As every other British commentator has said, cut my teeth target shooting with this during my Army Cadet days, early to mid 1980’s. Loved the smell of Eley .22 in the 25m tube range. Lovely piece of engineering.
yeah.. me too.. In the army cadets I used these rifles from 1978 through to 1982 on a 30 yard range in prone.. 6 shots half inch group would be a good day. There were other more modern lighter 22 rifles available, but I would always get better results on the old No. 8. Tried the No. 8 again at a rifle club about 10 years ago, same length range, and managed a half inch group with 10 shots. Not sure the eyesight is quite as good now though.
Ah the No8, myself like many millions of young British Air Cadets (ATC), Navy Cadets, Army Cadets and CCF used to learn marksmanship with this rifle. We had two in my ATC Squadron, 226 No 2 Brighton. We also had two .22 Martini rifles as well that I only got to shoot once. I got my ATC Marksman badge with a No8 in 1993 and later got an RAF marksman badge with an L98 Straight pull. We used Eley Club ammo almost exclusively with this rifle.
I remember the Martinis but never got to shoot one in my squadron... The older cadets tended to complain a lot about them, saying they used to jam frequently. They didn't seem to like the L98 much either, but the No.8 was much loved, despite being a heavy lump for a 12 year old...
I preferd annual camp hunting other squads with lsw's going off while I have an GP SA80, returning fire it was such an awesome time of my life. being awakend from my poncho by us being ambushed and hearing total chaos of cadets losing their minds! No barrel blockers so some people get hit with the blank caps, so it was truly terrifying but such an XP! Oh and yes we fired the number 8 down range live. great great gun.... But very heavy (i was around 13 and never ate my veg) ^^
Ideally that should always be true. If you buy a rifle, you can get better but the rifle will stay the same. If I miss I want it to be my fault, not my equipment.
Shame the MoD isn't surplussing them. It's nonsensical; they're lovely target rifles, they're literally the least harmful rifle out there (very heavy single shot .22lr bolt action), and it would be a nice bit of cash, rather than having to pay to have them destroyed.
Fred Wood whippersnapper! It was the 1980's when I shot one of these in the ACF. Got an L42 now I'm all grown up. Wish I could have got my hands on one of these nowadays, but money is tight....
I also shot these in the cadets. I remember the rear sight being different, with windage and height adjustment, and you were also able to adjust the aperture of the front sight (the ones I shot didn't have a blade sight). I was also taught to push the round into the breach before closing the bolt rather than rest it on the tray.
The ones I used to use for target shooting had standard Parker Hale tunnel fore-sights with interchange able elements. We started out with windage adjustable (A J Parker) back-sights that screwed on via the standard aperture, but then found a box of "Twin Zero" .303 target rifles sights in our armory, so we bolted those on instead. Later on I learnt more about the trigger mechanism. Non many of us seemed to know that most of the former magazine well space is taken up by a gargantuan adjustable trigger mechanism. Ours were set up a traditional Lee Enfield two stage triggers but I've heard they can be adjusted just to present a crisp single stage.
I don't believe the CMP is any longer a government entity. I believe it was transferred to civilian control so the Feds would not have to fund it, and to keep it from being able to import surplus firearms. Hmmm, I wonder what sleezy politician was responsible for that. someone please correct me if I am wrong.
Excellent Rifles, used them for 30 odd years in the Cadets. Now have my very own and love it. With reference to the Lanscape Target we put the Landscape Target low down and place a large sheet of tracing paper above it, not below, as placing the Sights on H (H means harmonisation) throws the fall of shot high. You can then place the tracing paper over the Landscape Target to see where your shots are going.
A lot of the Rifles in the public domain came from the withdrawal of the New Zealand examples. New Zealand Rifles are either D or DA serials whereas British Rifles have A serials. Although most of the British Rifles were owned by the MOD and thus won’t be sold many where privately owned by private Schools with CCF Units and thus some have or could end up in Civilian hands. The 12 Rifles my Cadet Unit had were a mix of No4 and No5 Action Bodies, but in mixed order so I don’t think they used one first then the other.
late 70's early 80's as a cadet I got to shoot Lee Enfield 303, No. 8, Bren Gun, GPMG, 7.62 SLR, 9mm Browning pistol, Sterling Sub-machine gun and the weirdest one was the Carl Gustav anti tank 84mm converted to a 0.22 calibre for range training, which our cadet corps had managed to get hold of. With the thunderflash and parachute flares we had on exercise, these were fun times as a teenager.. On reflection we were the next generation of Cold War fighters in preparation !! thankfully it didnt come to that for me, but it did for many.
I used this rifle my whole cadet career. I joined in 2009 and left 2015, goes to show how long the rifle was in service for. I loved this rifle was so simple to use.
Brilliant video. Spent many many weekends in my youth in the ATC 25 50 100 yards shooting 1000's of rounds with these. Never let me down once. Great memories!
Just managed to but one!!! Sadly, someone had VARNISHED the stock. After taking off the varnish and oiling with linseed oil she looks like an infantry trainer again! Almost 50 years since I shot them in the ACF, still fun and still accurate.
