The Very British Rates of Fire Disaster Video

[@mikerotch3600]

Just Remember, a bad day at the range is still better than a good day at work.

[@i0am0the0one0]

As long as you don't get shot there is no such thing as a bad day on the range

[@cymond]

What if you work at a range???

[@george2113]

And better than a day with the in-laws

[@george2113]

@@cymond it's best to separate business and pleasure

[@okaro6595]

Now I know what went wrong at Isandlwana. They run out of WD40.

[@Garith000]

You run out of WD40 quickly in Natal

[@c3pfett]

Okaro X I'm fairly certain they were using Martini Henry rifles there

[@siestatime4638]

"When life gives you lemons, make a whiskey sour". Forget the lemonade.

[@Damo2690]

*Whisky

[@dustyblack5048]

Paul Alexander forget the whisky! when life gives you lemons, throw shots of vodka!

[@staghounds]

When life gives you lemons, freeze them and throw them through life's windows.

[@CountArtha]

I literally read that with a whiskey sour in my hand. :D

[@ralphwatten2426]

@@Damo2690 Wishky

[@panzerabwerkanone]

British and Canadian loading doctrine for the Lee-Metford and the Lee-Enfield dictated taking one cartridge at a time from the ammo pouch and loading it. Not only was this done to keep from fumbling the rounds into the dirt but because the rifles were usually used in controlled fire with the cutoff activated and the magazine used only in dire circumstances.

[@dentistguba]

"the bent should be straight" makes sense.

[@JohnW1711stock]

These rifles are over 100 years old. I imagine, when they were new, and had the proper ammo, they would work better. Thanks for hanging in there. Nice video.

[@patriks_surplus_kitchen5251]

Hi Mike, Good Video ^^ The fact that wee can see it´s not always easy and flawless working every time but you have Fun is "Priceless" and also shows us every ones gun can sometimes Jam^^ So looking forward to new Videos like that with "More Ammo" g patrik

[@paintedblue1791]

Probably the most realistic recreation of actual combat loading and firing. I also heard that it was common to single load one less round than the max to avoid jamming.

[@Jkl158]

I honestly didn't realize your name was Mike until I saw TFB. I just assumed it was bloke

[@KB9813]

James Lai Bloke is a common expression for British people man. Not a name lol.

[@snowflakemelter1172]

The whole hillside disappeared when you fired the L1A1.

[@tibfulv]

Well, I'm sure Mr Range took no offence.

[@jjtomecek1623]

No, but according to Ian from forgotten weapons, his last name is McBloke

[@terranceperkins9656]

I have always had an Enfield and really found your presentations great. Your rapid firing not releasing the bolt knob and working The trigger with your middle finger was very good.

[@flatmoon6359]

Re loading Mags,I seem to remember that to be classed as Marksman on SLR we were timed on filling magazines,and the only way to do it was to have 5 rounds approx in hand to start,was a stupidly short time for marksman ,so this filling of mags thing has still around in 80's.Bandoliers with 5 charger rounds,were still common,magazine chargers were frowned upon for some reason.We all "kept" them.

[@paulwheble3690]

about losing ammo - during the Boer War the Boers used captured Lee-Metfords and Lee-Enfields. for ammunition re-supply they would follow the routes of British columns and collect all the dropped cartridges. (as told by Deneys Reitz in his brilliant book, 'Commando')

[@panzerabwerkanone]

With as many problems with fine British rifles, its a good thing you didn't try this with the worst of British rifles. The L85A1

[@devynbowman2189]

Just curious, not to appear brash, what's wrong with that particular gun?

[@cavscout888]

@@devynbowman2189 They spontaneously combust. They researched the issue and filmed a warehouse with L85A1's lined up on the floor in rows. After a while each one of them would begin to smolder and then catch fire. They remedied the issue by carrying spare firing pins in the field.

