Lee Enfield No. 4 Rifle: Run and Gun

The venerable Lee-Enfield is a favorite to many shooters, and it is very easy to see why. The rifle's quick action, 10 round capacity, and incredible ruggedness served the Commonwealth well, but how does it compare to other rifles in its class? To see what a good old SMLE is capable of, we hit the range with plenty of .303 in tow.
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[@Lieutenant_Dude]

That action is silky smooth, holy crap.

[@rcairnut]

+FallaciousScotsman my South African mark 4 is the same .................sweet!!!!

[@Alte.Kameraden]

+FallaciousScotsman Reload looks like a "bleep" though. It seems to be very hit/miss on the reload, the style of clip used does not seem reliable. Out of the two times he reloaded he had a serious problem twice trying to load 5 of the rounds.

[@geoechidna]

+Kameraden It's really not that hard to load stripper clips with the Lee, it just takes a bit of practice compared to loading rimless Mauser ammo. You just need to push down a bit harder because the rims of the .303s create friction in the clip, leading to a slightly harder reload process. People seem to fumble with them, but I've seen a few skilled marksmen reload them crazy-fast.

[@Alte.Kameraden]

***** That is still a technicality, a good combat rifle should require it to be idiot proof that even amateurs can use without issues. That is why the AK series is so loved, it's a soldiers rifle, anyone can use it with minimum training. Mauser was the same, you can show someone how to use it in 4 minutes and they'd from there likely be able to hit a person from 100 yards without any problem while still being able to reload it yet work every time you pull the trigger, with no hang ups reloading or using the bolt. There are reasons the Mauser is considered the AK of the Bolt Action Rifle age.

[@geoechidna]

+Kameraden LOL, what, do roughly 17 millions rifles not count as "loved"? Yeah, the Lee-Enfield was too complicated for the average grunt, that's why it's been used in countless VICTORIOUS wars and many variants still in use, if perhaps not in huge numbers anymore. Not trying to set a fire here, but clearly the LE worked. The high rate of fire indeed helped, as did the high magazine capacity (for the time). Yes, the Mauser-pattern rifles are almost exclusively works of art and well-designed, with the G98 system being used in nearly every bolt-action rifle made today. But were they better in combat? Yeah, sure, when they came up against the single-shots and and tube-loading rifles late 1800s. I'd chalk the amount of kills the Germans made in WWII in part due to better training of troops, initially-excellent leadership, and the hands-down best machine gun of the war, the MG-42. The German doctrine was to rely on suppressing fire from the MG and let the riflemen flank. The Brits had lesser MGs, such as the low-capacity Bren, so they had to rely more on their riflemen, which the Lee helped greatly with. I'm a mere 21 years old and rarely fumble with the loading or the firing process of the No4 I own. Granted, I've never been shot at, but if I had the choice of taking a Lee into combat over a 98K I would pick the Lee. Higher rate of fire, better suppression capability, more cartridges, and an excellent sight picture would make follow-up shots easier. Don't get me wrong Mausers are awesome, but the LE is hardly "too complicated". If your job is literally to shoot at people for several hours every day, you would get VERY skilled with either weapon. For a weapon design that has been around and in service for twice as long as the AK (1895), it can't be too bad.

[@jasonkeen6795]

Love the sound of a 303, such a lovely rifle to fire.

[@taofledermaus]

Beautiful semi-automatic with real bolt-action rifle! Did you know that Birmingham Small Arms also made motorcycles? The BSA!

[@tfbtv]

+TAOFLEDERMAUS Yes sir. On a very related note, I have a Royal Enfield motorcycle!

[@FFFFFFF-FFFFFFFUUUUCCCC]

+TFB TV You have one of those kickstarting motorcycles? Those are pretty old school.

[@taofledermaus]

TFB TV I have a Triumph. Long live Lucas, the Prince of Darkness!

