British World War One SMLE Sniper Rifle

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The British started World War One without a sniper program, but were quick to develop one once faced with the threat of well-trained German snipers. The initial equipment used by the British was a motley collection of commercial hunting rifles, but by 1915 the government was issuing contract to mount mostly 3x and 4x telescopes on SMLE and Pattern 1914 rifles. About 10,000 scoped sniper rifles were issued in total during the war using a variety of scopes and mount types (a standardized pattern would not be adopted until 1918). The example we have here today is the most common type; an SMLE with an offset Periscopic Prism Company scope using a 5-screw mount assembled by the same company. Later in the war the offset mounts would slowly fall out of favor to the center-mounted scopes, which allowed better shooting at the cost of being able to use stripper clips.
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Forgotten Weapons
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[@joshuahenderson]

British Officers: “Sniping is unsportsmanlike, let’s be gentlemen about war” [infantry vaporized by artillery] British Officers: “That’s better!”

[@noahway13]

I guess they can't all be gems

[@norfangl3480]

Considering the British put a lot of emphasis on their regular infantry being able to deliver fast and precise rifle fire, you'd think the idea of snipers would make them jump for joy.

[@robertshand8923]

My great Grandfather was a Scout for the Blackwatch (Scottish) during ww1, he was in Greece for most of his war fighting against the Bulgarians. We have some of his diarys from then and in one of the entrys he noted that their telesopic rifles had arrived, I wonder if it was one of these? theres also a diary entry detailing being shelled by heavy artillery in a village while they were trying to catch some stray chickens. He killed 6 men with his bayonet during a night raid. He was 6'7" and became a formidable policeman after the war.

[@mikenolan8807]

Well now I know why my legendary battlefield skin for this gun is called "the black watch".

[@Mr.WW108]

MikeNolan8807 you beat me to it😂

[@karnage97]

@@mikenolan8807my thoughts exactly lmfao

[@FarragoTheFox]

Please Ian. Digress as much as you need, we won't mind.

[@matthayward7889]

Alexander C as often as Ian digresses, Its always something that I find myself thinking “no, go on some more”

[@philm9593]

Absolutely. When Ian digresses it's simply to flesh out the main topic. Always interesting. 😉👍

[@Kargush]

We should have him sit down in front of a camera and just talk about guns. No topic, no prompts, just talking.

[@Jesse__H]

Kargush I would definitely watch that!

[@michaelm9975]

Hello, random furry! :D

[@cracklingvoice]

Last time I was this early, Hugo Borchardt was a reputable pistol designer.

[@choosetheright8654]

YOLO

[@TheRogueWolf]

"Shooting someone in the head, from too far away to be seen? Well, that's just not done! A gentleman doesn't-"

[@petermilsom1109]

one is reminded of the Ferguson rifle (reviewed elsewhere by Ian), where Ian says that Ferguson deliberately did not shoot George Washington, because to ambush a "gentleman" would have been inappropriate.

[@petermilsom1109]

@save the world exteminate all liberals ... I think you mean the rules of computer games, not the rules of war. When you are old enough, why not join your local National Guard, and learn some reality?

[@DiggingForFacts]

Most uncouth and unsportsmanlike conduct good sir! Of course, one would expect the dastardly hun to start playing such weasely, underhanded tricks. Why if it wasn't for the vile hun with snipers and his machine guns, we would still be fighting war in the most proper of manners like in the days of the Duke of Wellington! We'd also still be fighting the French!

[@itsapittie]

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."

[@mrkeogh]

Which is a _bit rich_ when British forces were shooting unarmed civilians in Ireland around the same time. Surely that's just not cricket, eh chaps?

[@FeldwebelWolfenstool]

...my first real job, Sporting Goods clerk at a Canadian Tire store in N.Ontario....when I was 16, in 1966, we sold surplus SMLE's for $19.99....I made 80 cents an hour at that time. All the guns were on a rack behind the counter, no gun locks, boxes of shells right under the rack...anyone off the street could have walked right in, and have at it....

[@dontquestionmyname5490]

Good time, wasn't it?

