The Very First Troop Trials SMLE Rifles

One of the British lessons form the Boer War was that the distinction between infantry rifles and cavalry carbines was becoming obsolete. In 1902, they would initiate troop trials on a new short rifle pattern, intermediate in length between the old rifles and carbines, and intended to be issued universally to all troops. This would become the much-loved SMLE - Short, Magazine, Lee Enfield rifle - but first a few choices had to be made.
The 1902 trials rifles were a bit remarkable in being widely liked by the different troops that used them - only a few changes were to be made before formal adoption took place. However, there were two different patterns of the trials rifles, with different models of rear sight. The B pattern used a friction-locked range adjuster, which was found to migrate during firing (not good). The A pattern had a much more secure set of spring loaded locking notched, and would be chosen as the better of the two.
Despite a thousand of these rifles being produced for the trials, these two are the only known surviving examples. The remainder were converted in .22 caliber training guns around 1907, as their non-standard nature made them unsuitable for issue after the formal adoption of the SMLE MkI (later to be retroactively redesignated the Rifle No1 MkI.
/ forgottenweapons
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[@SteveBarna]

For those curious, the two rifles each sold for $31,625.00! Source: www.morphyauctions.com/jamesdjulia/auction/spectacular-firearms-auction/?aucSession=all&aucSort=1&aucCat=&aucMan=&aucCol=&aucSearch=SMLE&aucPage=1&aucPP=25

[@frankbs6436]

The Lee Enfield was still in service in the British Army into the mid 1980s as a 7.62mm sniper rifle. That's standing the test of time. What a wonderful pair.

[@DominicAmann]

The Lee Enfield was still in service with the Canadian Rangers until 2018, with rifles expected to be fully replaced this year by Colt C19.

[@Lowlandlord]

@@DominicAmann Was gonna say we used it longer. The Brits should have stopped earlier, it was never a great dedicated sniper rifle, it was replaced by a truly modern sniper rifle instead of just taking a rifle that shot well (probably due to being better fitted to it's stock) and putting a scope on it. In the Rangers, well paramilitary, they are more likely to use it to shoot a polar bear in defence than a Russian, does the job pretty well and serves in those Arctic conditions well.

[@allangibson8494]

@@Lowlandlord The strength of the Mark 4 T was the ability to hold zero regardless of conditions. It was better than the 1903 Springfield and the Mauser 98 at that due to the preloaded barrel preventing resonances. (If you want to ruin an SMLEs accuracy- cut the stock back or free float it, it's like shooting a Moison Nagant without its bayonet).

[@ericknutson8679]

so was the springfield 1903

[@sgtgewartsmith7992]

my eldest son did two deployments to Afghanistan where at one point they had a hostile ( from memory one of the Baltic states ) quite effective sniper working and was known by the fact he used a smle and not a more recent rifle

[@skyflier8955]

I love how your videos are more educational than "buy my guns!"

[@gaza1219]

One important factor that we are taught as part of regimental history (I serve in a British Yeomanry regiment which counts the second Boer War as a battle honour), was the shift in cavalry tactics as a result of the war. The vast ranges that were covered during the conflict meant that infantry regiments often couldn't keep pace with the more mobile front, as a result cavalry units behaved more as mounted infantry (historically more similar to dragoons). This formed the first overseas deployment for yeomanry regiments, as the need for cavalry increased. In order to function effectively it was recognised that carbines couldn't fulfil this requirement (the boer sharpshooters engaged at what was seen as "unsporting ranges") and rifles were standardised across cavalry and infantry regiments as a result.

[@colonelsanders104]

When I read the Skennerton, I did not imagine one day that I could see the rarest models presented in this book. A big thanks Forgotten Weapons Continue to make us dream. :)

[@robertsloan2877]

This comment is really funny when you read it in the Colonel's voice.

[@ollylewin]

Had the pleasure of spending some time with an enfield today. I was amazed at the balance of it. The main takeaway though was the quality of the bolt action. It still feels like butter all these years later. I was rather impressed!

