Pattern 14 MKI W (T) - The Best Sniper Rifle of World War One

[@donaldmeaker3627]

The best snipers today are the Canadians, who work in 4 man teams. No.1 is the sniper, No.2 is the spotter. No.3 and No.4 sweep the air in front of the bullet.

[@bryansmith1920]

Donald Thankyou you have taken my tactical thinking to the next level The Maxim machine gun introduced over the horizon fire that my GPMG could do with ease as they thoughtfully supplied a sight But to be able to snipe over the horizon WOW WHAT A

[@illiadmcswain3956]

Okayyyy...🙄

[@andrewduan5123]

hahaha

[@angelomastri1416]

You made a gun joke out of a curling joke. Bravo, good sir. Bravo.

[@mrkeogh]

Explains why they're so good. Also, when they hit targets they all say "Sarry!"

[@bensigl3766]

I inherited my Grandpa's M1917(R) in 30-06 with matching Bayonet. Whenever I take it to the range, military collectors never fail to try buying it. Lol, in great shape with an almost unissued bore. They shoot like a dream and destroy the 1903 Springfield everytime!

[@swiley223]

A decent 1903 shoots sub moa.....like the one made in 1912 that my dad got in 1957 for 35 bucks. I have a 1917 as well and it's been through hell but still shoots clover leaf groups too. Any good shooter can shoot either well.

[@tallen4520]

Mine was re-chambered to .300 H&H mag; should have took it on out to .300 Weatherby.

[@RidinDirtyRollinBurnouts]

Man what a treasure you have. I hope you pass it down through the family, it will only become more priceless.

[@smyers820gm]

Cool story bro……total bullsheet…but cool story 😂

[@georgewhitworth9742]

@@smyers820gm I'd be more likely to believe him then you at this rate

[@douglasmcneil8413]

I have a 1917 .30-06. And, I really enjoy comparing and contrasting other WW1 rifles. Thank you for the opportunity to view another wonderful example of firearms history.

[@davidwallwork3623]

When my grandad did his basic training with the Cheshire Regiment the P14 was just being introduced. At first nobody liked it but he did so well with it that he was promoted from boy bugler to sniper. He served until the armistice.

[@billb207]

The individual most responsible for improving the quality of British sniping during WW1 was Hesketh Prichard, who also made a name for himself as an explorer, author, big game hunter, and cricketer. He also invented the sliding loophole for snipers, and set up the British sniping school, both mentioned here.

[@LiamCarney-e6u]

I think he also made the Pritchard bayonet for the webley mk4 revolver

[@dbaider9467]

You are a great history teacher! Patiently explaining intricate mechanisms while also giving a very thorough background to these mechanical marvels. Your passion for this field is contagious.

[@jakeyje]

Never touched a gun in my life but theses videos are so interesting to watch

[@williambujold2724]

I dont like guns but I like mechanic and history so i'm enjoying this

[@jakeyje]

jjohnston94 more like what's wrong with the uk, gotta jump through hoops to get a 22 never mind a proper gun 🤕

[@jakeyje]

Joshie Doom maybe one day I'll have enough money to move out there, here's to hoping

[@kobzelfn9588]

Jacob Evans Agreed..........

[@brabhamfreaman166]

Jacob Evans ditto

[@phoenixrising4573]

Ian, thank you for the videos. My home is currently underwater from hurricane Harvey, my mother and grandmother in a shelter, and I'm barracked in a 911 operations center on a radio while we attempt rescue. The familiarity and enjoyment I find in your videos is a comfort right now believe it or not. Even some of our officers who are off are watching with me. Thank you for what you do!

[@6h471]

Remington built a lot of model 30, 30S, and 720 sporting rifles using the left over receivers of M1917's after the war. One of my friends has one in 30 06. Gorgeous rifle, the metal finish, bluing, and stock work make any 700 I've ever seen look like an el cheapo.

[@Jentypin]

Jesus christ that scope is a work of art. And the way it comes off? Ohhhhhhh!

[@AndyViant]

Needed a mechanism that didn't need rezeroing each time. Not like you get a couple of fouling shots in battle and an opportunity to re-zero on paper. Lets be honest though, minute of german head was probably good enough.

[@matthayward7889]

Great video, and made me chuckle at the thought of some poor sniper getting "really close up view of the steel rifle plate"

[@seanjoseph8637]

The British sniper training program became the model for most modern day western sniping programs

[@liampaterson3424]

I think the main training unit for all UK armed forces sniping was the Royal Marines, at least it was in the 1980s.

[@seanjoseph8637]

@@liampaterson3424 My understanding is that sniper training had fallen out of favour in the Army, but came back with a bang in the 2000's for obvious reasons, so while the RM's had a sniper school throughout, the Army had to restart a full training program.

