LERA - Mad Minute - SMLE 100 Year Anniversary

[inkbot2000]

Where can I get a camera that shoots in 10p like this one?

[ENGLISHDOGSOLDIER]

This was the first full bore weapon I ever shot and I found it did not tolerate bad treatment.

It has to be kept spotless in the breach and the clips have to be loaded carefully.Some lads found loading 5 rounds at a time as quick and more reliable than stacking 10 in two clips.

With an experienced shot and good habits it takes some beating and would still be my basic service weapon of choice now.

It's like an old friend you know what it is,you know what it can do,you know what to ask from it.

[TaZ101SAGA]

Great shooting sir, i'd love to join you guys, ive been thinking about it.

[zagstrukk]

Good shooting, but still you don't have to break your check weld on the stock if you don't break you can shoot faster because you don't have to reacquire the target.

[majorporpoise]

It's funny 90% of the people on youtube who say they're doing the mad minute don't realize you have to do it prone.

[Paganwarrior2000]

@majorporpoise Sure would be hard to get at your ammo pouches and fire this fast in the prone. Best to be in a fighting position or reload on the move. Your time reloading gets way slower when you don't have time to lay the ammo out in front of you.

[crossvariation]

If I was to bring a bolt action rifle to rival a modern day rifle, I would bring the lee enfield.

[Partyboy128]

Good recovery old boy!

[enriquecarloslopezsi]

i bet thats how every chap used to shot after a week of killing in the trenches !!!

[mobiusonethree]

Is he keeping his hand on the bolt during trigger pull?

[660magnum]

good stuff

[neoupa2002]

Did he press the trigger with his pinky?

[PontoonTeek]

You keep your thumb and index finger on the bolt handle, you pull the trigger with your middle finger.

[onetwoeight2]

i would have to both agree and disagree with mki89fre on his comments concerning the STG-44 and the M-1. Granted the M-1 had a longer effective range, but it couldnt deliver the same rate of fire as the STG-44, which could deliver the same rate of fire as a submachine-gun at a greater distance. A truly revolutionary weapon that changed the face of 20th century warfare.

[mistajace]

just so you know, the stg was an assault

rifle, and COULD NOT produce the same rate of fire as a smg. it really was a revolutional weapon though.

[stratplayer1956]

@mistajace Wrong, the Stg.44 fired at a cyclic rate of 500-600 rpm depending on the bolt weight and spring while the German SMG, the MP40, fired at a rate of 550 rpm. The British Sten fired at the same, the American Thompson at 700 rpm, Grease Gun at 450, and the Russian PPSh-41 at 900 rpm. The Stg. is dead on par with those.

[ballyballz]

wow, imagine a whole division doing the mad minute in ww1, scaryyy

[cl0vvntiem]

That's why trench warfare never got anywhere.

[SHOOPDAWHOOP0987]

I know huh, other had 5 rounds, but the british had 10 O_O

[Rafflersauce]

the enfield is THE fighting bolt action.

[anhonestshmo88]

I'm guessing that Lee-Enfield SMLE's aren't being manufactured anymore, right?

[neanderthalsis]

Actually, the Ishapore factory in India still makes Lee Enfield rifles in 7.62 for the Indian police. It is the longest serving bolt action rifle, from 1895 until now with only a few minor variations.

[anhonestshmo88]

how much would it cost? and is it legal to own in the United States?

[proteinjones]

It's perfectly legal and they are cheap. 150-250 dollars at a gun show.

[KlausGunther]

duh lol

[mechmusician]

I have a WWII issue of this rifle. Definitely the best bolt-action infantry rifle of both world wars. Incredibly smooth action. But it was completely outclassed by the American M1. Semi-auto accurate at 500yds is better than bolt accurate at 1000yds. It's still a good sniper rifle to this day though. And boy does it drop a deer using a lead tip.

