The Lee Enfield Rifle - over seventy years of service. February 2021.
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2021
- The Lee Enfield rifle, in its many forms, saw service with the British and Commonwealth Armies for over seventy years. In this month's Hutted Histories talk, Taff gives a brief overview of the evolution of the rifle.
Thank you for a great tour! I restored a 1916 SMLE No1 Mk III* with a new old barrel and it took a long time to fix the draws but now it performs beautifully. I marvel at the technology of that time, and remember my great grandfather and great uncle who were in the Royal Irish Fusiliers in WW1, my great grandfather surviving but my great uncle KIA in the attack on the chemical works near Fampoux France during the Battle of Arras April 1917.
Mine now! That is all I said way back when taking my Grandfathers 1912 Lee/Enfield in my hands. No joke! I hunt to this day with it. Food in the freezer. Never jammed or misfired. It can still accurately over a mile within 6 inch radius. It did and continues to be one of the most reliable front line weapons of war.
Hi from Canada, I purchased a .303 Mk 4 in 1975 in Nfld Canada for 45$ Put a scope on here and downed many Deer. stamped 1943 with "Surrey" stamped on the Barrel...Gotta love LEE Enfield armories...OBTW still have a box of ammo bought in the eighties...
Wonderful collection and presentation..! Thank you..
Thank you very much!
I learned to shoot with a lee enfeild mk4.. and it was and is still in service in Canada with the Inuits ( rangers) they love it !
There are Canadian Ranger units all the way down to Vancouver Island... well outside of the area where Inuit and Dene live.
And the Lee Enfield was replaced by a Sako derivative .308 bolt Action built by Colt Canada about two years ago. Thankfully, Canada allowed the serving Rangers to keep their Lee Enfield if they wished rather than destroying every single one of them as Canada usually does these days rather than selling to surplus.
Best video I’ve seen yet on the history of the rifle. Thank you
If it's possible, can you please do a video on ww1 British officer kit, I am interested in learning more about it?
We are already working on it, Damien!
Fascinating stuff. Thank you!
Thanks James!
An excellent condensed history of the Lee-Enfield Rifle that tells you just about all you need to know . Excellent host, well done!
Thank you very much indeed. 😁👍🏻
I have two of these rifles. The first was my father's, and was my first high powered experience. Love at first squeeze(of the trigger). It has been sporterized and was also in a fire just a few years. It sat for 1 1/2 yrs afterwards, when l got it, l cleaned it up and it still is just as accurate as ever. The second is an all numbers matching, right down to the stock and magazine, no 4 Mk1. Beautiful rifle. I bought it in the early 80's for $125. Used to shoot with a friend of mine who had a K98. Back when a box of CoreLokt was $10, we would empty 20 rounds each over a 30min period. What a blast. No pun intended
A Thirty odd Six would make not a big hole. Just a tiny entry and a no tumble exit.
@@chrismair8161 same with a thirty ought six. (.30 '06)
Another good one Taff, some Sea Cadet units still had No4 rifle into early 1990s.
Thanks, Russ. Yes, they certainly had a long life. Apparently the Indian Police only finally decommissioned SMLEs in January 2020!
@@GreatWarHuts Yes, i remember reading several online reports covering it at the time!
Great intro, memorabilia aplenty, a plethora of really good info on these classic rifles. Great video, thanks and Cheers from Aussie (subbed) BTW Ian Skennetons books on these rifles are very good reference material.
Brilliant stuff Taff as always so much knowledge unleashed fantastic .
Thanks, Terry!
I have an unissued NO4 MK2 and it is one of my favorite milsurp rifles. Cocks on closing, smooth action and it is quick to get off the next round. No wonder why the Brits kept it so long. You hang on to something that works. Nice presentation on the history of the Enfield.
British all so great en gin ears
I'm very envious of your collection.
Hi. A very enjoyable journey through the lee Enfields evolution in one session. They truly. Were great rifles and I enjoyed shooting many models for nearly 50 years. Magic well made video. Thank you. Jon jackson.
Great info, thanks for sharing with us.
Excellent thanks Taff I learnt alot
My pleasure, Alan!
Well done Sir, extremely informative and very interesting, Cheers!
Thank you Taff a good and informative
Thanks as always, Merlijn.
