Thanks Brett, that was great to watch. At least for some part of WW1, some Ross rifles found their way into the hand of some British soldiers, including my maternal grandfather. He served in "logistics", as a railwayman in the Royal Army Service Corps. Whilst he was also familiar with the SMLE, he told me he preferred the Ross for its superior accuracy. That suggests to be that he did at least get to fire both types during training, unless he was just referring to the superior reputation of the Ross. His duties involved running standard gauge railways and also some canal operations, so he was not normally needing a rifle for offensive or defensive purposes. The main exception to that may have been during the spring of 1918, when the German "big push" might have led to the need to fend off German infiltrators.
Hi Brett, I have enjoyed several of your videos but was delighted to see this one about the Ross rifle as my father recalled to me as a young child that he was given the daunting task of guarding Grimsby docks (East coast of UK England's Humber Estuary) againt submarine attack - with an empty Ross rifle!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience with this Ross ― I think many people have Rob from BML to blame for getting into British and Canadian firearms!
Con graduations I have been looking off and on for a Ross Military Rifle since I first shoot one back in 1967 when I was in Air Cadets in Canada., The Ross and Lee Enfield's had descended into Cadet training role by that point. In the 70s they were sold in Bargen barrels in sporting goods/surplus stores for $125.00 which I never had to spare at that time, did pick up a Lee #5 jungle rifle for $110.00 though, but the Rosses were all gone by the next time I was there.
Good video Brett, and I also have a Ross rifle that has been in my possession for at least thirty years, I have never fired the rifle because in the back of my mind is the bolt issue misunderstanding. I paid $200 Canadian and they now are in the $1,500 range.
If your Ross is a MKII, the bolt is a non-issue, they can't be reassembled incorrectly. On the MKIII, it can be an issue, but you can physically watch the bolt head on it and make sure you can see it rotate into place. You can watch it rotate into place on a MKII also.
@@barkerjames1980 Thank you for the reply, good information. My Ross is more of a collector item than a range gun, but I with give it a once over to see if it is a Mk11
@@wrxs1781 No problem! MKI rifles are pretty uncommon, and like the MKII it has an internal magazine. The MKIII is the only one with an external magazine.
Very cool. I've had one for a handfull of months now but haven't fired it yet. Thanks for sharing about the necks splitting on your cases. I am planning on reloading for mine and am going to have to keep that in mind now. Keep up the great work.
You aren't alone in the .303 addiction. I fell into it a slightly different way though. I got addicted to the twin of 303 British, 7.7x58 Japanese, and once I fell into that, then 303 quickly made an appearance and I've loved them both ever since. So much so I have a couple hunting rifles chambered in both cartridges, that I take hunting.
Great find. I remember when a friend of mine long pined for a US Army Krag rifle (not carbine) in unaltered condition. His wife found one and gave it to him for his 44th birthday. That was 25 years ago and he's still enjoying the buttery smooth action of that short lived bit of US military history.
Great video, Brett!!! Laying a few ghosts to rest, too. The poor old Ross has had some really bad press for way too long. Now, to find one of my own....
The brass issue is funny to me since mine, a commercial sporter, will not chamber anything except virgin brass or reloads just from this rifle. The chamber is just too tight. I can absolutely see why they reamed the chambers on some of these.
congrats man! seems like a very nice example. those groups at fifty seem quite consistent, and I would agree with maybe needing to swap propellant, it does seem a bit smoky, and those cartridges are looking a bit more smudged than I'd expect. still, she seems to be a shooter and I can't wait to see you get it dialed in.
Fun fact: the 303 British cartridge and the 7.7 Japanese cartridge share the same bullet diameter so 303 projectiles can be loaded into 7.7 cases and vise versa
Interesting rifle and the U.S. history of the Ross. I never knew that it got surplussed into our market in the 30s. I'd lust after a 1917 more than a Ross, but would enjoy either.
James Hahn's observation on the Ross was that it would begin to jam after about 30 rounds rapid firing, while the Lee-Enfield would go for about 110 rounds before overheating and having any problems. Hahn served as a Military Intelligence officer with the Canadian Corps in the First World War, but was running Inglis and producing arms in the Second. It didn't seem to have much to do with muddy conditions.
Not gonna lie, I thought this was going to be a BritishMuzzleLoaders video from the thumbnail. Probably because it said Canada. Still happy with a PaperCartridges video.
I’ve never come across a US surcharged Ross rifle that wasn’t sporterized… In fact I had to take one sporterized rifle with a full length barrel and one rifle, which had been shortened to emulate a carbine and break them both down and build one whole full length musket. The longest leg of this was rebuilding the missing 4 1/2 inches of the Foran using the comb of an old Remington shotgun, which was shaped just right. It was well worth the effort though.