[@notapplicable328]

@@cavscout888 spontaneously combust? That’s a first on me

[@colb9916]

Nice to see you actioning bolt and trigger in the much quicker rapid fire method of holding the bolt with thumb and forefinger, and middle finger to pull the trigger.

[@genericpersonx333]

An admirable effort and a real practical experiment. I hope you try again! Hopefully, you can get a proper supply of the ammunition and see how much you can put into a man-sized target at 100 yards in a minute starting with a loaded weapon. Would really show how firepower improved from 1873 to 1973. God Save the Queen, then the King, then another king, another after that, and finally a Queen again.

[@genericpersonx333]

Oh crap, forgot Edward VIII so make that another king before that last queen.

[@genericpersonx333]

@@myparceltape1169 True, but under British custom and law, the King is king even without a coronation. The British Monarchy passes by preestablished right of inheritance, so the moment George V died, Edward VIII was king because he was the eldest living legitimate son of George V. This is why Eddy had to abdicate to make his brother king. Put another way, under the British system, the Coronation is just a public celebration of the Monarch's ascendency, not the actual mechanism of ascent.

[@genericpersonx333]

@@myparceltape1169 The thing is that even though he was monarch by right of inheritance, he couldn't remain monarch if he violated the law, and he made clear his intention to break the law by marrying Wallis Simpson. I don't blame the government for not wanting to waste money on a coronation for a monarch who admitted he was intending to delegitimize himself.

[@MajesticDemonLord]

Did you pour a libation of Tea to appease the Machine Spirit? That may have been your problem...

[@george2113]

Or possibly not having a active volcano to threaten the riffle with

[@TheF1shh]

Brits say "Bubba'd" too? Awesome! Just came over after seeing you with Ian, brilliant channel! Makes me want to put my no. 4 back together.

[@craigvanas3001]

Hi from South Africa. As far as I remember from reading up on the Lee rifles they had a magazine cutoff where you loaded nine rounds then used the rifle as a single shot for volley fire. The theory was that the rounds in the magazine were there for the moment you needed rapid fire as the hordes charged you. I own a Lee Enfield that I use for hunting and had a martini Henry garrison carbine that I also used for hunting. I traded the martini for a 6,5mm verguiro with which I took two blesbuck.I am cursed with old rifle syndrome.

[@Stellar001100]

Bloke: Sticky ammo!!! *Hours ago, Bubba and Joe were handling the ammo at the factory while having Coke and caramels*

[@doktormusmatta]

Lost it at "God's own bangstick"

[@leebennett4117]

doktormusmatta That would be the God of Death then the only God that is Real

[@JulianBeams]

One caveat from the Boer war I heard was that if the Boers ran out of .303 ammo they would wait for a British column to pass and then go and collect the loose rounds that had fell from the Tommy's pouches.

[@IT-kone]

Wow. This really is a disastrous video! Every possible thing going wrong up until the end with the shooters giving their all on the range. XD 10/10 entertainment!

[@7th_CAV_Trooper]

Rapidly becoming one of my two favorite gun channels along with Forgotten Weapons.

[@washingtonradio]

Interesting about how fast one can load and fire a single shot and how rate of fire have improved with time. I think the various problems you had, while not being exactly what would happen in the field, showed how the actual rate of fire would be affected. The two situations with the most consist rates of fire are the oldest and newest. Also, I now understand why magazine cut offs were viable idea, maintain a decent single shot rate of fire with 5 or 10 rounds available in an emergency. But also, why single loading a magazine rifle in the field is stupid and why some sort of charger, clip, or magazine makes much more sense.

[@mistl]

Love the vids, keep up the good, informative work, you can always guarantee that something will always go wrong and people new to the weapons must know the kinks, having used the 303 on the range and the SLR in action in dirty dusty places, both are kinky !

[@ryanmgill]

Not a bad video chaps. Small suggestion when comparing rates of fire and reloads, the infantry kit of the era would make sense as well as that relates partly to how Tommy Aktins would have been reaching for his extra ammo.