Excellent. Thank you
Thank you very much, Daniel.
Original MLM rifles had an 8 round
Magazine...the 1895 MLE introduced the 10 round double stack mag. Which led to the Charger fed (2×5 rd. Chargers) CLLE and SMLE.
DocAV
I fired both the 7.62 SLR and the .303 Enfield on Thetford range with the ATC in the mid eighties and I'd rate the Enfield over the SLR for accurate, quick fire every time. At 200 yds the 303 could put a round on target every second. The SLR would be lucky to hit the target, full stop.
Brilliant
Thank you very much.
Sir, concise, but exceedingly informative video! Greatly enjoyed it!
Am curious as to the tenth rifle leaning up against the window sill.
My Great grandfather, my Grandfather, and I all trained and shot these rifles. Me, in the early 80s in the cadets. 1983 RAF basic training we had ones with a modified pistol grip for arms training, saved going to the armoury every day.
What a wonderful Channel just subscribed 👍
It was still used with the Canadian Rangers in the Canadian North until Early 2020.
Absolutely loved the history presented on these rifles.
My only caveat is the Mk.IV No.1 Savage produced lend/ lease rifles stamped US Property.
Us colonists were obviously tasked with helping the British out during WWII to supply some of these beautiful rifles.
For me, having my great grandfather come from England in the late 1800s and I'm 3rd generation born American, I'm excited to have a lend/Lease rifle that works beautifully. It obviously helped some British soldiers during that conflict.
I think the British were far more grateful when we finally got into WWII two and a half years after the war began... even if it took Pearl Harbor and both Germany and Russia declaring war on us to finally get us to have boots on the ground engaged in the fighting.
Even today they do not make a more beautiful but manacinng looking rifle than the Lee Enfield...💪😉🇬🇧
Nice collection mate
I won a 700 yard competition in OZ canadian ammoshooting against 7.62
I've got a three and four. They're great rifles. Ammo's pretty exy these days. My folks were soldiers who used 'em. Big sticks, and with a bayonnet a pretty terrifying weapon.
Thank you for your video, yes I did enjoy it. Have not seen before that cavalry carbine and never heard of a six-shot member of the family...however, I had it in my head that the Lee-Metford was eight shot..? maybe from an "Ivan" Hogg book? Had heard of the chained magazine before but first time I've seen one, funny that the chain eye remained after the idea was dropped? Anyway, thanks again for a very watchable film.
Thank you, Paul. The Mk1 Metford had an 8 round magazine but the Mk2 held 10. In a short film like this inevitably some of the detail has to be simplified. The chain loop was later used to tie the breech cover to the rifle with a length of leather boot lace.
Circa 1980 I competed in a March and Shoot with the ACF at Pocklington airfield in E Yorks. I have little recollection other than a memory of our NCO taking a wrong turn and the .303s (as we knew them) lifting my mates of the floor when we fired them. Now I know what I had in my hands 42 years ago. Another fascinating edition of Great War Huts.
Thank you very much!
I joined the ACF in the early 80s before I joined full time ACC in 84. And I remember a lot of very sore shoulders after shooting 303. Then I moved on to the SLR and in later years the SA80 . Oh my dad and uncle used them in the RUC.
The Lee Enfields certainly bite!
@@GreatWarHuts when you are 13 to 16 the kick can really hurt after 50 or so rounds
Thank you sir, very interesting I've always been confused about British rifles development. I've watched your vid 3 times. Thanks
🪖🇺🇸🤔
Very good information I have 4 of them one is the #5 I am proud to own them I reload and keep the brass separated for each rifle because of very liberal chamber sizes I love them all but the rifling has seen better days because of the old corrosive powders and primers but thank you for a great video
Excellent intro to the various rifles! Are they from your own collection?
THANK YOU - old git,UK
One of the fastest firing older bolt actions ever made. Lot of ‘Mad minuets’ have been done with these actions
lee medford is a legindary rifle.. som old mean were saying a marvelous things about its accuracy 👌 💯 ❤❤❤❤❤❤
I love the Lee-Enfield action. As a bolt action battle rigle it is unsurpassed. Too bad they are so difficult to acquire for a reasonable price. I have always thought that a Short Action version chambered in 30-30 Win.would be an excellent battle rifle. The 300 Savage would also have been a better choice for engaging in the proverbial "firefight.