I'm pretty sure my Uncle had one of these, called it 'the Quebec rifle', or the 'old clunker', it was the longest one he had, I recall the long wooden stock. It may have been an early version...it was definitely surplus, lots of markings....He preferred lighter/newer rifles that used 30.06 when hunting, made in the US I assume, so I never saw him shoot it. My Grandfather's artillery battery was definitely issued these (at least initially) in 1915....that would have been the MKIII
Not all Ross rifles were returned to Canada. They were one of the prefered rifles for Canadian snipers in WW1. Norwest of the 50th Bn CEF went thru 3 if them before he was killed.
@@brucegraham4332 Besides from just Basic Training and Basic Marksmanship, these men shipped to Europe for combat will realize once they start combat will have to rely on their training as marksmen and as infantrymen in combat. The world for them sucks. Combat is a personal baptism for any man who is about to enter hell and has to survive. In their world now is either be killed or kill. Reality in life.
Once again I congratulate you on another excellent presentation about another fascinating ex-military rifle. Was the US army ordinance board flaming shell insignia, inspired from the French one, or is it the other way around? 👍✌️
Hey he did smokeless muzzleloaders from the 1850s!!! I think he deserves a break??? I don’t do it often, but this channel is crazy quality for its smaller current statue.
Have a great deployment Brett. I hope you’re able to keep up some level of content while you’re away from home. Whether it’s pre-made, or deployment specific would be cool (but I’m guessing that’s largely not allowed)
After it was mentioned, I paused the video and watched Ian's video about this rifle. Seeing him shoot it left-handed, working the bolt with the right hand, his rate of fire was very high. I like that straight pull - very slick. Why was it so rare (edit to add, I mean straight pull being rare), and why is it not favoured?
Canada didn’t have a very big military, and they couldn’t get wartime production issues sorted out in time. So not that many were made in the first place relative to the other WWI service rifles and it was dumped in favor of the less problematic SMLE.
@@tylersmith3139 maybe so, but it would have made a better rifle if they’d fixed those kinks, instead of creating a whole bunch more with the 1910 design. More complicated bolt, excessive weight, a charger guide that basically didn’t work, among other things. I have owned a few of each, and the 1905’s always worked more smoothly than the 1910, even those that had high round counts.
I was a cadet 40 years ago and never saw a Ross. We had No 7 Enfields in .22 but the shooting team used fancy Anschutz rifles. We also had access to .22 subcal kits for C1s (FALs).
@@lib556 I have to admit, my experience is not vast... The only time I ever saw them was at the Armoury in Hull (Gatineau) Quebec. After that we always went to Shirley's Bay or Petawawa with our FNs... Though, I was told that the Armoury at RMC had Ross 22 as well.
The wartime cordite loads were pretty hard on chamber throats, from what I have heard. This is the first I have heard of a rechamber job to fire issue ammunition, I need to look into that.
I almost purchased a long lee Enfield that was made in 1900 but the barel was completely shot out and couldn't hit the target at 50 yards at all and after firing it was very difficult to extract the brass that's when I noticed the side of brass had bulged out because of major pitting in the breach I found out from a gunsmith that cordite and the primer that was used it was very corrosive that's why thay upgraded the ammunition to the modern version. Wit he sights on that Ross the should be at the back of the rifle like they did on the number 4 mark1,2 lee Enfield, and I'm not sure about that straight pull bolt on the Ross like someone had said on this thread if something goes wrong the bolt could hit you in the face
Chamber geometry. Ross tried to play games with improving .303 accuracy/performance by changing how the brass expands (kinda similar to AI chambers). On top of that, many of the chambers were hogged out during WWI in an attempt to make them more reliable with wartime ammunition.
Does the rim ever hang up when loading this Ross rifle? I'm thinking of how cartridges never get a rim hangup in the Krag Jørgensen rifle, no matter how your cartridges lies in the magazine.
@@papercartridges6705 You had some rounds failing to feed. -Any idea what caused it, if it wasn't rim hangup? BTW: A really nice rifle, and an interesting design!
I haven’t had natural rimlock in my Ross Mk II yet. I did force it once and it was awful. Binds up the action hard. It’s possible the FTFs were caused by something related to the mag cutoff. It works by pulling the back of the follower down, so it might cause such failures if it’s partially engaged
Seeing the rifle struggling to eject the cases makes it unsurprising that it wasn't well suited for combat. The lack of a stripper clip guide also undoubtedly was another big factor in its denial to combat service.