[@fullretardcustomguns837]

Glory days?

[@petermilsom1109]

80 cents (Canadian) an hour in 1966 works out at CA$6.06 in 2018 money (according to Statistics Canada), which is about US$4.61 an hour. Hmm. In the USA, the last folks were drafted in 1972, and reported for duty in 1973. In the time from 1966 to now, Canadian life expectancy (at birth) has risen by about 9 years and US life expectancy has risen by a similar amount (sources Statistics Canada and the CDC) Hmm. I wonder if today's generation of "video game heroes" really want things to be like they were back then.

[@georgewhitworth9742]

@@petermilsom1109 I sure do. Give my peers more hard work for once. Let em grow up right and proper.

[@MrShoryuken1]

Hi Ian, have you seen 'They Shall Not Grow Old'? The BBC and Peter Jackson put it together this year for the centenary of WW1. It is a truly moving piece and I advise everyone sees it. No one has seen real footage of WW1 like this before, the restoration is nothing short of miraculous.

[@moosemaimer]

I did see a show once about two groups, a pair of Germans and a Brit iirc, shooting color film in the trenches. It really does look odd seeing the war in color.

[@MichaelEdmond]

I seen it, and it really brings the history to life.

[@crazypath573]

Where can we see it?

[@timregester1173]

Try BBC Worldwide. It so clever and in parts quite shocking. Its like it brings it to life when all we had was silent footage and narration. The Imperial War Museum and BBC collecting aural memoirs from soldiers for years is the main source and it makes all that work worthwhile.

[@odinssverd]

Managed to see it on Remembrance Day at the cinema here in Sydney. It had a very narrow focus, i.e. life for British infantry on the western front, but that's ok. Made up for it with the amazing work they did colourising and inserting composite frames (if that's the right term) where necessary to make it look natural at 24 frames per sec. Definitely recommend it.

[@jacksonpollock814]

Whilst we may have not had a sniper 'programme', we did have shooters, game keepers and the like who were pressed into it. The general soldier - not conscript - it should be noted, was an excellent shot, both in aiming and ability to pour volume out, accurately.

[@georgewhitworth9742]

Wasn't that mostly the BEF?

[@MichaelEdmond]

The finish of that scope is so clean it looks almost like a later addition or a fake! Apart from the wear on windage and drop it's very, very clean!

[@S44BBOI]

it does indeed look brand new.

[@MichaelEdmond]

@@S44BBOI wonder what type of finish is on it, coz some modern scopes ect look tatty if you look at them funny!

[@ruserious6135]

The original finish on these scopes is NOTHING like the restored finish on this scope. Another clue alluding to it's provenance that I posted separately about.

[@PhilipKerry]

Are you lot blind ?? If you look closely you can see nicks and patina on the scope , the reason it does look in good condition is because it was made by a top notch maker .

[@MichaelEdmond]

@@PhilipKerry no, I am merely stating how good condition it is in, as in its so good it could be dismissed as a fake or an add on, at no point do I think it's a fake or otherwise, I am merely impressed with how well the finish has held up through many years of abuse and storage

[@siestatime4638]

"... vaporized by artillery and laid out by machine guns." Welcome to modern warfare.

[@jacobklunder8552]

"It's a female dovetail that has been screwed..." And that was the exact time my wife entered the room. :)

[@mrkeogh]

With FIVE screws *and* solder. That's the gunsmithing equivalent of a bukkake gangbang.

[@metalman6708]

@@mrkeogh As a machinist I died laughing at this while I couldn't sleep at 4 in the morning. Well played sir well played 😂

[@rossstenner4402]

Sniping in France by Major Hesketh-Prichard DSO MC is well worth reading, he was instrumental in the formation of the 1st Army Scouting & Sniping School . The book has been reprinted a number of times.

[@Mattsta2010]

a rifleman went to war by herbert w mcbride. worth a read too. canadian sniper experiences in ww1

[@tisFrancesfault]

Man, if the Enfield only had some way of not needing to offset the scope for stripper clips, like some sort of method to load from below... Idk just crazy ideas I guess.

