бұрын

@@lifesagamesobeawinner sure they make very good high-end hunting rifles and shotguns, but expect to take out a second mortgage to afford one...

$@friccadyfraccady$

@friccadyfraccady 3 жыл бұрын

They always built nice cars too! It's just too bad, none of them had the upper body strength to tighten the bolts all the way.

@theinstitute1324 3 жыл бұрын

@@remcodenouden5019 And at the end of the day most of europe can give them a run for their money so one has to ask whether they're of any significant distinction.

@loupiscanis9449 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you , Ian .

@keithallardice6139 3 жыл бұрын

Yet again, I came for the weapon and stayed, absolutely riveted, by the history ... Blessed be Gun Jesus!

@bofoenss8393 3 жыл бұрын

"Before we end this video, I'll just make it a little bit longer" - Yes, please!

@shootingwithmitch5921 3 жыл бұрын

What are the odds that this the only known example of a smle mk1 until they open next weeks crate from royal tiger imports?

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

Not impossible, but the odds are pretty long on that...

@mainiac4pats 3 жыл бұрын

Grew up in Maine, love your videos!

@Simon_Nonymous 3 жыл бұрын

Lovely video Ian - I always learn something, and this time it was about how that nose cap was there to avoid the bayonet attaching to the barrel. Never apologise about the length of your videos - we have pause buttons nowadays while we top up the whisky and settle down for more wisdom and charm from you.

@nickterpstra6376 3 жыл бұрын

Great video!

@mickeymousegoofey6224 3 жыл бұрын

Great video Ian. My grandfather joined up underage to fight in the Boer war. His unit was in the battle of Spion Kop but he arrived after that. So I guess he would have used the Lee Metford at that stage. His unit then went on to service in India and I just wonder now whether his outfit was one of the ones that tested the new SMLE out there. In 1907 he returned to the UK his service over but of course he would have had to serve in the reserves for a few more years. In 1911 he renewed his service in the reserves/territorials and guess what? Yep 4th August 1914 he gets called up. My dad was born April 1914. So off grandad goes to war but now he would have a SMLE he was involved in the defence of Mons and the subsequent retreat gaining promotion during the time until he was captured at La Basee on 20th October 1914. Looking back you could take the view that he was lucky but given the privations and "inventive" recipes we heard about I guess he did not think so at the time. He was held at Hamlin POW camp until 1918 when he was repatriated and home by 20th November quite a good result for him. I knew him but I was only 11 when he died so never had the desire to discuss his experiences but would love to sit down with him now. He could give us first hand experience/views on the weapons under discussion.

@boingkster 3 жыл бұрын

So Many Lee Enfields...

@elijahaitaok8624 3 жыл бұрын

Never enough IMO

@MrDK0010 3 жыл бұрын

Face oddly matches statement.

@jcmaxie4758 3 жыл бұрын

So little time!........or money to collect them all.

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

@@jcmaxie4758 I'm looking for two severely bubbad SMLEs. One to turn into a truck gun (see the Anvil episodes for what I want), and one to turn into a clone of the Charlton Automatic Rifle. Both will be very expensive to build.

@sh7de553 3 жыл бұрын

Well, the Dutch have everyone beat when it comes to carbines though.

@Cmoth040 2 жыл бұрын

I have an odd duck Enfield that a buddy brought over for me to do an inspection on. It was sporter-ized a long time ago. It looks like a Lee-Metford due to manual safety on the left of the receiver coupled with the lift-up volley sight. You can see where a wood filler piece was fitted after the removal of the dialed front volley sight. The right side stamping on the receiver is "Enfield 1905 ShtLE I ***" Three stars next to the Mk I. Missing the mag block plate, but has the cuts for it.

@Ulfcytel 2 жыл бұрын

The other thing about the full hood on the front sight is that it can more easily become clogged with dirt and you need to find a small stick or wire to poke it out (carefully, without damaging the bone/ivory bead). Whereas open blades are not only less likely to block, but mud can simply be brushed out with a finger.

@comiketiger 3 жыл бұрын

Love the history and getting to actually see them. Awesome. God bless all here.

@456eec 3 жыл бұрын

When talking about the to and fro with the magazine cut off you didn't mention that it came back for a short time in Lithgow rifles in 1942. I have a No 1 Mk III (no star) which is dated 1942 and has a magazine cut off. It is hypothesised that thay were short of receivers for a while during this war time production so used some old stock early ones with cut off until they were used up.