The Mk.III version that was adopted as the service arm for the CEF had guides for charger loading, as well as better (i.e. aperture, mounted to the receiver bridge) rear sights. Plus I'd be hesitant grading a rifle's suitability based on an example that's nearly 120 years old, firing non-standard ammunition.
If anyone buys a Ross Rifle, have it checked by a Gunsmith or put it in a Vise for the 1st shot. The Bolt can be incorrectly assembled, but fire. The bolt can leave the rifle, moving towards your face.
That is a non-issue on the MKII Ross. It CAN happen with a MKIII, but when you close the bolt on any Ross, you can physically see the bolt head. As long as it rotates into the locked position, you're good to go.
Wow! A .303 tearing cases apart. I never heard of such a thing. You Sir MUST be doing it WRONG! I have NEVER had my 1917 SMLE blow necks out OR tear the backs off of S&B cases forcing me take the bolt out and extract the remains. (Doesn't everyone carry a case extractor in ALL of their rifle cases??) 😁
No matter what they do, most of my L-E shooting buddies here get no more than four or five reloads before they split around the neck area, just like Brett's did. It can get costy to shoot ANY .303 these days, but that is taken to be the price we pay to shoot historic arms like this.
Don't work the bolt like your girfiend. Be a wee bit more forceful cycling the bolt and you will not have so much trouble with failure to feeds. It's too bad I didn't see this video a few years ago or I could have sent you some once fired cases. I sold 130,000 for scrap brass and got a whole $100 canadian.
VERY! COOL! I read a book as a younger man, "The Rifle Man!" I THINK? a book about a WWI Canadian who fought WWI from the Real Job of an Infantry Riffle Man.. EVERY ISSUE as He reported or observed in his Book with Any System he used was Based in His Opinion! on Ammo Quality! other than His Use of the Eddie Stone at 30/06 as the ammo ws very consistant 100% USA! Not a Nerd? An Accurate Observation! I recall? the Ross Ment? for a Brass or Copper Jacketed round from the Get Go?
I think the Ross just anticipated using cartridges made to very strict tolerance. This improves accuracy. But mass produced British WWI ammo wasn’t quite to that level and it wouldn’t chamber.
@@papercartridges6705 To be fair, it's somewhat expected that the ammunition in use shouldn't be so shabbily made. You don't really see reports of large quantities of poor quality ammunition passing to the frontlines in the French and German militaries, despite similar levels of mass production. The British already produced .303 in large numbers before for arming the commonwealth so there wouldn't have such a loss in the rate of production if a minimum standard was kept as it was in the Canadian factories. Not to mention, they had several commonwealth nations that were also producing ammunition. It was a definitely a serious level of negligence.
Fun fact: the first Canadian unit to deploy to France (Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry) never carried the Ross rifle. They were 'first in the field' and initially fought as part of a UK bde in a UK div. As such, they were armed from the get go with SMLEs. They arrived in France in early Dec, 1914 - months before the remainder of the CEF (Cdn Exped Force) arrived.
The PPCLI shipped to the UK with Ross Rifles before being re-equipped with SMLEs and sent across the channel. It is possible to find Ross Mk II rifles with PPCLI unit markings
They weren't "first in the field" either. No. 1 Canadian Stationary Hospital arrived in France before the PPCLI. The members are the only ones entitled to the 1914 Star, the Mons Star.
@@brucegraham4332 First fighting unit. That said, I was not aware of the field hospital being there early. Since the PPCLI went into the line at St Eloi Dec 1914, I wonder why they weren't entitled to wear the 1914 Star as well..
@@lib556 The star was awarded to all officers, non-commissioned officers and non-commissioned members of the British and Indian Expeditionary Forces, (including civilian medical practitioners, nursing sisters, nurses and others who were employed with military hospitals), serving in France or Belgium on the establishment of the British Expeditionary Forces between 05 August 1914 and midnight of 22/23 November 1914. The medal was not issued for service afloat.
I feel like WW1 was the last war seriously fought a good bit with civilian weapons??? I mean all the civilian pistols all the semi automatic rifles France bought. Then there’s the use of stuff like chemicals abd the tractor (tank) that’s not even a gun. I don’t think civilian drones in Ukraine is “the same thing”???
One comment about your shooting. You seem to be too 'modern' and you are not holding the rifle as we were trained to do on the old bolt-action rifles. Right hand should be thumb OVER and the left hand should be free of sling, supporting the rifle stock with the palm and fingers around the stock. Twist gently left with the right and twist right with the left and PULL BACK into the shoulder. The support, if any, should be on the left forearm. Take the sling off and try it! It's not just you it is common with many folk not used to these old rifles. Why am I such a smart ass? I was a Skill-at-Arms instructor.