[AcAinslie]

exept the M1 dosent like dirt so it jams all the time, only has eight rounds, and when you run out of ammo it kicks a hot peice of metal in your face

and bolts are always more accurate

[mechmusician]

the M1 rarely jams if maintained. The clip only hits you if you're a lefty. it's derivative, the M14 is one of the most reliable, powerful semi-auto rifle in the world. those things can get slathered in mud and still work.

like i said the SMLE is a great sniper rifle. but it's not a great battle rifle. no bolt action is. what matters in the heat of battle is getting lead downrange. bolt actions just can't do that fast enough.

Patton, Eisenhower, and Churchill all agreed that the M1 won WWII.

[praecorloth]

Patton, Eisenhower and Churchill were wrong. Doesn't matter what rifle is being used, nothing beats a goddamned zerg rush. Hitler showed us this, he got stopped at the water and lost his momentum. Then the allies came in and zerg rushed the opposite direction.

Sturmgewehr 44 far outclassed the M1. We were damn lucky Hitler was a micro manager. If they had STG 44s in full production when they were first introduced, it would've sucked to have been us.

[mechmusician]

It does matter what rifle is being used. I don't think you know more about war than Patton did. He's fucking Patton. And Ike.

Wtf is a "zerg rush"? is that another term for "blitzkrieg"?

Yes the STG44 was scary. Unfortunately even if they wanted to build those in bulk then, they really couldn't. Allied bombing destroyed all the above ground factories and they were fast running out of soldiers to shoot the guns themselves. That's why the last defense of Berlin was Hitler Youth.

[praecorloth]

Perhaps saying Patton was wrong in his comment was too much. I think the comment was more a tip of the hat to a rifle that was good. There wasn't a whole lot that separated the M1 from other rifles of it's time. Patton knew how to keep an enemy on his toes. Keep pushing. You do that with bodies.

By the time the STG44 itself rolled around, it was too late for mass production thankfully. But it's original design dates to 1942. With serious backing, that kind of innovation might've stopped a rush.

[mahhootenanny]

re: "Zerg rush"

Zerg is the name of an alien race from the videogame Starcraft. A zerg rush is probably a very big group of said aliens charging a position. Who needs an M1 when you can have an M41A 10mm pulse rifle instead? Or a lightsaber? ;-)

[CenturyGamer]

Zerg rush is a video game nerd term for blitzkrieg, yes :P

[mki89fre]

I disagree with your assessment of the STG-44. The M-1 was far more accurate, and had a much larger effective range. Close in is not much of a difference since there were submachineguns in use as well.

Also, several hundred thousand STG's were produced......however, ammunition for them was always in critically short supply....without ammo, its just a big metal club.

[maxcat117]

the m1 never jams it loves dirt it has very few moving parts and is extreamly acurate just as most bolt rifles

[guamsst]

@mechmusician "it was completely outclassed by the American M1. Semi-auto accurate at 500yds is better than bolt accurate at 1000yds." That looks good on paper but when you try closing that 500yd gap accuracy is everything. Every rifle has it's pros and cons. Enfields just have allot more pros. At 800yds give me an Enfield, at 8yds give me an AK.

[mechmusician]

@guamsst Very few infantry engagements happen at distances of over 500yds, even less at 800yds. That's why rifle squads only have 1 designated marksmen for ever 8 to 12 soldiers. The SMLE would be good for that. But not for a regular rifleman. For regular infantry, semi-auto and full-auto beat bolt action every time. The SMLE is the best general-issue bolt-action ever, but it's still bolt-action.

[guamsst]

@mechmusician Didn't you basically just restate what I said about "give me a SMLE at 800yds and an AK at 8yds"?

[mechmusician]

@guamsst Not really. I was saying that as compared to the M1 as a basic infantry weapon, it was completely inferior. The M1 was every bit as accurate (thanks to the enormous .30-06) and fired faster. The SMLE is a wonderful designated marksmen rifle, but that's about it. If it's any consolation, the Bren was by far the best light-machine gun of the war. Miles ahead of both the BAR and 1919 Browning light machine gun.

[jwinlesta]

@mechmusician completely inferior is an overstatement, the real issue here is the man behind the rifle because frankly the fire rate of a real british tommy was pretty much the same as a yank if we take into account both the need for aimed shots and the mad minute factor. most US soldiers were green throughout the war whereas the brits had alot of vets both form the first war and the early fighting that somebody didnt turn up to... okay that was a low blow

[Taud]

@mechmusician lol the taliban along with many other small military groups in korea and india use the SMLE and give larger armies a hell of a hard time still.....