@Chris-dz6ov 3 жыл бұрын

Awww....! I expected you to 'just happen' to have the new bayonet for comparison! lol You set the bar so high on your vids ;) Love 'em, keep 'em coming :D Stay safe

@bigblue6917 3 жыл бұрын

In 1914 German troops came under fire at long range, often up to 1,000 yards. The Germans were convinced that they were coming under fire from machine guns but they were actually being fired on by infantry with the SMLE. Range, accuracy and rapid fire was the big changes from the Boer War. One of the big advantages of the SMLE was that the bolt traveled a much shorter distance then any of its contemporaries which greatly helped with rapid fire.

@Fister_of_Muppets 3 жыл бұрын

This channel is my gun/history proverbial crack

@lifesagamesobeawinner 3 жыл бұрын

You gun junky 😉

@anthonyrauseo5913 3 жыл бұрын

Other then my m1 garand or m-1 carbine my enfields are my favorite milsurps I own. One unfortunately is sporterized

@larryjimbob 3 жыл бұрын

Have been shooting with a Lee Enfield before. Beautifully smooth action and good accuracy. Very comfortable to handle and shoot 👍😊

@larryjimbob 3 жыл бұрын

Have always wanted to shoot both a Garand and M1 carbine....a little jealous 😄😊

@RalphReagan 3 жыл бұрын

Sporterized rifles are cheaper :)

@anthonyrauseo5913 3 жыл бұрын

@@RalphReagan I paid $75 for that one 3 yrs ago. I have shot 2 deer with it

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

Depending on how it was sporterized, you can do several things with it. If the barrel and sights are still intact, you could restore it with a new stock. That's would be my preferred option. If the barrel has been chopped down already, you have two options, IMO. You can turn it into a truck gun or "jungle carbine" that you can beat to hell, or you can do something really weird and turn it into a Charlton Automatic Rifle clone.

@neilarcher2551 3 жыл бұрын

Well thank you random KZfaq recommendations. Interesting and very well presented. My father trained on the later models and his father carried one in the Great war.

@spacewater7 3 жыл бұрын

I did learn something. Keep an eye out for an Enfield bayonet that's a foot long. :D Thanks for presenting!

@tomrafal3655 3 жыл бұрын

I was about 8, maybe 9 when my dad taught me to shoot with an SMLE. Once you master them they're such a great shooting rifle and extremely accurate for their age. Sadly he got rid of all his guns after the Dunblane shootings in the 90's. Such is the stigma surrounding any firearms here in the UK.

@sbreheny 3 жыл бұрын

So "short" refers to the length of the rifle, not the size of the magazine, right? When I first heard short magazine Lee-Enfield I thought it referred to the magazine being short.

@thralldumehammer 3 жыл бұрын

Long. Hahaha, I watch C&Rsenal and your and Karl's Q&A's. Love the variants of the S.M.L.E. and any prototypes!

@frasermitchell9183 3 жыл бұрын

from Fraser, husband of Leslie This is the rifle that we were introduced to when I joined the Army cadets at my grammar school. It would have been around 1960, I think I was 13 or 14 years of age at the time. We could do all the regular infantry drill, so this included Slope Arms, Order Arms, Present Arms, Inspect Arms. Stand Easy, (having ordered arms). I remember training a squad for the annual drill competition which we won. The light infantry regiments also had a Carry Arms when marching at the faster pace of the light infantry. The rifle was carried in the hand horizantally in these regiments. One of the attractions of being in the army cadets was the annual camp held in the summer holidays. We fired these rifles on the range, and also the Bren gun, which was awesome ! It's amazing to think that these rifles took the British Army through two world wars, although I have to say with is more due to the parsimony of the War Office than the excellence of the rifle; the Germans always outgunned us, as they believed in firepower and we didnt.

@nonameavailable4840 3 жыл бұрын

"...why not toss one more gun in" . . . should be a mindset

@rambo8wradio 3 жыл бұрын

US tried that with tanks, tbh..

@LordBillington42 3 жыл бұрын

When I was a cadet in the UK we shot the .22 conversions of these a lot. They were extremely accurate and a great marksmanship training platform. At skill at arms meetings some of the shoots sound very similar to those of the old SMLE trials. Target up every 6 seconds, falls when hit, repeating ten times etc. Due to firearms regulations and a lack of funds I haven't touched a rifle since school. It was a lot of fun though.

@JPR3D 3 жыл бұрын

"And there's a perpetual debate on which was better, the Mauser or the Enfield" Yet another fine example of rifles that were iterated, tested, used in combat, and refined several times over and in service for many decades by several major powers and lots of minor ones. I think the only firearm that is globally recognized at the same level of greatness without having taken 40 years and a couple of wars to get there might be the M1 Garand, but it also had a very thorough development life ( about 20 years?)

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

The Mauser, Enfield, and Moisin all had much longer service life than the Garand. 1890s to at least the 1950s for the Mauser, 1970s for the Moisin, and clear up to the 2000s for the Enfield (!).