The bolt is fine when assembled properly. It can only be assembled incorrectly on the Ross Mk III, and it requires forcing some parts together in a way they don’t want to go. The Sarco employee was killed when attempting to shoot his Winchester-Lee, not a Ross. The incident was almost certainly caused by a quirk of trying to convert .30-40 brass to 6mm USN, which leaves the case head dangerously thin.
The American Rifleman article on the Ross rifle explains the problems with the rifle which caused the Canadian army to do away with it due to bolt trouble in combat. US Army used for training but never saw service.Some sold off after war others returned to Canada during WW2 in original warpers. @@TenaciousTrilobite
@@georgegeyer3431 You’re blurring the rifle models together. The Mk II (shown in the video) had a different action and magazine design than the Mk III, which was the one with all the issues and the one that actually fought in the trenches. Brett simplified the story a bit for time, but the Mk IIs the US purchased didn’t see frontline service with the Canadians either. They were already considered obsolete by then.
Most of the Mk III were modified to prevent the bolt from being incorrectly reassembled. But by this time, the reputation of the Ross was completely destroyed.
Thanks Brett, that was great to watch.
At least for some part of WW1, some Ross rifles found their way into the hand of some British soldiers, including my maternal grandfather.
He served in "logistics", as a railwayman in the Royal Army Service Corps. Whilst he was also familiar with the SMLE, he told me he preferred the Ross for its superior accuracy.
That suggests to be that he did at least get to fire both types during training, unless he was just referring to the superior reputation of the Ross.
His duties involved running standard gauge railways and also some canal operations, so he was not normally needing a rifle for offensive or defensive purposes. The main exception to that may have been during the spring of 1918, when the German "big push" might have led to the need to fend off German infiltrators.
I too am a .303 fanboy and love Lee Enfields. The Ross has also always been on my list. Very unique rifle! Glad to see you got one!
I have a Pattern 14, No1 Mk3, a No.4 Mk1 and a No.4 Mk1*
Hi Brett, I have enjoyed several of your videos but was delighted to see this one about the Ross rifle as my father recalled to me as a young child that he was given the daunting task of guarding Grimsby docks (East coast of UK England's Humber Estuary) againt submarine attack - with an empty Ross rifle!
And I heard that in soviet union some off the conscripted were issued with a handful of amo but no gun to defeat the enemy.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience with this Ross ― I think many people have Rob from BML to blame for getting into British and Canadian firearms!
Con graduations I have been looking off and on for a Ross Military Rifle since I first shoot one back in 1967 when I was in Air Cadets in Canada., The Ross and Lee Enfield's had descended into Cadet training role by that point. In the 70s they were sold in Bargen barrels in sporting goods/surplus stores for $125.00 which I never had to spare at that time, did pick up a Lee #5 jungle rifle for $110.00 though, but the Rosses were all gone by the next time I was there.
Totally agree, I love this rifle.
Good video Brett, and I also have a Ross rifle that has been in my possession for at least thirty years, I have never fired the rifle because in the back of my mind is the bolt issue misunderstanding. I paid $200 Canadian and they now are in the $1,500 range.
If your Ross is a MKII, the bolt is a non-issue, they can't be reassembled incorrectly. On the MKIII, it can be an issue, but you can physically watch the bolt head on it and make sure you can see it rotate into place. You can watch it rotate into place on a MKII also.
@@barkerjames1980 Thank you for the reply, good information. My Ross is more of a collector item than a range gun, but I with give it a once over to see if it is a Mk11
@@wrxs1781 No problem! MKI rifles are pretty uncommon, and like the MKII it has an internal magazine. The MKIII is the only one with an external magazine.
I am still looking for a Ross mk3 I love quirky military rifles. Great video
Very cool. I've had one for a handfull of months now but haven't fired it yet. Thanks for sharing about the necks splitting on your cases. I am planning on reloading for mine and am going to have to keep that in mind now. Keep up the great work.
Another great presentation. Thank you.
Great catch and great video as always! I learned lots! Thanks
The M1905 and M1910 Ross rifles are bucket list items for me on my collection list. Beautiful rifle man!!
You aren't alone in the .303 addiction. I fell into it a slightly different way though. I got addicted to the twin of 303 British, 7.7x58 Japanese, and once I fell into that, then 303 quickly made an appearance and I've loved them both ever since. So much so I have a couple hunting rifles chambered in both cartridges, that I take hunting.