[@mmnootzenpoof]

love the "very british pouch" with the clear "US" markings

[@williamflowers9435]

What a cluster **** of a video 😂 This is why I love BotR!!! I learned Way more than if things had gone well

[@pcjthe1]

Nice selection of weapons there.

[@jpc123ful]

Good video...shows unedited feed problems etc.. nice to see down to earth video.

[@arg3686]

I love how you use the enfield correctly

[@liamholcroft7212]

when firing a lee enfield you need to pull the bolt handle more or less straight back with a little upwards pressure, rather than up then back i always ran into the same problem with the old no.8 rifles

[@cavscout888]

While watching this... had to go check my .303 ammo. PPU, with NO beveling on case head rim. Oh well. It's to feed my minty No. 4 Mk2. Thanks for the demo vid!

[@rwsmith7638]

Your experiments go about as well as mine. My wife said that bolt actions were slow. I'm going to show her the SMLE. I want one of those BAD! In spite of the problems, this was a great vid.

[@ericvantassell6809]

way to a) keep calm and carry on b) improvise, adapt, and overcome

[@nedyarbnexus9460]

although that Lee Enfield can almost fire as fast as the FAL (or M1 Garand or M14 or any semi auto rifle) here, it's mainly because you being under completely ideal conditions. But under battle conditions when your fearing for your life, bullets wizzing over your head with explosions going on and people getting killed all around you chances are you are shaking and somewhat in a panic state which means you can't concentrate properly and the odd's of you doing a fubbly and thus slower reload would be very common while a semi-auto mechanism won't be effected by this (unless mud gets in it) and thus the rate of fire difference would open up. Still much faster (and just better all round) than any Mauser though and the Mk4 Lee Enfield is still in my book the Best Bolt action Standard issue Battle rifle ever made.

[@nedyarbnexus9460]

that Lee Enfield looked pretty quick to me, atleast 75% as fast. (excluding the Jam, reload, half cocks and accuracy. I was just talking about speed not all round effectiveness, ofc any Semi-auto will be more effective in rapid fire.)

[@george2113]

Damned 303!

[@Pfletch83]

After loading the 9th round you could've tried putting on the magazine cutoff and then loading the 10th round. That might very well have been the way the Imperial troopers kept their rifles. 9 in the magazine, Magazine cutoff engaged, decocked on an empty chamber. That way the rifle could be carried in a safe but ready to use fashion via single loading until orders were given by the C.O. to do otherwise. Just a guess on my part.

[@rimsdad]

Sadly if you were using a Canadian C1 instead of a British L1 you could load it with chargers with the mag on!

[@Manhattan_project.420]

mags are faster.

[@kierans5159]

In service the Long Lee would have had the magazine loaded but not chambered, using the cut off. Single shot loading for fire at distance, magazine when under pressure at close range.

[@olliegohard9997]

Must congratulate you on working your bolt in the shoulder proper shooting .A lot of people don't work a bolt like you

[@MostlyPennyCat]

Fire at will! Oh thank you very much.. Spit boy, spit! If it's a miracle, Colour Sergeant, it's a short chamber Boxer Henry point 45 caliber miracle. Etc Etc

[@Strato50]

I've notice with my Martini, when I load ammo with the cylindrical bullet from Accurate Molds (I believe Rob Enfield uses this one as well), it's MUCH more prone to be stiff to load because that bullet does not have a gentle taper. Basically the bullet isn't seated down in the brass far enough, despite having the proper overall length. I have used paper patched 45-70 bullets that are slightly longer but have a gentle nose taper and those work great. However the giant heavy bullet will also be just fine when shortened up a bit!

[@jims9249]

Murphy's Law and Bubba combined forces!

[@sugarnads]

I both love and hate when i hear 'oh...I see' And damn the lack of chamfer

[@francissullivan6400]

I LOVE my B.S.A mk3* 1917 production..but that's why she hangs on the wall

[@canopus101]

I loved the video, loved what you were trying to do, but it shows that worn rifles and dodgy ammunition put the kibosch on it. I am used to the SMLE and SLR from the 1970's and both are very effective. I actually prefer the Lee Enfield but it was (as you know) only loaded with single rounds as a top up. If you want to get the full rate of fire 5 round clips are the only way. Good fun though, well done!