I loved shooting the No. 8. It was still being used as a cadet (youth organisation) rifle up until relatively recently. It's such a lovely weapon to shoot. If you are buying one, be aware of any numbers on a plate underneath the grip as that indicates how many barrel bulges the rifle has.
The shoot was called The Country Life Competition. Part of the competition had a shoot captain give a fire control order to a piece of landscape in a cerrtain time frame; kind of indirect fire control. A team event. Another practice to the competition included a rapid fire and snap on a lollypop type target. (Target size about 1 inch, though a good shot would just make a one ragged hole in the middle.) Practice made perfect and cadets got good, the competition was fierce. The smell of Eley ammunition! A lot of fun, the No:8's a fantastic rifle. I like many will always hold real fondness for it and have great respect.
this was one of the 1st rifles I fired as a 12 year old in 1980 while I was in the Army cadets here in the UK, cloverleaf groups at 25 meters are achievable with it, the way we were taught to load them was not to drop the round in the groove but to feed the round directly into the barrel and push it in as far as it would go, as accurate as the no.8 seemed, when it came to shooting competitions like the TARA league we would use the heavier .22 martini rifle for indoor shooting, but for full bore shooting it was of course the .303 no.4 mk2's at camp or during Bisley competitions
This was the first rifle I ever shot. They are quite lovely things. I actually preferred shooting a Number 8 (and got better results) than the more expensive target rifles we had.
The no.8 "replacement" has only one good thing about it, its lighter than the no.8. Its worse in pretty much every other way thanks to poor quality control from material selection through the design and manufacturing process. What they should've done is cut No8 numbers down by combining good parts of different rifles and scraping the bad parts, and got an upgrade project running on the no.8. Things indestructible, pretty accurate for its age, easy to use, and im sure would make a good base for an upgrade package. But no, MOD decides shred em, and buy a cheap, rattly, falls apart on the first trial of it, nasty pos bangstick that it slightly lighter coz reasons.
I thought the same thing after shooting the number 8 It’s only lighter because it’s made from plastic Can’t see how they expect theses rifles to last more than 10 years
No, they just showed up in this comments section because of that particular rifle. Won't see many cadets talking on the 75mm German anti-tank gun video, you'll find ex-gunners there ;)
Same ATC 204 2014-18 was lucky enough to shoot the number 8 as well as the LN85 But That plastic rubbish they replaced the number 8 with (L144A1) is awful it’s light and fragile feeling. No chance they will last 70 years like the number 8s
At 2:28 Ian describes the 'landscape target setting' (i.e. 'H') of the No. 8 mark 1 adjustable sight. I did not know about this but this was actually a well established shooting protocol used by the British Army since WW1. There's a nice website describing this (and showing some landscape targets) here : www.rifleman.org.uk/Landscape_Targetry.html
Very fond memories of this rifle as well as a .22 L85 conversion kit that we had on that same camp. The cherry tree ranges were awesome but I can also relate to the “can shoot better than you can” my first shoot I got a god awful grouping and my girlfriend’s instructor told her that he would put a sheet up to see where the bullet is actually going
Well, yes, I too was introduced to this great rifle at our Senior School 25 Yd indoor range. Like other people noted here, our Rifles had much improved click adjustable Windage and Elevation rear sight, The usual routine was to shoot up to 5 rounds (sighters), to zero Rifle, prior to target shooting. I belonged to several 22 shooting clubs, even so lucky to work at a Company, who had their own range. The Rifle always performed extremely well (yes, usually better than me) and was great for competition shooting. I nearly always used a sling, to steady my firing on prone firing position and yes, this rifle is definitely 'heavy' for a 22. As someone commented, it was standard practice to insert the cartridge fully into the breech, prior to bolt closure, rather than onto the feed tray as Ian suggested. Now I would like to go back to 22 shooting, but lack interest, because all Rifles seem to be 'scoped now.Too easy, even for my old eyes!
At the risk of repeating everyone else's comments, the No8 was the first rifle I ever shot as a 12 year old cadet of 125 (Cheltenham) Squadron ATC. As a skinny 12 year old in 1977, it might as well have weighed a ton! I remember my qualification target coming back from the scorer with 'Only Just' penned on the back - 5 rounds within the diameter of a 2 pence piece. I've recently picked up a 1949 dated Fazakerley No8, that'll still put 5 rounds in a ragged 1-hole group (if I do my bit). A lovely rifle - an introduction to shooting for many British shooters over the years, and an important part of service rifle shooting. A real travesty that those that remain in store are likely to be destroyed
Yep, me too. I also shot this in the Air Cadets back in the 80's. Great weapon, if a little heavy for young boys and girls. 5rounds within a 2 pence piece (about an inch) at 25 yes to be a marksman.
late 70's early 80's as a cadet I got to shoot Lee Enfield 303, No. 8, Bren Gun, GPMG, 7.62 SLR, 9mm Browning pistol, Sterling Sub-machine gun and the weirdest one was the Carl Gustav anti tank 84mm converted to a 0.22 calibre for range training, which our cadet corps had managed to get hold of. With the thunderflash and parachute flares we had on exercise, these were fun times as a teenager.. On reflection we were the next generation of Cold War fighters in preparation !! thankfully it didnt come to that for me, but it did for many.