[@ehsorb4534]

zoiders I wasn’t aware it was removable, why wouldn’t they just do that if that was the case?

[@arachnonixon]

ehsorb it was removable, but this was intended more for cleaning/servicing. if you constantly reload by dropping the mag & popping in a fresh one, the gun's ability to hold a magazine wears out pretty quickly.

[@LOUDcarBOMB]

@@ehsorb4534 The magazines were low quality and removable and to be reloaded with another to be used (just like magazines today), but that idea and adoption of the Lee system happened in like 1889. When the charger/stripper clip came to the Lee system, they didn't change to a high quality magazine so you weren't supposed to remove it unless serious emergency since it would damage easily. Check out C&Rsenal's vids on the Lee Metford and the Lee Enfield on way more info.

[@kevburger]

I think it might also have to do with needing more clearance for the throw of the bolt.

[@noelmajers6369]

"1-6 in metres" - nope, Ian, they'd have been working in yards ! Lovely vid, as usual.

[@turbogerbil2935]

The loophole issue appears to be a myth. Sniper accounts, such as that by Herbert McBride ("A rifleman went to war"), indicate that loophole plates simply were not used - as they were far too easy to countersnipe. McBride also makes it quite clear that, in his opinion, offset scope rifles were preferred because the charger loading very much was needed, and so were the iron sights. The iron sights also make it much quicker to acquire a target (right eye) that can be transferred to the scope (left eye). This is particularly helpful because of the very narrow field of view of these old scopes. Offset scopes were in fact so useful that a batch of P14 rifles with offset scopes were made up for the British Army in the late 1930s by the gunsmith Alex Martin. Incidentally, that rifle appears to be a modern made-up set using a donor rifle, mismatched scope and reproduction bracket. I have one of these rifles - mine is a 1916 No1 fitted with a matching numbered PPCo scope. Its impossible to gauge true provenance with these rifles as most are various reproductions, however the bracket on mine is declared "original; definitely not one of mine" by the chap who is the main producer of reproduction brackets in UK.

[@jamesblakebrough6442]

Turbogerbil interesting, I was at Hill 62 last week a former part of the British line and there were a number of sniper plates in a variety of conditions. They were certainly present on both sides. Big game rifles were used by the British to penetrate German plates from an account I've read.

[@rh3ttj]

I've heard anecdotally that they would set the plates up a ways away as a dummies to draw fire.

[@GARDENER42]

Plates were usually placed in trench parapets at night & the front covered with the same dirt to camouflage the position. They were moved after use to avoid counter sniper fire.

[@user-ns3vs3bp3e]

I mean I know I’m bias because I’m British but the SMLE mkIII is just my favourite bolt gun ever made. Just love everything about it

[@Ingens_Scherz]

These are just brilliant videos. A passionate expert sharing his knowledge in a polished, unassuming production. Perfect. Can't get enough of them!

[@thegoldencaulk2742]

No, I won't be using my time-travel powers for good. Thank you for understanding.

[@Thrashgu]

Said The Doctor.

[@shawnr771]

I know everything I have done so far was a good idea because nobody from the future came back to tell me NO.

[@Thrashgu]

@@shawnr771 * Doctor's look intensifies *

[@eddiegirvan2394]

i once had a rifle with a high top mount so you could use the irons as well and....i took a prone bead on a deer and when i pulled the triger everything went black from the ant mound that exploded about half way to the deer that i was looking over with the scope

[@rasputinelciego1547]

Damm, I love this channel. Keep up the good work.

[@ralphmatthews4734]

SMLE and wait for flash

[@Lpph96]

Ian - please could you do a video on Lattey sights used by the British on the SMLE, and also Galilean sights in general - these most certainly are forgotten 'weapons'. An overview of radium sights would also be very interesting too.

[@ParsonWilkerson]

That scope is in marvelous condition for its age.

[@oolooo]

0:38 Hey , I take offense to that .Sniping's a good job , mate .

[@silvesby]

Professionals have standards.

[@TheRogueWolf]

Guarantee you'll never go hungry.

[@silvesby]

@Denam Ah piss. Wanka.