[@taofledermaus]

I had to ride my Bonneville over a 100 miles on one cylinder when one of the rocker adjustment nuts came loose and backed off. I don't miss riding that rattling bastard too much. lol

[@alternativehero]

+TAOFLEDERMAUS there's a joke here in England that BSA = Best Scrap Available

[@IanDinBC]

Technique is everything in the reload. First, shoot 5 before reloading, never fire the rifle dry. Second, when reloading, the charger is held in the left hand (for a righty) bullets facing rear, thumb on one side of the charger, fingers on the other. The charger is placed in the charger bridge and the left thumb (only) briskly pushes the 5 rounds straight down, until the top of the thumb nail is under the bottom of the charger. Third the thumb then flicks the charger smartly aside, the left hand returns to the fore stock and the right hand closes the bolt. It was recommended that one 'take a knee' and rest the forestock on the other knee while charging. My great uncle served all over the world (India, China, Afghanistan) between 1918 and 1938 and was recalled from retirement in 1939. He taught me the 'one true method' for this and for using a bayonet when I was about 4. I had something of an unusual childhood - surrounded by some of the bravest men, and women, who ever lived. I had no idea that while my friends and I were playing soldier, the old folks watching us were, in many cases, legendary soldiers.

[@simonferrer]

+IanDinBC I decided to practice this technique after reading your comment and it worked great. Thank you for posting it.

[@YuanMizzle]

IanDinBC any chance you have a video demonstrating this?

[@alphaomega2937]

IanDinBC thanks for the advice

[@makotoyuki2199]

IanDinBC So what’s the point of the 10 round mag?! On 5 round Mauser do I fire 2.5 rounds?

[@HJ1985]

@@makotoyuki2199 for Mauser you probably fire 4 rounds and start reloading？

[@EnterTheFenix]

That Slav squat tho

[@pattymiester1234]

Cheeki breeki

[@fearghasporteous1667]

get outta here STALKER

[@camsnyder2636]

+pattymiester 123 Is Boris !!!!!!!!

[@petarpetreski5191]

blin

[@erik.cowell1277]

No western spies here.

[@Bayan1905]

The first gun I ever owned, bought one for $75 in 1994, in about that same shape too, wish I never got rid of it.

[@slaughterhound8793]

Still the best bolt-action battle rifle ever IMO. I'd love to see some long distance shooting with one, say, out to a 600 yard range.

[@johnrobinson1762]

He is advancing constantly and he's not interested in holding on to anything expect the enemy.

[@ShmokeyBandit]

Whenever I saw movies of a SMLE firing almost quietly I thought it was a flaw in the accuracy of the film, however, watching this now made me realize the weapon actually sounds this way. Yet the load and fire action is smooth as could be. Great vid and just subbed!

[@russelsellick316]

The stripper clips are the key if filled correctly. Look up Bloke on the Range and The Chap for more info on this. Many years ago in a competition I was required to snapshoot a military falling plate at 200 metres standing. My No 4 did it perfectly.

[@poop-for-brains]

From my experience, you can alleviate some of the hold up with chargers by making sure that you are careful when loading them. You can entirely avoid rimlock in that way, and if the chargers themselves are screwy it can make discharging them a pain in the butt.

[@Dalwhinnie15]

Fantastic quality video. Really enjoyed.

[@goofball9292]

love the run and fun, awesome performance man, sweet video 👌

[@t.s.c-guitar7058]

Pull up on the first cartridge and push down to avoid rim lock

[@Murphy82nd]

A local shop had a huge private collection come in. Easily a dozen M1917 Enfields, a half dozen or so No. 4s, a half dozen or so K98ks, a half dozen or so 1903A3 Springfields (Smith Coronas), a half dozen or so Garands, two K43s (one with scope), all in varying condition. It was like Christmas. Was pretty cool to get to handle them all.

[@mikec8086]

+Murphy82nd buy the k43!

[@TechGamer45]

+Murphy82nd The K98 are a great rifle.

[@Matt.Hemple]

this is a great video series love it

[@walkerman2503]

I have used a Mark IV since I was 16 for hunting deer. It is all I will ever need.Very accurate, always dependable.

[@davidfriesen9512]

Thank you for the demonstration.👍

[@SzczepanZZ]

You just made me want to buy SMLE. Damn.

[@tfbtv]

+Alcatraz252 Do it!

[@SzczepanZZ]

TFB TV Once I get my shooter patent (Polish law... ugh) I'll definately buy one!

[@kgb3559]

+TFB TV Alex lets go to the range sometime

[@vaclav_fejt]

+Alcatraz252 Yeah, it can put a smle on your face.