[@leehotspur9679]

Keep the rifle tight on shoulder when using bolt action loading goes much easier

[@thewolfhunter]

Question; How many government hoops did you have to jump through in order to own those rifles,Especially the SLR.? As for the ammunition ,Are you allowed only to own/buy a certain amount of ammunition?

[@shanebroomhall]

Always love your videos, and your statement about the S&B rimlock explains why I have had issues when trying to charger load that ammo.. Thanks.

[@AndreasMarx]

Is there any way to fix that sort of "trigger tuning" short of replacing the bolt? I suppose it would be possible to replace the filed-off material through LDMD, but that idea sounds a bit silly...

[@wrxs1781]

New to the channel, enjoyed the video. It would have been good to see a Snider Enfield but enjoyable anyway. You guys need a staple gun and not a stick for targets!

[@GenScinmore]

Good show!

[@JenniferinIllinois]

Wow, what a rough day. You both persevered though.

[@royperkins3851]

I've got a Lee Enfield question for you I've read that there where a group of bsa manufactured carbines in 7mm mauser, and 8mm lebel do you have any information about them and did they work any better or worse with these cartridges? I'm fond of 303. But would like to add to my collection if any of these Still exist!

[@BlokeontheRange]

Never heard of that, sorry...

[@BlokeontheRange]

8x50R Mannlicher chamberings were a thing, but 8mm Lebel - I don't think the bolt face is anywhere near wide enough.

[@-C0mr4d3_C0VID]

I love how even the Brits know Bubba and his evil ways. Haha. I honestly thought the term “Bubba” was just an American thing.

[@BlokeontheRange]

We just culturally appropriate such terms from you lot...

[@-C0mr4d3_C0VID]

@@BlokeontheRange so... America actually enhanced the English language?! I’ve never been so proud! XD

[@althesmith]

I had a Long Lee I gave to my great-nephew. Cycled as smooth as butter with the .303 ammo I got, from Federal I think.

[@grendelgrendelsson5493]

I really enjoyed that video! Interesting and entertaining and curiously like many good plans going awry with me! Balls ups = great entertainment!!!!

[@gordonbrown8450]

The command may have been- independent fire at will- rather than -give it loads.

[@YoBoyNeptune]

And that's why the Brits should have adopted 30-06

[@hardyakka6200]

when fireing single rounds iyt was customery to load your fingers of the other hand with bullets. i.e between the fingers of the left hand so they were handy to the breach. SLR's broke their fireing pin . 19 had that problem after the round up of the battle of Long Tan.

[@philnotley5138]

The perils of shooting old guns sadly they often don’t work quite as they did the newer rifles obviously performed much better

[@Face2theScr33n]

Hey guys, the sound was excellent all things considered. Only a couple times were your words obscured by gunfire to the point I couldn't hear what you said. Hell, sometimes I watch videos like this to fall asleep (especially when Paul Harrell drags out his chronograph... ahh, sweet, soothing gunfire and him reading off numbers...)

[@shonny61]

I suspect it was easier for the old dudes to transition from Martini single to Lee magazine than it is for the young dudes to transition from box mag to chargers to single loading the lee magazine. Just for fun, I wonder if an old dude would have considered loading loose rounds from a zippy jacket pocket? And would he even consider wearing such a garment?

[@twintwo1429]

Thanks for not covering up the booger bears. Many would have done that. Thanks.

[@bladerunnermonty8570]

I. Enjoyed the video . Here in America (USA) I have always seen the mad minute with the Rifle already loaded. But I see you the time clock when you start loading the Rifle for the mad minute. So would you say that we here in America are doing the mad minute wrong, by starting with the Rifle already loaded?