[@NickRatnieks]

It makes me wonder what our 22 rifles were at my school cadet force? Sadly, I'm 51 years too late to check! I just remember spending plenty of time in the dark at the range practising for what was then called the Empire Test. You got a cloth badge of a rifle which you sewed on the sleeve of your battledress blouse. The marksman version- which I attained I think had a star on it. I wish I had kept that badge but I suppose it would have been lost by now if I had!

[@darthtruk7206]

Love me some lee-enfields!! So much historical value with them. Thanks for showing us Ian!

[@BennettIsAmazing]

As an Enfield fan you sure have been posting a lot of dream rifles lately Mr McCollum...

[@konnigkratz]

I am amazed these and others survived.

[@MrBioniclefan1]

I wish the number 4 Lee Enfield still had the SMLE nose cap.

[@gottjager760]

The No.4's bayonet is shit. Bayonet charges aren't a thing (at least for the more civilized nations) so make you bayonet with the intention of being a relay good knife (or a short sword as some of them are) that you can put on a gun.

[@axios659]

Those pieces really belong in a museum. Ian, great video man! Every single one is interesting, but this one is probably the coolest! Keep it up!

[@colb9916]

As always, you present a fantastic , historicly accurate video. Outstanding examples of firearm history. Thank you .

[@peterisaacs1344]

Many thanks Ian. Very well presented as usual and always a great choice of rifle

[@matthayward7889]

Bravo sir! Another spiffing episode

[@jeffreyfwagner]

Thanks for this video. I have an Enfield marked as 1906 with 1*** on the socket. It still has the bolt head charger guide. I am trying to learn what the wood should look like to make it close to original (good luck with that!) and your video has helped. Thanks.

[@jdgomez775]

In the great words of Dr. Jones, "It belongs in a Museum!"

[@SeanChandler067]

Excellent and informative as usual. I’d like to watch these in order of the evolution of these fine rifles. Could you please provide a sequence of the videos for me. Thank You.

[@Jayhawkga]

Hi Ian. I have a no1 mk3 from 1916.I lucked up and found a barrel from SARCO. I'm taking it to my gunsmith tomorrow. It will shoot straight again. I hope. Thanks for all of these videos about the Enfields.

[@DougieMClark]

Wonderful. I had no notion that such early Lee Enfields had survived . Many thanks !

[@51WCDodge]

Ahh! Thank You Ian. You have just explained why my rather odd .22 SMLE is why it is. That long Lee Metford bolt.

[@Birkbecks]

there were a couple of ways as mentioned the earlier the ballistic pendulum and there was a system using two discs mounted on a common axle at a fixed distance apart. the axle was rotated at a set RPM and the gun fired through the discs. If you set the axle with the first disc with the bullet hole vertical and measure angle from the vertical of the second hole and with the RPM and the angle you can calculate the velocity of the round

[@monkeywrench4169]

I do so love this channel. :^)

[@jayfelsberg1931]

Panting at the thought of having one of these beauties...my oldest is a RSAF 1917 Mk III^

[@Zajuts149]

After seeing so many Lee Enfield rifles in this round of auctioning, I can't help but think that this is from an estate of a collector that just passed away.

[@noblemortarman]

The rear sight on the B pattern rifle looks very similar to the one on the P13/P14/M1917. Interesting how it lived on (albeit in a much better position) as part of the rifle designed to replace the SMLE.

[@chickmanley921]

This is probably a question that has been asked before, but how would muzzle velocity be measured in those days without the use of electronics?

[@jastreb1081]

Math, I guess.

[@Cameron78961]

They would fire a bullet into a wooden block on a string and record how far it moved. The change in height would tell you the gravitational potential energy. From that and the bullet weight you can determine how fast it was going.

[@wingracer1614]

There was a pendulum device invented in the 1700s and in 1804 a French Colonel invented the first chronograph which used two spinning discs separated on a common axle. You would shoot the disc and use some simple math on the known variables (speed of the discs, distance the discs are apart and the angular displacement of the two holes) to determine velocity.

