Lee-Enfield .303 in 1/16 and the real thing

[43rdRecceReg]

For those who add 1/16 weaponry to their models and diorama, rctank.de have quite a few bits on offer. Here's the redoubtable Lee-Enfield.303 in 1:16. Arguably, it was the best full-power (i.e. non-assault rifle format) battle rifle ever made. Though it was no tougher or reliable than its main rival, the German K98, it had the massive advantage of having a 10-round magazine, paired with a silky smooth (if well-maintained ) bolt action. The Mauser K98 had a five round magazine
So effective was the .303 (SMLE in 1914), that at the Battle of Mons, the Germans thought they were being scythed down by British machine guns. In reality, regular soldiers of the BEF had been trained to fire at least 15 aimed shots per minute with their Lees. In various forms and Marks, the Lee-Enfield was in service between 1895 and 1965. It was used by a host of countries (even the Volkssturm used captured examples in 1944-45), and especially by Commonwealth countries in the World Wars. It also made an excellent sniper rifle, as witness Coalition troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, when- ironically- Taliban and Mujahideen used the Lee to take pot shots at our boys.
Here's the 1/16 version:

Diorama weaponry

Luckily, I was in Switzerland in January to try out my Family's latest acquisition, a MK 4 ( stamped 1943) Lee-Enfield. There's a good chance this saw action in WW2. My son has added it to his collection of (functional) WW2 pistols and rifles. A year or so ago, I did a piece here on Tanker's personal weapons (Luger, Walther P38, PPK, Tokarev etc..). Here's a Lee fitted to Bren Carrier (often had 3-5 fitted, in addition to the Bren and or/ 3in mortar):

Mk 4 Lee on a Bren or Universal carrier

Here's me with our Mk 4:

Lee receiver with bolt open

And with the iconic .303 round:

Safety on..

Now at the Range near Schwyz:

Putting a .303 up the pipe

Finally getting to fire the weapon my Dad (WW2) and his siblings trained on, as well as my Grandfather and brothers in WW1. With my son using it..that makes 4 generations

43RR blasts away...on elderly rifle..older than I am

Just in case we have any anti-Terrorist Police or Special Branch on the Forum, these weapons are all registered and legally held in Schwitzerland, so don't come knocking my door down!
Oh, and I also got to try this Glock 17 with red dot sight. Currently used by the British Army, and the Police...It's a bit top heavy, given that the lower half is all plastic. Still...good fun

Current army handgun..

The red dot proved very useful for my ageing peepers, and scored a pile of 9s (dead centre). The Iron (peep sight) on the .303 was also dead accurate, although in low light conditions it was a bit of a strain at first.

Glock around the clock...

Playing with diorama is one thing, but getting to use the objects they represent is also pretty fulfilling. Now for the Garand, the MP 40..and hopefully some day a ride in Tiger 131

[43rdRecceReg]

Oh, and I forgot. This is the Pistol carried by many British tank and armoured car crews during World War 2: The Enfield No 2 Mk 1 revolver. This example had been issed to the RAF in 1939, and fired a .38 round.

Enfield No 2 Mk 1 inspired by the Webley

For those across the Pond, here's an interesting article on weapons carried by US Tankers during the war..
http://www.theshermantank.com/tank-acce ... y-carried/

[jackalope]

I actually have one of those Mausers in .30 cal which has proved difficult to find. Unfortunately it was "sporterized" back in the mid 1950's by removing the upper hand gaurds and carving an elk on one side of the stock and deer on the other. Mine is an Argentina Mauser still has the Mauser crest ahead of the bolt on the barrel and was dated to 1895. WISH I could find the correct ammo for it as I know it hasn't been fired in at least 25 years.

[43rdRecceReg]

I actually have one of those Mausers in .30 cal which has proved difficult to find. Unfortunately it was "sporterized" back in the mid 1950's by removing the upper hand gaurds and carving an elk on one side of the stock and deer on the other. Mine is an Argentina Mauser still has the Mauser crest ahead of the bolt on the barrel and was dated to 1895. WISH I could find the correct ammo for it as I know it hasn't been fired in at least 25 years.

