The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Excellent series on BBC4, especially the last episode.

I learnt quite a bit while the wife drooled over Sam Willis

Call me Mr Picky.............

I would have liked to have heard a bit more technical spec on the 1853 rifles musket, which really was a huge jump in accuracy and range over it's predecessors.

The program finished with him telling us the casualty count from the Great War and not one word regarding the Lee Enfield...............FFS!

The best TV series about the history of firearms has to be the BBCs "The Gun" from the early seventies by CH Roads, dated by todays style and Cambridge plummy the content is authoritative, comprehensive and accurate. As one would expect from someone of Roads standing. As well as the video the book from the series is well worth having on your shelves.

Strangely Brown wrote:Call me Mr Picky.............

I would have liked to have heard a bit more technical spec on the 1853 rifles musket, which really was a huge jump in accuracy and range over it's predecessors.

The program finished with him telling us the casualty count from the Great War and not one word regarding the Lee Enfield...............FFS!

You need to bear with me here - I didn't even know there was an 1853 rifled musket ...

Deep shame indeed, one of the great iconic British firearms made available to us again in the 1970s and 80s by Parker Hale.

Trade versions were sold by the 10s of thousands to both sides in the American Civil War, we used them in the Crimea, Indian mutiny and all points Empire 'till they were converted into Snider breech loaders. It was the new rifled muskets lubed Pritchett ammunition that was used as the excuse for the Indian mutiny.

dromia wrote:The best TV series about the history of firearms has to be the BBCs "The Gun" from the early seventies by CH Roads, dated by todays style and Cambridge plummy the content is authoritative, comprehensive and accurate. As one would expect from someone of Roads standing. As well as the video the book from the series is well worth having on yourselves.

Do you happen to know if it's still available anywhere? I have a couple of very grainy episodes on VHS somewhere that I recorded when it was broadcast but would like to get a copy of the whole series.

This internet thing is most useful, I can see it catching on:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 2z_2oYaJ-K

Unfortunately not complete.

Spearhead of Technology and Accurate at a Mile are missing.

https://youtu.be/T0rfo6UZ-nE

If you've ever wondered why some Enfield No.4's have a plate brazed into the top of the receiver it was supposedly to stiffen the action.
The man who did them; usually for GE Fulton was none other than Major Walter Magny, seen in this clip winning the 1976 Queens final.

Strangely Brown wrote:https://youtu.be/T0rfo6UZ-nE

If you've ever wondered why some Enfield No.4's have a plate brazed into the top of the receiver it was supposedly to stiffen the action.
The man who did them; usually for GE Fulton was none other than Major Walter Magny, seen in this clip winning the 1976 Queens final.

As far as I remember, this mod was only carried out when they were re-barrelled to 7.62 from .303.

This was just going on when I started shooting at Bisley in 1963.