@ugyuu 3 жыл бұрын

Never clicked on a video this quickly! I almost read that as SMILE trials.. :(

@estudiom142 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent!

@kodiakkeith 3 жыл бұрын

One thing I never quite understand about rifles of that era is the miserable tiny v notch in the rear sight. Quite usable in good light, awful in low light. The Mauser and MN are a little better (deeper notch) but still small. I suppose they got great results in the trials conducted in daylight, but in the field at dawn and dusk...?

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

That's the problem with how they were doing the trials.

@trooperdgb9722 3 жыл бұрын

Hell...the Mosin has a more useable set of sights for MY eyes... Nice SQUARE rear notch and SQUARE front post. Barleycorns and V notches suck...lol

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

@@trooperdgb9722 agreed. Barley corn front sights *suck*

@martingardener90 3 жыл бұрын

Smle still in service as a sniper rifle and with Cadets when I was in the army in the early 80's.

@SteamCrane 3 жыл бұрын

Weird! A design committee that cares about practical use! Never thought much about SMLE's, but they have a lot of nice practical features. Never mentioned is the knurling on the front sight ears and rear sight protectors, to cut down on glare. Great video!

@_stoatchaser 3 жыл бұрын

An smle video can never be too long

@henrykeyter53 3 жыл бұрын

Say what you will about the Brits. They really did take the lessons of the Second Boer War to heart. I read somewhere that the British got a musketry mania after the war, going from 50 to 300 rounds per soldier per year for target practice

@myparceltape1169 3 жыл бұрын

They also realised just how many people were unfit for military service. Eventually the government had to take steps with schoolchildren. They kicked off what became the School Nursing Service. There is a reference to it in Wikipedia but the nurses going through the course had to know a lot more than one paragraph and then keep up with the changes to the Laws during their careers.

@aaronleverton4221 3 жыл бұрын

@@nuclearmedicineman6270 Other nations started with similar figures, but steadily decreased over the next decade to numbers similar to the original British one on grounds of cost. The Brits didn't and the Germans discovered why at Mons.

@TheArgieH 3 жыл бұрын

@@myparceltape1169Like the Introduction of school milk to help with rickets etc.

@steverobbins4274 Жыл бұрын

I fired smle's re-chambered to 7.62 when I was 14 and an air cadet. I can only describe the kick of that weapon as someone smashing a wooden croquet mallet into your clavicle. Mind you it wasn't sop bad for me. The kid next to me on the range would fire 5 shots then crawl forward 2 feet to his original position

@thishominid871 3 жыл бұрын

It's validating to hear from Ian that he gets accuracy and precision mixed up too. At least we know the difference between the concepts even if we can't remember which term is which.

@davidbrennan660 3 жыл бұрын

Run into the room, “yell Rimlock! ” .......run out quickly.

@truckerallikatuk 3 жыл бұрын

A Bloke on the Range has showed, several times, rimlock is only really an issue with modern out-of-spec ammo. The service .303 cartridge had a rounded rim specifically to prevent rimlocks being a problem.

@dscrappygolani7981 3 жыл бұрын

🙄😒😤

@sherwoodforester4666 10 ай бұрын

Stamped DP for drill purpose so even after being shot out it saw service as a training tool, very interesting.

@scipio10000 3 жыл бұрын

Chargers, I presume

@derekbowbrick6233 3 жыл бұрын

Just like Blokes on the range.

@walklej 3 жыл бұрын

I believe that part of the difficulties in South Africa was the 303 ammunition, As usual we were short of everything when war broke out and supplies came from India including ammunition from Dum Dum which today the site of the airport in Calcutta.

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

Ian covered that. *The rifles were not zerod correctly.* The rifles were not hitting where the sights were pointing. You really need to check the zero with every lot of ammunition you get.

@TheArgieH 3 жыл бұрын

Not sure that the British had smokeless powder in time for the Boer war. The Lee Metford was still around and designed for a compressed black powder cartridge. Metford rifling could not cope with the hotter, faster burning smokeless cordite. That's another important lesson from the plains of Africa, having a rifle and cartridge that signals your position to an opponent who is himself under cover with a rifle using a smokeless, supersonic cartridge, just might need thinking about. At least by then the nice red uniform was limited to ceremonial. Later Edit. On a waste not want not principle Lee Metfords were used with a smokeless powder, but I do not for how long and when the switch started. I believe they were used for training and even some second line troops during WW I, and even later! When at war or short of cash you use what you've got. As someone else said on YT that ongoing use is why any Lee Metfords found still out there tend to have shot out rifling.

