Lee Carbine: Gunmaking is not for the Faint of Heart

[@SeraphinaPZ]

That is a really no frills look. I actually kind of like how minimalist it is.

[@stevestruthers6180]

It's quite elegant in its simplicity. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for single-shot break-open action rifles like this one precisely because they are so simple.

[@willbecker5632]

Ikr I would love one in 40s&w

[@magisterrleth3129]

A stick that goes bang. All you really need.

[@austinm.9832]

@@willbecker5632 I would want one in 45-70.

[@tobyjenny7622]

@@willbecker5632 357 would be better.

[@lucasduque8289]

Lee: Hello Mr. Army Man, would you like to buy my rifle? Mr. Army Man: No, I don't want a rifle. Lee: But it's not a rifle, it's a carbine. Mr. Army Man: Oh, I want a carbine.

[@hanz2904]

Lmao true.

[@RichieRichOverdrive]

The Military works in strange ways

[@i_dodge_trees]

How bout little rifle? Ok

[@gustavgnoettgen]

"Sorry, all we need now are single shot high power pistols." "Hm... I'll be back."

[@pRahvi0]

Some time later Lee: Here are those guns you ordered. Mr. Army Man: I don't want them no more. The war's over! Lee: But the contract is still valid. Mr. Army Man: No, it's not because... um... it's wrong calibre. Lee: What do you mean? These are .42 rimfire, just like you said. Mr. Army Man: Yeah, but I meant .44 Lee: ... Mr. Army Man: Don't worry. I can give you the address of the guy who's also selling all our surplus guns.

[@Lemonjellow]

I wonder who sat down and thought... We need 300 and 500 yard sight options on our .42 rimfire carbine.

[@NoobNoob-ss5hs]

Manual should have an all caps saying *Git Gud*

[@asdasd-ty9se]

That’s the government for you

[@SonicsniperV7]

Most early sight zeroes were, shall we say, "optimistic"

[@afwaller]

Uh .44 rimfire carbine, we agreed on .44 not .42, totally different ballistics. /s

[@SonicsniperV7]

@@arya31ful I don't even think you can see 1 km

[@otetechie]

Good to know “milspec” isn’t a new trend.

[@gcart7675]

almost all guns started as military or for royalty at first nowadays they make more for civilians than military cause the military is usually slow to adopt newer guns and usually just modernise what they have until they think its not good enough anymore or it actually isnt good enough anymore

[@Pcm979]

I'm getting cynical enough that I'm wondering whether the 'mix up' was deliberate on the part of the gov't so they could throw the contract.

[@planescaped]

Highly likely.

[@ChiTownGuerrilla]

Of course!

[@Pcm979]

​@@justforever96 I'm not saying that this was some convoluted plan from the start to screw one man over. That would be ridiculous, as you pointed out. I'm guessing that you haven't seen many of these videos on guns bought during the tail end of the Civil War, or indeed the World Wars later, because what tended to happen was that when the war abruptly ended, the government's priorities overnight shift from "write every gunmaker in the country a blank cheque because we need every single gun we can get" to "drop military spending to the absolute minimum, we need to spend our money on rebuilding a shattered country." The problem is, a lot of the gunmakers took out massive loans to make the guns the government wanted, and would go bankrupt if the government suddenly refused to pay, and not being idiots put clauses in their contracts stipulating that the government _had_ to buy the guns even if they changed their minds - _unless_ the guns were turned down due to manufacturer error. If you're an honourable goverment official you buy the guns you don't want anymore. If you're a scumbag you lie, say the factory made a mistake, and use that as an excuse to walk away from the contract, leaving private citizens penniless and destitute. This isn't a hypothetical, this really happened. Multiple times. I'm suggesting that something like that is what happened here.

[@vysecity6350]

​@@justforever96 my man they entered the contract during the war, not knowing how long it'll last. Its the equivalent of not paying student loans because you decided to drop out

[@bobbylee2853]

Handshake contract.😅

[@GuyInc0gnit0]

Really love the camera panning over the sight picture! To me its the most interesting look at a firearm! Please keep doing them!

[@mightress]

That is a very nice looking and elegant carbine.

[@JonatasAdoM]

Rifle. Oh wait...