[@chickmanley921]

All of these replies answer my question satisfactorily. Thank you, gentlemen.

[@lynchlink01]

Chingiz Ismailov math

[@lmyrski8385]

It looks like these will need to remain on my wish list given how much they went for.

[@DNchap1417]

Nice addendum to BritishMuzzleLoaders SMLE video!

[@paralogregt]

First rifles i fired were converted .22 enfields on an army cadet indoor range, great fun for a 10 yr old.

[@rsajay6256]

Ian, just a quick pronounciation correction: Boer is pronounced as "boo" "er" as opposed to "bower" ;) love your channel BTW

[@RiflemanMoore]

Interesting that the magazine cut off was omitted on these trials rifles only to be reintroduced. I have a '50s made (for Rhodesia) SMLE or more properly No. 1 Mk III which still includes the cut off!

[@losonsrenoster]

I would like to see another rifle with as long a list of wars as the SMLE. Was the Boer war it's first? And has it seen it's last yet?

[@rsajay6256]

As a South African teenager in the late 80s and early 90s, we used the Enfield at Naval Cadets for parade drills, and usually also for our Gunnery Commendation Badges, where we'd use the Enfield, and Vektor R4. Though apparently the Cadets in the Cape province also used FN FAL instead of the R4 for their Gunnery Comm Badges. Of course once mandatory military conscription was dropped around 1992, Army and Navy Cadets also pretty much died off. The Naval Cadets Corps still exist, but it's superfluous these days.

[@ChristianMcAngus]

The magazine was only meant to be removed for cleaning I think. Imagine if the British had decided to make replaceable box magazines the main method of loading. Would have been quite a bit more faster than stripper clips.

[@bantabury]

More expensive too.

[@string-bag]

SMLE is my favourite military surplus rifle.

[@danpos1971]

Great video. But you are missing the fact that the older rifles out shot the SMLE trials rifles, until the front sight guard had light holes cut into the side of the guard. Then when the top was opened, the soldiers testing teh rifles shot even more accurate with the SMLE trials rifles.

[@etunimisukunimi4148]

Your videos are good

[@WB8BRA]

I have a British Enfield called the "Jungle Carbine." The barrel is shorter for jungle warfare. I got this Enfield in 1959 for 19 dollars. It came in box full of oil and stuff. What job to clean. It is a very fast bolt action rifle for sure. The main thing you must watch out for is loading the ammo. The rimes of the ammo have to be placed right or you cannot load the next round. Keep one rime ahead of the other to make sure you do not jam.

[@hardyakka6200]

You give very good information. I like your opinions

[@Theduckwebcomics]

My great great grandfather was there as an Australian Cavalry trooper. I suppose he would have used a carbine version of one of those and a sabre.

[@lukeyoungman8816]

Ian do you know if all the Indian SMLE rifles were used by Indian troops only or were they used by other commonwealth soldiers? I have a nice condition 1908 Ishapore and im in New Zealand. Just wondering how my rifle would have ended up in New Zealand

[@americanpatriot2310]

I know this is an old comment and you might've found the answer by now but most likely it was brought back by a soldier after WW1/2 however Enfields do seem to find themselves everywhere in the world so it's possible that the New Zealand Army found a couple in the desert

[@studabaker83]

Does anyone know if its possible to raise the markings on these rifles? The strap at the back of my receiver on my no4 mk 1 is a bit polished and difficult to read. Any help would be appreciated. Trying to research the rifle actually got me watching forgotten weapons. Love the info Ian.

[@dunxy]

Found out this week a mate has a SMLE in his safe, he paid $30 for it!