I have one of these as i first used one at the age of eleven , absolutely beautiful to shoot and stays spot on with a steady arm, i won many a competition with mine against scoped and modern rifles of the same calibre , i am definitely keeping mine ,i love it.
Shot that beauty a lot in Scarborough barracks in the ATC at 1053 (Armthorpe) squadron . I lost count how many round i fired after filling a few books. Love the Comps at Strensall.
We still have a bunch in my armoury, although the L144 replacements are in but not being issued out yet (here anyway), lots of QC issues with those. The No8s have at least 3-4 different rear sights that I've seen; some straight no4 sights, some as in the video, a few competition style that don't flip up. Also some front sights that look vaguely like an AA sight instead of a post. Probably a bit heavy for some of the really young cadets but nice to have a quality 22 for them to use to practice marksmanship.
I'm sure a lot of them struggle, but it's not like they will have been practicing with their parents from a young age as per the lucky children in the US who've been brought up with that opportunity.
Most British kids wouldn't have early exposure to firearms, but, back the 70s and 80s most males aged 14 and over owned at least one air rifle and you could and did certainly learn the essentials of shooting with one.
Had the chance to shoot this in the ATC 2500 SQ. I was about 14 and trying to hold up a 5kg rifle at that age was not easy. But I managed some decent groups at 25 yards shooting targets measuring a few centimetres in circumference on an A4 sheet of paper. We had to be able to name every part on the rifle and had to be able to perform an exhaustive set of safety drills before even being allowed near the range. This came in useful when I had a misfire on one round. I pulled the trigger and...click. I had to keep the rifle pointed downrange and loudly count slowly to ten. After that I would raise my hand and the range superviser would clear the malfunction. Some cadets got to shoot the L98 trainer but I was never that lucky. Overall I'm glad I was able to shoot it. The cadets was a time in my life I look back at fondly. This was around 2013/14.
The BSA Century rifle was also a 1950s British rimfire that seems to have been designed primarily for cadet and youth training. If you can get hold of one for Forgotten Weapons, it would make an interesting comparison with the No.8. I am not sure if any BSA Century rifles made it to the USA but we have plenty of them knocking around in the UK. You are very welcome to try one next time you are in the UK.
I shot these extensively whilst in the cadets during the 80s. Our school had its own 25m range for rimfire, and armoury, complete with half a dozen No 8s, probably 30 No4 smle s, a couple of bren guns (all those in 0.303 british) and half a dozen 7.62 nato single shot bolt action target rifles. Very fortunate for the UK!
@@SgtSteel1 coincidentally, I was Corporal Steele but I would definitely agree about the school being fortunate... in East London where I grew up, the kids had to bring their own guns...
Having (surprise!) shot the No8 as an air cadet in the Air Training Corps and loved it I'm now in a job where I will be having to carry out periodic inspections on cadet weapons including the new L144A1 replacement. I'm not expecting to be impressed. 😀
Fired many a round through these. We were taught, and I taught cadets to push the round into the chamber "until resistance is felt" before closing the bolt. We used to get occasional light strikes on the rim, which would usually fire when rechambered (this may have been ammo related though)
Light Strikes are usually due to a build up of crud onnthe Bolt face and Changer face causing the Bolt to stand off. People seem to think they are self cleaning, but that’s not true. The Ammo has a preservative in it so the Barrel doesn’t need cleaning unless storing for extended periods, but the Bolt and Chamber face do need the occasional wipe, this is true of many .22 Rifles.
Used to shoot this at school in the 70's, it was a timetabled lesson. We would do marksman (sharpshooter) fire on a landscape backdrop at 25 yards. Memories.
H for harmonisation, I had an early W Woolwich serial numbered one, sadly it had a bulge in the barrel but it still shot really well. The HBSA held a Harmonisation Landscape shoot a few years on the trot. Great fun and we had the correct scoring tools too! I regret selling it but the Mortgage was calling on an empty bank account!
Currently an air cadet myself and I have shot these rifles before but sadly they're being phased out for the newer L144 which a lot of people myself included do not like. I'm my opinion this is an amazing rifle for new cadets to learn on and I'm going to miss it when it's gone.