[@george5156]

The best American shooters started in the early teens

[@SmD-ff5xd]

@@george5156 the 20 teens

[@nunyaf-nbizness]

One of the first guns I built when I started gunsmithing was based on a Remington 1917 action with a surplus Eddystone 2 groove barrel left in it's native 30-06 chambering. Fitted into a much modified Anshutz 22lr stock it became my first hunting rifle and with 165gr Sierra Game Kings and a 4x Leupold scope, it to this day, will regularly put 3 shots into less than an inch at 100yds. It also took my my first elk. A most excellent basis for the British needs!

[@billiemon]

Excellent rifle action to use in custom builds. I built a 458 Winchester on the P14 and both a 25/06 Wildcat 30 Gibbs on American P17s. The super strong actions were able to be polished up to work like a dream and the accuracy was perfect.

[@cantsneedgaming4591]

Lol that's depressing.

[@edwardhawkey5714]

My local Gunsmith built a 416 Rigby on a P14. It is a work of art

[@TheHalcyonTwilight]

Ah, British weaponry always makes me feel patriotic, truly our army marches with the best gea- *Suddenly, L85s.*

[@KerrickS]

Avensis Astari Well it's time to switch back to the number 4.

[@IISocratesII]

I can't wait for the day they finally bury that platform, it's an embarrasment to us, sure the newest iteration has worked the kinks out but it's inherently inferior to other platforms, just give up on the supposed need for a bullpup i say.

[@baker90338]

Or get an aug a3

[@xXBisquitsXx]

Bullpups have many advantages to standard designs though. not just longer barrel with a shorter overall length, but its easier to maneuver due to the weight being closer to your chest. sure there are downsides like slightly clumsy trigger pull but i would by no means call it inferior or superior, just different. most of its faults can be fixed whilst its pros are inherit to its bullpup design.

[@TheHalcyonTwilight]

*FAM-ass

[@chrischaplin8497]

Fascinating. My grandfather survived being a British WW1 sniper for 6 months when the average life expectancy of a sniper was 6 weeks. I would love to have a go with one of these to see how it handles against a modern hunting rifle.

[@Pvt_Badger0916]

When I was in the British army I did shoot alot being part of the shooting team I must say lee Enfield mk3 with a x8 mag scope was fun to shot the action was so smooth recoil was very easy but the range was amazing we were zeroing to 300m with 40mm group and hitting targets up to 1300m we did the same thing with most ww1 and ww2 era rifles

[@jasonfinck3993]

I really appreciate that Ian points out that the standards expected in marksmanship in 1917 were completely different from today's, with our high tech manufacturing that makes a 1.5moa laughable. It is easily forgotten that there was no computer guided machines that produced these rifles. All were manufactured and fitted by hand.

[@ScottKenny1978]

CAD/CAM makes the extreme ends of the range between best and worst a lot less, but best accuracy today still requires a lot of hand work.

[@thegoldencaulk2742]

P14, best looking bolt action rifle imo On a minor side note, apparently they did make a few Pedersen devices for the .30-06 version.

[@totpruegler]

The Gewehr 98 would like a word with you.

[@MrPanos2000]

Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.B Tiger II man that massive ugly railroad rear sight is not very aesthetic

[@totpruegler]

It's not ugly :V

[@Tunkkis]

MrPanos2000 does that matter if it works? A good looking rifle is a nice thing, but I'd rather choose function over form.

[@vaclav_fejt]

Rifle No.4 might object as well...

[@stephenshoobert5272]

I've read an article that said that the rifle was considered to have poor balance (top-heavy) to be used as a battle rifle, but was ideally suited for its role as a sniper.

[@charleswatson2088]

I wonder if gun jesus blesses every rifle that's auctioned off.

[@canceroushumor460]

Only the ones that have been forgotten, for the lambs that have strayed from the flock would need guidance from their shepherd.

[@idontwanttoputmyname403]

+5 holy damage

[@petere7197]

You really think he is overselling one of the best rifles of WW1?

[@LordKhyron85]

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost Gun, Amen"

[@CowboyAxe]

Gun Jesus- haha

[@johnjoe106]

At the moment I am reading about sniper during the first world . You video has given me a far better insight into the riles used. So thank you . I hope one day to be able to hold one

[@enesex]

Love my Eddystone P14 Enfield. I have the Trench bayonet for it too. Awesome rifle

[@vincentmueller3717]

In 1965 Service Armament ran ads in several US gun magazines offering "P-14 sniping rifles plus scope and case, vg,$89.95, good $79.95. Oh, for a time machine and some old cash.

[@LorD-rl7kc]

This is truly an amazing rifle, and I want one so badly hahaha. Love your vids man, keep up the good work :)

[@thelonewanderer9856]

Dale Egberr well it's going to be at an auction in September

[@MrPanos2000]

The Lone Wanderer as if we have a few dozen thousand dollars to spare for something that worths half that. Auctions are only for those that want something reeeeelly much

[@SluggerStark]

Get one. I have an m17....the American .30-06 version. Very accurate and dang near as quick to operate as the SMLE.