[@outinthesticks1035]

4 years late in the comment section , I can recall as a kid, adds in all the Canadian papers for lee-enfields at 14.95 each

[@wildcatindustries8030]

Ian have you thought about doing a video about the actual SMLE. Many people do not know what that rifle is and are profoundly misunderstood about British rifles besides the No.4 Mk1. I do own a No.5 Mk1 and a No.3 Mk1* (newly) and I have referred people to your video of the Jungle Carbine when I only owned the No.5. I would like to see a video, if short I wouldn’t mind, but it would be nice. Also since I mentioned both Enfields I own. Let me ask you a question (though I doubt you shall ever see this) do you have any concern with rear locking rifles in terms of safety compared to front locking as in Mauser, Mosin, and even the G1911 Swiss. I only ask this which is ironic I don’t trust rear lockers with much confidence even though I ended up by family with a No.5 and purchased a 1915 No.1 Mk3. I have grown a bit but I do have a feeling of hazard when shooting the guns, both with the 1945 and the 1915

[@FrancoisBourque]

I'm guessing anything beyond 600m with iron sights would be strategically used as what's it called? dissuasive fire or cover fire? We qualified at 300yds in the canadian forces and I tries 600yds once...4' x 4' targets are pretty damn tiny

[@justg6871]

Great video, wonder how it came about that the rifles would end up in america to be sold at auction.... hope the new owner gets to enjoy them for a long time

[@williamsimmons152]

Sears sold them in the 1950’s. for $14.00.

[@zoggy2]

Awesome Enfields too bad I can only dream.

[@hisdukeness3037]

Interested in seeing what these go fir

[@Se7enAte]

What is your job exactly? Is it just KZbin and you get permission from the auction houses to do these videos? Or do you go around promoting the auctions? Either way it's pretty cool you to see all these historical guns

[@krunchie101]

Se7enAte KZbin ad revenue and a patreon donation fund. The auction houses might pay him a little bit on the side for indirect advertising but maybe not.

[@328Watcher]

Is that lug on the B pattern in fact to allow the rifle to be carried on some sort of strap round the body?'

[@hekkenschutz]

thanks for the early morning knowledge to mix with my coffee Ian :)

[@steamengineshooray]

There seems to be a sharp increase in SMLE videos these days XD

[@ziploc53]

This is cool these rifles show the transition from Napoleon tactics to trench tactics.

[@yournamehere9928]

Huh, I've noticed that Ian has been doing a lot of SMLE videos recently. Not complaining, though. But it just seems like these rifles are attracted to the James D. Julia like a magnet. XD

[@daDuke42]

A Vietnamese Gai I think he tries to have a theme for each visit

[@mattorama]

Possible somebody is offloading a massive Lee Enfield collection.

[@nathanbarria7925]

Gun Jesus and hickok45 collab must happen!

[@norbertolagrava4734]

It seems the 22 lr conversion are single shot rifles , isnt it?

[@jessesands4099]

I bet these 2 beautiful Lee Enfield Rifles sorted out quite a few Boer Farmers during the Boer War!😒🔫🔫🤠🤠🇬🇧🇿🇦

[@richardbruce8111]

No NO these were not made before the Boer War ended---- they are the new modified rifle to REPLACE the several types that were in use during the war! Also the Boer farmers sorted out a hell of a lot of brit soldiers...sadly It was a shocking war, made even worse by religion ,politics, racism, gold & land.... just bloody aweful!

[@mattrodda1975]

One thing I've always wondered about the first smokeless service rifles (if that's an accurate way of putting it). Why was .303 settled on as a calibre (or 8mm, .30-06 or whatever - I mean a full powered rifle cartridge), when decades later it was found to be too powerful in practical combat situations?

[@mattorama]

Because they still thought volley firing at targets a mile and a half away was going to be a relevant tactic.

[@TJackson736]

Matt Rodda They are not too deadly, they are accurate beyond necessity. The rifle the US army went into Korea with were accurate out to 1000 yards and deadly out to 3000 yards. A modified version of the .30-06 is used in sniper rifles today. The change in tactics from volley and trench warfare to maneuver warfare were drastic. Gone were the days of standing off at opposite ends of the no man's land and shooting at each other. In Korea, the generals noticed that most engagements occurred within 100 yards. This means that the very expensive rifles that the Americans were using were too good. The rifles did not need to be as accurate or deadly at range. They changed their weapons accordingly.