That really must be a rarity, Terry, and probably quite valuable. There's a knowledgeable enthusiast who reviews antique weapons on Youtube. Can't think of his name just at the moment, but he reviews the RIAC (Rock Island
Auction Co) antique weapon auctions that occur fairly regularly.
.303 rounds are not all that common these days, either. The ones we used were made in Serbia, I think. I believe the Serbs manufacture all sorts of hard to find ammo. Maybe even your Mauser round. I'll check it out with my Son. The .38 rounds for the Enfield pistol (non-standard type of .38) are only available at a couple of outlets in Switzerland, although the country is awash with gunshops.
How's the training going, by the way?

[pebblemonkey73]

I Love my .303"s

[43rdRecceReg]

Holy Crap! I'm guessing that they're all legally deactivated.. Nonetheless, that's an amazing iconic collection of.303 based weapons (barring the revolvers of course); but where on Earth did you get the Brens, and that 'Jungle' carbine Lee (the one with the 'zeroing' problem).?
How about these then. They're all fully operational, but lack the charisma of the .303. There's Me blasting away with out AK47, then an ensemble (only a partial one) of our collection: AR15; SG57 (formerly full auto but modded to semi); Sig P226; Sig Sturmgewehr 550..etc.

43RR getting a big kick out of an AK 47

AR15 with SG57 and SG550 and little pals

Tanker sidearms

[pebblemonkey73]

Holy Crap! I'm guessing that they're all legally deactivated.. Nonetheless, that's an amazing iconic collection of.303 based weapons (barring the revolvers of course); but where on Earth did you get the Brens, and that 'Jungle' carbine Lee (the one with the 'zeroing' problem).?
How about these then. They're all fully operational, but lack the charisma of the .303. There's Me blasting away with out AK47, then an ensemble (only a partial one) of our collection: AR15; SG57 (formerly full auto but modded to semi); Sig P226; Sig Sturmgewehr 550..etc.

AK47 action.jpeg

AR and Friends.jpeg

Military allsorts...jpg

Yeah they're all early spec deacts, have been collecting for 23 years now,
I have a replica "MGC" Thompson smg. I used have a Euro spec AK74-S (shortened 4.56mm) in my collection as well which I swapped for the No5 carbine.
I also had an ex RUC M1 carbine which I sold and found out afterwards that us Brits used them, my favourite which I also regret selling was an Lanchester smg which had a 50 rd magazine and looked a beast with a No3 smle sword bayonet attached.

Matt

[43rdRecceReg]

Just checked out the deactivated regs. It seems anything 'castrated' before 1995 will still have movable parts, and be capable of being field stripped..whereas all models after that time are likely to be solid lumps of metal.
Given the time you've been collecting, I imagine you have the highly collectible pre-1995 gear? What I don't get, is how they can import a brand new Glock, say, and turn it into a solid block of nothing in particular
I have a Lee SMLE bayonet dated 1908 (Therefore a true antique), it's probably quite valuable now; but not as valuable as my 1943 model German Steel helmet. They can fetch more than a grand now with provenance!
We (my son and I) sat on a bus in Zürich with an AR15, AK47, and Swiss K31 Rifles (bagged, of course)..and rucksacks containing WW2 Luger, Walther P38, Walther, PPK, and Lee Pistols, together with nearly a 1000 rounds
of mixed ammo, and nobody batted an eyelid. They wouldn't have done, either, if they'd known the exact contents of out baggage. The Swiss, have guns and ranges everywhere (never mind the Cowbells, Chocolate and cuckoo clocks we think os as typically Swiss). The fact is, the Swiss love their guns; but never get around to killing anyone with one. They don't go to war either, but they're well tooled up with tanks, Planes, and fixed defences. We were on the way to Selgis..a great range in the Alps.
Once again, a great - and enviable- collection you have there
A 1/16 Bren would be quite handy for diorama...but hands on the real thing..now that is something else. We are trying to get a working MP40 (Schmeisser) but they're only available in .22 calibre, pretty much.
Cheers,
Roy.

[silversurfer1947]

I have a deactivated Lanchester with magazine and bayonet. I have dismantled it and it is simplicity itself inside. The deactivation consisted of grinding away the firing pin and half its carrier. When you pull the trigger there is a huge kick as the massive spring lets go.

[jackalope]

Gun laws in other countries amaze me! PLEASE do not think me knocking any of your homelands as I would never do that!

I just mail ordered an AR15 polymer kit with what's known as an 80% lower receiver which means it's not "technically" a gun so it has no serial numbers and no paperwork and no govt big brother watching the deal! A simple hand drill is all that's needed to machine it into a fully functional AR!