303 British!!!

[PCC600]

@PCC600
Many moons ago when I could actually see my old SMLE had a chain welded to the mag and then attached to a sling swivel on the king screw.
When you came across a big mob of pigs ( as you did in the late 70s early 80s) you would open up in them. When the mag ran out drop the mag in the chain and slap a fresh mag in and keep shooting. My best effort was 10 pigs for 15 shots from memory before they were gone.
Ah the good old days when I was you, fit and could shoot better than I can now. Getting older sucks but I still have fun just not as good as I once was. Now anything steeper than a level floor and my knees have a hissy fit and long distance is a few miles.
Bob

I’d love to have a Lee Speed with the mag on a chain . On my 2 they have been disconnected . I reckon you had a lot of lead in the air pretty fast to clean up those pigs .

 

[PCC600]

@PCC600
My grandfather had his 18th birthday in Gallipoli in 1915 then went on to serve all over the Somme and other places, wounded twice and still went back after recovery. Then went on to serve in WW11 but that another story
Bob

Bob - those old boys really were something else . Lest We Forget .

 

[Sideshow]

303 at 3000 yards!!
Really enjoyed this video her comments at the end “I’d not want to be standing out there” or something to those effect. The time delay between shots and hits is great. Add a mad minute to it and yeah you now understand why that 303 platform was in service for so long. Volley sights went after the Bore war but would have been handy out in SA

 

[Hagler.450Ex]

@PCC600
Many moons ago when I could actually see my old SMLE had a chain welded to the mag and then attached to a sling swivel on the king screw.
When you came across a big mob of pigs ( as you did in the late 70s early 80s) you would open up in them. When the mag ran out drop the mag in the chain and slap a fresh mag in and keep shooting. My best effort was 10 pigs for 15 shots from memory before they were gone.
Ah the good old days when I was you, fit and could shoot better than I can now. Getting older sucks but I still have fun just not as good as I once was. Now anything steeper than a level floor and my knees have a hissy fit and long distance is a few miles.
Bob

Same here. I don't know if I could do the same again now as I mentioned above. That morning is still a record for me in the most, fastest in time, consecutive one-shot kills, and probably always will be, which is the only reason I even remember it at all. I have to wear glasses now, and I know what you mean about level floors. A great one for me is making it down the hall at night when the lights are dim, and I don't even drink. Still using only iron sights with everything, but only because of a great eye doctor. What sucks is not knowing where 40 years have gone anyway.

 

[leslie hetrick]

Same here. I don't know if I could do the same again now as I mentioned above. That morning is still a record for me in the most, fastest in time, consecutive one-shot kills, and probably always will be, which is the only reason I even remember it at all. I have to wear glasses now, and I know what you mean about level floors. A great one for me is making it down the hall at night when the lights are dim, and I don't even drink. Still using only iron sights with everything, but only because of a great eye doctor. What sucks is not knowing where 40 years have gone anyway.

and gone they have went, last sat. i turned 82 and am still able to get around pretty good. i fish-hunt- shoot-trap and do alot of walking yet, tho a little slower and i don,t hunt the rocky points anymore.

 

[steve white]

The Battle of Mons - August 1914 . The Germans did not know what hit them . There is a wonderful British TV series called “Our World War”. It is about the action at Nimy Bridge at Mons . It is on YouTube . A company of professional British soldiers led by an Aussie Fred Steele . Two VCs awarded in one company in a few hours . Steele was killed 2 weeks later . Two of his brothers were also killed . The family were honoured with the main sporting oval at Melbourne Grammar School being renamed the Steele Oval . The British Expeditionary Force in early WW1 were unbelievably good soldiers . Casualty rate between August and December 1914 was 100% .

100%casualty rate is no way to treat unbelievably good soldiers...

 

[bigborelover]

and gone they have went, last sat. i turned 82 and am still able to get around pretty good. i fish-hunt- shoot-trap and do alot of walking yet, tho a little slower and i don,t hunt the rocky points anymore.

What caliber of gun is that ?

 

[leslie hetrick]

What caliber of gun is that ?

standing on the road, in the woods a tikka T3 in .223 hunting fall turkeys. in the woods hunting deer a left hand remington 700 SA in 7mm08 . both very good shooters.

 

[PCC600]

100%casualty rate is no way to treat unbelievably good soldiers...

I agree but they held the left flank of the allies . This was the pressure point and they were heavily outnumbered but succeeded in turning the German attack leading to the Battle of the Marne - a key event in WWI . They performed superbly .