[@SomeGunNerd]

"I'm a sniper, I'm not crazed gunman. What's the difference!? The difference is one's a job and the other's mental sickness!" "Just- Just put mom on the phone..."

[@georgewhitworth9742]

@@Galf506 Not really, cherry picking certain people and generalizing all of them like that isn't what some would call "fair"

[@SuperSpreeGaming]

Crazy to think that the start of WWII was the end of a “gentleman’s” war. WWII really set the standard that nobody is safe and battles will be fought in your streets. I know many battles were fought in towns and cities during WWI but at least the people there were given the chance to leave first.

[@KurticeYZreacts]

thanks you and carl for *INRANGE* mud tests & teaching about emotional attachments to weapons cuz theres alot i learned that has helped me better understand what im really looking for in firearms

[@jessesands4099]

The Lee-Enfield SMLE Rifle always a thing of Beauty to behold!😊🔫🇬🇧

[@67daffy]

ive read both the Hesketh & Mcbride books quoted by others here in the comments, well worth a look

[@martenk5370]

Ahh yes! Missed this one since you did all the other WW I Snipers. Very cool! Thankyou!

[@gnarshread]

Absolutely fantastic! Makes me want to start slapping optics on one of my SMLE's.

[@andybelcher1767]

Sorry, a bit late to this one. While the "sporting gentleman" is a valid point it ought to be considered that the British entered the war with the mindset of mobile action so snipers would have been pointless. The Germans and French (amongst others) also had the fortress mentality where snipers would be advantageous. Lord Lovat's Scouts, attached to the Black Watch, started wearing Ghillie suits during the Second Boer War and became the first official British army sniper unit in 1902 or 03, so sniping was understood and accepted that far back.

[@Nopfp-6]

Thanks for the video mate 👍

[@ivanreyes371]

I just want to say: gun jesus thank you for your work with dice on BFV to make it feel realistic as possible! You did an amazing job!

[@georgewhitworth9742]

.....what are you on about?

[@LOUDcarBOMB]

What great timing since I watched "All Quiet on the Western Front (1979)" on KZbin and see this uploaded.

[@Wulable]

Im glad you didnt edit out those loophole remarks. That was a very interesting point.

[@harryhammerton9616]

Hay Ian What's Up Mate So Yeah I Just Wanna Say I Love You're Videos On some of My Favourite Iconic Weapons Used in WW1 WW2 The Korean War And Even The Vietnam War Here's My List Of My Favourite Weapons. Let's Start of With Some British Weapons. 1 Short Magazine Lee Enfield No 1 MK3 Bolt Action Rifle. 2 S.M.L.E. No 4 MK1 Bolt Action Rifle. 3 S.T.E.N. MK2 Submachine Gun. 4 The Lewis Gun. 5 The Bren Light Machine Gun. 6 Webley MK6 Revolver. Now Here's my List of Some U.S. Weapons. 1 1903 Springfield Bolt Action Rifle. 2 M1 Garand Semi-Automatic Rifle. 3 M1 Carbine Rifle. 4 M1928A1 Thompson Submachine Gun. 5 M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle. 6 M1911-A1 Pistol. 7 M14 Rifle. 8 M16A1 Assault Rifle. 9 M60 Machine Gun. 10 M79 Grenade Launcher. 11 Model 77E Shotgun. 12 Ithaca 37 Shotgun. And I Also Love Russian Weapons and German Guns. Remember To Stay Awesome Mate.

[@G1NZOU]

My great grandfather was a sniper in WWI, didn't talk about it much for obvious reasons, it's not a pleasant job.

[@grahamovenden9007]

my grandfather was a WW1 marksman ( sniper ) the british and her allies never officially referred to the marksmen as snipers and don't think they even do now . In WW1 there was a detachment of the Wellington ( NZ ) regiment who were trained and equipped as " snipers " they were drawn from the top club marksmen from the defense force rifle club . About 1915 . I will attempt to send you a photo .

[@michaelwinters3778]

Thanks for all the great videos ur content is top notch

[@MegaManBn]

i kind of like the scope itself.