[@bovess8654]

I hate that copyright is a thing and i cant buy a brand new 2020 model of this gun cause its just nice

[@michaelf.2449]

@@bovess8654 realistically someone could probably make a replica nowadays and noone would say anything

[@markzimmerman7279]

@@michaelf.2449 the Italians do it

[@charlesinglin]

It seems with many of these firearms timing is everything. If Lee had this design ready for mass production (in the right caliber) in 1862 the government would probably have bought them like hot cakes. It's a really good design for an early war single shot cavalry carbine. By 1865 the war's ending, the government market's drying up and practical repeaters are on the market. It looks to be a very good little carbine.

[@tamlandipper29]

I'm not saying it's easy to do, but the real need is not what the customer asks for initially. That is what they need now. You need to think ahead to what they will need when you put the thing into action.

[@charlesinglin]

@@tamlandipper29Definitely. The Lee carbine appears to be a well designed, well made, efficient single shot carbine, but there's nothing significantly better about it than some of the single shot, breech loading carbines already in use.

[@planescaped]

It's awfully convenient for the government to claim they're the wrong caliber once they no longer need guns. >__>

[@markzimmerman7279]

They should have been chambered for the Spencer cartridge.

[@markzimmerman7279]

@@charlesinglin it appears to take a metallic cartridge which a lot of guns then did not.

[@Redbird1504]

I find it pretty interesting that he was selling these for $18 and nearly a century later the Whitney Wolverine was being sold by its manufacturer for just over $18 per unit.

[@wizardofahhhs759]

That carbine bears a strong resemblance to an H&R single shot shotgun.

[@adamwebster9784]

Same thought! This is much cooler with the side slide out

[@johnjenkins8782]

Yes! just about every store brand single shot shotgun in the US

[@DjDolHaus86]

Awww... it's like a gun but smaller

[@augustopinochet2495]

Looks like a daisy bb gun

[@crossfox1991]

@wesleythomasm not really. It's a rifle that fires an intermediate cartridge. So not a full powered like 308 or 7.62x54 but something like 5.56 or 7.62x39. A carbine that shoots pistol rounds is specifically a pistol caliber carbine.

[@Hyperdog456]

@@crossfox1991 Mosin m44, Lee Enfield no5 mk1 jungle carbine, Karabiner 98K. All carbines none are in intermediate cartridges. Carbines are short barrelled rifles typically made for people who need a rifle but not the standard long rifle.

[@davidreeding9176]

Its a miniature gun, a mini gun if you will

[@jacobpinkley232]

@@augustopinochet2495 ikr

[@crabmansteve6844]

That rifle is stunning in both its sleek minimalist look and its simplicity. I absolutely love it. I've got a hard-on for single shot firearms though, so I may be biased.

It's actually a very clever design. One improvement I can see for it would be to provide a dedent retention for the barrel to prevent it from free swinging and accidentally opening or closing while on half cock (loading/unloading position). A spring loaded dedent ball would suffice. Not a must have feature but one that would ease the loading and unloading operation.

[@StanislavG.]

I don't think they had ball bearings back then, but some kind of simple spring leaf latch would definitely make this gun safer to use. But i guess gun safety is a modern invention too :))

[@captaindookey]

Now i feel like buying a daisy bb gun...this thing looks like the inspiration

[@drpsionic]

I still have mine from 1956. It probably was based on it.

[@christianlockard8653]

I hope you guys don't mean the lever action daisy... That is clearly based on a Lever action Repeating rifle

[@TomFromYoutube]

You'll shoot your eye out captain!

[@floo1465]

christian lockard Please stop. It’s a lever action version of this.

[@floo1465]

GYPSY KING FURY Yes, it is. Grab a Daisy and compare it to this rifle. They’re almost identical.

[@henerymag]

So not only did the Government low ball the guy from $18 a gun to $10 they even screwed him big time in the end. Sounds completely normal.

[@Legally_its_a_joke]

"The 9 most terrifying words in the English language are 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" -Ronald Reagan

[@henerymag]

@@Legally_its_a_joke Mr. Reagan was correct.

[@AlexBobowski]

And they say the government wastes money... Seems like they drove a hard bargain

[@henerymag]

@@AlexBobowski Seems like they had a fair bargain until the war ended then decided "the hell we need these guns for screw Lee"

[@ianfinrir8724]

So.. what's $18 translate to in today's money?