[Sheva005]

soes anyone know the record for the minute? because a lot of the guys could do more than 30 rounds

[studley2436]

I heard the record was 34 rounds in one minute with all rounds in a 12 inch target at 200 yards!

[Sheva005]

wow thats amazing

[historian246]

I know little about this rifle...does the 30 rounds in 1 minute include reloading? Coz this winner of LERA in the video failed to do so.

[Sheva005]

yes, it's supposed to include reloads. keep in mind it hasnt really been done since the mid 1930's, so there arent a lot of firsthand sources.

[DamWhiteBoi]

in an issue of shooter magazine its says some well trained soldiers reached up to 60 rounds a minute, thats insane.

[Sheva005]

thats pretty damn ridiculous actually haha :D

[DamWhiteBoi]

i know ill have to find the issue for you. and a link.

[WANGZOOMZIP]

What an incredible rifle. Does the shooter ever let go of the bolt? It almost looks as if he retains a two or three finger grip on the arm while he reaches with the trigger finger... However he does it, it is damn impressive!

[neanderthalsis]

If you practice, you can actually fire with your ring finger. You keep your index and middle finger on the bolt ready to flick it up and back to reload. the fastest I managed using this method was 58 rounds in the 60 secs, not at all accurate though.

[m1garand1959]

20 rds from a bolt gun in a minute wow.

[slybuster]

record is 37 into a 12' target 300 yrds away...in 1914.

[m1garand1959]

thats pretty serious work with a any rifle let alone a bolt gun.

[RPHELPS922]

I have an Enfield NO4MK1 and it's still .303 not that blasted .308 conversion crap.You can find .303 ammo at any decent shooting supply shop or some sporting goods stores in the US like Dunhams,Dicks,Cabelas ect. although I pay $29.99 per 20 rounds of Remington Express Core-Lokt 180 Grain.They shoot rather nicely for me.

[pyrewyrm]

I disagree entirely with your assessment of the 7.62 conversion. The Ishapore I own is a great rifle, inexpensive, and shoots a chambering much cheaper and easier to acquire state-side. Note that India has used it for decades to great effect with little difference in notable performance to warrant the 7.62 models as "crap".

[ISinisterI]

what's wrong with the 308 conversion?

[crrrrrazyciaran]

they got 30 rounds not 15!!

[sn4ckiboy]

shooting shooting but not a Target !

[LIVERPOOLSCOTTISH]

If a battalion of German infantry were advancing towards you in your trench position at Mons in 1914, the Mad Minute is exactly the right tactic to utilise to stop them dead in their tracks. That is exactly what happened, it isn't about pin point accuracy, it is about winning the firefight & putting as many rnds down range as possible. Having said that, British soldiers were taught to HIT their tgts even with the Mad Minute. A minimum of 15 rnds on tgt was the basic standard for an infantryman.

[MarsFKA]

There is some comment here about the "mad minute". The correct term for it was "fifteen rounds rapid" and was a fire technique trained into the British Army at the start of World War 1. With it, a battalion - even a company - had a rate of fire that no attacking force could stand up against. It was lethal at close range but of course as the range opened more care had to be taken with the aim. The drill became obsolete with the introduction of machine guns and the destruction of the pre-war army.

[LIVERPOOLSCOTTISH]

MarsFKA you are CORRECT! My grandfather was a sniper in WW1 with the British army, he would have fully concurred with your comment. It is exactly what he told my father, when he served in the army in the late 1950's and he was using the Lee Enfield. The Mad Minute was exactly as you said, it was used repeatedly at Mons in 1914 by the heavily outnumbered BEF against the Germans. The BEF gave the Germans a terrible hiding- German intel believed the Brits had semi-auto rifles!