The first firearm I ever shot in the Army Cadets. It was a lovely rifle, my only problem was that as it had no magazine, you had to load each round one at a time and those rounds were normally kept in a block next to you on your prone position shooting platform. But sometimes we didn't have the blocks, so the rounds were just sitting there next to you on the platform, and as the platform is angled, they'd all roll away
Ah... I remember shooting No.8's back when I was in the 'Cadets... We affectionately called it "The Big Plank of Wood", although nearly everyone preferred the A2's or the L81's
I remember these from my time in the Air Cadets in the mid 70s. Got my ATC Marksman but with a .303 not one of these even though I must have put hundreds of rounds through them. Our Squadron (1148 Penarth) had two of these and a Martini. I didn't like that because it had a weird ring front sight which did more to block the target than allow you to sight on it. A few of the boys preferred it because the Winchester action made them feel like John Wayne... I preferred the Lee because of the lovely bolt action. I never realised that these were cock on open though! Back then when we went to camps on RAF bases we got the real thing (No.4 Mk1 .303) so had to adjust to the much chestier recoil! Getting to fill a ten round magazine with clips (up and down!) and using the proper bolt action without having to reach for the next round was nice. We'd already learned this on the .303 training rifles back at home so that was familiar although the almighty bang it made when loaded with the real thing rather than dummies was a surprise after the quiet "crack" of the .22! Nice to see one again. Thanks Ian.
in Britain it would be JANKERS not KP and putting on my very best RSM Britain voice "get your 'air cut you 'orrible little man". nothing personal but the Brits will understand 😁
My father's favourite line was "Am I hurting you? I bloody ought to be I'm standing on your hair" being shouted at the top of his voice 1/2" from the guys face on parade.
I was taught to imagine that the shouting Sgt/CSM/RSM was standing in just his underpants and socks. Difficult for anyone to be intimidating like that.........
I'm another one who shot this rifle in the army cadets and it's very accurate.we used to take on all comers sea cadets,air cadets even the TA we had such a great shooting team we were unbeaten.Having our own indoor range used to help of course.Happy days......
I used this at air cadets and it was a dream to shoot and it did misfire a couple of times but it's an old gun and it had been used alot. I really like the sights of the No.8 as they were easy to use and it had a crisp bolt action. It is sad to see them go but they are old weapons and they have done their job. Also They were officially replaced in march of last year for the cadet forces with the savage fvt
Yup I shot this in the cadets as well. They shot very well. I could put 10 rounds in the 10 ring no problem. The bolts felt extremely slick and fast. I’m still pretty handy with an L85 these days as well.
Hi mate from Australia I have a question on 1943 BSA NO1 MK3 dispersal rifles I got one with matching numbers in Mid 55000 do you know any thing on them
Unfortunately they have been removed from the cadet force.i remember using them way back in 73 never any trouble or problems unlike their replacement. The military will not sell them to fire arms owners in England.
Also Issued to the British Army Cadet Force, as a practice and competition weapon. As you can imagine easier to handle for 13 year olds. Generally fired at 25 yards/ 30m.
Could you look at the Canadian version? I just received one in NIB condition from long branch dated 1945. It is marked 22, but has a 303 magazine in the well. As the 22 is shorter I am assuming it is a single shot with the magazine being cosmetic. The bolt and barrel are not modified as these are. There was a note to the previous owner from a wpns tech describing the clean and bed performed in 1975.
The trigger can be set for single- or double- pressure, and pull-off weight. The sear assembly is quite complex and completely different from a standard service rifle. Most schools and cadet units had two versions of this rifle: one with "iron" sights as shown in the video, the other fitted with a Parker Hale PH5D target sight and a PH FS22 front sight tunnel. Although a couple of thousand of these rifles are being withdrawn from cadet service, sadly they will not be sold as surplus - British government policy for some time has been to destroy all withdrawn military and Police weapons, parts and accessories. It seems that batches of these rifles were built by BSA, Enfield and - possibly - Woolwich Arsenal.
The Parker Hale Sights are easy and fast to put onto the Rifles, so there was only one version of the Rifle. I change my Sights out regularly depending on what I’m using the Rifle for.
remember when I first shot a rifle with cadets, I was with 209 atc on Coningsby, i remember my rifle misfired and forgot the procedure (you just smack the bolt) but I unloaded it and reloaded the round like a melt
Wouldn't that target have to be about 2 feet above the poster and not below it, since you would be adjusting your sights for a massive increase in elevation.
Still have my Squadron Marksman patch received after a weekend shooting one of these with Air Cadets many years ago. Such a shame it's still the only live-firing rifle I've come into contact with...
Commonwealth troops didn’t get KP for punishment, we received something called pack drill. Imagine wearing all of your FFO, helmet and rucksack and doing drill at double time. To make the experience even better they would do a complete kit layout and inspection. If anything wasn’t to standard and it was always not to the standard, you got extra drill. Oh, the joys of doing this in a hot Wainwright sun. Also, the UK govt has deemed these rifles as a weapon of war, which means they are to be destroyed (several thousand). Bloke on the Range has a video about this
Are you sure those pieces on the left side of the bolt are extractor assistors on these 22 trainers? They seem more like Chambering guides to me like on the Marlin bolt action 22s
As every other British commentator has said, cut my teeth target shooting with this during my Army Cadet days, early to mid 1980’s. Loved the smell of Eley .22 in the 25m tube range. Lovely piece of engineering.
yeah.. me too.. In the army cadets I used these rifles from 1978 through to 1982 on a 30 yard range in prone.. 6 shots half inch group would be a good day. There were other more modern lighter 22 rifles available, but I would always get better results on the old No. 8. Tried the No. 8 again at a rifle club about 10 years ago, same length range, and managed a half inch group with 10 shots. Not sure the eyesight is quite as good now though.