[@budrow888]

That design, in a modern caliber, might just sell even today on the civilian market. I'd be interested for sure.

[@MM4X453]

Yes you could beef it up for a 50 BMG I would by one

[@damienairalay552]

@@MM4X453 lol when ur cartridge is bigger then ur barrel it's a true American gun

[@ts89540]

Henry makes some nice ones.

[@claytonatkinson865]

t s Henry’s offerings are irrelevant by way of ridiculous prices. Half the appeal of this is robust, lightweight, and handy, the other half of the appeal is that it’s cheap.

[@harrywisniewski5017]

John Cosper i feel like for about 200-250 bucks in some older and newer calibers would sell well. Examples being 45-70 , 223/556 300 blackout 450 bushmaster hell even a higher end version in 50 beauwolf. Granted I know nothing about the economics of gun making but it seems like a good idea

[@brucerobert227]

Hey this one really bring back memories! I had a good friend who had one of these, and brazed/fitted a 32 rim fire barrel in it, back when Navy arms used to make/sell that ammo. No idea what it was like in 42 rimfire, but in the aformentioned .32 RF, it was quite fun!

[@DanGoodShotHD]

Thank you Gun Jesus for another baptism in gun knowledge. Your knowledge runs deep and extensive. For I am humbled as you share it with us, the lowly masses. Praise be to thee.

[@RW764]

Yes this is great info. My Grandpa was a collector and since I was little grandpa said I always wanted to see how all the guns worked. He said I gravitated towards his Lee because of the way it opened. He said he asked me once if I would like it and he told me that I said I only have my BB gun to trade and I like my BB gun. Don’t you like your gun? Why don’t you want it anymore. I don’t remember that as I was too little. He just passed and Grandma told us grandpa only wish was that the guns go to me. My brother and cousins I’m guessing aren’t happy. I appreciate the history lesson on this gun. I have it now with a handful of others and boy I still reach for the Lee because of how simple and elegant it is. I must have the heavy barrel version because it’s a beast. I don’t know how to send a pic on this, but I’ll try and get it to Ian to share if he’s interested.

[@_ArsNova]

A nice basic little vintage carbine, I really liked style of rear flip-up sight for whatever reason.

[@PatMan2004]

Damn, I wish I'd live in America, just so i could buy some of these beatiful creations.

[@lordofromuluslordofromulus8375]

You better have a good job to pay for them though.

[@favreFOURLife21]

A hunting shotgun like this would sell well, specially when group hunting you usually have to break your gun when walking and this seem very practical for that

[@thefish6777]

I have a 45-70 Remington Lee... it's a great rifle and the receiver is almost the same as the lee enfield no1

[@nuggs4snuggs516]

Holy shit, someone from outside the state pronounced "Milwaukee" right! Proud of you, Ian

[@Celebmacil]

Come to Oregon and you'll hear it pronounced right as well. At least in the Portland area. The real question is would Oregon be pronounced correctly outside the NW region. ;)

[@mitchelloughman8382]

I’m from Pennsylvania and I’m unsure how else you’d pronounce it?

[@nuggs4snuggs516]

@@mitchelloughman8382 "Mee-wok-ee" and "Mill-wall-key" are ones I've heard pretty often.

[@bensmith4563]

@@Celebmacil they spelled Milwaukee wrong out there in Oregon

[@xGSFxGoat]

Can you find a Chinese Type 79 SMG to do a video on? There aren't many videos on them, but they're a gas-operated rotating bolt Chinese submachinegun in 7.62 Tokarev that looks a lot like a Type-56 rifle in a pistol cartridge. In fact you've already done a video on this gun's successor, the CS/LS2 bullpup submachinegun. Some Chinese police units still use modernized versions too, and they look kind of similar to the Russian Vityaz-SN however the Russians made theirs straight blowback. It would be interesting to compare the bolts from a Type 79 SMG to a Type 56 AK seeing as how they're both rotating bolts. However seeing as it's still in second line service it might be difficult to find one to take a look at.