[@samuel10125]

Fantastic hunting rifle from what I've heard then again the Lee Enfield was used to take down elephants so yeah.

[@glockerbob]

Very nicely done sir.

[@HeiniSauerkraut]

Bought one last week. Great rifle :-)

[@DystruktoBoi1]

Not sure if you were aware but the Enfield will pop the clip right out the top if you just slam the bolt home and dont worry about getting it out of the way when you top the magazine off, it might help your future run and guns with the Enfield.

[@versal339]

Another great job. Hand on bolt-handle using the little finger to pull the trigger. Outstanding.

[@BigChief2010]

I just wanted to take a moment and let you know how much I enjoy your channel and videos. You are quite articulate, and I really appreciate the historical significance you provide about each weapon. I hope you have a great day, sir.

[@tfbtv]

+BigChief2010 Wow, thank you very much. I am glad you enjoy the channel! -Alex

[@eaglemasterdan]

Running and Gunning milsurps is a silly amount of fun! IMO one of the best designs for quick, fast and accurate shooting is the Swede M38, although a heavy gun it's highly mobile, the light recoiling 6.5x55 is one of the best candidates for this kind of operation plus it's rimless so reloading with the 5 round Mauser stripper clips is a dream!

[@martintabony611]

We used to teach Army Cadets with these. 4' tall thirteen year olds that couldn't support the weight. We used to kneel in front of them to hold up the front end! :)

[@southlondon63]

My late dad swore by this during WW2 In jungle warfare in Burma 1942-45, never got a sniff of a Jungle Carbine . Smooth as silk as he used to say

[@oldsargeusmc1186]

I have been shooting a SMLE MkIII* for 10 years and haven't yet had a rim hangup. I believe the trick is to load your stripper clip one down, one up, one down, one up and one down. As far as getting them to strip smoothly there is a sweet spot to press down, practice practice practice. Great vid.

[@basedchris8784]

Have one of these on layaway. So excited

[@hotpapperbe7754]

Beautifull gun !

[@austinnevitt7922]

Something that might help you on the reload that me and my buddy found out was using the top round of the stripper and holding the tip of the bullet and pushing on the back of it as sort of a fulcrum to push the other rounds down.

[@rikouri]

I've got to admit, I'm British and i love the rifles that my country has used. I've got time on the SMLE, L1A1 and the L85A2 (not the A1....lets not talk about that one) and the SMLE has so much history, it is such a legendary firearm...but by god, if you were a infantry soldier in world war 2, and you had axis troops bounding towards your position...that reload is a potential death sentence. Would be neat to see some of the solutions some of the guys who were issued them used to get around this while in service.

[@MrTowton1461]

Great vid

[@atomicrage]

I recently got to fire the great grandfathers SMLE Mk III and it was a blast, even though it knocks me around a bit more then it seems to Alex. The old battle rifles just have a special appeal.

[@MagicpotatoAus]

Don't worry about the stripper clip next time when you close the bolt its snaps it out by itself

[@swingtheding3004]

Got 2 of these baby's and one SMLE and never had any issues loading either of them from clips. Cheers bruv

[@buddybeetle]

You, Sir, are a very lucky man to have this piece of history in your arms.

[@anthonywilliams379]

You've got some skills man,maybe look into the "insangpore" lee-enfields that the Indian Military made after the war in the 50-60s in .308 to help transition to the FN FAL which took longer to manufacture to the point they made Enfield rifles in .308 as a stop-gap weapon. Plus they're better made than the ww2 ones due to better manufacturing technology being developed.

[@anthonywilliams379]

That should solve the issue with rimmed cartridges

[@tfbtv]

+Anthony Williams I already have a perfectly good 7.62x51 Enfield pattern rifle made in England. An L42A1 :) Are you the same Anthony Williams that is an advocate for the GPC?

[@anthonywilliams379]

+TFB TV GPC? I'm assuming you're mistaken,sorry to disappoint.

[@michaelcoatney2568]

+TFB TV Arguably a universal cartridge would reduce cost and simplify logistics (most importantly at the front). Beyond that, I believe, as history has proven, that even a multifaceted round capable of excelling in several tactical engagements cannot possibly meet every nuance. And this does not even touch on the other half of the ballistics equation, i.e. delivery. My $.02. Curious what you think.