[@ruserious6135]

Caveat Emptor on this rifle - I KNOW this particular rifle's provenance, and believe me, it did NOT originally have a scope nor was it a sniper. I know personally the gunsmith that did this (he had shown me the spare scope and the then sawn-off scope mount - someone had hack-sawed it off the original rifle. Took him a lot of time, welding prowess and machining skill to fix it). This set-up has travelled well since it was created, let me just say that much, crossing at least 2 international borders I am aware of. Same gentleman also used to make up PERFECT copies of the SMLE cut-away training rifles, so if one of those comes up on RIA, you'd better look twice too! So, before anyone considers shelling out big bucks for this, have a second thought. This is NOT an original SMLE sniper. Parts of it are, the base rifle most assuredly is not. It's a representative example, not an original. Seems RIA is selling quite a few restorations and fakes recently - some of the K98's shown recently by Ian being prime examples (with renumbered "humped" bolts etc)

[@pstrap1311]

Oh my

[@fullretardcustomguns837]

Do tell.

[@smilingcat1703]

Can you provide proof of that claim or do you just expect us to take your word for it?

[@ruserious6135]

@@smilingcat1703 How can I prove it here, or anywhere? I know that rifle, period. So, up to you to decide my claim's validity and verity.

[@vettekid3326]

Sorry but the scope would have been setup for yards not meters for elevation as GB didn't switch over to metrics until the mid 1960's.

[@andyb87uk]

Periscopic Prism Co.,

[@leifvejby8023]

We can not know. Some of their WW1 aeroplanes were metric and caused a lot of problems for the USA when they wanted to produce them.

[@MortRotu]

@@leifvejby8023 French German and Italian designed ones would probably be in metric, but GB didn't change until the 60's so these would still be in yards

[@alganhar1]

@Leif Vejby: Unlikey that British measurements would have been metric during the Great War tbh, unless they were building for someone else who used the metric system. We did not switch to (mostly) metric until 1965, so anything prior to that would almost certainly have been in Imperial. It is worth pointing out here that British and American Imperial have some measurements that are slightly different. This is because the US adopted the Imperial system after they attained Independance, however the British System is based on one that was codified in 1824, obviously this was after the US gained independance. The differences are most notable in volume measurements, pint, liquid ounce etc rather than the length measurements, but in the case of engines I could see how the differences between British and US Imperial measurements could cause issues.

[@lwilton]

That was most notably a problem with gas tank volume in airplanes in WW II. The Imperial Gallon is somewhat larger than the US Gallon, and this could cause British flyers flying US-made planes to run out of gas if they used fuel flow estimates they had learned from British-made planes.

[@Thrashgu]

Awesome looking rifle!

[@jasonkeen9401]

speaking of sporting in ww1, it's much more sporting to go over the top and rush at interlocking fields of machine gun fire.

[@Mongo63a]

Would not the BDC be in yards back then?

[@victuff9765]

Mongo63a in the 1980's all MoD ranges were changed from Yards to Metres.... the signage changed, but the distance didn't... 100 yard signs now read 100 Metres 😁

[@Frykin]

Was thinking the same

[@alganhar1]

Yes, but that was the 1980's, this is a circa 1917 weapon with a 1915 sight, by the 80's it was NOT in active service. Thus it is likely that the BDC, as Mongo63a mused, was almost certainly in yards. We didnt move to the metric system until 1965, so its unlikely a 1917 sight and weapon would be graded in metres rather than yards....

[@PhilipKerry]

@@alganhar1 We moved to the metric system in February 1971 as well as changing to decimal currency , we also didn't totally change to metric as we still use Miles and feet and inches .

[@petermilsom1109]

@@PhilipKerry well, we don't really use feet and inches. buy wood, for example, and it is 1200mm or 1220mm lengths (about 4 feet, give or take natural cutting variability). Some of us oldies still use feet and inches for our own purposes, but I am not aware they are used for anything official. Miles, for road signposts, yes. I point you in the direction of an article in the Telegraph (a centre-right newspaper) from 10 years ago on the subject. For the last 8 years, we have had a centre-right government that hasn't made much noise about any aspect of the current rules, so it seem reasonable to assume nothing has changed: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3258360/Metric-vs-imperial-How-the-law-stands.html

[@johnfisk811]

Trivial but that sling is on the wrong way round. The tied end goes on the rear swivel. It lets you adjust the sling without turning the rifle around.