[@jonmeray713]

Ian needs a trip to china lol

[@bilibiliism]

Chinese viewer here. 79 is known to be a very crappy SMG in china. but since there were so many of them produced (millions of) so it remained. Even though it is the standard issue SMG, police department of many places had to buy MP5/MP7 with their own pocket because 79 is intolerably bad. Fire rate is too high, not reliable (the designer used the rotating bolt design straight from AK which is suitable for the pointing nose of rifle bullet, but not working well with the round nose 7.62x25, causing stuck), the select fire unit is bad so it sometimes fire two bullet at semi-auto mode with one trigger pull, there are also lots of ergonomic problems (e.g. the charging handle is on the right side, and because of the machinery, the charging handle is very sharp and edgy, caused few incidents of injury, the magazine could be inserted backward etc.), and the drop safe is also bad.

[@Notjustcar]

ian needs to do a video of the Firelance(The ancestors of all firearms) or the first hand cannon excavated (Heilongjiang hand cannon).

[@planescaped]

@@Notjustcar Ian needs to do a video on an automatic crossbow. I hear some guy called Edgar has one. So Ian should start there.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

The thing about military weapons, especially infantry ones, they have to pass the "Mk.1 Infantryman Test". As my armoury sergeant described it, "The ability of an infantryman, to find creative ways to destroy kit, is f*cking unending!" He was a bit potty mouthed.

[@danapatelzick594]

The action on this rifle is nice and clean. As a collectable it must be worth a few bucks. Pretty remarkable designer.

[@SPAZTICCYTOPLASM]

I wonder why this isn't or wasn't a more popular system, the break open system for shotguns is known to break at the hinge. This seems a lot stronger.

[@tasty_wind4294]

A modern variant in 357 or 44 magnum with a price under $200 after tax would be awesome

[@bobrees4363]

These are very handy little carbines, I have seen and handled one.

[@Treblaine]

This has got to be a record for fewest moving parts on a cartridge based firearm.

[@steveshoemaker6347]

You sir are very good at what you do .....Thanks..!

[@tonywatson1412]

This is what a no frills firearm looks like....and looks pretty good

[@richardnolan5134]

Tell you what Ian, putting some slight click bait in the title, or maybe I should call it a longer description, made me want to watch this more. Love your content man. (Diversify, we want more!)

[@tamlandipper29]

We might end up full of clickbait driven trolls.

[@marcelmeyer8616]

My dad had two six barrel 22. Caliber single shot rifles. He referred to them as Flobert, French pronounced. My mom got rid of them after he passed away. Who actually made them. I remember being 6 yrs. Old and shooting it. Circa 1953.

[@tomaspabon2484]

Flobert was an actual gun manufacturer, made parlor guns in the late 19th and early 20th century

[@jefosterchina]

The Lee looks quite a bit like the .50 cal Maynard carbine I had. It was a pretty good shooter at 100 yards.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

Wonderfully simple.

[@WhiteCollarCrimeDNB]

Hey! Milwaukee was mentioned in something that wasn't awful!

[@marklandwehr7604]

Makes sense breech loader for the cavalry easy to operate one-handed and small

[@spear-chuckerjones1531]

Just bought a .32 red jacket revolver made by lee arms, had no idea it was this lee until i bought it and got the paperwork

[@nolsp7240]

Near the end, I feel you were making some subtle encouragement to the Hudson guys.

[@williamprince1114]

IIRC Lee was born Scotland. His work with Remington was game changing. The Remington Lee rifles series was ahead of its time as was the Lee Navy rifle & cartridge which he developed with Winchester. A seminal figure in firearms history IMO.

[@jerryjohnsonii4181]

Great story Ian an thanks for the history an knowledge about the Lee Carbine.

[@Soupcan13]

Your beard is getting long man! Looks good. What a fool piece of history. My favorite thing about this channel is seeing all these little slivers of firearms history. Thanks for making these!

[@theeasternfront6436]

What a beautiful, simple little carbine. I want one in 357.

[@sjoormen1]

I want one also. Any caliber will do.

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Ian .

[@pbr-streetgang]

Thanks for the vid sir.👍🏼👍🏼🖖🏼

[@Ucceah]

that looks like it'd make a great first firearm, for a kid showing interest in learning to shoot.