Ah the No8, myself like many millions of young British Air Cadets (ATC), Navy Cadets, Army Cadets and CCF used to learn marksmanship with this rifle. We had two in my ATC Squadron, 226 No 2 Brighton. We also had two .22 Martini rifles as well that I only got to shoot once. I got my ATC Marksman badge with a No8 in 1993 and later got an RAF marksman badge with an L98 Straight pull. We used Eley Club ammo almost exclusively with this rifle.
I remember the Martinis but never got to shoot one in my squadron... The older cadets tended to complain a lot about them, saying they used to jam frequently. They didn't seem to like the L98 much either, but the No.8 was much loved, despite being a heavy lump for a 12 year old...
I preferd annual camp hunting other squads with lsw's going off while I have an GP SA80, returning fire it was such an awesome time of my life. being awakend from my poncho by us being ambushed and hearing total chaos of cadets losing their minds! No barrel blockers so some people get hit with the blank caps, so it was truly terrifying but such an XP!
Oh and yes we fired the number 8 down range live. great great gun.... But very heavy (i was around 13 and never ate my veg) ^^
First rifle I ever shot when i was in the cadets in the 2010’s
Instant flashback to the late 90's, ATC range days and trying to tighten up groupings. Cheers Ian!
"These will shoot better than you can." That is so true of so many rifle/shooter pair ups. ;->
Ideally that should always be true. If you buy a rifle, you can get better but the rifle will stay the same. If I miss I want it to be my fault, not my equipment.
With me this is true for almost all rifles.
+Nat Wolins Yeah. Probably not the AK47 though ;)
Ahhhh.....I remember shooting one of those in the CCF about 35 years ago. Lots of fun as a 14 year old!
I shot these when I was in cadets. Was only about 7 years ago too! We shot at those landscape type targets you described once or twice as well.
Fred Wood Shot these as a cadet, and taught them as an instructor. Still plenty of them around, good intro to shooting.
Same here. The No 8 and L98, but it was a lot longer than 7 years ago for me.
Shame the MoD isn't surplussing them. It's nonsensical; they're lovely target rifles, they're literally the least harmful rifle out there (very heavy single shot .22lr bolt action), and it would be a nice bit of cash, rather than having to pay to have them destroyed.
Now it would be considered that you were beiing turned into a drooling phycopsath'. not that Guns aren't toys.
Fred Wood whippersnapper! It was the 1980's when I shot one of these in the ACF.
Got an L42 now I'm all grown up. Wish I could have got my hands on one of these nowadays, but money is tight....
I also shot these in the cadets. I remember the rear sight being different, with windage and height adjustment, and you were also able to adjust the aperture of the front sight (the ones I shot didn't have a blade sight). I was also taught to push the round into the breach before closing the bolt rather than rest it on the tray.
Sam Walker yes, to prevent out of battery detonations. Though I had a failure to extract once because the claw didnt lip over
The Rifle Ian is showing has the Sights as issued, there were a number of Parker Hale Sights available as well.
The ones I used to use for target shooting had standard Parker Hale tunnel fore-sights with interchange able elements. We started out with windage adjustable (A J Parker) back-sights that screwed on via the standard aperture, but then found a box of "Twin Zero" .303 target rifles sights in our armory, so we bolted those on instead.
Later on I learnt more about the trigger mechanism. Non many of us seemed to know that most of the former magazine well space is taken up by a gargantuan adjustable trigger mechanism. Ours were set up a traditional Lee Enfield two stage triggers but I've heard they can be adjusted just to present a crisp single stage.
The UK government is going to destroy about 7000 of these very soon unless some other government entity is willing to buy them. Hello, CMP?
I don't believe the CMP is any longer a government entity. I believe it was transferred to civilian control so the Feds would not have to fund it, and to keep it from being able to import surplus firearms. Hmmm, I wonder what sleezy politician was responsible for that.
someone please correct me if I am wrong.
Excellent Rifles, used them for 30 odd years in the Cadets. Now have my very own and love it. With reference to the Lanscape Target we put the Landscape Target low down and place a large sheet of tracing paper above it, not below, as placing the Sights on H (H means harmonisation) throws the fall of shot high. You can then place the tracing paper over the Landscape Target to see where your shots are going.
A lot of the Rifles in the public domain came from the withdrawal of the New Zealand examples. New Zealand Rifles are either D or DA serials whereas British Rifles have A serials. Although most of the British Rifles were owned by the MOD and thus won’t be sold many where privately owned by private Schools with CCF Units and thus some have or could end up in Civilian hands. The 12 Rifles my Cadet Unit had were a mix of No4 and No5 Action Bodies, but in mixed order so I don’t think they used one first then the other.
I used these as an army cadet back in the 80's we also still had brens and no4's both in dp (drill purpose) and live.
late 70's early 80's as a cadet I got to shoot Lee Enfield 303, No. 8, Bren Gun, GPMG, 7.62 SLR, 9mm Browning pistol, Sterling Sub-machine gun and the weirdest one was the Carl Gustav anti tank 84mm converted to a 0.22 calibre for range training, which our cadet corps had managed to get hold of. With the thunderflash and parachute flares we had on exercise, these were fun times as a teenager.. On reflection we were the next generation of Cold War fighters in preparation !! thankfully it didnt come to that for me, but it did for many.