@walklej 3 жыл бұрын

@@ScottKenny1978 That's true but when Tommy Atkins is away off on the veldt and a case of cartridges arrives then he uses them. We had soldiers from the UK, both regular and Yeomanry and we had soldiers from far away Australia, Canada, New Zealand and closer to home Rhodesia and cartridges from Birmingham, Dum Dum and wherever

@ScottKenny1978 3 жыл бұрын

@@walklej yeah, so? As far as I know, the Dum-Dum arsenal rounds were just as good as Birmingham. They were just what we'd call soft points now, with a lot of exposed lead in the tip.

@walklej 3 жыл бұрын

@@ScottKenny1978 The war was fought with a variety of rifles with differing rifling, sights and ammunition. Change overs and updates were never totally complete nor simultaneous and large stocks of ammunition both black powser and or cordite held in a variety of arsenals.The Leicestershire Yeomanry certainly had Lee Metfords. The SMLE was in part motivaited by an urge to resolve this issue.

@grizz474 2 жыл бұрын

I've been searching the internet high and low for several years, and this the first video or any piece fo information for that matter that shows the exact (except mine is a Mark1*** 1903 Lee Enfield Short) that I have. It"s in pretty good condition too.

@chrishanson4025 3 жыл бұрын

Did you notice the marking "ER" ? Edward Rex. Too cool

@duncanandrews1940 3 жыл бұрын

I own a Mk.III* and a No.4 Mk.I and the 1918 Mk.III* is an absolute joy to shoot. I would say that blackening the front site with smoke from burning oil soaked 4x2 flannelette improves your site picture 100%

@mmclaurin8035 3 жыл бұрын

One of my dream guns is a WW1 era Enfield SMLE. What a fantastic weapon, and no wonder those British boys could (and still can) shoot.

@Gordonseries385 3 жыл бұрын

A nice likeable rifles love to have them in my collection!

@Riflelock 3 жыл бұрын

Those slide guides are worth a small fortune to replace. I have 2 MK1s only one has a slide.

@davehood2667 3 жыл бұрын

I can think of one good use for those magazine cutoffs that the Royal Army apparently didn't; they would have been great for rifle grenades, hit the cutoff when you needed to drop in that launching charge.

@francissauve6685 3 жыл бұрын

Ian, didn't you used to include how much these rifles got sold at an auction? I don't see that anymore in the description, I always found it interesting how much these forgotten weapons got sold for

@dreamingflurry2729 3 жыл бұрын

Hm...that the second half of the charger-bridge moves strikes me as a bad idea (why is that a moving part? I'd have static halfes, just like most other rifles with a stripper-clip guide have!)...great vid Ian, great vid :)

@billhsu6349 3 жыл бұрын

Could always appreciate the 10 ammo magazine design.

@yozmatoz 3 жыл бұрын

I have a 1938 No1. MKIII with the cut-off. pretty cool to play with haha

@AbananaPEEl 3 жыл бұрын

The butt of the gun is attached by a beefy bolt through the butt of the gun into the metal socket on the No1 mk3*'s. This bolt can be accessed via the trap in the butt. Were they attached the same way on the first No1's without the trap in the butt, thus requiring removal of the butt plate to access this bolt?

@JayWC3333 3 жыл бұрын

Have you done a video on volley sights? Is there one where you shoot with it?

@lukejolley8354 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Maybe Ian is starting to like British equipment more as time goes on? It would be cool to test Lee Enfields with original 303 ammo which is supposed to be less susceptible to rim-lock.

@MartinA-mf9ig 3 жыл бұрын

"I love the SMLE of gunpowder in the morning..."

@TheArgieH 3 жыл бұрын

For the smell of Gunpowder you need a Lee Metford. The Lee Enfield used smokeless, though of course the original Enfield rifle shot the minie ball using black powder. Sorry,, sorry, it got the better of me

@zupperm 3 жыл бұрын

I liked the story about Magazine Lee Enfields not being able to hit targets because they were rated on group size, not zero because it's such an obvious example of "getting what you measure" but do you have a citation on that? Best I can find is mention on ARRSEPedia.

@histman44 3 жыл бұрын

I own a Mk.1*** that I restored from a barreled action to a modified Mk.1*; retaining all the lessons put into the Mk.III, but with the original nose cap, hand guard and rear sight.

@Vormulac1 3 жыл бұрын

The SMLE is a stunning rifle. Funny you should mention the trigger as I always considered the trigger to be one of the more surprisingly excellent aspects of an overall excellent rifle. Odd to think in this day and age that this much care went into a service rifle, rather than just 'how cheap can we make this?

@jamesinman7670 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Ian just curious after I saw the obsolete bolt action videos. Would you say that for the time they made other weapons obsolete? I.e. breachloader weapons that did not have a bolt or lever action love to hear your thoughts. I think no but it did offer an advantage. Obsolete yet other uses have been found for these weapons