[@randymagnum143]

MrPanos2000 thank You! Your attitude allows me to buy items inexpensively at auction!

[@jgreystoke]

Slugger Stark, jealous, would love that rifle, or the P14. One of the reasons the P17/14 is fast vs the Mauser 98 or the Springfield 03 is the dogleg bolt knob, even though it is a magnum length action. Putting the bolt knob back means your hand moves a lot less to grab the bolt, and a lot less to reacquire the trigger, virtually eliminating two gross movements when cycling. The SMLE is very fast because of the rearward bolt handle, shorter throw, sixty degree unlocking instead of ninety. Great rifles. One of my Steyr SSGs(PIIK) has a swept back oversized bolt knob to achieve the same advantage...decades later. Definitely faster. Steyr didn't do this with my other one(P69 aka PI), took them a while to remember the lessons of WWI lol:). Stay safe.

[@REAPER1818666]

I learn more from these videos than any school or college lesson Ive ever had

[@Darelumga]

If you watch more u will understand more. Happend to me so, I am not obsessed with guns. I really like to know how something is build or how it functions. + there are often a cool story to tell.

[@three-stripes]

Skengis Khan If Ian was my teacher in high school, I may have actually learned something.

[@RyNsWoRLD]

to be fair, why would school be teaching you about guns? Or college, unless it was a specific military history/ gunsmithing course?

[@jgreystoke]

If Carlsberg did schools, they would be teaching you about guns:).

[@Bollymurs]

Probably should have paid more attention at school then. Only yourself to blame.

[@pinecone9619]

The action on those rifles is so smooth

[@89tonstar]

Kinda makes you wonder, some of the best snipers in the world made excellent kills with 2-3 MOA rifles. MOdern PSR shooters get upset when their 5000 dollar + rifle doesn't shoot sub .75 MOA inch groups. I bought my rifle from a guy who was not happy with his .6 MOA groups he was getting with tight handloads. I told him that he is right but I am concerned about it also so ill offer you half of what you paid. lol

[@mrkeogh]

It probably never occurred to him HE was the problem xD

[@moralmonster6444]

No amount of money can buy skill.

[@warshipsatin8764]

probably because most of their kills were made within 200 yards

[@IPusers]

2-3 moa becomes a problem at extreme ranges, if your shooting 3 moa at 100 then at a mile your really bracket firing

[@sorrenblitz805]

@@IPusers most people don't have targets to hit 1 mile or more out.

[@bryansmith1920]

As a Brit Army qualified marksman I am in awe of the First guy was a member if my memory serves me correctly of the 60th or 96th Rifles My memory lets me down I just remember the inspiration

[@tylergordon696]

this channel needs to be renamed to" this is why I'm broke."

[@DJHalfbarr]

For me: 'Reasons you live on the wrong side of the pond'

[@minuteman4199]

If you look after them, they are a good investment - If you can -part with them when you need the coin. I look at some of the rifles I have owned, what I paid for them, and what they would be worth now if I still owned them and it depresses the hell out of me that I don't own them any more. You might be broke now but your rifles could be the best investment you ever make.

[@chrisjones6002]

It's more like "this is how I spent my lottery winnings" assuming I first played the lottery and second won a substantial sum of money.

[@stevenbaker470]

Tyler Gordon so very true, me too

[@louisbeerreviews8964]

Tyler Gordon no

[@cowstable]

Thanks, Ian, for another interesting video. Keep it up! If I may add. It's correct a left-of-axis scope mount was disliked by snipers as awkward for shooting out of vertical loopholes. - A left scope mount would however not have posed a practical sighting-in problem on a left-hand twist rifle like a .303 SMLE. After the first 100yds .303 bullets would deviate left by 1" every 100yds. By 300yds, a 2" left deviation neatly converges with the offset scope's lateral axis. - Fast, sustained, aimed fire was part of the sniper's job description, e.g. suppressing enemy machinegun posts during advances, so hanging on to stripper clip use was a responsible tactic. A big question lingers: why did someone not just redesign (or simply left tilt) the loophole steel plates?

[@ScottKenny1978]

I would expect that the loophole plates were concreted in place.

[@Punisher9419]

I love brass on guns. It just looks at home.

[@davidmonitorfive5680]

I think it’s been over-polished. I suspect that telescopic sight was painted black in service. The last thing a sniper wants is the sun reflecting off a shiny brass surface. 😬😂

[@hal900x]

A real piece of history, and in such fantastic condition. I want it badly.

[@MyRobertgrant]

Ian might like a trip to the Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House Museum when next visiting The Royal Armoury in Leeds. Also we have the Webley & Scott Factory on the border with West Bromwich . But not certain if it has a museum attached.