[@jharrypot2004]

I could be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure the way the British Army did it was to start with one round chambered and 4 more in the magazine.

[@bladerunnermonty8570]

Sorry mate , my miss understanding of the video, that this demonstration had nothing to do with the mad minute. I will not get in such a hurry next time I watch another one of your videos . I'm bad for embarrassing myself , maybe I will take more time to read and listen. Again, my apologies, and thanks for explaining the importance of the video.

[@zerstorer335]

I suppose not getting the full magazine's worth out of the Long Lee could be considered an extra dose of verisimilitude. A soldier trying to rush to load could easily lose count if loading one round at a time if his brain's distracted by the chaos around him. If you can only load one round at a time, counting's not an issue. If you have stripper clips and magazines, the counting's been done for you, already. You can fight faster because you're not having to think as much.

[@AgamemnonTWC]

Out of sheer curiosity/desire to learn, could the MLE bolt be fixed by filing the bent flat? I imagine that would make the trigger even softer, but it seems to me that it would fix the half cock issue. Is the problem that it's angled or that it isn't where it should be? I'm no gunsmith, and I am not very familiar with the innerworkings of any repeating rifle, I just wonder if I'm correct in seeing a possible fix for that.

[@handlebullshit]

A better fix would be to build it up again with weld and reshaping it to the correct shape and location.

[@fdsdh1]

That would probably stop it cocking at all

[@wingracer1614]

Yes.

[@johngardner2807]

not really. I've done exactly that on some bolts. IT CAN BE DONE WELL,WITH PATIENCE,AND THE RIGHT TOOLS.

[@99IronDuke]

The Anglo-Boer War battlefields still have a fair amount of unfired .303 ammo and to a lesser degree Boer Mauser rounds, on them. You should check out the channel britishmuzzleloaders (he covers everything from the Baker muzzle loading rifle of the Napoleonic era up to the SMLE, including drill and tactics. kzbin.infovideos

[@thebotrchap]

99IronDuke We know the channel well and REALLY envy his range!

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

Bubba owned a lot of guns in his life. A LOT of guns.

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

Must have been an international playboy or some such.

[@cosmiccolonel]

when you ram that mag into the SLR, give the bottom a good slap!!!! saves any embarrassment.... just saying... :-) love your vids by the way

[@norman3605]

I have purchased S&B .303 ammo with rims that were thicker than SAAMI (and military) specifications. As a result, they wouldn’t chamber in rifles with minimum headspace.

[@bushyfromoz8834]

Norman rifle was headspaced on SAAMI specs as well? The whole “Lee Enfield” headspace thing is a myth that drive sme mad

[@thebotrchap]

A hardwood rod and lump hammer would have solved the martini ammo problem :-) It's often necessary to sort cases for several BP rifles of the same calibre. Chamber and bore dimensions were more of a guideline in the 1860s - 1890s so what fits and works in one rifle won't necessarily do so in the rifle a few serial numbers away.

[@Kowalamaster]

Just would like to say the reason the long lee has the magazine cut off is so that you dont load 10 rounds and fire, you fire one at a time with the cut off on, and when the commander gives the the call you then pull out the magazine cut off and fire the 10 in the magazine. as loading rounds on the top of cut off is quicker than loading 10 then firing 10.

[@BlokeontheRange]

Yes, we know this, and we're testing reloading the mag one by one at speed...

[@sparkyboi7352]

Glad to see bubba is a universal blight

[@scruggs6633]

I feel like it would be uncomfortable to shoot at those angles uphill on a range. My trained shooting instincts would be driving me nuts firing shots with a barrel elevation like that lol I'm used to flat ranges

[@johngardner2807]

You wouldn't do well, in combat,then !

[@hilgorgruppenschaaft9484]

Even our gunbros across the pond call it a Bubba job! haha That's too funny to me, considering I was under the impression Bubba and his work was a 'Murican thing.

[@hilgorgruppenschaaft9484]

Bloke on the Range I don't know, mate. There's a lot of Bubbas here in the Bible Belt... maybe this is where they spawn from.