Lol at the time 303 was the cat ass and not the cartridge but the rifle 303 300 7.62×54 308 30/06 not that much different trust me the moose won't know the difference the mad minute record with 303 British is quite the accomplishment back then .
Only just discovered this excellent presentation. One question, if I may: how does altering the rotation of the rifling prevent fouling? I can't see how it would make any difference.
Good question.
I can't speak for whether or not the direction of rotation of the rifling was actually changed from clockwise to counter-clockwise or vice-versa as the host suggests; he undoubtedly is more well-versed than I am on the history.
But I can confidently state that IF that were done, that change in and of itself would almost certainly NOT have affected the degree nor rate of fouling experienced by soldiers in the field.
I believe that the RATE of rotation and also the shape and relative width and depths of the lands and grooves were also changed, and that those dimensional changes certainly could have improved the fouling situation if done correctly.
They may have changed the rotational direction of the rifling at or near that time for some reasons other than to reduce fouling, though.
Maybe there was some machining or tooling situation that made it easier to deal with in the factories; perhaps the barrels tended to loosen up in the machinery while turning in one direction vs. the other, or something along those lines?
(Pure speculation; just tossing it out there as a hypothetical theory...)
The No.5 rifle was first used by British Airborne troop in April 1945 when they parachuted into the Netherlands to re-take it
Arnhem
@@Lookup2Wakeup If you look at pictures from Market Garden, you won't see any No. 5 rifles in Brit/Canadian hands. For service rifles, you'll see the No. 4 Mk.1
I was under the impression that the No. 5 was fielded to forces fighting the Japanese and called it the ‘Jungle Carbine’ since it was sorter and slightly lighter. But, it makes sense to use with airborne units.
So cool
Fantastic battle rifles!! I own 3 of them!!! ❤❤❤💯💯💯
A number V Webley with a 6” barrel! Rare
Great video, very informative. Just one point perhaps you could clarify for me. You said the cordite ammo fouled the metford black powder rifling. I always thought it was the fact that the cordite burns much hotter and the problem was gas burning. Correct me if I am wrong please.
I like accuracy of this gun
Great Video MY Friend !!!! I know what You mean I still have a few of those.....lol
The new Zealand forces were issued with long Lee rifles throughout ww1 8 round single stack magazine.
That's not true, Charles. The Kiwis used the ten round SMLE throughout the war on most, if not all, active fronts.
Only the New Zealand infantry had Long lee enfields (10rd mags). These were only used at the Capture of German Samoa and Gallipoli in 1914 & 1915 respectively. Most were replaced with SMLEs during Gallipoli however they continued to be used in training in New Zealand for the rest of the war
I thought cordite was hard on barrels because it burned at such a high temperature and it washed out the shallow Metford riflings. The British military then adopted the Enfield barrel for its sharper, deeper riflings and then went to the cooler burning nitrocellulose based powder.
Sorry not to be rude, but the Lee Metford rifle held 8 round in the magazine, because the magazine was a single stacked design, but I really enjoy your work, keep it up
Absolutely right! I had even loaded it beforehand to make sure that I remembered! Doh!
Ye the British 'Lee' series of rifles were the best of British (for seventy years), you could say the same for the Vickers (1912 - 1968) machine gun, but the British army has most of the time been up-to-date ever since the Land Pattern Musket (1722 - 1838), but in terms of the bolt action rifle the Germans beat us to it
Just to clarify,.. only the Mk I Metford had an 8 round magazine,.. the Mk II and (*) Metford had a 10 round magazine. All these were in use well into and after the Boer War....
Oh right thanks mate for the info, I will remember that, by the way brilliant channel, I have been watching your videos for sometimes now, keep up the good work.
The Lee Metford is still carried for ceremonial purposes to this day by the Atholl Highlanders, the only remaining private army in Europe.
I can't understand that only the rifling twist direction, stopped the fouling with nitro compared to black powder? The Metford rifling was very different to the Enfield rifling in depth and twist. There was a great amount of experimental work carried out, before they settled on the Enfield rifling, even in the Mk 3 Martini Enfield.