[@chrisroothman2664]

Hi Ian, I live in Krugersdorp in South Africa and inherited a P14, not the sniper edition, from my late father. My late father was in business in a little town in the Western Transvaal named Sannieshof just after the WW2. A guy owed my father some money, which he could not pay and instead gave him the P14 in lieu of payment. Unfortunately, at the time there was a "movement" to make military rifles "sporting" by removing some of the original wood and other funny feeble gunsmithing attempts. Unfortunately this P14 was subjected to, luckily only removal of some wood and a sissy pad added on the stock. I did some research and found it was manufactured by Winchester as the serial number on the rifle starts with a W. It was interesting however to have noted no British markings on this rifle, but clearly stamped by the manufacturer on 2 places ( as far as I can remember as it is in the gun safe and I do not want to take it out now) the following: NOT ENGLISH MAKE. I have found that very strange. It would have been logical that it should be British surplus, as we were a British colony at the time of WW1 and WW2. I have tried to contact Winchester Rifle Coy several times, but have had no success. I would appreciate it if you have the knowledge to advise me the reason for the stamps, but really do not expect you to go out of your way to find out, if you do not know offhand. My son shot his first Warthog at 92 metres in 2006 with the open sight P14.. He was 16 at the time. The rifle still renders very accurate shooting. Love your channel and thanks.

[@tripoliwarrior3238]

It may have been an American production, post WWI. If it's a 30-06, that's definitely the American run. Up near the front site there should be a W and a MM-YY stamped. That'll help you figure exactly where and when it was made. But mainly the caliber will barrow it down tremendously

[@chrisroothman2664]

@@tripoliwarrior3238 It is a. 303 and furter investigations revealed it is a late WW 1 rifle.

[@TheMailmanOfSteel]

I have a M1917. It was a lend-lease rifle that eventually made its way to Denmark where it got the orange "30-06" orange band and a "M53/17" range card on the stock. It's an awesome rifle.

[@pgtmg624]

In the United States competition, M1917 was often installed BAR rear sights so they had more adjustment.

[@gregsutton2400]

Thank you Ian. Great video as always

[@celowski6296]

Another great vid... I've attended Appleseed project shoots.. Love that you're talking MOA and how hard it is to achieve it in battle... I encourage everyone to attend an Appleseed shooting project... Lots of neat shooting info to make you a better shot. Plus some American history to go along with sharpshooting..... keep the good vids coming...

[@mohammedcohen]

TGuy (about my age (68 now) about 10 years ago, brought one of these to ouir monthly collectors club meeting here in Lake Worth Florida....he said that at the time (most likely in the early 80s it almost caused a dee-vorce...he paid 10K for it...he also had the numbered can for the scope...

[@troy9477]

Very nice rifle. The scope mount looks solid and repeatable. With the 2 claws etc, it should return to zero. I can see why this would be preferred over left mounted scopes. I love my US M1917 with a very low serial number. It's a great rifle with better iron sights than anything else of the period. I haven't shot it much, but i have shot it enough to know how good it is. Sounds like the British made very good decisions in how to "kit out" these rifles. 1.5 MOA was pretty darn good back then. An exceptional iron sighted service rifle back then would give 2-3 MOA on average, with a very rare one (usually an M1903) doing a little better. Great video as always. Thank you

[@SluggerStark]

Troy Ortega I love my M17 as well!

[@RedXlV]

It's funny, if the M1917 had the same fine-adjustment rear sight as this sniper model of the Pattern 14, it might well have replaced the M1903 as the standard-issue rifle. The fact that it lacked such fine adjustments was something that the brass thought was important, since they seemed to not grasp that war is not the same as shooting competitions. We probably also would've ended up with 6-round stripper clips being made had that been the case, since there's room for a 6th round in the 1917's mag.

[@southronjr1570]

I have a M1 Garand that I have a non permanent side mount scope on it and have shot it out to 750 yards and have found that the offset doesn't affect that POI to any noticeable degree. Using a 12x50 Simmons I have found that with a 200 yard zero, at 750 yards that offset causes the POI to be less than 2 moa shift. I did notice a much bigger change using a 100 yard zero to the tune of around 4 to 5 moa.

[@robrosen7291]

To help the sniper,or any soldier, with iron sighted range estimation,the front sight was engineered so that a standing man at 400 yards appeared to be the same height as the front sight blade when viewed through the rear aperture. The designers at Enfield Lock didn't miss any details when designing the P13/P14. The same sighting arrangement applies to the M1917 US .30-06 rifles,and was carried over by the British in their No4Mk1 service rifle.

[@kathryntruscott6351]

I have owned two P14s... they were both accurate to about 1.5 MoA with decent handloads. Both of them liked the Hornady 150gr spire point in front of about 47gr of BL-C2 powder giving a bit over 2700fps. Deadly on deer sized targets.... Wish I still had them!...

