. 303 with the right guy

[Mr.Shome]

Sharing for all Firearms Enthusiasts.

Perhaps, a sterling example of what a.303 is capable of in the right hands.

This guy bossed it.

[eljefe]

The classic ‘Mad Minute’
Love the rear lockers like the SMLE for this…

[ofbiro]

C'est magnifique, mais ça n'est pas la guerre! (Wonderful, but this is not the war!)
Words of a french officer after the charge of the Light Brigade.
Any decent self loader would do the same job, and a light machine gun would be even faster.
However it was a jolly good demonstration of marksmanship.

[timmy]

He uses the British technique of holding the bolt handle between his thumb and index finger, and pulling the trigger with his middle finger.

It was said that the Germans, under fire from SMLEs at the retreat from Mons (WW1) thought that they were under machine gun fire.

I have seen a similar example of a Norwegian shooting a Norwegian Krag -- they are also fast and slick rifles, too.

However, the bolt still can't equal a semi-auto for battle use -- I'll post some videos on this soon.

[Mr.Shome]

He uses the British technique of holding the bolt handle between his thumb and index finger, and pulling the trigger with his middle finger.

It was said that the Germans, under fire from SMLEs at the retreat from Mons (WW1) thought that they were under machine gun fire.

I have seen a similar example of a Norwegian shooting a Norwegian Krag -- they are also fast and slick rifles, too.

However, the bolt still can't equal a semi-auto for battle use -- I'll post some videos on this soon.

Of course Sir, no two ways about it. Would love to watch your videos. 🫡

[timmy]

These are based on Ian McCollum from Forgotten Weapons on Youtube, but not from his channel:







They don't address the straight-pull Swiss and Austro-Hungarian rifles, which would be more akin to a pump action. That would be interesting to hear them discuss.

I need to get off my bottom and find the Krag - Garand competition video my brother sent to me a few years back -- the Krag shooter essentially does what this Mad Minute SMLE shooter does. While the Krag does have one forward locking lug, causing the bolt travel to be a bit longer than the SMLE's, and the Krag's bolt is fatter in diameter than the SMLE's, It is also a very slick action and can be operated very quickly by a practiced shooter.

I also wonder about the Mannlicher Schoenauer rifle -- some of those are so slick that the bolt will close completely to battery by holding the muzzle down -- surely with that rotary magazine (which feeds cartridges from only one angle, like the Krag, as opposed to two angles like a double stack magazine does) a Mannlicher Schoenauer would also be capable of very rapid fire by a practiced individual, too. If I can find that video, I'll post it to this thread, as well.

Still, I think Ian's points about the bolt action vs the semi-auto rifle in today's world carry the day in my judgment -- though others may not agree.

[Mr.Shome]

Thank you for sharing these videos Sir. A fascinating watch!

[timmy]

The Norwegians specialize in rapid fire bolt action competitions, where targets are shot and time is a factor. Check out the handling of this old Norwegian Krag:



The Krag only has one locking lug (although in the Danish and Norwegian versions -- not the USA one -- the guide rib also bears on the rear receiver bridge) and that lug runs through a slot in the bridge, so raceways common to M98 Mauser designs are avoided. This causes the action to be very smooth to operate and thus, quite fast for a practiced shooter.

A SMLE has two locking lugs and raceways, but because the locking lugs are in the rear receiver bridge, most of the bolt travel is guided by the undersized bolt body diameter. Also, the bolt travel is a bit shorter (between one or two centimeters shorter), making the action very quick to operate.

Here is a Norwegian competition with modern rifles:



From what I can see, these modern rifles usually have the bolt locking lugs recessed on a smaller diameter section on the front of the bolt -- the outer parts of the locking lugs are of the same or lesser diameter than the bolt body. A well known rifle of this design is the Weatherby Mark V. With this design, the bolt slides in a receiver with no raceways and is similar to a solid rod without any projecting surfaces.

Note that all of the shooters use the same technique as the SMLE shooter in the OP: the bolt knob is held between the thumb and forefinger, while the trigger is pulled by the middle finger.

[Mr.Shome]

A humble thanks again Sir for sharing these videos along with your priceless knowledge.

[Mr.Shome]

A humble thanks again Sir for sharing these videos along with your priceless knowledge.