Great video thanks ..any idea where I can sell birmingham deactivated smle mk 3 .
finest bolt action ever made I have 6 one in 308 32 rounds a minute for accurate fire 50 rounds a minute for throwing out fire power and one I have seems like a mark 3 jungle type carbine style
How does an opposite twisting of the rifling have an effect on fouling contrasting cordite powder to black powder that you talk about? Please thanks
A fast firing rifle, not much slower than a semi-automatic if you knew how to use it
No mention is made of the 'wandering zero' with the No5. The accuracy would go off on a regular basis, requiring the rifle to be re-zeroed. No definitive cause for this was ever found, and it remained a mystery.
Prior to deployment to Afghan in 2010 ,we had a Taliban captured weapons familisation brief by a Cpl of the Royal Marines, who had amongst his items an SMLE MkIII,
Q's Stores I’m not surprised. My Grandfather transferred from 15/Suffolk to 2/Royal Fusiliers in 1919 and served on the NW Frontier. In his diary he talks of Pathan tribesmen silently breaking into Jamrud Fort at Peshawar and stealing SMLEs from under sleeping soldiers!
I remember hearing a news story of US marines getting pinned down by accurate rifle fire from almost 1000yrds away on the top of a hill in Afghanistan. they finally called in cas . they found smle's where the bombs struck
The benchmark in 30 cal bolt actions the most reliable rifle ever works best -40 when a polar bear wants you for lunch!!!
To think that if ww1 didn't happen would have ended with the SMLE no3 and the end of the 303 rimmed. Replaced with p-14 276 rimless 7mm. best bolt action built I think was the m1917 which is the closest to what the new rifle would have been.
Sorry to correct you, Taff, but the Lee-Metford had an 8 round magazine capacity while the Boer War "Magazine, Lee-Enfield" took a 10 round magazine (but had not guides for charger clips).
The Mk2 Lee Metford held ten rounds in the modified magazine, Rod.
The spare magazine was dropped very early on in 1891. Interestingly the us marines were issued 4 spare, detachable magazines for there Remington Lee’s at this time (early 1880s-1895)
The spare magazine was dropped as a mandatory item, as there is a photos with pouches with it from 1895-1896, as well as a report of their use in the Boer War, from 1903. Even so, the rifle should have been used as a single-shot 99% of the time, the magazine feed was intended for emergencies. After the charger clip was introduced, the idea was abandoned and the chain link was removed as unnecessary in 1904. Remington-Lee had a magazine half the size, and the idea of "self-fire" was not supported by the British leadership, they wanted volley fire on team.
I remember at school ('77-82) we had mostly No4s in the armoury and a few No1s. However, I do remember some of them had one twist in the barrel and others had two or more - thoughts? BTW. My father was 1SWB in Malaya and i have a photo of him in 1956 with a No5!
There were certainly two variants on Enfield rifling but I would need to check if both were used with the No.4. When was your Father in Malaya!
@@GreatWarHuts He passed through Eaton Hall Officer Cadet School, and was posted to Brunswick, West Germany, as a platoon commander in 1SWB in the summer of 1955. End of '55 the Bn was posted to Malaya and he was a Platoon Commander leaving the Army from Malaya in early '57. I was 16/5L '83-94.
@@charlescth I knew/know many 1/Suffolk Malaya veterans who served there between 1948 and 1953. It's a fascinating period.
@@GreatWarHuts Fascinating period full of success. A real high point for the British Army. Hearts and Minds and the long game. A shame that our recent western political leaders never read history books! Winning the peace (not) in Iraq 2003!!!! To be very Regiment and partisan of behalf of my father (copied from Wikipedia!: Field Marshal Sir Gerald Templer, a distinguished British officer and a man instrumental in the defeat of the communist terrorists during the Emergency, to state that, "there has been no better regiment in Malaya during the ten years of the emergency and very few as good"
@@charlescth Templer said exactly the same of 1/Suffolk of course (who held the record for the highest number of 'Bandit' kills during the Emergency)!
Lee Enfield is over 100 years old. Many mark 4s were basically ww1 stock parts and refurbished
Unlike the Long Lees and the SMLEs, there were hardly any parts interchangeable between the SMLE and the No.4.
Was that one of horror biscuit’s biscuits? 😀
It certainly was - as seen during HutVent! ruclips.net/video/IiAYYEy19n0/видео.html
I need help identifying an Enfield that was passed down to me. Can anyone help me out? Thank you
12:42 Whoa!