[@my7Cs]

Excuse the ignorant question as I only shoot shotguns but seeing the fellow blowing WD40 around does it not have same adverse effects on rifles? I'm assuming there was little else available to persuade the Martini to play.

[@BlokeontheRange]

Why would WD40 have an adverse effect on rifles

[@my7Cs]

That's why I asked. Whenever you see WD40 mentioned in any gun forums it is generally hailed as bad for the wood, bad for the mechanism and affecting blueing. I use ballistol myself - It maybe an old wives tail but I'll keep the blue can for keeping water out of engine electrics. Just wondered if it was being used in the instance in extremis.

[@BlokeontheRange]

I've used plenty of WD40 on the metal parts of firearms to no ill effects. It's just not a great lubricant, but harmful it is not.

[@my7Cs]

Bloke on the Range - I've used it a fish attractor. I guess I'll chalk up the anecdotes to coming from guys who grandfathers tossed M1 Garand clips about fooling Europeans.

[@george2113]

I've heard it's bad for the primers, but if that's what you have...

[@harry9392]

Were did you find my bang stick SLR. I loved that weapon

[@doctim111]

Perhaps the Martini bore was obstructed with olives....

[@george2113]

That would imply that vermouth is the correct solvent for cleaning the riffle

[@seansimpson4472]

Sticky ammo stuff got super glue on it 🤣

[@shelter1426]

... 20 round magazines; will such weapons be legal in Switzerland in the future? I am wondering what you guys think about the new legislation, that is on the horizon. I enjoyed the video, as always!

[@brankomilicevic6904]

hm? whats up with switzerland? don't tell me its the Commiefornia virus?

[@hemigodre]

Branko Milicevic jesus Christ do you people have to be so god damned arrogant?

[@quadrunner2124]

hemigodre Americans tend to view the government as separate from the nation it serves, a replaceable entity superceded by social contract in the constitution. We view infringement upon liberty more as an injustice towards the people by the government because we view the government as something that should be forced to respect the people it was made by. In that respect we consider viewing the government as representative of the nation, rather than comprised by representatives of the nation serving the nation, much like a virus acting against a greater cause which we believe in deeply. It's not a personal expression of superiority towards other nations, but against what we perceive as injustice cloaked on obscurity by other governments.

[@OKBushcraft]

Quadrunner Very well put.

[@cantsneedgaming4591]

@@brankomilicevic6904 I mean honestly I think you should be able to buy whatever guns you want machine guns and stuff like that because shall not be infringed seems pretty clear

[@godwasromanian1791]

7:40 the power of british engineering HAHAHAHAHAHABABAHAHAHAHAHA HOLY SHIT THE ENFIELD GOT BTFO 2 MALFUNCTIONS HOLY SHIT

[@Dragonblaster1]

Why didn't you swap the mags on the Enfields?

[@BlokeontheRange]

Err, cos they were only issued 1 magazine in reality and were only removed for cleaning?

[@Dragonblaster1]

@@BlokeontheRange But you had two rifles, one with a decent mag spring and the other without. As far as I'm aware, Rifle No 1 and No 4 mags were identical.

[@BlokeontheRange]

No.1 and No.4 mags are NOT identical. But since we didn't have a No.4 in this video it's a moot point. I think we tried the MLE mag in the SMLE but it didn't feed.

[@BlokeontheRange]

No.1 and No.4 mags are NOT identical. But since we didn't have a No.4 in this video it's a moot point. I think we tried the MLE mag in the SMLE but it didn't feed.

[@Dragonblaster1]

@@BlokeontheRange My bad. Of course, it was an SMLE and a No 1, not a No 1 and a No 4.

[@3vimages471]

Did you pay that bloke to fire that howitzer 5 feet from where you were talking?

[@sergeantserious3988]

the SLR magazine was preloaded

[@bobtyor69]

303 ? Are you getting a rim over rim on the stickey feeding ammo?