[@1989gibbi]

I hope Ian one day finds some of the more rare but accepted carbines that were used in the war like the metropolitan or the Merrill

[@cnlbenmc]

The reloading mechanism is remarkably similar to the Ashot shotgun from the Metro 2030 series of games. I wonder if it was coincidence or if the creators knew about this.

[@MrGarwest]

Hello Ian,Another fascinating review.The French 1854 Mousqueton Gastinne-Renette, chambering a centre-fire 12.5 mm Pottet cartridge also featured a pivoting barrel for issue to the Cent-Garde Squadron.It was rejected due to not being a suitable arm for military use. The sword-lance bayonet which was 1,000 mm long made for an unwieldy combination.RegardsG and L A-R-West FHBSA

[@toryumau6798]

... Woah, this is practically a Pipegun, M8. Gotta love these simple designs that make ya go "Wait, that's it?". Even the most thick-skulled jarhead would have a hard time breaking something this simple, eh? >)X^D

[@davisjames8484]

You haven't hung out with enough joes lol

[@ronroberti8082]

Why pick on a jarhead, a sailor has a thicker head, and the army think cotton is bulletproof.

[@jer1014t2th]

Maybe, maybe not. Bend the barrel. Get it shot in action. Hit something with the buttstock. Leave it out in humid conditions and don't oil it. Simple workings can translate to reliability - but everything breaks. The trick is to make it easy to repair.

[@BloodnGutz43]

Hey Ian you should have shouldered it to show its size looks tiny ?

[@jaydee1532]

James Paris Lee, born Scotland ..... raised in Ontario Canada...... died in the U.S

[@wickedhenderson4497]

Why does anyone give these videos a thumbs-down? Are the videos offensive? Inaccurate? Ian’s competition? Ex girlfriends? Please enlighten me

[@ianfinrir8724]

Some people just want to be dicks

[@ag111ga]

Wasn't Brown "Southerner" Deringer based on this system? Yes, they opened to the left and the locking system was little different but otherwise very similar.

[@Whitpusmc]

Is there no issue with trying to fire this from a bouncing horse and as the hammer is falling there is a spot where the barrel can swing slightly out of battery? Maybe enough to miss your target or jam and not fire?

[@therugburnz]

I love it. The swing open is nice for the time. BTW, at the time of the contract, was making a carbine much cheaper than making full sized rifles?

[@shellcracker18]

therugburnz less material. Had to have been cheaper I would think

[@estebancinardi45]

With a carbine you have to make a shorter barrel, thus leading to a shorter rifling to make, that's cheaper than a rifle. How much cheaper I do not know though

[@therugburnz]

I used to run a gun drill but never a rifling machine, but just wondered about manufacturing in war time in particular. One side has one advantage like access to quality steel, the other has access to textile trades and slave labor. Both have political contacts. Shite I'm out of my understanding now. Thanx buddy, God Bless America, Long Live the Republic

[@jasonz7788]

Awesome thanks

[@kathyarmstrong649]

That would be handy as a smooth bore in .410 for pests.

[@kenhelmers2603]

Interesting and svelte design. Thanks Ian!

[@Deminutuv]

To me that Rifle is so Gorgeous

[@bobbyhood101]

Looks mysteriously like my old break action 410. shotgun !

[@merlemorrison482]

so how did they convert those .42 cal barrels into those other calibers?

[@BigFrakkinOgre]

Thanks

[@AlexanderBushi]

Thanks...

[@DuckcuD]

how accurate would this be? since it is locking on the hammer I imagine that there is bound to be atleast alittle play in the locking.. and just a small amount out right at the breach could make a noticeable difference at range right?

[@richardelliott9511]

A tight lock up does matter but I don't think a little play there would make much difference, both sights are fixed on the barrel so that play wouldn't effect the alignment of the barrel to the sights . I also don't think that would wear much anyway. I think the main pressure would be more on that big horizontal slot, which seems to have lots of bearing surface to absorb the pressure, but we'll probably never really know for sure. ;)

[@Molo9000]

Didn't the contract specify what the caliber should be?

[@tonyktx44]

Damn good question...

[@beardoggin8963]

Molo900 government likes sketchy contracts because it allows them to short payments for failure to follow them. I’ve don’t several govt jobs and they are all like that

[@mrsaturdaynightspecial3055]

Guess who won the lawsuit❓

[@yoitired]

If I saw something like this in a common cartridge for like $80 I'd snatch it up.