303 CHECKS ALL THE BOXES AS FOR ME .
Great find. I remember when a friend of mine long pined for a US Army Krag rifle (not carbine) in unaltered condition. His wife found one and gave it to him for his 44th birthday. That was 25 years ago and he's still enjoying the buttery smooth action of that short lived bit of US military history.
That looks like fun
Here in NZ we only ever got the SMLE in all it’s variants and many are still used for hunting today
Cheers mate
The New Zealanders used a Ross at Bisley, too much controversy.
Now you need one in 280 Ross.RBC
Nice rifle. A Ross is also still on my bucket list.
Thanks. Can't well describe the joy of acquiring a special piece like but that Last smile goes along way.
Herbert McBride in a rifleman went to war, he mentioned the Ross rifle was very accurate. Good find.
Thanks for the video! I have a MKII*** also, but in somewhat rough shape however it shoots amazingly well!
Great video, Brett!!! Laying a few ghosts to rest, too. The poor old Ross has had some really bad press for way too long. Now, to find one of my own....
The brass issue is funny to me since mine, a commercial sporter, will not chamber anything except virgin brass or reloads just from this rifle. The chamber is just too tight. I can absolutely see why they reamed the chambers on some of these.
Really enjoy your videos, Brett.
As a private in the UK Home Guard in 1940, my father ('Private Pike') trained with the Ross rifle.
The history is fascinating, complex and sort of tragic/comic. The personalities involved were larger than life.
Remember that Herbert McBride sad the Ross was fine until "wartime production" ammo began being fired in them. Stay safe on your deployment!
Those cartridges look awfully metal and brassy for paper. Checkmate youtube pseudo-expert.
One straight pull I don't have, congrats she's beautiful!
Congratulations bud! and thanks for sharing!
This and the Heym sr30 are very nice straight pulls. More so than the K31s and Savage Impulse.
congrats man! seems like a very nice example. those groups at fifty seem quite consistent, and I would agree with maybe needing to swap propellant, it does seem a bit smoky, and those cartridges are looking a bit more smudged than I'd expect. still, she seems to be a shooter and I can't wait to see you get it dialed in.
Fun fact: the 303 British cartridge and the 7.7 Japanese cartridge share the same bullet diameter so 303 projectiles can be loaded into 7.7 cases and vise versa
Congratulations on checking off a Bucket List , she's a beauty.
Fabulous rifle, I’ve never shot one though I’ve fired a few Enfield’s etc over the years. 🇬🇧
Hey Brett! Great video, curious on a comment in the video, did you say you are deploying out?
Interesting rifle and the U.S. history of the Ross. I never knew that it got surplussed into our market in the 30s. I'd lust after a 1917 more than a Ross, but would enjoy either.
That w.e.p smile at the end says it all...
James Hahn's observation on the Ross was that it would begin to jam after about 30 rounds rapid firing, while the Lee-Enfield would go for about 110 rounds before overheating and having any problems. Hahn served as a Military Intelligence officer with the Canadian Corps in the First World War, but was running Inglis and producing arms in the Second. It didn't seem to have much to do with muddy conditions.
It also had a slew on manufacturing issues during the war and it took them a while to figure everything out
Not gonna lie, I thought this was going to be a BritishMuzzleLoaders video from the thumbnail. Probably because it said Canada. Still happy with a PaperCartridges video.
I’ve never come across a US surcharged Ross rifle that wasn’t sporterized… In fact I had to take one sporterized rifle with a full length barrel and one rifle, which had been shortened to emulate a carbine and break them both down and build one whole full length musket. The longest leg of this was rebuilding the missing 4 1/2 inches of the Foran using the comb of an old Remington shotgun, which was shaped just right. It was well worth the effort though.
Well done, Brett, a fascinating piece. May we assume you will now be growing a magnificent mustache to signal the change in your usual subject matter?
No, I am just going to transition straight to belt fed machine guns.
🤮😩@@papercartridges6705
I'm pretty sure my Uncle had one of these, called it 'the Quebec rifle', or the 'old clunker', it was the longest one he had, I recall the long wooden stock. It may have been an early version...it was definitely surplus, lots of markings....He preferred lighter/newer rifles that used 30.06 when hunting, made in the US I assume, so I never saw him shoot it. My Grandfather's artillery battery was definitely issued these (at least initially) in 1915....that would have been the MKIII
Not all Ross rifles were returned to Canada. They were one of the prefered rifles for Canadian snipers in WW1. Norwest of the 50th Bn CEF went thru 3 if them before he was killed.
The biggest problem for the Ross in the trenches was not fine tolerances, but the lack of the strong cam action of the Mauser and Enfield actions.
The Ross has primary extraction just like the Mauser and SMLE.