[@maxthornton5714]

funny i'd find you here man XD

[@SuomiFinn42]

Love the sound of that bolt

[@sanfordhoffman2392]

Nice rifle. Good vid

[@Landsknecht89]

Great beautiful gun!

[@floydbaker2240]

old video, but damn...im impressed.... id forgotten why i subbed this channel. nevermore

[@rorystockley5969]

Birming-ham. I love Americans trying to pronounce our city names :P

[@tfbtv]

When you choose bullshit names like "Llanfairpwllgwyngyll" then expect trouble.

[@rorystockley5969]

TFB TV Hey now, that's the Welsh. Even we make fun of the Welsh.

[@okthen1166]

we have Birmingham alabama

[@sassythesasquatch8006]

+Rory Stockley yeah ain't that the truth haha

[@wierdalien1]

brhminam

[@julianritter6519]

Cool, yep I'm shooting IPSC with a no1 mk3 down under (semi auto ban land) alot of fun and fair pretty good up against the pump Remington's in 223, sort those stripper clips out. Came 2nd in state titles standard division, yes there were more than 2, perhaps 5 or so from memory but none the less still valid. Anyway thanks for the video I appreciate it and love seeing the good old 303 in action because I know how good it feels.

[@JacekBer]

Proper way to loading stripper clip: bottoms of 1st, 3rd and 5th cartridge must stand on a stripper and bottoms of 2nd and 4th cartridge must stand on the rims of 1st, 3rd and 5th.

[@jrodz808]

Please do more of these run and guns! May I suggest K31 and of course the Mosin!

[@jnewcell6952]

This is the true king of bolt action rifles

[@ovey99]

good job

[@P226nut]

Enfields are so awesome

[@ukspartan2375]

great video m8 when are you going to do the lee enfield vs mauser video m8 looking forward to that one saw in a pervious video you done that you were going to do it

[@GenScinmore]

That is not an SMLE...

[@quentintin1]

+JonMacFhearghuis exept that the No.1 was a MLE (Magasine, Lee-Enfield), the SMLE (Short, Magasine, Lee-Enfield) was the No.1 MkIII

[@calebhu6383]

It came from the SMLE family though. It's like saying an AKM isn't an AK47.

[@hailsland]

GAAHHH SMLE! lol It's a No. 4 son!

[@malcolmmansfield7706]

Awesome vid. Try polishing the inside of the stripper clips with a Dremel tool with a fine wire wheel. You'll get a vast improvement with feeding.

[@engineerskalinera]

What a lovely gun. I guess you could say... it makes me SMLE :)

[@sirtoast8314]

I met a guy that could reload an enfield faster then you can with an ar15

[@subarunatsuki4145]

He'll be able to take out any school shooters in no time.

[@MrRooibos123]

@@subarunatsuki4145 who needs a fully semi automatic ar15 assault machine gun rifle anyway?

[@subarunatsuki4145]

@@MrRooibos123 Only some fucktards who wants to shoot a school. Real Man use full power rifle for school defense.

[@AirborneMOC031]

@@MrRooibos123 In some countries, you don't have to prove a need to own a firearm - or access to the internet or free speech. Should probably help by explaining to those who don't understand the concept that, to begin with, the AR-15 (and similar variants) is not and never have been an issued military firearm. And there is no such thing as a "fully semi automatic ar15 assault machine gun rifle". Except in the fertile mind of emotional media "journalists" and police state fascist liberal politicians that they provide support for. And maybe the Airsoft Gamer Boyz.

[@Hakugard]

To reload a little faster trust the clip to hold upright in the little tab mounts then get your hand into a v shape then push down hard in one motion. Don't be afraid to get a little forceful on it, Enfields are fairly robust.

[@cdfe3388]

I'm pretty fond of my Enfield No4. Of course mine is a T-model sniper conversion, so no chargers for me. But it's a fun rifle to shoot, puts a smile on your face every time you stroke the trigger.

[@bluesrocker91]

Lee Enfield rifles make such a distinctive sound.

[@rimsdad]

As you may of noticed with rimed ammo in clips there is an up and down side! Loads smooth with down and not with bottom up a little more difficult!