[@nickbownz]

What an asinine comment

[@yoitired]

@@nickbownz Please enlighten?

[@LadyAnuB]

How much work would it have taken to make the ejection automatic using the swiveling open and mechanical linkages?

[@edsmith2650]

I love this channel

[@CLFS]

Should make a playlist of strange and unique guns also amazing content enjoying the videos

[@davidtaylor8822]

Didn't Colt produce a .41 rimfire derringer with exactly the same swing-out barrel arrangement?

[@geraldswain3259]

Neat little carbine .

[@suddenwall]

The Lee Carbine seems difficult to use for a right-handed person since it swivels open to the right. Why is this? Was it cavalry doctrine or something? If it was to keep the sling away from the action, why not just reposition the sling ring? I'm sure there had to be a good reason for this. Was it something to do with holding on to the reins of the horse while reloading?

[@damocsell]

That is a nice looking gun.

[@troy9477]

Interesting. Looks like a pretty good design. I doubt it was fully gas tight though, which seems to be a common issue in that era. It could use a small forend. But, since cavalry troops seem to have always worn gloves, it was probably not a big issue then. Since the barrel had to open for every shot, that allows for some cooling too. The repeaters certainly needed a forend, as they found out with the Henry. That sight picture looks excellent, with a good sight radius as well. There is still a place for a good, simple, reasonably priced single shot. Too bad the H&R Handi Rifle is out of production. The relatively new Henrys look nice, but of course their price is higher. A plain hardwood stock, recoil pad, and a retail price in the $300 range would be great. Great video as always. Thank you

[@azlanameer4912]

a beautiful gun indeed!

[@FINNIUSORION]

I missed it, is this one of the 42's?

[@sjoormen1]

singleshot repeater?

[@ФилиппЛыков-д8е]

One shouldn't shoot it while holding left side down: the barrel might unlock in that fraction of a second that the hammer passes through its half-cocked position.

[@ealtar]

i see that others have picked up on the "heavy" hudson wink wink wink

[@Gunbudder]

That action looks like a Garcia Bronco action

[@lizardwithhat4125]

Oh, i like this one ... simple and direct :3 What would have been counted as great sales-numbers for a gun back than? 100? 1000? Or more?

[@kevinoliver3083]

Lee obviously remained on good terms with Remington; as they manufactured his bolt action designs.

[@jtreinen762]

What is audio

[@allenjames122]

How much did it sell for

[@Beemer917]

I wonder when old Lee went and got the last one out of his garage and sold it. Then he shuffled back inside, his gout was flaring up.

[@bitesh]

Yeah, Mighty Morphy Power Auctions. You're welcome to use that.

[@maxgrebe3199]

I have a question. Why do serial numbers so often don't start at 1? It's mostly the case that they start anywhere in the thousands. Good example is like in the video, the Lee carbine. So if anybody know the answer, I would be pleased if you could answer.

[@DavidLindsey-o9s]

In the civil war you could offer to state governments and private buyers too. Civil war was pretty much a procurement nightmare. Federal government rejects your contract? Offer it to every state and local government, publish it commercially to every private buyer and regimental financier

[@mitchellline3398]

could you ever do a video on the cristobal carbine?

[@0115Heather]

It looks like an old break barrel cooey.22 that my dad has. I really like that system and can see that this old rifle would be a handy simple reliable gun to have on hand. It would still be a good rifle if .42 rim fire was still around. Thanks for the vid!

[@Thekaiserwill]

$10k - $15k estimate price! What a beautifully simply rifle, is there a modern equivalent? Perfect for camping!

[@chiphailstone589]

Who invented the Lee straightpull, 6mm, US Navy ?

[@youbob28]

That barrel should have its own locking mechanism. Don't like that it needs the hammer to open the action. Wouldn't have taken much more work to create a separate latch.

[@exploatores]

I guess that it wount be any shooting video on this one.

[@chetbaker1951]

Simple and elegant! Ring on left side, It's cavalry rifle?

[@kreigthepsycho]

Looks like a big version of the Ashot in the metro trilogy

[@derhalbvollehalbgelehrte4515]

Can't help, I don't like locking systems that aren't locked at all when I pull the trigger.