[@drewgrimes8216]

I reckon you would get tighter grouping if you measured your chamber... only draw back bullet heads might not be seated deep enough to fit in the mag... thats assuming you didn’t already do that.. would be a very interesting rifle to load for.. big respect to you.

[@turbogerbil2935]

I own a Periscope Prism SMLE with the standard offset PPCo mount. As soon as you pick up the rifle and start using it, it is immediately apparent why the scope is offset - and it has absolutely nothing (IMHO) to do with charger loading. The problem with all of the scopes available in WW1 - German as well as Allied - is that the scopes have an extremely narrow field of view. In practice, what this means is that it is very hard to seek and acquire targets using the scope itself. In the WW1 sniping environment, they usually describe only having a split second to aim and take a shot. Even if you can see the target with the naked eye, it is difficult to switch to the narrow FOV in the scope. If you shoot on a military range with military targets - e.g. British No14 "Huns' Heads", against a sandy backdrop - you can see just how hard it is to acquire the target using the scope alone, especially if the targets appear at random locations. With an offset scope such as the PPCo No1, the scope is positioned parallel to and "eyes width" away from the iron sights. Thus what you can do is use the right eye and iron sights to come up on target as with a normal snap shot, and then switch focus to the left eye to take the shot through the scope. In practice, this is a very, very, fast and accurate method of snap-sniping. To add credence to this view, its worth remembering that No3(T)s with offset scopes in Alex Martin mounts were being ordered by the War Office as late as 1938: thus there had to be a valid operational reason why these rifles were desired in preference to the standard over-bore No3(T).

[@markasimmons]

Original left-mounted scopes for the SMLE are rare, as the mounting tended to be thrown away post-WW1 when armourers salvaged the scope for Army stores. I was offered a well provenanced Mk 3 SMLE with such a scope, back in 2012 for £3500, a silly price then, but a missed investment as I've recently seen examples in the UK changing hands for around £8000.

[@mockingstar6206]

Our Ian, who art in the US, hallowed be thy name; thy weapons come; thy will be done At the RIA as it is at the James Julia. Give us this day our daily videos; and forgive us for our bullpups as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not to misfires; but deliver us from jams. Amen.

[@andrewamann8855]

Sebastian Horst what do you mean "lead us not into temptation"? you do realize that most of these are for sale, right?

[@simonlamoureux5440]

Sebastian Horst "And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen" And lead us not to misfires, But deliver us from Jams. Bang Bang. ? Thoughts?

[@mockingstar6206]

Simon Lamoureux awesome!

[@andrewamann8855]

"Hail Ian, full of facts, Hiram Maxim is with thee. Blessed art thou among gun nuts, and blessed are the fruits of thy channels. Gun Jesus, knower of gun facts, pray for us novices, now, and at the hour of our malfunctions."

[@mockingstar6206]

EminemLovesCupcakes well the whole Gun Jesus thing isn't that new actually. 2-3 years ago Ian made a Halloween video where he dressed as Jesus

[@jonb77]

The side/lateral scope mounting was, I believe, quite deliberate. The school I was at, back in the 1970/80s, was founded by ex-servicemen from WW2. I remember a teacher who took us on scout activities (he had seen service in the jungles of asia) telling us how you would squeeze forward with your rifle sideways to keep your profile as low as possible. I seem to remember him mentioning scopes laterally mounted but I can't remember any details other than remembering that it made perfect sense to do so. However, from what you are saying about effective range capabilities of optics/rifles in WW1 a low-as-possible profile would surely have to have been a necessity in flat trench warfare with nothing to hide behind.

[@MikeM0331]

I've really been enjoying the sniper rifles on your channel. From this, to the PSG and WA2000 and FR-1. All pretty cool.

[@S4LtyTrIcKs]

Would love to see more on sniping, great stuff

[@seventhson27]

After Dunkirk, America shipped England a bunch of Pattern 17s (the 30-06 version of the pattern 14). They were used mostly in the "Home Guard" and had a red band painted around the stock so as to reduce the likelihood that someone would try to load .303 into them. I see these occasionally at gun shows. Alvin York actually used a p17 (and 1911) in spite of Gary Cooper using a 1903 Springfield in the movie. I once talked to a guy that said he used a P17 as a sniper rifle in Korea. He said it was "A very good rifle out to 1000 yds."

[@seventhson27]

Good quality Pattern 17's in original military configuration (somewhat) hard to come by. The receiver was one of the strongest ever built, and a lot of them were cut up to make heavy caliber custom rifles when you could buy them for $10 ea.

[@Mike-im5bo]

WOW!!! A M1917 rifle still being used during the Korean War! I am impressed. I would have thought they would have all been surplused to the civilian market or disposed of by World War II lend lease. I had a 1917, and I thought it was a fine rifle. I felt that the 17 was sturdier than the 03.