[@frycstyle3967]

sound of reloding is amazing

[@dougalmcalpine6804]

Polished out the black paint inside the stripper clips, soak the in gun oil then wipe all visible oil off. They will be really smooth to load.

[@kieranh2005]

The No4 isn't a SMLE! Rant over

[@shockwave6213]

It's short, it's got a magazine and its a Lee-Enfield. 😏 LOL But on that topic, I want one of each. I want a WW1 version and a WW2 version.

[@AirborneMOC031]

And the sling catches are on backwards.

[@Dan.50]

Nice rifles. I want one!

[@scottmcscottington5192]

Try Oiling the charger clips prior to use, after 60 years they tend to get dry and bind on the brass. The German brass 5 round chargers are still brilliant with no maintenance.

[@scottleft3672]

manny an old digger i grew up with had the ww1 version taking pride of place in their lounge room.

[@jegrkoya]

awesome

[@kodaspaws]

Brilliant technique with the trigger

[@lambdaexclamationpoint]

Woow... That's a beautiful gun

[@peterpayne2720]

great video, and I recognize that shirt. I helped come up with the name for that shirt. I love mine, its coffee brown. I'm only mentioning it because I am impressed to See someone I watch on KZbin wearing a shirt like mine.

[@bigghoss762]

First time I shot my Enfield and went to cycle the bolt my hand almost slipped off because I'm used to 90 degree bolt throws on my other milsurps.

[@samrussell4065]

As I understand it, standard practice was to keep five rounds in reserve- ie reload after five- so that you had an extra clip to fall back on in emergencies.

[@jaytonhawkins2872]

This is an old video but I can't help but point something out. The No4 is NOT an SMLE. The "Short Magazine Lee Enfield" designation was dropped at some point between the No1 and No4. A Lee Enfield No1 can be called either a No1 or an SMLE, but a No4 is only a No4.

[@hvdsyt]

He had trouble re-loading the magazine with the stripper clips because the clip should be inserted where it has the bottom bullet at the 30 angle(approx.), and the top one is parallel, OR as already mentioned, you can manipulate the first shell with your fingers. This rifle was also mentioned on the Military Channel that evaluated the "Top Ten" battle rifles of all time.

[@d00mch1ld]

I am unsure how true this is, but some soldiers would not charge the entire 10 rounds but rather work with 8/9 rounds. They would load 5 rounds, fire the first 1 or 2 round than load another 5 rounds. The reason behind this was the spring in the magazine could not push up the first round with a full 10 round magazine.

[@jbl5342]

I have never seen anyone do that "hold the bolt, shoot with the middle finger technique" but I could see how that could be a very effective way of shooting at close ranges.. like trench warfare... nice vid

[@tfbtv]

+Justen Lewis It has been taught for over 100 years. The British Tommy knew the technique well.

[@jbl5342]

+TFB TV Nice to know!! I've never owned any bolt action military rifles... but I've always wanted an Enfield and a Springfield.

[@staatsnoobNr1]

hahaha when the reloading is the hardest part you know youre a good shooter!!

[@NavySturmGewehr]

It just takes practice to get the chargers to feed into the magazine quickly and efficiently. I practiced with aluminum snap-caps, which doesn't fully prepare you for brass, because the brass wants to stick to the charger. Good run though! Once I get a bit more practice I'm going to give the mad-minute a proper run.

[@Dylan41292]

I noticed on the reloads he tried to reload them like a mauser stripper clip. I've found by pushing your thumb into the clip at the very base of the round slides them in every time. Also with it being a rimmed round, im guessing soldiers would put them into ammo pouches in a particular way so they knew where the rim was every time without fail.

[@gamesbok]

I understand the field practice of those issued with this weapon was to load 5, shoot a couple, load five more. This meant you were never without the ability to fire, and mag spring suffered less fatigue. Most mags work best when loaded to less than full capacity.

[@ZMikluscak]

So much for running & gunning. More like a Sunday walk, stop, and shoot.

[@DrGun-re1kd]

Impressive bolt work and good shooting. You likely have a lot of experience with the system.

[@darrylrossetti6496]

I was trained on this rifle in army cadets, I fell in love with it and is going to be in my collection one day.