👍
Thanks!
Surely these rifles would have been difficult for left handed people to use?
I'm an American and I've always been confused about British firearms law. Are you all allowed to own rifles like this? what kind of paperwork do you have to do if so?
These are all deactivated, Jason. They have all hat a slot cut along almost the entire length of the barrel, a length of steel rod welded inside the cut barrel, the breech pinned with a steel bar, the face of the bolt and the extractor cut, which also cuts the firing pin, so no rounds can be chambered, fired or ejected. The work is done by registered firearms dealers and the certified by the London or Birmingham Proof House. The receiver and bolt are both stamped with a dated Deactivation mark and a certificate issued which proves that the British Home Office have certified that the weapon is no longer a firearm and is incapable of discharging any shot or round. I hope that helps.
@@GreatWarHuts yeah that’s very helpful, thank you. That’s understandable but it’s also a shame. I live in North Carolina and I have a no1 mk3 on my wall. It’s a good shooter. I wish the folks in England with their country’s rifle could shoot them as well
@@Jason-mg3fk You can still shoot them in the UK buddy. I have a 5 groove N04 Mk1 that I take out deer stalking as well as range work. You need a reason to have one eg belong to a gun club or have permission from a land owner. We aren't allowed to own semi autos other than .22 rimfire (magnum is allowed as well as LR) I also own a Roger 10/22 too
Considering these rifles were in service before 1912 it's actually been closer to at least 110 years of service as it's used by game wardens in africa and even the RCMP used it up until just a few years ago...
The RCMP's Long Branch Lee Enfields were replaced by Winchester Model 70 rifles in .308 Winchester back in the 1960s. That's a wee bit more than 'just a few years ago'...
Excellent video, beautiful rifle. You can check out a 1943 Savage made Enfield I have featured on here, thanks.
After piling arms, how did any soldier ensure he got back his own rifle?
Arms were formally Piled when the Battalion halted for their ten minute break in every hour.
The men would always Fall back In in the same place so the same four men would always Unpile their own Arms.
@@GreatWarHuts But out of those four rifles, how did a man identify his particular one?
@@gerry343 From experience, a soldier could easily identify his own rifle from a row of 50 lined up against a wall as they are all different. Every one a different colour, with different marks and stains on the woodwork, or other identifying marks.
As for Unpiling, they were Piled in a very specific order, as part of a formal drill, so as you Unpiled, you would only be in the position to recover your own.
@@GreatWarHuts Thanks for your explanation.
@@gerry343 Our pleasure, Gerry 👍🏻
Shouldn't it read over 120 years service?
I've got five and killed my first elk with it, love my Enfield's.
I think , after 1945 , the British Kingdome made Lee;s because they like to collect them for ever !!!!.lol
I enjoyed firing Enfields when I was in Army Cadets at Riverdale Collegiate in Toronto. In the basement range, we fired Enfield trainers (.22 bore) and went to the military range at Winona in the spring to fire the Enfield in .303 British caliber. Alas, when the school was rebuilt, the range was closed as are most ranges now in Toronto. Why? Toronto City Council is top-heavy with socialist, left wing, pseudo-communist members who love being oh so politically correct and continually kissing the asses of special interest groups.
Very fast
british bolt action finally over ... (laughs in accuracy International language ) 🤣👍
That's right, From Gallipoli to Dunkirk, Singapore to Tobruk,
Every battlefield where British Soldiers threw down their rifles and
put their hands over their heads,
The Lee-Enfield WAS THERE !
Funny.....😂
You forgot to add that, before and after that, those Lee Enfield rifles were killing the Nazis and Japanese.
You know, the Germans and Japs that ended those wars with their rifles in the mud and their hands above their heads as the ones who lost those wars. Not headed to POW camps - utterly defeated and humiliated. Permitted to live and go home in abject defeat and humiliation.
Any of you shyte-talking neo-Nazis/Japanese Imperialists name the wars where Lee Enfields were the rifles carried by the losers? Rather than by the winners of the wars?
Didn't think so. But the M16 variant has sure been present when America was defeated in Vietnam, in Afghanistan, etc... oh wait! Maybe that's different!
But not that one!
Parlé moi en français
And Britain sold out to the under powered. 308