Long Lee-Enfield to Mk.III SMLE: Some Changes (But Mostly The Sights)

[@colinarmstrong1892]

Love the optimism of the volley sights

[@UnboundxVideos]

7:08-7:28. That is what pure happiness looks like. Good on ya Bloke!

[@johnmoloney9494]

Thanks mate. Just acquired one answered some of my questions.

[@jonwoolhiser9427]

Well done, thank you for the insights into divergent tactics between Boer War combatants.

[@mannys9130]

I really love your videos. Pure facts and practice.

[@keithwarkentin]

Thanks that was really informative I didn’t know that the wind sight should be at zero I thought that it was there because the front sight wasn’t adjustable but I will have to take a closer look but I love the 303 I wanted one because I am proud of our heritage it’s a great example of excellent engineering 😀🇨🇦

[@Carstuff111]

New to the channel, and this is the first video I am watching. Have to say, do not be sorry for the noise, you are at an active range, which is awesome, no worries :) And I should add, I just subbed :)

[@myparceltape1169]

I don't know why he complains about the gunshots either. It is natural background audio and quite acceptable to me. However, what he might be able to do is to record Voice on one channel and Background on the second channel. Then listeners could adjust to taste.

[@zachariaszut]

Definitely interesting... and definitely geeky.

[@renardgrise]

< an interested geek

[@matteoveneruz9096]

My Nonno (who passed a way a few years ago) left two SMLE mk 3 with us as well as a Ross rifle. Now I know from history class that Ross rifles sucked in the war. I’m more interested in the SMLE’s. My dad tried to sight one in last year without any success so I’m not sure if the wind gauge or something was turned but I want to figure it out as I’m finally going to be getting my possession and acquisition license.

[@ThatWolfFromHyruleGaming]

Nice shot, man!

[@bilsib53]

The windage adjustment was continued after WWI by BSA who were manufacturing new full spec MkIIIs until the beginning of WWII, my one is dated 1939.

[@brianives4809]

Like the mag cut off , removed later but single shots then a fast mag make other side think twice. Bit like the FN / SLR L1A1 standard 20 round mag all used to it so we used to use 30 FN HB support weapon mags! think about it!

[@daviddirom7429]

Always love your videos, or am I jealous of the weapons your shooting? Maybe both lol

[@thepom572]

Woo hoo more SMLE geekiness!

[@jonathandavenport2500]

GREAT videos!

[@Treblaine]

Volley sights when the regular sights adjust to a range equal to 1.5km? Was volley fire ever even relatively effective at ranges beyond what the normal sights could adjust to? I know once machine guns were around, they were pretty good at firing such cartridges out to such long ranges.

[@BlokeontheRange]

Even super-long-range engagements seem to have mostly (exclusively?) been at ranges that the normal sights went to. At Omdurman, one unit opened fire at 1600 yds, which is on the normal sights.

[@samiam619]

Bloke on the Range But did they hit anything besides dirt?

[@Treblaine]

@@samiam619 i know at least one case from the Second Boer War where British forces suffered terrible casualties when a trench they were fighting from came under "enfilade fire" (see wiki for details) and that was from very long range.

[@oml81mm]

Just my opinion but "volley fire" at super long ranges was used by a platoon or group of soldiers and controlled by an officer or NCO. It was essentially suppressive fire into an area rather than aimed at an individual. The platoon (or group) could dominate an area in the distance, perhaps achieve some kills and certainly put the wind up the enemy. It would take good discipline to deliver it successfully and even better discipline on the part of the enemy to avoid being severely disorganised. No idea what the manual or doctrine said BTW, Just my thoughts.

[@inspecteurjohnson2548]

I was wondering why they bothered to develop a p14 rifle if it wasn't more accurate than the smle (according to what you say on facebook) Now I sort of undeestand with the inaccurate sights of the mle mk1 and the round bullets. Was there something else that made them want to develop a more accurate rifle that wasn't that much more accurate ?

[@inspecteurjohnson2548]

Thanks a lot

[@Jkl158]

Why did the British want a Mauser action in the p13? Was the enfield action not good enough for the experimental ammo?

[@rjfaber1991]

+Bloke on the Range - I know you do informational videos and not sketches, but it would be hilarious if you were to do one where you just walk up to people going about their daily business and shout MAUSER!!! at the top of your lungs...

[@JR-ix6ox]

My dude said “it dont always be like that, but it is”

[@F1ghteR41]

7:38 I don't get why it is an 'ultimate development of tangent sight'. I was under the impression that this title belongs to the ZK-420 or SAFN with apertures instead of notches. Fine adjustment does not seem to be that necessary given the scale of range and wind speed estimation mistakes generally made by regular shooter, not to mention a soldier in the heat of the battle. 10:35 Well, herein lies an interesting comparison - RPDs and RPKs (and PKMs and PKPs, since nowadays they are squad-level guns) also have similar wind gauges for the very same reason - two well-trained shooters in the squad (DM and MG) were to handle the long-range combat.

[@Voelund]

SBAM, SBAM, SBAM, Lee-Enfield, SBAM, SBAM, SBAM, ogival bullets, SBAM and SBAM?

[@cavscout888]

Bloke, soloing the 50th Battle of the Isonzo.

[@brendanmuscat867]

That must be an early SMLE as the volley sights were deleted among other things on the years that now go hand in hand with SMLE history like the ww1 and ww2 years.