[@mat4097]

isnt that the no.8 rifle in .22 us cadets use?

[@darrylrossetti6496]

Yes it was a .22, Canada is where I'm at. They don't do that anymore here. :(

[@mat4097]

+Darryl Rossetti oh damn? not even on a base w/ a range?

[@darrylrossetti6496]

+Mat YT (Spit 7) not anymore. gotta wrap the kids in bubble wrap so they don't get slivers

[@simjenlun]

damn ya reloading is fast and beautiful. Must be very fun to hold the rifle

[@McNubbys]

I have a Mosin, lift the tip of the top round on the stripper slightly and then push and you will get smooth loads:D

[@shockwave6213]

That doesn't work as well as it does with our Mosin Nagant clips. The clips for 303 are made to a degree that lifting the nose of the top round may well pop the round out of the clip. With good clips and rounds being loaded in the "Down, Up, Down, Up, Down" pattern like they state in the manuals, there should be no issues.

[@cragon12]

when using stripper clips try lifting the top round to get leverage on the rest of the rounds they seem to go in easier for me

[@m1911legend]

Or just dont use italian stripper clips

[@TechTwerpII]

I remember reading in the 1960s that the Royal Marines in WWII polished the inner and outer surfaces of their stripper clips with jewellers rouge and other extra fine abrasives, perhaps pumice, until they were as smooth as glass. ( I assume a lot of that was done using a wet cotton disc fitted to a lathe.) The British bootnecks claimed this speeded reloading and hence stepped up their already ferocious volume of fire.

[@babalonkie]

I would do anything to fire one of these again. BTW good job the on the cleaning, i see the action was running great this time.

[@animedude667]

idk if it's the area you're in or the camera you're using but the sound of the rifle has a very satisfying pop to it

[@roberthardenglens9429]

+Matt Stephens this tested was 308 nato.

[@BucketPukes1969]

The H in Birmingham is silent. Great video, you have a lot of skill with bolt actions!

[@l2a3sterling]

I noticed you can start the bolt between your index and thumb without moving your hand from the grip. I have seen some shooters removing the gun from the shoulder as well as the hand while working the bolt. Some bolt actions are positioned where you have to remove the hand grip to work the bolt.

[@kenking1228]

l2a3sterling qqq

[@blackairforceone]

First time I see someone shoot so well with a lee

[@Horizon344]

Wow yr good with the 303 😲

[@maxwellpowell4306]

The ww2 Canadian standard issue riffle that is also quite easy to clean, when compared to other similar riffles.

[@michaelmusgrave3124]

I want one, but I live in the UK. I can't ever have a gun my country created. However I have had the opportunity to shoot one, and it was a beauty.

[@michaelmusgrave3124]

Oh ok i didn't know that, I'll have to do some research then :)

[@roberthardenglens9429]

urr coutry didn' make all made in U.K. all done Indian

[@Aron-ru5zk]

Yes you can, my grandfather has an original one

[@angiefav1847]

Hi all, here in Australia after both world wars if you needed or wanted a 303 Enfield for hunting game the government denied a person form owning one a lot of lee enfield were converted into different caliber for this reason, funny how governments train a soldier put a gun in his hand give him a license to kill and when he returns home in one piece they deny a person ownership. But great gun l have two thankfully quick to cycle robust dependable what more can l say cheer from Australia

[@steamengineshooray]

YES MY LORDZ- British Grenadiers at the end~ THANK YOU FOR THIS GLORIOUSNESS-

[@leighrate]

You will find that the rounds feed properly if you get your thumb in the right place and exert exactly the right amount of pressure at the correct angle. You got it right with your third clip.

[@johndennis9090]

When I shoot my lend lease No.4 MK1 for speed I only use one charger at a time. Most of the time I just load one round at a time to prevent any kind of stress on the magazine spring. I'm trying to make sure that it stays in the same condition and working order that my grand father had it when he brought it back home to the US.

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

Lol.. that stripper clip always takes practice with these old Enfields... my issue one was a dream.

[@chickenpotpie2008]

With the rimmed rounds I found it easier to use your index finger under the tip of the top round and thumb them in

[@alecgeeson1004]

What a nice man