@@TenaciousTrilobitethe MKII and MKIII both had primary extraction, but the MKI Ross did not.
@@barkerjames1980 The Mk I also wasn't used in the trenches
@@TenaciousTrilobite nope
Your grouping is good enough for combat. Many Canadians were really good marksmen before WWI because many of them were from rural backgrounds.
Two-thirds of the first contingent were British born. By 1918, half the contingent were still British born, even with conscription.
@@brucegraham4332 Besides from just Basic Training and Basic Marksmanship, these men shipped to Europe for combat will realize once they start combat will have to rely on their training as marksmen and as infantrymen in combat. The world for them sucks. Combat is a personal baptism for any man who is about to enter hell and has to survive. In their world now is either be killed or kill. Reality in life.
Once again I congratulate you on another excellent presentation about another fascinating ex-military rifle. Was the US army ordinance board flaming shell insignia, inspired from the French one, or is it the other way around? 👍✌️
I’m sure like most things in the American military, we stole it from the French or British.
Wow I love the straight pull! I guess Canada can do things right? Like a blind squirrel finding a nut.
The bones of an awful lot of Germans are still moldering in graves on the Western Front because they went up against Canadian divisions.
I chuckled at the boxes of KD on the table ngl
This smokeless nonsense is getting out of hand. What next self loaders??
Maybe he's going to backslide into magazine black powder bolt guns?
Hey he did smokeless muzzleloaders from the 1850s!!! I think he deserves a break???
I don’t do it often, but this channel is crazy quality for its smaller current statue.
@@danielcurtis1434just found it agreed
Smokless powder is a passing fad. Now down the road of come what may to ye!!! Not you Diddy....
Very cool rifle. There’s a US proof on GunBroker for 2,600. What’s a resealable price on these guns? Thanks!
Have a great deployment Brett. I hope you’re able to keep up some level of content while you’re away from home. Whether it’s pre-made, or deployment specific would be cool (but I’m guessing that’s largely not allowed)
I have about 20 hours of video from before I deployed, that I still need to edit and turn into content. You might not even notice I’m gone!
@@papercartridges6705 awesome! It seems pretty entitled to expect you to keep it up while on deployment 😂 we appreciate your hard work
Ian has a video were he puts the bolt together backwards and tries to blow it up, worth a look. Why the low pressure lead ammo?
Sounds like someone else was shooting .303 that day too !
It's a Canadian rifle. Some of the early stock were sent to the US hence why the specific markings.
After it was mentioned, I paused the video and watched Ian's video about this rifle. Seeing him shoot it left-handed, working the bolt with the right hand, his rate of fire was very high. I like that straight pull - very slick. Why was it so rare (edit to add, I mean straight pull being rare), and why is it not favoured?
Canada didn’t have a very big military, and they couldn’t get wartime production issues sorted out in time. So not that many were made in the first place relative to the other WWI service rifles and it was dumped in favor of the less problematic SMLE.
@@TenaciousTrilobite Ta, but I meant why is straight pull so rare, not the Ross.
The 1905 was a great rifle, with the exception of the rather fragile rear sights. The 1910 Mk. III was a huge step backwards, in my opinion.
Say hello to the MkII**, no downsides.
No, it wasn't. It improved on many things. The early Ross had potential, but there were a lot of kinks that needed to be ironed out.
@@tylersmith3139 maybe so, but it would have made a better rifle if they’d fixed those kinks, instead of creating a whole bunch more with the 1910 design. More complicated bolt, excessive weight, a charger guide that basically didn’t work, among other things. I have owned a few of each, and the 1905’s always worked more smoothly than the 1910, even those that had high round counts.
I never knew I wanted one until... 🙂
Straight Pull Wow'' Great Video 💯💥💥💥💥💥💥💥
Well done
There were still some Ross Rifles in service up here (Canada) 40 years ago. Rechambered in 22 for the in door ranges used by Cadets & Militia.
I was a cadet 40 years ago and never saw a Ross. We had No 7 Enfields in .22 but the shooting team used fancy Anschutz rifles. We also had access to .22 subcal kits for C1s (FALs).
@@lib556 I have to admit, my experience is not vast... The only time I ever saw them was at the Armoury in Hull (Gatineau) Quebec. After that we always went to Shirley's Bay or Petawawa with our FNs... Though, I was told that the Armoury at RMC had Ross 22 as well.
The wartime cordite loads were pretty hard on chamber throats, from what I have heard. This is the first I have heard of a rechamber job to fire issue ammunition, I need to look into that.