I used this rifle my whole cadet career. I joined in 2009 and left 2015, goes to show how long the rifle was in service for. I loved this rifle was so simple to use.
Brilliant video. Spent many many weekends in my youth in the ATC 25 50 100 yards shooting 1000's of rounds with these. Never let me down once. Great memories!
Just managed to but one!!!
Sadly, someone had VARNISHED the stock. After taking off the varnish and oiling with linseed oil she looks like an infantry trainer again!
Almost 50 years since I shot them in the ACF, still fun and still accurate.
I loved shooting the No. 8. It was still being used as a cadet (youth organisation) rifle up until relatively recently. It's such a lovely weapon to shoot.
If you are buying one, be aware of any numbers on a plate underneath the grip as that indicates how many barrel bulges the rifle has.
The shoot was called The Country Life Competition. Part of the competition had a shoot captain give a fire control order to a piece of landscape in a cerrtain time frame; kind of indirect fire control. A team event.
Another practice to the competition included a rapid fire and snap on a lollypop type target. (Target size about 1 inch, though a good shot would just make a one ragged hole in the middle.) Practice made perfect and cadets got good, the competition was fierce. The smell of Eley ammunition!
A lot of fun, the No:8's a fantastic rifle. I like many will always hold real fondness for it and have great respect.
loved this rifle
this was one of the 1st rifles I fired as a 12 year old in 1980 while I was in the Army cadets here in the UK, cloverleaf groups at 25 meters are achievable with it, the way we were taught to load them was not to drop the round in the groove but to feed the round directly into the barrel and push it in as far as it would go, as accurate as the no.8 seemed, when it came to shooting competitions like the TARA league we would use the heavier .22 martini rifle for indoor shooting, but for full bore shooting it was of course the .303 no.4 mk2's at camp or during Bisley competitions
This was the first rifle I ever shot. They are quite lovely things. I actually preferred shooting a Number 8 (and got better results) than the more expensive target rifles we had.
The no.8 "replacement" has only one good thing about it, its lighter than the no.8. Its worse in pretty much every other way thanks to poor quality control from material selection through the design and manufacturing process.
What they should've done is cut No8 numbers down by combining good parts of different rifles and scraping the bad parts, and got an upgrade project running on the no.8.
Things indestructible, pretty accurate for its age, easy to use, and im sure would make a good base for an upgrade package.
But no, MOD decides shred em, and buy a cheap, rattly, falls apart on the first trial of it, nasty pos bangstick that it slightly lighter coz reasons.
I thought the same thing after shooting the number 8
It’s only lighter because it’s made from plastic
Can’t see how they expect theses rifles to last more than 10 years
Well, it looks like everyone subscribed to Forgotten Weapons was a Cadet.
Aiden Gonzalez yeah same thought was going through my mind.
No, they just showed up in this comments section because of that particular rifle. Won't see many cadets talking on the 75mm German anti-tank gun video, you'll find ex-gunners there ;)
I too am guilty as charged. These rifles were super accurate when zero'd properly.
Same ATC 204
2014-18
was lucky enough to shoot the number 8 as well as the LN85
But That plastic rubbish they replaced the number 8 with (L144A1) is awful it’s light and fragile feeling. No chance they will last 70 years like the number 8s
Yup😅
At 2:28 Ian describes the 'landscape target setting' (i.e. 'H') of the No. 8 mark 1 adjustable sight. I did not know about this but this was actually a well established shooting protocol used by the British Army since WW1. There's a nice website describing this (and showing some landscape targets) here : www.rifleman.org.uk/Landscape_Targetry.html
Very fond memories of this rifle as well as a .22 L85 conversion kit that we had on that same camp. The cherry tree ranges were awesome but I can also relate to the “can shoot better than you can” my first shoot I got a god awful grouping and my girlfriend’s instructor told her that he would put a sheet up to see where the bullet is actually going
I bought myself one of these last year and had an ex-army armourer restore it for me. Beautiful little rifle.
Well, yes, I too was introduced to this great rifle at our Senior School 25 Yd indoor range.
Like other people noted here, our Rifles had much improved click adjustable Windage and Elevation rear sight, The usual routine was to shoot up to 5 rounds (sighters), to zero Rifle, prior to target shooting. I belonged to several 22 shooting clubs, even so lucky to work at a Company, who had their own range.
The Rifle always performed extremely well (yes, usually better than me) and was great for competition shooting. I nearly always used a sling, to steady my firing on prone firing position and yes, this rifle is definitely 'heavy' for a 22.
As someone commented, it was standard practice to insert the cartridge fully into the breech, prior to bolt closure, rather than onto the feed tray as Ian suggested.
Now I would like to go back to 22 shooting, but lack interest, because all Rifles seem to be 'scoped now.Too easy, even for my old eyes!