[LIVERPOOLSCOTTISH]

MarsFKA, further to your comment about the Mad Minute, German intel reports during the Battle Of Mons in 1914 stated that the British force facing them consisted of NINE infantry divisions. The actual number was THREE infantry divisions. This over estimate was entirely due to the outrageously high rate of fire of the Lee Enfield in the hands of experienced professional British soldiers. Mons was a heroic action where the heavily outnumbered BEF stopped/delayed the German onslaught.

[aramsham]

Wouldja believe the Indian police still use the SMLE? Amazing. Heard stories of Afghan mujahideen bringing down Mi-24 gunships with them. Hard to believe, but pretty cool.

[02Tony]

Yeah i heard about it and indian police office shot a terroist from maximum range with a clean shot in the arm.

[drtoolz]

Idia still produces them, but less of a refined product. They are made still at Ishapore Plant.Side note : before India gained independence from Great Britin, all they Indians had was Enfield NoIMkIII* that were converted to single shot .410 shotgun. A few are still around for the collector...

[lamnaa]

Really? I know there was a Martini Henry that was made into a police shotgun, but a lee enfield. Never heard of that.

[Treblaine]

yeah, a .410 shot-shell just happens to be the same overall length and rim diameter of a .303 round, only the barrel needs to be changed or bored out, the bolt stays the same.

Not sure about the magazine though, all examples had the magazine blocked in with wood, turning it into a single shot weapon.

It was apparently only for low level enforcement where a proportional response was needed.

[LIVERPOOLSCOTTISH]

The British government supplied a large number of Lee Enfields to the Afgan Mujahadeen in the 1980's. These people aka the TALIBAN. The SAS also trained a select number of MJH in the Scottish Highlands, they were trained to ambush helicopters in valley's with Stinger missiles. The Enfield is an ideal rifle for Afganistan due to it's extensive range compared to modern semi-auto/auto rifles. Lets hope the TB cannot shoot for s**t with the Enfields.....

[Taud]

@aramsham Would you believe the Canadian forces still use this rifle today?

They are finally switching to an arctic warfare rifle platform in 2013 sometime (rough estimate)

[AgentFour]

Which country are you guys in? And how the hell did you guys manage to get firearms? Shit man, come to America, you can fire those things all day every day if you wish. I'm sure you could find .303 ammunition somewhere.

[T850CSM101a1676]

Nowadays you guys got automatic weapons.

I hear this is good against snipers if you know their position. True?

[vanillacrem3]

That's actually a different usage of the term "mad minute". The "mad minute" you're referring to is one in which several likely sniper positions are all fired upon simultaneously by your entire squad.

[T850CSM101a1676]

"Mad minute" meaning more than one thing confuses me!

This sucks!

[Chimpanzor]

hardly a bad habit considering it was the method used in WW1 by the british to fool the germans into thinking every soldier carried an automatic weapon... think of a quicker way to shoot a bolt action rifle and you get a prize! (prize may or may not be tangible)

[lictor313]

excellent execution...

[InvaderZimFan101]

bad habbit to fire holding the bolt and pressing the trigger at the same time. good video though

[Gungeek]

why?

[InvaderZimFan101]

because u cant get a steady handle on the rifle making ur shot less accurate and in

effective

[galacticaphantome]

I think it would have been just fine, seeing how the idea of the mad minute was to unleash a volley of gunfire on the enemy 200m away, which isn't too far. Now if he were trying to nail someone 600m+ then yes, the tactic would probably be a waste of ammunition.

[mag30th]

Nonsense, that is just how I shoot mine and I've never had any problem. It completely depends on the shooter.

Watch my video on my Enfield "WWI British Lee Enfield No.1 Mk III (SMLE) at 420 yards" or my video titled "1941 Italian 6.5 x 52 Mannlicher-Carcano rifle at 420 yards" I have very little problem with accuracy or control.

[marqmike2]

"This chap was the winner of the LERA (Lee Enfireld Rifle Association)competition especially for 100 years of the SMLE taken on a military range in England."

Sure worked for him.

[jubbles2343]

Havnt tried a mad minute with my Enfield yet.

[RabidSpatulaPaul]

Nothing shoots like a Lee. Beautiful weapon.