[@mattorama]

Neither the rifle nor the ammo the US went into war in Korea with was "accurate out to 1000 yards." You need to spend a few thousand on a 338 Lap Mag rifle and as much on a scope if you want to be "accurate out to 1000 yards."

[@TJackson736]

mattorama You can hit at 1000 yards with a $500 rifle. The biggest drawback to the accuracy of most rifles is the shooter, not the rifle. The M1 Garand's accuracy is 500 yards according to the US military, but their definition is important. It is the range where the average soldier can make a shot. There were snipers that could regularly get kills at 1200 yards. The longest kill I have heard of was at 1500 yards. The 30-06 round is a splendid round that has a lot of energy and momentum. It is one of the most powerful rounds commonly used for hunting.

[@mattorama]

You can hit targets at 1000 yards with a $500 rifle, but it's going to be sheer luck because a cheap gun like that isn't reliable at that range, regardless of who's shooting it.

[@Lukegriz77]

Ian, with all these demonization problems going on around KZbin, how is Inrange and Forgotten Weapons doing?

[@marks_sparks1]

Lukegriz77 good question

[@Lukegriz77]

One Doomed Spacemarine check out H3h3 or TJ Kirk's channel for more info on what happened to the platform last week

[@Lukegriz77]

капіталістычны regardless, he made a good video on what KZbin has done in the past week

[@Lukegriz77]

One Doomed Spacemarine yea a lot of content creators have seen a massive drop in revenue these past two weeks

[@littleboyry1948]

I like this weapon also the kar 98 k

[@littleboyry1948]

Detective John Kimble so what? I can't just like it?

[@Caparco71]

Wow..... all I can say.

[@TheAngler2210]

does anyone know how these volley sights are supposed to function? and also, what purpose did they serve? some sort of miniature indirect artillery fire except bullets not shells? (given that 303 has a full upside-down u shape ballistic curve @ 2800 yards)

[@richardbruce8111]

With the clear air of the open country these "volley sights were a formidable concept! remember the Brits were often far away from their fleet enemies ,in India over a valley distant! a troop all firing could make things difficult for fleeing persons, especially their horses!

[@danielmc762]

What sort of dollars will these rifles be sold for? Any guesses?

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Well, the auction links will tell you the estimated values...

[@janjoubert7315]

I inherited one of these baby’s from my grandfather. That was used in the Boer Wars.

[@wheresmyirishwhiskeytullam4326]

Why aren't these in the Royal Armouries Museum?!

[@Orkneyshooter]

More to the point, why wasn't there one of each in the Pattern Room collection that was much later transferred to the Royal Armouries Museum? The only reason I can think of is that they may not have been type classified.

[@sadwingsraging3044]

If the seller is the person or ancestor of whoever it was that saved those rifles then they didn't get enough money for that deed.

[@ringowunderlich2241]

If you have seen every version of the Lee Enfield, you have seen the world ;)

[@DoRC]

I wonder how bullet velocity was determined in the early 1900s

[@Beaumont6]

Time it takes to travel a certain distance

[@DanielWW2]

Yea, the Russians/Soviets didn't go to a standard short rifle with one pattern of Mosin-Nagant for all troops. :P

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

Until WW2 kicked in, IIRC.

[@USSEnterpriseA1701]

Actually they made the Dragoon rifle (same length as a 91/30 with the older sights) standard around 1920 or so, they shut down production of the old M91 right around that time. Granted the M91/30 and Dragoon are longer than everyone else's short rifles, but Soviet Russia saw no reason to change the pattern that would justify the cost.