[@VonRammsteyn]

Beautiful! The Kate Beckinsale of rifles... The one who get it in the auction will be SMLEing 4 a long time...

[@jamesfletcher279]

My grandfather was a sniper in the First World War he wouldn’t shoot young men in the beginning but when his brother was killed he would shoot anyone he could,I have a silver champagne bottle pencil he took it off a officer he shot that’s all he had of value it’s my most treasured possession

[@davidmonitorfive5680]

I suspect it is a composed example. The scope and rifle are obviously both original but mismatched (the serial number on the rings would have been the serial number of the rifle it would have been originally mated with). The mount may be a reproduction as they just don’t exist anymore. I may be wrong, but if I’m not then it’s still a beautiful beautiful thing. 👍👍👍

[@inwithbacchus836]

Honest question here, Ian: have you run into any accounts (either anecdotal or documented) of snipers just...tilting their guns clockwise? I ask because it seems like, awkward shooting stance aside, an easier way to deal with the offset scope. By tilting it, you'd not only be able to shoot through loopholes but it would also align the scope with the barrel for much better accuracy. Just curious if there's any documentation on that at all or if British military doctrine demanded that the decorum of the rifleman was to maintain a proper position or something asinine like that.

[@actuallyasriel]

"Rash of head injuries." Cracked me up. GGWP

[@polaroidsofpolarbears365]

Man, that's one beautiful rifle.

[@forty4forty1]

This book is a good read on British WWI snipers "Sniping in France: Winning the Sniping war in the Trenches" by Major H. Hesketh-Prichard

[@chrismac2234]

For the french. The loss rate in France ww1 was 14%. During the Napoleonic wars it was 33%.

[@benv3561]

Awesome video as always. Isn’t it called the “periscopic prism co.” And not “perismatic”?

[@samketner8341]

"Turns out, it was snipers!" was damn funny.

[@simongrushka983]

1-6 is not hundreds of meters but hundreds of yards. uk is barely metric now, but 100 years ago it was totally imperial

[@johnnyfedpost1776]

"A rash of head injuries"

[@michaelferrell9245]

Beat me to it. Was the phrase taken for a report from that time? That does sound British.

[@zs5636]

Thanks again Ian

[@jimkoonce6574]

Nice piece of WWI history.

[@paxwax1]

“Sniping in France” Major Hesketh-Prichard D.S.O., M.C.Covers the development of the British sniping program in WWI.

[@TylerSnyder305]

And this is what they modeled the scoped Enfield after for the ps2 game medal of Honor European assault. Don't know why, but for some reason they did.

[@petermilsom1109]

at about 6:30, Ian mentioned the markings are in metres. On a British WW1 weapon, they are surely in yards. Although whether the 9 or 10% difference is significant in this application is perhaps a moot point. The ammunition variability probably made at least as much difference.

[@FantadiRienzo]

Nice story about "british sportsmanship" in War, I guess the fact that the 308.british acted as a dum-dum-rounds despite them being illegal was just an accident. Oh, and they also started industrially producing expanding bullets, totally ignoring the Hague Convention . I also find it hard to believe that the british had no scoped rifles until 1915, because in Ernst Juenger's famous war diary "Storms of Steel" he describes british "scope rifles fire" as one of his earliest impressions in the trenches, and he went to the front in December 1914. The british also had experience with scoped rifles from the Boer War, that very sportsman-like fought war.

[@georgewhitworth9742]

They are, .303 is just has similar actions our .223 does upon impact, thats how they work. And the scoped rifles thing was sporting and stalking rifles brought to the front, as the British didn't have military standard optic sighted rifles at the time.