I almost purchased a long lee Enfield that was made in 1900 but the barel was completely shot out and couldn't hit the target at 50 yards at all and after firing it was very difficult to extract the brass that's when I noticed the side of brass had bulged out because of major pitting in the breach I found out from a gunsmith that cordite and the primer that was used it was very corrosive that's why thay upgraded the ammunition to the modern version. Wit he sights on that Ross the should be at the back of the rifle like they did on the number 4 mark1,2 lee Enfield, and I'm not sure about that straight pull bolt on the Ross like someone had said on this thread if something goes wrong the bolt could hit you in the face
That's interesting about the cracked and mangled brass. Is that more a chamber geometry issue or just the deterioration of the brass from reloads?
Chamber geometry. Ross tried to play games with improving .303 accuracy/performance by changing how the brass expands (kinda similar to AI chambers). On top of that, many of the chambers were hogged out during WWI in an attempt to make them more reliable with wartime ammunition.
Does the rim ever hang up when loading this Ross rifle? I'm thinking of how cartridges never get a rim hangup in the Krag Jørgensen rifle, no matter how your cartridges lies in the magazine.
Hasn’t happened to me yet, though I’ve only cycled maybe 25 rounds through it so far.
@@papercartridges6705 You had some rounds failing to feed. -Any idea what caused it, if it wasn't rim hangup? BTW: A really nice rifle, and an interesting design!
I haven’t had natural rimlock in my Ross Mk II yet. I did force it once and it was awful. Binds up the action hard. It’s possible the FTFs were caused by something related to the mag cutoff. It works by pulling the back of the follower down, so it might cause such failures if it’s partially engaged
Seeing the rifle struggling to eject the cases makes it unsurprising that it wasn't well suited for combat. The lack of a stripper clip guide also undoubtedly was another big factor in its denial to combat service.
The Mk.III version that was adopted as the service arm for the CEF had guides for charger loading, as well as better (i.e. aperture, mounted to the receiver bridge) rear sights.
Plus I'd be hesitant grading a rifle's suitability based on an example that's nearly 120 years old, firing non-standard ammunition.
top video 😀 would love to get my hands on one those rare as rocking horse shit in australia
If anyone buys a Ross Rifle, have it checked by a Gunsmith or put it in a Vise for the 1st shot. The Bolt can be incorrectly assembled, but fire. The bolt can leave the rifle, moving towards your face.
That is a non-issue on the MKII Ross. It CAN happen with a MKIII, but when you close the bolt on any Ross, you can physically see the bolt head. As long as it rotates into the locked position, you're good to go.
@@barkerjames1980I have 4 M1910 Ross rifles and 3 MkIIs. I like all of them!
@@sv5813 I have a MKII and love it!
Not a bad model 303 but I would rather go with the saam for the robust flawless rifle of 1896
MAC & CHEESE!!!!!!!! I came here for the mac & cheese. cause its the cheeseasest. Oh yaaaaaa!!
Mac & Cheese?? What kind of abomination is that? To be truly Canadian, you need boxes of KD (Kraft Dinner).
It’s a great sporting rifle, you might not want to shoot it rapidly for a long time. Just saying .
But where do the paper cartridges fit?
I’m still trying to figure that out. I’ll manage to get one stuffed in there somehow, though.
@@papercartridges6705 My first firearm I ever had was a Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk1 as a 16 year old. I've been hooked on MkVII .303 British since!
hi great vid. the stock needs a little oil
Wow! A .303 tearing cases apart. I never heard of such a thing. You Sir MUST be doing it WRONG! I have NEVER had my 1917 SMLE blow necks out OR tear the backs off of S&B cases forcing me take the bolt out and extract the remains. (Doesn't everyone carry a case extractor in ALL of their rifle cases??) 😁
No matter what they do, most of my L-E shooting buddies here get no more than four or five reloads before they split around the neck area, just like Brett's did. It can get costy to shoot ANY .303 these days, but that is taken to be the price we pay to shoot historic arms like this.
Fee fie fo fum. I smell craft dinner!
Don't work the bolt like your girfiend. Be a wee bit more forceful cycling the bolt and you will not have so much trouble with failure to feeds. It's too bad I didn't see this video a few years ago or I could have sent you some once fired cases. I sold 130,000 for scrap brass and got a whole $100 canadian.
VERY! COOL! I read a book as a younger man, "The Rifle Man!" I THINK? a book about a WWI Canadian who fought WWI from the Real Job of an Infantry Riffle Man.. EVERY ISSUE as He reported or observed in his Book with Any System he used was Based in His Opinion! on Ammo Quality! other than His Use of the Eddie Stone at 30/06 as the ammo ws very consistant 100% USA!