[@USSEnterpriseA1701]

The thing is, those were developed in response to changes in military needs. The M38 was meant to fill much the same role as the US M1 Carbine, it was for people that didn't need a rifle most of the time, it still found it's way to the front as all such weapons do. The M44 came about as the replacement for the M91/30. The Red Army put out a survey asking troops what they felt they needed to fight more effectively, the reply was more carbines like the M38, but with a bayonet. The war at this point for the Russians was mostly city fighting and the troops needed something smaller than the M91/30. The funny thing is, shortly after the M44 was adopted, it was slated for replacement by the SKS-45, which was itself replaced rather quickly by the now ubiquitous AK-47. Say what you will about the Red Army's gear and management, they were trying to keep up with and get ahead of the latest tech in small arms at the time.

[@USSEnterpriseA1701]

I never sad it did, just that it was slated to replace the M44. The year of adoption of the SKS was 1945, but the first known significant production was in 1949. It is plausible that there were troop trials rifles that did make it into WWII, and the design was mostly a scaled down version of Simonov's Anti-Tank Rifle the PTRS-41, so at least the design was there even if the SKS-45 wasn't. Remember also, that the AK-47 was adopted in 1947, but it took a few years before production got going, due in part to the trouble manufacturing the original stamped receiver. They only made milled AKs to get the rifle into production with a more acceptable number of receivers that failed to pass inspection.

[@royperkins3851]

Actually they kind of did the 1930 Mosin nagant replaced most of the old model square receivers rifles it was shorter and based on the the dragoon pattern rifle while they manufacturerd carbines they did universally do so until 1944 for a war time expenditure!

[@desantos1234]

would you ever be able to get your hands on an L1A1 SLR. I believe that's the only main service rifle of the British in the 20th century that you haven't gone over

[@commando552]

They aren't really all that interesting or unknown, as they are essentially just a FAL. Having said that, I suppose that they would be somewhat interesting to American viewers as I think that they are actually illegal for civilian ownership in the US aren't they? I know that a number of real surplus L1A1s were imported for LE use, but I think that they are illegal to transfer to civilians due to the fact that they are technically machine guns as all that was removed to make them semi only was the selector whilst keeping the sear unchanged. Even if the sear was removed, the receiver would still be cut to accept it which is enough for them to be classed as machine guns by the ATF, so the closest you will see are kit builds and clones.

[@yournamehere9928]

commando552 Wait, why would the L1A1 be classified as a machine gun? Unlike the original FAL, I believe it was semi-auto only.

[@commando552]

The British MOD decided that they didn;t require full auto in a battle rifle, so they changed the design to change the 3 position safety (safe, semi, auto) into just a two position safe/semi selector. However, the selector was basically all they changed, and some countries that used L1A1s or derivatives also had full auto light machine gun variants and you could convert a semi into a FA gun by just changing the selector switch and the trigger return plunger. In fact, you don't even need to change the selector to get an L1A1 to run in full auto, all you need to do is put a shim under the rear of the disconnecter of an appropriate thickness so that it will not catch on the hammer and the hammer will instead drip when the safety sear trips when the bolt goes into battery. It is the part that in this case is called the "safety sear" that makes the gun legally a machine gun, as without it if the disconnecter was disabled the hammer would just ride the bolt home and probably not fire. Receivers also have to have the necessary cuts to accept this part, so if they have the cuts they are also deemed as machine guns as they are more readily convertible.

[@yournamehere9928]

commando552 So a weapon that's not full auto can still be classified as a machine gun just by having a few features that are found on full auto weapons. tf

[@commando552]

A Vietnamese Gai They aren't just features that they happen to have in common like a pistol grip or flash hider, they are features that are left over components from when it was originally a FA gun. This isn't unique to FALS, it is the case with all rifles of this sort in the US. It isn't enough to just change the selector and remove the auto sear, the receiver has to be redesigned so that you can't simply drop in the FA parts for the ATF to not consider it a machine gun.

[@verfugbarkite]

love the vids, but that '0' is driving me mental.

[@MrBrentles]

All Go The 3eeee Ohhh

[@markpolly2574]

Hi Ian. How did they measure muzzle velocity in the 1800's???