[cherubaelishere]

amen to that

[synonys]

watch?v=Mzf-DWYgumM

That's a Mad Minute!

[molike]

More like a Mad Minute and Ten, mirite?

[dominic970]

i agree

[milesoverton]

he leaves the bolt open after his last shot at 58 secs.

[Untitled669]

great weapon i personally love the enfield

[evilernie1969]

Great shooting, I always wondered how they pulled that off...

[LucifersTear]

What a wonderfull weapon, and i see he's using the mad-minute finger arrangement (thumb and forefinger on the bolt action and middle finger pulling the trigger) Brill stuff.

[ww2fan39]

Is it a Mk1 or a MK3?

[Cosmoline]

Well it beats my Mosin.

[chenman9]

can't wait to get an enfield :)

[orion200001]

WWI German Soldiers sometime thought that they were dealing wih machine guins when a couple os guys were using those things.

[ArlenesBack]

Impossible, sounds of WW1 machine guns have nothing familiar with enfield rifle sounds

[orion200001]

Good point. But it was just how fast the British soldiers could fire that gave the Germans that thought.

[ytykg]

When you have thousands of Enfields being fired as fast as possible all at once. It would be very hard to tell. I wouldn't stick my head up to see whether it was machine guns or not. That for sure.

[LupisLupine]

They probably wouldn't have thousands being fired at once, probably just a couple hundred. Also, there'd be a distance of about 200+ yards. At that distance, sounds become distorted and when you're being hit all around before you hear the shots, it'd be very hard to tell the difference between rifle fire and machine gun fire. Now I'm not saying that those are the minimum ranges, but that's about the distance that those events are recorded I think.

[sureshot649]

that action is smooth as silk..

[robin6512]

nice vid, can't wait till I get me own LE no4 mk1.

[sappersam]

ive got a video of me shooting your ruger i think matt

[sappersam]

good old uncle paul

[Gungeek]

Great gun of the British Empire...brings a tear to my eye...

[StrangelyBrownNo1]

Very neat video. I thought centrefire rifles were all but illegal in the mother country?

[xtraGEDWARDS]

no you just need an FAC which can be a pain in the ass to get.

[StrangelyBrownNo1]

Ah, fair enough. The bastards just trying to legislate the sport and tradition out of existance, like here in Australia. Good on you blokes for shooting in adversity! Great to see the legend of the British rifleman kept alive.

[DagaYute]

Brilliant Control!

So how'd he do in the recent match martin?

[martinsmyth]

Lets see how he goes tomorrow :)

[engineroomapocalypse]

I wonder how many Germans were sent to their maker by this rifle

[martinsmyth]

Lets see if he does so well tomorrow :)

[NormanMatchem]

@engineroomapocalypse God only knows, man. The Lee Enfield is the best bolt action out there in my honest opinion. The Kar98k may have a better reload with it's smoother stripper clip but the Enfield's smoother bolt, 10-round mag, and fairly decent stripper clips makes said English rifle one to be respected and feared if your on the wrong end of it. I have a No.1, No.1 Mk.3, No.4, and No.5 Lee Enfield rifles along with 7 or 8 other bolt actions and none of them come close to my English Enfields.

[grilledwhatulike]

cute

[Jollygreenslugg]

Lovely work. I'll have to try it myself and post a video of the results.

[dobravery]

I thought that was impressive. Held the rifle tight and made aimed shots. Many others videos demonstrate the Enfield speed, but are bobbling and barely aiming.

[CroppyBoy1798]

Thats pretty amazing! No wonder zie Germans thought they were facing machineguns on the Western Front. I'd imagine he is using his middle finger Shaka.

[plcains]

Im hoping thats a joke Buck.

[Shaka666]

Aww too bad with the jam there....what finger are you using to pull the trigger?

[chuck3436]

Have you even ever shot more than 1 type of millitary bolt rifle buckingfronco? I hope so to make that type of comment on the enfield rifle...

[smlemk42]

Have to agree with you.. I got about 20 rounds out of mine - and I am a newbie.

[BUCKINGFRONCO]

Seems kinda slow to me...

[martinsmyth]

Good Recovery