[@FantadiRienzo]

@@georgewhitworth9742 1) NO country had designated snipers or a sniper program before the start of WW1. The first "snipers" were all hunters with sporting rifles. Some people claim that Germany had snipers in 1914. Dieter Storz has published the most detailed and well-founded book series about the bolt action rifles of the German military 1871-1914 and these books clearly disprove the "German sniper"-myth 2) Exploding and expanding bullets were banned in warfare. What the british did was fielding a bullet with had the effects of an illegal projectile but was still legal because of some technicalities. That was not a coincidence. The point is that this is the opposite of "sportsmanship" 3) I don't like it when people on the internet come up with just-so-stories. In my opinion we should beclare holy war on just-so-stories. Just-so-stories about historical events turn history into a cartoon.

[@matthayward7889]

That looks like a rifle that’s had a hard, but fascinating life!

[@kenhelmers2603]

Thanks Ian.

[@courierdog1941]

Note in WWI it would be Yards not Meters

[@claresaprama499]

BF1 fans would be here any seconds. EDIT: SM(I)LE!

[@StefsEngineering]

I think they are busy complaining about BF5

[@revanjagergaming8714]

As a BF1 fan I can say with utter certainty that the rife in this video is a knock off, because it has the wrong scope! I really wish the Dev's would have went into more historically accurate detail with the weapons. It would have been really cool to see the SMLE with that scope in game.

[@norfangl3480]

@@StefsEngineering Don't worry, we'll go back to complaining about that later.

[@ByzAsian45]

lets complain about SMG08 and P16 fire rates.....

[@mercilpb]

Bf5 is dope. Fuck the haters.

[@nicholaspiscitelli7685]

You're completely wrong about the scope. Someone just did a demonstration of mounting to scope two feet above the rifle off to the side and it didn't matter, Once the scope is 0 in it is 0 in.

[@ThZuao]

I've always though: How hard would it be to rotate the action on a SMLE? Just enough so you could feed a stripper clip and use a top mounted scope. Of course, the most simple solution was to have spare magazines. But that was't as simple as one might think. Magazines were detachable, sure, but soldiers where instructed to never ever take them off unless for cleaning in a location far away from any combat, least they lose it. SMLE mags were standardized, but they weren't really interchangeable. Each one was kind of hand fit to it's rifle, so using another one either worked or gave you feeding problems. Or so I've heard.

[@tykellerman6384]

First time seeing this scope thanks

[@slavsupreme5129]

Did the Russians ever have any type of marksman program or designated sniper rifle during the war?

[@ronschramm9163]

Just from my reading, it does not appear so. The Russians withdrew in 1917, and was concerned with the internal Bolshevik threat and impending civil war. At best, if they did, it likely would have been a Mosin Nagant just like in WWII.

[@caprise-music6722]

SlavSupreme M91 marksman

[@Apus__]

Caprise - drummer lol no

[@dontquestionmyname5490]

@@caprise-music6722 that markman M91 doesn't exist...only in battlefield

[@SomeGunNerd]

The M91/30 PU (The Mosin-Nagant sniper variant) was used in WW2, but not WW1.

[@CallMeWiggles]

I love the WWI rifles.

[@benparsons4979]

I prefer the WWII ones; literally better in every way

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

My grandad was a sniper in WW1. He started in the cavalry but no doubt got bored with little to do, and snipers were paid a shilling (5 pence) a day more !

[@johnfisk811]

@Liverpool 11 12d or 5P

[@leebennett4117]

Have you Had a Chance to Test the Mamba Yet,Lovely Looking Ship,Wickedly fast,Steers like a Cow

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

I might also point out that the life expectancy of a sniper was 14 days. Trench raiding parties would go looking for snipers at night and stab or club them to death - no guns because shots would give away their presence. That's a hell of a risk to take for a shilling but grandad survived and died in 1953.

[@spudgunn8695]

I think you will find that in 1915 the range declination would be in yards, not metres. He said pedantically.

[@nialltomy15]

Would the range adjustment not be in yards, rather than meters?