[@BlokeontheRange]

No. We're getting half-cock on the MLE due to the bent having been bubba'd, as clearly explained in the video once I'd worked it out. No feed problems at all.

[@cocinerotravieso]

Interesting. I thought "Bubba" was strictly an American term. "Someone's Bubba'd it." I'm a Yankee SMLE fanboy. Love your videos!

[@BlokeontheRange]

We have culturally-appropriated the term :D

[@thestr8person]

I honestly wish we still had SLR's in service with useful bayonets! But heck I wish we still had a formidable military.

[@TheGetawayGamer]

annoying commenter As someone hoping to join the military, I can’t agree with you more.

[@puttputt524]

suspect pretty sure the queens guard ONLY has a bayonet.

[@george2113]

So you want to occupy Scotland during the winter?

[@MrAmptech]

wouldn't the Long Lee be carried with a full magazine and the cutoff engaged?

[@tarickw]

probably the most stupid comment I could make but hey I'm dutch so no firearms near me: wouldn't it be possible to switch the bolt between the 2nd and 3rd?

[@Love2FlyKAP]

There is nothing wrong with your test. That is real life. In combat things were not all like a video, perfect.

[@josephfetz1748]

Why is he not tilting the muzzle down on each load? That's why he's having so much trouble closing the breech/bolt.

[@cutworm59]

Can we call this ' Cocking about with beautiful British rifles'?

[@johnsalt1157]

When I was allowed to run around on weekends with rifles at government expense, we had some slightly eccentric NCOs in our TA battalion, who, being wargamers, would experiment with antiquated fire orders, including close range volley fire, front rank kneeling and rear rank standing. One of the rather quaint orders some people used was "Bullets!" which was the order to fire one round. Immediately before an assault, one might hear "Bullets! Bullets! Bullets! Charge!", which meant firing three rounds before running into the assault. That particular order hadn't been in any pamphlets for probably over half a century. Back in the good old days, though, the difference between "Bullets! Bullets! Bullets!" and "Three rounds rapid!" was that the former would have been fired individually-loaded with the magazine cutoff still in place, and the latter would have been magazine fire. This was, of couse, a distinction that made no sense at all with the SLR (and I think "God's own bang-stick" is a much better description than "The right arm of the free world", which I never heard anyone call it until years later).

[@lankey6969]

Was that bit at the beginning a gag? I mean editing? Really? Did you do any? lol Great video! Very informative!

[@hadrianbuiltawall9531]

May have been a disaster but you wouldn't want to be the target. At the ranges they could shoot, the fumbles would be a minor problem.

[@davidaitchison8875]

Why is it that every bloody time Lee/SMLE enthusiasts shoot their rifles, they feel a pressing need to demonstrate how quickly the action can be cycled? Every bloody time! In fact, usually, they attempt to cycle the action so quickly that they end up fluffing it. The so-called 'mad minute' was about 'aimed' rapid fire. The aimed part being arguably much more important than the rapid bit. Dumping a load of ammo in the general direction of the enemy is next to useless if you don't actually hit something. And furthermore, all this nonsense about Mons and British rifle fire so rapid that the Hun thought it was machine gun fire has got entirely out of hand. There is simply no evidence (not a single German field report of the Battle) to support this claim. What's more it makes no sense. Anyone who has heard MG fire can tell it apart from rifle fire. The two are quite different. In all probability, the Mons myth was nothing other than wartime propaganda made up by a journalist attempting to sell newspapers.

[@royperkins3851]

To be fair the Lee Medford/Enfield would start with a full magazine or if a enterprising fellow have a couple of magazines Already loaded knowing he's going into battle!

[@Frank-bc8gg]

That is a nice and compact shot timer, what brand is it?

[@jermainerace4156]

Oh the joys of 100 year old repeaters.

[@merlemorrison482]

what brand was the .303 ammo?

[@merlemorrison482]

thanks - I use a lot of S&B, with no problems at all