At the risk of repeating everyone else's comments, the No8 was the first rifle I ever shot as a 12 year old cadet of 125 (Cheltenham) Squadron ATC. As a skinny 12 year old in 1977, it might as well have weighed a ton! I remember my qualification target coming back from the scorer with 'Only Just' penned on the back - 5 rounds within the diameter of a 2 pence piece. I've recently picked up a 1949 dated Fazakerley No8, that'll still put 5 rounds in a ragged 1-hole group (if I do my bit). A lovely rifle - an introduction to shooting for many British shooters over the years, and an important part of service rifle shooting. A real travesty that those that remain in store are likely to be destroyed
Rifle No.9 Mk.1 was the in service name of the EM2 rifle.
The Royal Navy's .22 trainer was the Rifle N9.
Yep, me too. I also shot this in the Air Cadets back in the 80's. Great weapon, if a little heavy for young boys and girls. 5rounds within a 2 pence piece (about an inch) at 25 yes to be a marksman.
This was the first rifle I ever fired.
late 70's early 80's as a cadet I got to shoot Lee Enfield 303, No. 8, Bren Gun, GPMG, 7.62 SLR, 9mm Browning pistol, Sterling Sub-machine gun and the weirdest one was the Carl Gustav anti tank 84mm converted to a 0.22 calibre for range training, which our cadet corps had managed to get hold of. With the thunderflash and parachute flares we had on exercise, these were fun times as a teenager.. On reflection we were the next generation of Cold War fighters in preparation !! thankfully it didnt come to that for me, but it did for many.
Also cadets 35 years ago. We were told to push the round into the breech with our fingers.
Little known fact - the 'No.9' is in fact the 'N9', as in 'Naval'. Rifle, No.9 was of course the E.M.2
I have one of these as i first used one at the age of eleven , absolutely beautiful to shoot and stays spot on with a steady arm, i won many a competition with mine against scoped and modern rifles of the same calibre , i am definitely keeping mine ,i love it.
Shot that beauty a lot in Scarborough barracks in the ATC at 1053 (Armthorpe) squadron . I lost count how many round i fired after filling a few books. Love the Comps at Strensall.
We still have a bunch in my armoury, although the L144 replacements are in but not being issued out yet (here anyway), lots of QC issues with those. The No8s have at least 3-4 different rear sights that I've seen; some straight no4 sights, some as in the video, a few competition style that don't flip up. Also some front sights that look vaguely like an AA sight instead of a post. Probably a bit heavy for some of the really young cadets but nice to have a quality 22 for them to use to practice marksmanship.
God. The 13 year olds with it. Help me lord
I'm sure a lot of them struggle, but it's not like they will have been practicing with their parents from a young age as per the lucky children in the US who've been brought up with that opportunity.
The Full 9 well yeah
Most British kids wouldn't have early exposure to firearms, but, back the 70s and 80s most males aged 14 and over owned at least one air rifle and you could and did certainly learn the essentials of shooting with one.
Had the chance to shoot this in the ATC 2500 SQ. I was about 14 and trying to hold up a 5kg rifle at that age was not easy. But I managed some decent groups at 25 yards shooting targets measuring a few centimetres in circumference on an A4 sheet of paper. We had to be able to name every part on the rifle and had to be able to perform an exhaustive set of safety drills before even being allowed near the range. This came in useful when I had a misfire on one round. I pulled the trigger and...click. I had to keep the rifle pointed downrange and loudly count slowly to ten. After that I would raise my hand and the range superviser would clear the malfunction. Some cadets got to shoot the L98 trainer but I was never that lucky. Overall I'm glad I was able to shoot it. The cadets was a time in my life I look back at fondly. This was around 2013/14.
The BSA Century rifle was also a 1950s British rimfire that seems to have been designed primarily for cadet and youth training. If you can get hold of one for Forgotten Weapons, it would make an interesting comparison with the No.8. I am not sure if any BSA Century rifles made it to the USA but we have plenty of them knocking around in the UK. You are very welcome to try one next time you are in the UK.
I shot these extensively whilst in the cadets during the 80s. Our school had its own 25m range for rimfire, and armoury, complete with half a dozen No 8s, probably 30 No4 smle s, a couple of bren guns (all those in 0.303 british) and half a dozen 7.62 nato single shot bolt action target rifles. Very fortunate for the UK!
Sounds like my school, except by that stage, the Cadets had moved onto the L98A1.
Sounds like my school too. British schools were better armed than some small countries!
I don't think you were 'very fortunate' we had pretty much the same at ours (we had more No 8's (about 10/12)) Happy days and great memories!
@@SgtSteel1 coincidentally, I was Corporal Steele but I would definitely agree about the school being fortunate... in East London where I grew up, the kids had to bring their own guns...
@@restojon1 You had to bring your own??
Those are awesome shooters.
I am the only one in the comment section that did NOT shoot this rifle in the cadets. :)
Rock Island Auction Company thats because you have access to all the guns. Stop showing off
DroehnIng good point. Or it descending into political backbiting
Rock Island Auction Company it was too heavy as a child when shooting prone your left arm was dead after 10 mins of holding this up!