Not a Nerd? An Accurate Observation! I recall? the Ross Ment? for a Brass or Copper Jacketed round from the Get Go?
I think the Ross just anticipated using cartridges made to very strict tolerance. This improves accuracy. But mass produced British WWI ammo wasn’t quite to that level and it wouldn’t chamber.
@@papercartridges6705 To be fair, it's somewhat expected that the ammunition in use shouldn't be so shabbily made. You don't really see reports of large quantities of poor quality ammunition passing to the frontlines in the French and German militaries, despite similar levels of mass production. The British already produced .303 in large numbers before for arming the commonwealth so there wouldn't have such a loss in the rate of production if a minimum standard was kept as it was in the Canadian factories. Not to mention, they had several commonwealth nations that were also producing ammunition. It was a definitely a serious level of negligence.
मेरे पास है रॉस राईफल चैबर 280 मे राईफल है तो सभी राईफल पिछे हटा दिया इतनी लबी दूरी किसी भी राईफल की नहीं है जितनी है 280 चैबर राईफल
👍👍from a history nut
❤101❤
Fun fact: the first Canadian unit to deploy to France (Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry) never carried the Ross rifle. They were 'first in the field' and initially fought as part of a UK bde in a UK div. As such, they were armed from the get go with SMLEs. They arrived in France in early Dec, 1914 - months before the remainder of the CEF (Cdn Exped Force) arrived.
The PPCLI shipped to the UK with Ross Rifles before being re-equipped with SMLEs and sent across the channel. It is possible to find Ross Mk II rifles with PPCLI unit markings
@@TenaciousTrilobite Yeah, that's what I meant to say... by the time they hit Frace, they weren't carrying Rosses.
They weren't "first in the field" either. No. 1 Canadian Stationary Hospital arrived in France before the PPCLI. The members are the only ones entitled to the 1914 Star, the Mons Star.
@@brucegraham4332 First fighting unit. That said, I was not aware of the field hospital being there early. Since the PPCLI went into the line at St Eloi Dec 1914, I wonder why they weren't entitled to wear the 1914 Star as well..
@@lib556 The star was awarded to all officers, non-commissioned officers and non-commissioned members of the British and Indian Expeditionary Forces, (including civilian medical practitioners, nursing sisters, nurses and others who were employed with military hospitals), serving in France or Belgium on the establishment of the British Expeditionary Forces between 05 August 1914 and midnight of 22/23 November 1914. The medal was not issued for service afloat.
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I feel like WW1 was the last war seriously fought a good bit with civilian weapons???
I mean all the civilian pistols all the semi automatic rifles France bought. Then there’s the use of stuff like chemicals abd the tractor (tank) that’s not even a gun.
I don’t think civilian drones in Ukraine is “the same thing”???
It's not feeding very well!
It’s my fault, not the rifle. Wasn’t bringing the bolt back far enough.
Grrrr!
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One comment about your shooting. You seem to be too 'modern' and you are not holding the rifle as we were trained to do on the old bolt-action rifles. Right hand should be thumb OVER and the left hand should be free of sling, supporting the rifle stock with the palm and fingers around the stock. Twist gently left with the right and twist right with the left and PULL BACK into the shoulder. The support, if any, should be on the left forearm. Take the sling off and try it! It's not just you it is common with many folk not used to these old rifles. Why am I such a smart ass? I was a Skill-at-Arms instructor.
1st
Death trap rifle. Unreliable, and the bolt can cause severe injury or death. One of Sarcos' employees was killed, shooting Ross.
The bolt is fine when assembled properly. It can only be assembled incorrectly on the Ross Mk III, and it requires forcing some parts together in a way they don’t want to go. The Sarco employee was killed when attempting to shoot his Winchester-Lee, not a Ross. The incident was almost certainly caused by a quirk of trying to convert .30-40 brass to 6mm USN, which leaves the case head dangerously thin.
The American Rifleman article on the Ross rifle explains the problems with the rifle which caused the Canadian army to do away with it due to bolt trouble in combat. US Army used for training but never saw service.Some sold off after war others returned to Canada during WW2 in original warpers. @@TenaciousTrilobite
@@georgegeyer3431 You’re blurring the rifle models together. The Mk II (shown in the video) had a different action and magazine design than the Mk III, which was the one with all the issues and the one that actually fought in the trenches. Brett simplified the story a bit for time, but the Mk IIs the US purchased didn’t see frontline service with the Canadians either. They were already considered obsolete by then.
Most of the Mk III were modified to prevent the bolt from being incorrectly reassembled. But by this time, the reputation of the Ross was completely destroyed.
I like them very strong action .