 

[Red Leg]

I agree but they held the left flank of the allies . This was the pressure point and they were heavily outnumbered but succeeded in turning the German attack leading to the Battle of the Marne - a key event in WWI . They performed superbly .

Both sides did a lot of learning at great cost during that first year of the war.

 

[PCC600]

Both sides did a lot of learning at great cost during that first year of the war.

Spot on . I often think of WW1 commanders and how they had to learn and adapt . BEF was 90,000 in 1914 and 1.5 million in 1918 . Giant armies , enormous logistics , gas , machine guns , modern ( ish ) artillery , air craft , early tanks , fairly modern rifles / ammo . But no control - carrier pigeons , runners , semaphores. How could anyone control these armies ? Tactics developed on the run . By the end the Allies had improved control (spotter planes courtesy of air superiority) , mixed arms tactics . A lot of learning at great cost .

 

[Sideshow]

Spot on . I often think of WW1 commanders and how they had to learn and adapt . BEF was 90,000 in 1914 and 1.5 million in 1918 . Giant armies , enormous logistics , gas , machine guns , modern ( ish ) artillery , air craft , early tanks , fairly modern rifles / ammo . But no control - carrier pigeons , runners , semaphores. How could anyone control these armies ? Tactics developed on the run . By the end the Allies had improved control (spotter planes courtesy of air superiority) , mixed arms tactics . A lot of learning at great cost .

Don’t forget to mention the language barrier amongst the English regiments. A lot of the people came from very isolated villages and company commanders quite often found that they did not understand their troops.
Hell even now if I travel up Manchester way and they start talking. I’”m like no I’ve got nothing in it”.
When ever I get the Eurostar and we cross the ww1 old battlefields I think of my grandfather lied about his age joined at 15 serviced with the first Pals regiment 1914 till the end hell of a way to grow up later in life he actually told my Dad a few stories after he said how can I know what you did if you won’t say anything. Might have helped that Dad was in the army at that stage.
If you guys want a good read but do get it on Kindle as the author uses some very obscure words “Tip and Run all about the WW1 across Africa. 1 quote from a solider that had served in France and was transferred to Africa six months in Africa and send me back to France thank you very much….must have been a tough one down there!

 

[Hunter-Habib]

My initial service rifle during the Indo-Pak war in 1971 for the first few months (before we started getting issued the Belgian FN FAL in .308 Winchester). Also used extensively by my men & I during the feral water buffalo culls on Kukri Island in 1979.

 

[R eight]

Spot on . I often think of WW1 commanders and how they had to learn and adapt . BEF was 90,000 in 1914 and 1.5 million in 1918 . Giant armies , enormous logistics , gas , machine guns , modern ( ish ) artillery , air craft , early tanks , fairly modern rifles / ammo . But no control - carrier pigeons , runners , semaphores. How could anyone control these armies ? Tactics developed on the run . By the end the Allies had improved control (spotter planes courtesy of air superiority) , mixed arms tactics . A lot of learning at great cost .

Monash ….

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Don’t forget to mention the language barrier amongst the English regiments. A lot of the people came from very isolated villages and company commanders quite often found that they did not understand their troops.
Hell even now if I travel up Manchester way and they start talking. I’”m like no I’ve got nothing in it”.
When ever I get the Eurostar and we cross the ww1 old battlefields I think of my grandfather lied about his age joined at 15 serviced with the first Pals regiment 1914 till the end hell of a way to grow up later in life he actually told my Dad a few stories after he said how can I know what you did if you won’t say anything. Might have helped that Dad was in the army at that stage.
If you guys want a good read but do get it on Kindle as the author uses some very obscure words “Tip and Run all about the WW1 across Africa. 1 quote from a solider that had served in France and was transferred to Africa six months in Africa and send me back to France thank you very much….must have been a tough one down there!

@Sideshow
The British used the Australian soldier as cannon and machine gun fodder until the Aussies said stuff you Charlie Brown we will command our own troops.
My grandfathers sheet makes for some interesting reading like offering violence to an officer, giving violence to an officer. Resulted in seven days loss of pay.
Bob

 

[Josh P]

@Sideshow
The British used the Australian soldier as cannon and machine gun fodder until the Aussies said stuff you Charlie Brown we will command our own troops.
My grandfathers sheet makes for some interesting reading like offering violence to an officer, giving violence to an officer. Resulted in seven days loss of pay.
Bob

We need to start an “old wars” thread so you (and others) can share your family stories. Between the service and the experience with the enfield on the civilian side, I’d bet you could fill a book or two with stories from your family.