[@ThePandoraGuy]

Hey lazy, 27 Minutes before you post this, there was a discussion here in the comments of how the meassured the MV before the age of fancy electronics.

[@markpolly2574]

You want people to subscribe to your channel but your going to be a dick! Good luck with that! My feed showed NO Comments when I watched Ian's video.

[@emilhajbert5326]

They had people with good eyesight to judge how fast the bullets were going #fact

[@ThePandoraGuy]

Yeah, i was i bit dickish, have you found the answer to your question yet?

[@thegoldencaulk2742]

+The Pandora Guy No you weren't being dickish, Mark Polly needs to take a chill pill

[@Scathsealgaire]

4:00 Not British Marines, ROYAL Marines :P I will ignore you calling the Navy just British instead of Royal Navy, they are merely the movement arm of the RM :P

[@twentyfifthdui4717]

So. A bolt action can be considered a "battle rifle."

[@abbasal-asadi9818]

My favorite rifle in BF1 ❤️

[@djmay5588]

I have a smle but the wood dosnt go to the end of the barrel is that normal?

[@paulshayter1113]

Dj May, You probably have a later model or unfortunately someone "sporterized" it.

[@djmay5588]

Paul Shayter It has eg with the crown so king edward ? And a 4 digit vin

[@paulshayter1113]

Dj May, I'm unsure of all the markings but King Edward would be EG I think. I don't know how many were produced with his stamp/seal since he abdicated the throne after only 11 months in 1936 (I believe) because he married an American divorcee which was considered unacceptable.

[@paulshayter1113]

Dj May, Sounds like you may have a #4 Lee Enfield. Do some research on the #4 and see if any of the models (Mks) look like yours.

[@nolo5654]

hey ian ! do you know what guns did daryl use at last episode of the walking dead? thanks already !

[@chobjinnugeert7309]

mlgjojkidkf its was a shitty custom AR15 with no sights, imfdb has more details

[@CarrotConsumer]

Might pick one up to put a synthetic stock on.

[@CarrotConsumer]

I'll give it to my grandson as a hunting rifle for his 8th birthday.

[@casinbound5894]

You take that back you heretic!

[@ihave_noidea]

I've had a full wood stock 10/22 since my fourth birthday. If anything the wood will teach him to care for it.

[@imvisier9925]

Genuinely one of the funniest comments I've read.

[@MeFee100]

Sporterized it with hacksaw. It will be chipper.

[@craigfurey942]

Best battle rifle ever fielded?........

[@danshaffer2890]

Best BOLT ACTION rifle. The best rifle over all is argued by many to be the AK47. Or some might say the M1 Garand, which I highly disagree with.

[@kylethedalek]

Dan Shaffer well the AK is the most produced so it's doing something right. And the Garand is good.

[@danshaffer2890]

kylethedalek The Garand is a great rifle, but I don't think it's even close to being the greatest battle rifle ever. Imo the M1 Garand is overrated.

[@craigfurey942]

Dan Shaffer Yeah forgot to put the bolt action part in there. I definitely disagree with it being the best bolt action rifle. Not a strong action and the cock on close can be finicky. I'm an advocate for the 98 Mauser action. I've owned both Enfields and Mausers.

[@kylethedalek]

Dan Shaffer maybe at its time, it was reliable, accurate and had good power. And it was a semi auto.

[@TheGotferdom2]

stop the best boltaction military rifle was the Madsen M47 Lightweight Military Rifle a boltaction for an attomic age

[@philhumphries4459]

Hi aka your vid always known SMLE to stand for short model lee enfield not short magazine lee enfield ? as per shorter rifle. the mag is 10 rounds ie the same length

[@DoubleyouCeeGee]

SMLE stands for "Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield" Notice there is a comma between the two. It refers to the rifle being shorter, while still denoting that it uses a mag; not that the magazine itself is shorter.