[@brianfuller7691]

I would agree with Ian. This was the best sniper rifle of WW1 and kudos to the Brits who learned quickly.

[@domEastCoast]

Britain have quite usually been paving the way in regards to sniping: first wide spread issue of rifles, training in skirmishing and sharp shooting, general sniping standards etc.

[@raider762]

Brilliant scope mount. Quick detach back in the day.

[@walkerprescott393]

I love my era p-14. Never took a shot out further than 400 yards, but was always able to do fairly decent groups with just the iron sights and ammo I had built for it .

[@dustinraymond9403]

Hello Ian, this is an old video, so im not sure youll see this, but I love your videos and your mission. whenever i get a new rifle, I check to see if youve done a video in it. I recently came into, you guessed it, a 1917. Its very interesting as ive never seen the quick detach scope it has on it, made by Oigee, Berlin. At any rate, Ive never had one in my hands before, and I was hoping, maybe, even though I will have sorted it out, and youre busy Im sure, you could possibly follow up with a 1917 complete disassembly? Its my favorite part of every video, and Im always impressed with some of the firearms youve figured out how to break down on your own. Thank you for your dedication.

[@johnwillis4706]

I bought two P-14's back in the 90's. Both are Winchesters one in 303 British the other in 30-06. The 303 rifle has it's scope, the other does not, I'm still looking for one with it claw mounts, the bases are on the rifle. They are excellent rifles and they were cheap back then, I gave $70 for each of them

[@cantsneedgaming4591]

Lol what a time to be alive I saw someone say this one sold for 10k at auction

[@Britishshooter]

Anyone interested in British sniping in WW1 should read "Sniping in France"| by Major Hesketh-Pritchard DSO MC. He started the concept of training schools or British soldiers in WW1and his book is still required reading for all arms of the British arm forces sniper candidates.

[@CHAMBEREDin308]

Thanks for the upload, I enjoy the knowledge

[@optiTHOMAS]

Beautiful rifle and in great condition! A true piece of art and history!

[@scottbuckley6578]

I got a sporterized p14 handed down from a friend that passed away and man what a well built rifle and kicks like a horse. One thing he was planning on doing to this rifle was having it rechammbered in 338 lupla

[@danielbeck9191]

Great video!! thank you very much!!!

[@RabbitusMaximus]

...and so Gun Jesus did preach in the British temple, “Do not think I come in peace, for I bring not peace, but an Enfield” -and all rejoiced. +5dmg #holyrelic

[@davo2003hd]

I'll take 2, please. Ian is a international treasure. 🍀

[@alfie9486]

Interesting vid but you say the sight can be adjusted out to 1000 metres. While we Brits use the metric system, we have only done so since the early 1970s. So those increments are probably in yards.

[@schottiey]

alfie9486 Thank you for your comment, I just bought an SMLE last week and I assumed since it's British the sight adjustment was meters, using the rifle as an American will be a whole lot easier now, knowing it's in yards.

[@GremlinSciences]

schottiey The units are a bit different, even if the names are the same. The American unit is a bit smaller.

[@fullretardcustomguns837]

@@GremlinSciences that's not what your wife said.

[@basilpunton5702]

The difference between yards and metres is small. In action situations a lot of the calculations of range are estimates not done with a range finder. These would be done with some foreknowledge of the area. Most sights were using increments of 100, so the estimates and actual range did require some sighting adjustments.

[@MyRobertgrant]

Firstly WE AIN'T BRITS , and secondly though we do sue the metric system us oldies have no idea what a meter is, other than for telling us how much electricity and gas ( not petrol ) we are using. What was wrong with the yard ???.

[@kdkerr2]

The P14 Enfields and the P17's [in .30-06] are considered by many gun gurus to be the best bolt action rifles fielded in World War I. They are actually a product improved M98 Mauser. The aperature rear sight makes them more accurate then the SMLE, the 98 Mauser, or the 03 Springfield. Also another advantage they had was that you didn't have to forge the bolt handle downward when converting it to a sniper rifle with a 12 o'clock scope mount as you do with a Mauser or Springfield.

[@althesmith]

A friend of mine has a sporterized P14. Nice balance, very simple action and safety.

[@milgeekmedia]

...Sooooo, what happened inter-war leading up to WW2? Were these still inventory at the outbreak of WW2? And if so is there any documented cases of their deployment in - for example - France in 1940, or elsewhere? Great video, thank you.

[@willielongbotham7156]

Online search will show that they were used by many countries, the Korean War for instance.

[@shanemoore8055]

i bought one of these in Australia in 1981 for $80,they used a 303 cartridge

[@spannaspinna]

shane moore them jungle carbines and Swedish mausers couldn’t give them away lol

[@ProtesttheAntagonist]

Shouldn't the left/right be the other way around at 3:20? If the scope is on the left, then the bullet will be coming from the right and going left, so short range to the right, long range to the left.