[@sqike001ton]

Wasn't there a consideration for the ladder style sights on the original Medford lee rifles and magazine Lee's over a leaf style due to cavalry scabbards and the fear of damage to the sights if they used the leaf style which can get stuck in the scabbardand bent if the soldier didn't lower it to battle notch before placing it into the scabbard so they adopted a ladder acrossed the board for all rifles as it was less likely to get bent I could also be getting this confused with the American kreg Jorgensen rifle I've been looking into booth recently and might have mixed them together

[@waynemcauliffe-fv5yf]

Our Aussie blokes used them too mate

[@brianives4809]

Is it possible to cover the .45 acp Lee Enfield Silenced Rifle

[@russellwarren9595]

next time can you ask the other guys using the range to shoot quietly? ;)

[@Daniel_McGarry_Paolini]

What's the best way to store an smle mark III? Is it worth trying to polish the wood to remove scratches?

[@Robotack1]

Any chance of an SMLE zeroing video? Is removing and replacing the forend metal between each adjustment to the front blade the only way? Also, since we're being geeky, how do you remove the carbon buildup I noticed on top of the bayonet notch? I find that even using carbon solvent it's still extremely difficult time shift. Thanks

[@randymagnum143]

How much does moisture and temp. Affect poi in these rifles?

[@antonymitchell3385]

Could you look at getting a cheap lapel microphone, to reduce the ambient/shooting noise? I understand that reasonable quality ones can be fairly cheap these days?

[@johnhiers9405]

Bloke. Is there a way to tell what base and rear sight assembly is used for mk6 ammunition? Are the bases the same all the way through and only the rear sight slides different? Thanks!

[@BlokeontheRange]

The slides are the same, it's the ramp profile that's different. Mk.VI ramps are taller. But they're extremely rare to find on an SMLE.

[@johnhiers9405]

@@BlokeontheRange that’s what I was thinking. Is there a way to tell the bases apart when buying online or is it hit or miss? I have a smle project coming up and would like the mk6 ramp

[@BlokeontheRange]

You'd have to eyeball it, unfortunately. There's a side by side photograph in Skennerton's book. The early Mk.VII ramps have a "VII" stamped on them, but I'm pretty sure they stopped that fairly quickly.

[@johnhiers9405]

@@BlokeontheRange i see. Thanks for the replies! Love the channel

[@martincorbitt1979]

I would like to buy both of them!

[@jarradwilliamson8819]

Hey mate, does any one have info on how to zero a smle

[@BlokeontheRange]

There's nothing special about it - longer sight to make it shoot higher, shorter sight for lower, drift it sideways for windage, done :)

[@jarradwilliamson8819]

@@BlokeontheRange ok, I'm new to shooting, just got a lithgow smle and just stunk it up at the range, but shooting standing at the property I did fairly well, like you videos by the way mate

[@dalanwanbdiska6542]

Are you sure? I thought if you had a short front sight it would shoot higher and lower the sight it shot higher. Or maybe im wrong I dont know

[@PDShredz]

i'll show you my long Lee-Enfield

[@wrxs1781]

Well done, I suppose in the UK these rifles would be classed as WMD!

[@zombieapocalipse2020]

WRXS nope very common and still a favourite amongst British shooters

[@alanpassat6759]

Well loved, appreciated, respected, understood and shot competitively.The Enfield is seen as the second Excalibur.

[@CandidZulu]

Why do American military rifles very often have apertures, and European open sights?

[@deepbludreams]

I can't find a very good source as to a reason for that, but i reckon it comes from the 1917 Enfield and then the M1, then the US never settled for anything less after these two, even putting an aperture on the 1903 that used to have open sights.

[@wjsnow2195]

American rifles tended to be adjustable for windage as well, where as European rifles typically were only really capable of being adjusted for windage by moving the front sight or something similar. The only thing I can think of is that the US has always been on love with it’s own myth of the American rifleman and therefore put a huge premium on accuracy above all else. The aperture sights on the 03a3 are a little too small for combat use especially in low or bad light as are the sights on the Garand. Don’t get me wrong the open not very adjustable sights on Europe’s rifles drives me crazy, but they seemed to work fine for combat work.

[@SinginShooter]

^ You mean the 03, not 03A3. Funny that standard apertures for 03A3s, M1/M14, and M16 are called target sights, yet National Match ones are smaller.

[@wjsnow2195]

HRB no the 03a3 has aperture sights and the 03 has open sights like shown here on the Enfield. But that’s true, apertures have gotten larger for regular use over the years to the point that a firearms engineer working on the 03a3 would’ve had a heart attack if he’d seen the size of the larger aperture on the M16a2 I went through boot camp with lol.

[@dubsy1026]

I think we can amend it so Britian is included in the America category, the later No1s and of course the No4 had apertures, and the SMLEs up to and including the MkIII had windage.

[@Smarterthanyou-mthrfkr]

My smle is my fave rifle

[@kevinofishero]

I’m a bloody good cameraman...

[@b.griffin317]

geeky is good.

[@alanpassat6759]

That Long Lee is screaming to have an ACOG fitted

[@robertl6196]

The single dislike must be a Boer.

[@bryanhurd9955]

Robert L Naaw Boers knocked the crap out of the poms,they wouldn't care,

[@bryanhurd9955]

Robert L Naaw Boers knocked the crap out of the poms,they wouldn't care,

[@Savage-vi4ry]

First