[@Dynasaur2010]

True, it was designated - Rifle, Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield.

[@A.Fred_Davies]

how in the hell did they end up in the states?? shame really, but then again over there they can be shot and used a lot easier than here in the uk

[@EvanLax95]

franklindudeacough you guys end up deactivating far too many guns for my liking. At least here the rifles have continued use

[@A.Fred_Davies]

that's the plus side, hopefull they will get use. Trust me if i could own and shoot full bore weapons over here legally I would

[@Coxy002605]

You can.

[@haroldofold3959]

You can shoot full bore legally; you just need to go to a gun club for a probationary period to get a FAC. The only thing prohibited is centre-fire semi auto rifles, so you can only have .22lr semi autos.

[@A.Fred_Davies]

Sure if your city or county has the infrastructure, which not many places outside the m25 does, and I'd hardly call 22lr a full bore cartridge.

[@wilmafingerdoo4120]

Does this take Glock mags?

[@thelegendaryklobb2879]

Welcome to another episode of Forgotten British bolt-actions

[@hellonearth-thehistoryofwa1270]

Bites Lip British Army, ROYAL Marines, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force.

[@agbrown111]

Nyt, Mosin is rifle Comrade.

[@litoneup]

the Russians never succeeded with anything. they just copied the great arm makers or enslaved men with a high iq.The automoblies , watches , architecture , instruments all are mediocre at best. The Brazilians make better shoes. the food is only worth small game. There women weren't even taken because they lived on roots.

[@tonlito22]

British Lessons from the Boer War: 1) Volley Fire at extreme range is the most important aspect of modern war. 2) Having a detachable magazine and only issuing 1 to each trooper is an optimal use of military resources. 3) Machine guns are a stupid fad that will never catch on. 4) Quick-firing short range field guns are much better than long rang howitzers. 5) A small army is sufficient for a total war, because the British Tommy will always breakthrough the enemy, and can then throw his civilians into camps. 6) British soldiers are perfectly capable of living off the land, and fatalities due to starvation among the troops will improve the initiative and zip of the remaining soldiers of the unit. Did I miss anything?

[@andrewwmacfadyen6958]

You forgot rule 303 -- put your own guys before firing squads to encourage the others.

[@excurrahee]

weren't the Germans kinda late to the idea of a standard, shorter rifle? I thought the 98K didn't get introduced until the 1930s.

[@EMASTER118]

"What sorts of lessons did the British learn from the Boer War?" to which one of the answers is "How to throw Australian troops under the bus and court martial them as dangerous colonials for following the order of British commanders who denied giving them whenever everyone figured out it was a war crime"..... But still, interesting video, looking forward to the next one

[@ForgottenWeapons]

You are thinking of, "what sorts of lessons did the British learn from watching Breaker Morant".

[@EMASTER118]

Don't get me wrong folks, they were absolutely murdering war criminals who decided to kill people out of revenge instead of in actual combat, but it doesn't change the fact that even the South Africans believe they were in cahoots with Alfred Taylor who got off because of a legal technicality

[@DougieMClark]

As the old squadies song says - Its the same the whole world over, aint it just a bleeding shame. Its the rich what gets the pleasure and the poor what gets the blame!

[@steamengineshooray]

The development of Rule. 303 ;)

[@Theduckwebcomics]

Breaker was British too man. People don't realise that. He emigrated to Australia but wasn't born here.

[@dreamingflurry2729]

Heretic :D - I haven't shot either, but there's a lot of MAUSER fans out there who'd take their guns over an Enfield ;) (and as a German I kind of would have to as well :) )

[@agustinromerosimon7704]

those rifles should be in a museum not in some guys private collection just saying

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Well, nothing is stopping a museum from buying them...

[@vanyasecundus4684]

I thought one of the lessons they learned was, "Don't wear bright red when fighting rifle-armed guerrillas in Africa."

[@alecblunden8615]

The troops who fought in the Second Boer War used the khaki uniform which was introduced through the late 1880's.