[@spencerhurley8359]

3 MOA given a detachable scope with varying tolerances is not bad at all. Consider the zero shift just from the optic being detached a reattached.... not to mention lack of match grade ammo.

[@basilpunton5702]

Interesting comment about the British introducing the two man teams. Billy Sing who was called the sniper of Gallipoli usually was part of a two man team.

[@williamprince1114]

Hmm ..... I had a 1917 in 30-06 that was set up as a match rifle by some unknown gun smith with that same rear sight. Used it for two years in DCM competition back in the late 80s. As much as I wish I still had those guns but even more so I wish I had the eye sight I had back then.

[@willielongbotham7156]

In Britain post WW2 it was the favored rifle for modification to target shooting, and rebarreling to 7.62 when it was adopted, with vernier sights it was a great rifle.

[@MyRobertgrant]

Basically the rifle you see in "Dad's Army". It was issued to the Home Guard issued in both .303 and .0-06 calibres . I believe the latter had red bands painted on the butts to identify that they did not fire standard British standard ammunition.

[@samhouston1288]

I have a Husqvarna in 9.3x57 Mauser with an offset scope. I did exactly what many British soldiers did. I zeroed the scope with a couple inches of offset so that the windage would always remain the same at any distance.

[@Neitherreal]

You mentioned the Bannerman, family and I was curious if you may do a video on them and the castle in upstate NY. I grew up in that area and know some of the stories as well as the famous fire and explosion of his armory. I would love to know more.

[@a_shuchu_601]

Ian, thanks for the video! Any further info on those books by British snipers?

[@MervynPartin]

My first full-bore rifle was a Winchester made P14, re-barreled for 7.62mm Nato with aperture sights and it was reasonably accurate up to 1000 yards, but I replaced it with a Lee-Enfield No.4 and I found that much better, but it is all down to the user's preference. I was disappointed with the weakness of the P14 extractor spring

[@sergiousera4905]

That scope looks so much like the Hensoldt Weltzar dialyt 3x!

[@NightStalkerDNS]

I have a Pattern 14 Winchester variant. I would really like to know the full history of it. The stock, etc is in similar condition to this 1. It is not standard, the rear sight was cut off for a more "modern" scope to be fitted. A swift scope. It has a W 4digit serial number. Number is below W 8000. But has all the rest of the barrel and bolt handle markings, etc. And even today, I can still shoot that thing pretty accurately at 100meters. Wish there was a way to figure out it's history

[@chuckebbs7541]

Your videos are awesome

[@bazilcat382]

on the no. 8 rifle that brass disk on the stock is used to signify a barrel bulge, i have a feeling this will carry over to this rifle, it would be interesting to see down the bore to confirm.

[@828enigma6]

If I might ask, why wasn't production of this type rife continued into WW2? While the SMLE was a serviceable battle rifle, it just wasn't a precision long range weapon.

[@rvieira8057]

The SMLE was very a good battle rifle, actually. On the other hand, the P14 and its US sibling, the M1917, could form the basis of a perfected bolt-action service rifle in the interwar era; I fully agree. Winchester did play with the concept though.

[@57WillysCJ]

Ian has been selling blood regularly to buy this after he first saw it. I wonder if they blackened the brass in the field? Then again back then I can see some officer making him shine it every time he got back.

[@johnmarotto5115]

Great video but a couple of errors.First,the scope did have windage adjustment which could be adjusted in the field .It had a special lens in the front which could be rotated.As the lens was wedge shaped this had the effect of moving the image in a circle. So left and right adjustment was achievable but of course also altered the elevation which was then re-adjusted . A horrible method but it does work eventually.The other error was the scopes were fitted by the Periscope Prisme Company. No such animal as the Charismatic company! Where did that typo come from! Tony M,UK

[@WachtAmWeb]

A lot of Brit WW1 snipers used Canadian Ross rifles for their greater inherent accuracy, too.

[@jonb77]

I think the British also "used Canadian (snipers) for their greater inherent accuracy, too. ;-)

[@aarondevaldez9134]

I've heard some sources (namely old library books) cite the Ross Mk. III as the most accurate of all WWI sniper rifles.

[@matthewfindlay2242]

@@jonb77 Canadian snipers were no better than British snipers .

[@jasonbloho8015]

matthew findlay false. The Canadians, NZ and Australians had a much higher likelyhood of even getting into the british sniping program.

[@kingsarues1586]

Australian snipers outperformed British snipers by miles and they still lose to the Canadians. but we did have the worst rifles out of the bunch since we had to rely on Martini Henry’s and other variants of the Martini receiver. it could blow a hole through Turkish snipers behind light cover but it was sluggish and slow. Well until that’s until we got access to surplus sniper rifles from the British.

[@kyleno4mk27]

Very cool!