[@Ws_minion]

"The Germans have scoped rifles sir!" "Filthy hun weasels fighting their dirty underhand war!" "We've issued our own scoped SMLE's to combat the sniper menace" "Splendid fellows, brave heroes risking life and limb for blighty!" - General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmany Melchett

[@thepickle5601]

Well, if used left handed, just zero for 2-300, and shoot off axis...hint, should do it on video, hint... keep up the amazing vids!

[@user-tq4pi1fi7d]

Do a review on the Steyr HS 50

[@tisFrancesfault]

It's my understanding that a significant amount of Entente armies optics were German in origin sourced via the Swiss, as they were the best at the time.

[@pavelnikolaev7487]

Hey Ian, would you be able to do a video comparing all the subtle differences between the Lee Enfield rifles? Starting from pre WW1 to post WW2.

[@rogueriderhood1862]

It looks like the sling is on the wrong way round, the laced end should be on the butt sling swivel. Sorry, that's just my inner pedant coming out. Great video.

[@choosetheright8654]

Very cool love from Texas y’all

[@alphaomega2937]

Ian I've been looking at the upcoming auction and seen a mas 49-56 sniper rifle i would love a video on it please

[@anthonytromp6265]

I can’t believe I had one just like that .

[@benjimenfranklin7650]

There were also Henry Martini sniper rifles in 303 British . Of course they were single shot but easy to load !!!!

[@andrewbrown7976]

Sniper rifles give me the creeps. I wonder (1) how many lives this one took and (2) what firearm Ian has reviewed has taken the most lives.

[@MortRotu]

Now that is an interesting question. What's the most deadly 'forgotten weapon'?

[@dawsongranger4940]

MortRotu probably one of the artillery cannons he reviewed or one of the ww1 machine guns

[@dragonsword7370]

Definitely one of the hmgs in reviewed in the machine guns ww2 primer video.

[@MortRotu]

I'd go with a WW1 HMG as well tbh cos of the style of combat used then. Or maybe an MG34 or 42. The bigger weapons are the kind that would be actively avoided in a combat situation, so while they might get first kill of an engagement they're not going to get many after that initial one if the opponents are competent. Admittedly I'm guessing alot there. Definately an interesting on for a Q&A vid

[@lMegumemesl]

The gun never took no lives,the person who used it back in ww1 took the lives

[@solidsnakesasscheeks.]

thank you gun Jesus. i learn some history every time

[@geebeaux]

"Periscopic Prism Company"

[@williamchamberlain2263]

Didn't need magnification to volley-fire at a bunch of natives wielding sharpened slices of fruit.

[@Ashfielder]

Beeeeeeeeautiful!

[@adamroodog1718]

Sniping in France with notes on the scientific training of scouts, observers, and snipers by Prichard, Hesketh Vernon Hesketh archive.org/details/snipinginfrancew00pricrich here is the book that the father of sniping wrote about ww1 western front, his efforts at establishing a sniping school, having the idea of a spotter, and the conversion of ghillie suits to war time sniping, countersniping using the entry and exit holes in papermache heads to pinpoint locations. its great, not that long and has photos

[@captainbackflash]

British officers don't duck!

[@shawnr771]

No they fall down with head wounds.

[@demokebab2314]

HEADSHOT

[@MortRotu]

Ironically there is statistics to suggest that officers suffered fewer lethal headwounds on the western front than enlisted men. Can't remember where I found that tho

[@SteveMHN]

Lindybeige

[@twobob8585]

I would pay good money to see a Lindybeige and gun Jesus video.

[@yvngschema6991]

Ohhh my god I love this gun

[@arthurfrayn2652]

Very, very cool.

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Ian.

[@randywatson8347]

Wow, nice one.

[@chiriematthieu]

Hi, i have a sugestion for weapon to look at if you have time. I know those are nowhere near "forgotten" or rare (well for me they are), but i'm interested in some straight pull sporting/hunting rifle. Like the browning MARAL , or the Merkel Helix. It seems that they are a little more sophisticated than standard straight pull. Maybe their mechanism hide some unusual clever idea.

[@aaronkeller7182]

Its okay Ian, we like it when you digress.

[@chriscone2684]

Periscopic Prism Co., not Perismatic...