[@stockingsstuffer6302]

I thought the offset scope was to lower the profile of the marksman's head. And as a side note, this is a fine feat of British engineering. I would love one as a hunting rifle.

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+The Warden Do you have any documentation to support that?

[@stockingsstuffer6302]

Forgotten Weapons The scope thing? Just what I've heard around on the internet, no specific sources.

[@cowstable]

An offset scope does however lower the shooter's head, does it not? (Different of course to conclude that this was why it was opted for.)

[@spannaspinna]

There is still some p14’s getting around in Australia saw a 303/25 one the other day

[@hailexiao2770]

@@cowstable By maybe a centimeter or two, not really enough to make a difference. The stocks aren't adjustable anyway so shoulder positioning greatly limits how much you can drop the shooter's head.

[@Rigzly23]

This and a WWI German sniper rifle are my dream guns.

[@gabrielg1-994]

Amazing high quality content.

[@Dave-si2im]

Very interesting and informative video's, thanks

[@ThePandoraGuy]

I'm totally biased towards the Mauser rifles, but the P14 is a fine piece of WWI tech.

[@donmason356]

I love your stuff but I wish you would discuss and show the diff cartridges that were used in these military variants. ya I know this is years old

[@jeromehealy421]

Has anyone ever heard of a 1917 Eddystone made in .303 British? It also has marking for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)

[@GunnerAsch1]

Jerome Healy Yes..its the p14...the original version.

[@jeromehealy421]

We have determined it is a .30-'06. The .303 info came from somebody we both had thought to be an absolute authority but in this case he was wrong.

[@TheKodiak72]

P14 is .303, M1917 is 30-06.

[@dukecraig2402]

The "Eddystones" were actually Remingtons, they were marked Eddystone for the purposes of identification in case of rifle failures (which never happened) so the batches could be seperated, Remington built the rifles at the temporarily defunct Baldwin Locomotive Works in Eddystone Pennsylvania just outside of Philadelphia.

[@randymagnum143]

@@jeromehealy421 it should have a big orange stripe around the forearm, stenciled "30/06" along with Canadian broad arrow marks

[@frankatchison1617]

Thank you Ian.. I have a P14 w which I have used for a hunting rifle for many years. The only problem is like most old military rifle's someone sporterized the stock, but the complete action and sight's are intact. My question is-are there any stock's for this rifle available anywhere? And were they ever reproduced? Mine is the iron sight Winchester varient, not that it matter's.

[@GunnerAsch1]

Civilian stocks can still be readily had for the P17 and able to be modifed for the P14. Military stocks however..are pretty rare these days. You will find them in the firewood bins of gunsmithing shops from the 50s-70s

[@neilb1619]

Frank Atchison, get in touch with ‘Fultons’ gunsmiths, located at the National Shooting Centre, Bisley, UK. They MIGHT be able to help you...

[@edm240b9]

Did the Type 97 and 99 Arisaka rifles have the same side mounted scope problems as well?

[@creanero]

Do you have any information on when those rifles were surplussed to the US? That rifle seems to be in rather good condition, but the Irish Defence Forces has a reputation for holding on to kit until it's completely run into the ground, especially as hand-me-downs to the Reserve Defence Forces. My dad tells me they were still using a lot of .303 gear into the late 80s.

[@ringerman1991]

In the 1950's apparently.

[@thetooner8203]

Sniper rifles would tend to be well looked after, and not actually going to war with it helps, too.

[@alexandruianu8432]

I think you got the offset the other way around when talking about offset scopes. Closer than the zero you'll get the rounds hitting to the right, and farther it's to the left, unless you zero with an offset, which means that the hits are always to the right.

[@cowstable]

.303 rounds were fired with a left twist rifled barrel. After 100 yards, for every 100 yards the bullet would drift 1" left. A left offset scope with its lateral sight line parrallel with the barrel (if offset by an inch to the left), will have the bullets hit its point of aim at 200 yards, and 1" left of its point of aim by 300 yards. A left offset scope offset 2" left of the barrel, if parallel mounted, would have bullets cross its sight line out at 300 yards.

[@frederickking1660]

I saw a p14 that may have been a sniper variant. It had a strange mounting block on it. I know where there is another standard one that i will buy someday.

[@Mitchmeow]

Francis Pegahmagabow used a Ross, which just goes to show that it takes more than a great rifle to make a great sniper. I wonder if he ever got his hands on one of these bad boys

[@JACKSONLEWISOFCANADA]

the other reason for the offset is a stronger peice of the rear receiver on a rear locking action......... not all of them were doen that way or even as far over as some.... some gave just enough room to use clips but even look like they are straight...... the side mount also give ability to easily use the irons on the rifle which in closer quarters which british snipers did get into was an effective idea........ It was not perfect in every aspect but easy to compensate for....... especially once a scope and mount were actually made for the set up....