It's a nice joke, I think.
No, I learned to shoot with a (mauser) rifle M/96.
Having (surprise!) shot the No8 as an air cadet in the Air Training Corps and loved it I'm now in a job where I will be having to carry out periodic inspections on cadet weapons including the new L144A1 replacement. I'm not expecting to be impressed. 😀
Makes me all nostalgic. First firearm I ever fired. Great little rifle that's perfect for 13 year old kids to learn the basics on.
Happy times shooting this rifle and the .22 Martini in the Cadets at the long gone 25m range at Goojerat Barracks in Colchester.
Fired many a round through these. We were taught, and I taught cadets to push the round into the chamber "until resistance is felt" before closing the bolt.
We used to get occasional light strikes on the rim, which would usually fire when rechambered (this may have been ammo related though)
Light Strikes are usually due to a build up of crud onnthe Bolt face and Changer face causing the Bolt to stand off. People seem to think they are self cleaning, but that’s not true. The Ammo has a preservative in it so the Barrel doesn’t need cleaning unless storing for extended periods, but the Bolt and Chamber face do need the occasional wipe, this is true of many .22 Rifles.
Used to shoot this at school in the 70's, it was a timetabled lesson. We would do marksman (sharpshooter) fire on a landscape backdrop at 25 yards. Memories.
Loved shooting this in cadets only replaced last year beautiful
Awesome, bagged many a bad guy at 25yds with one of these...:), Also does anyone remember the 2.2 SLR conversion kit. Oh the memories.
First rifle I ever fired.
I used these in the Army Cadets in England, mid 90s. Beautiful rifles. God knows how many rounds we put through them.
H for harmonisation, I had an early W Woolwich serial numbered one, sadly it had a bulge in the barrel but it still shot really well. The HBSA held a Harmonisation Landscape shoot a few years on the trot. Great fun and we had the correct scoring tools too! I regret selling it but the Mortgage was calling on an empty bank account!
Just when you think there couldn't possibly be another varient of the Lee Enfield
Sam Holdsworth
Just like the Bergmanns, the ride never ends!
Currently an air cadet myself and I have shot these rifles before but sadly they're being phased out for the newer L144 which a lot of people myself included do not like. I'm my opinion this is an amazing rifle for new cadets to learn on and I'm going to miss it when it's gone.
First rifle I ever fired and the one that started my love of firearms. Would love to own one now
The first firearm I ever shot in the Army Cadets.
It was a lovely rifle, my only problem was that as it had no magazine, you had to load each round one at a time and those rounds were normally kept in a block next to you on your prone position shooting platform. But sometimes we didn't have the blocks, so the rounds were just sitting there next to you on the platform, and as the platform is angled, they'd all roll away
Ian, you may have added in your description that the weigh of the trigger is adjustable internally. The trigger-sear mechanism is quite complex.
Good to hear someone else knows that. Maybe they'll let Ian take the woodwork off and show that next time...
You don’t need to take the Woodwork off to do it. Pop over to the Rifleman website for a link to the War Office Manual that shows how to do it.
From all the comments from the UK you may need to do more on British rifles (like the .308 No. 4 conversion I would kill for)
Ah... I remember shooting No.8's back when I was in the 'Cadets...
We affectionately called it "The Big Plank of Wood", although nearly everyone preferred the A2's or the L81's
Pretty slick - thanks Ian!
same here, first rifle i ever fired as an cadet in the ACF
I am a huge fan of sub-caliber training. Simply said it works.
I remember these from my time in the Air Cadets in the mid 70s. Got my ATC Marksman but with a .303 not one of these even though I must have put hundreds of rounds through them.
Our Squadron (1148 Penarth) had two of these and a Martini. I didn't like that because it had a weird ring front sight which did more to block the target than allow you to sight on it. A few of the boys preferred it because the Winchester action made them feel like John Wayne... I preferred the Lee because of the lovely bolt action. I never realised that these were cock on open though!
Back then when we went to camps on RAF bases we got the real thing (No.4 Mk1 .303) so had to adjust to the much chestier recoil! Getting to fill a ten round magazine with clips (up and down!) and using the proper bolt action without having to reach for the next round was nice. We'd already learned this on the .303 training rifles back at home so that was familiar although the almighty bang it made when loaded with the real thing rather than dummies was a surprise after the quiet "crack" of the .22!
Nice to see one again. Thanks Ian.
Used these in Air Cadets years ago!
Yes, like so many, I shot these regularly, often several days a week in the CCF in the 80’s. Great guns!
I can vouch for their accuracy. Lovely rifle to shoot.
in Britain it would be JANKERS not KP and putting on my very best RSM Britain voice "get your 'air cut you 'orrible little man".
nothing personal but the Brits will understand 😁
😂yes I have been shouted at quite a few times and not very politely either 😂😂😂
My father's favourite line was "Am I hurting you? I bloody ought to be I'm standing on your hair" being shouted at the top of his voice 1/2" from the guys face on parade.
You forgot one step along 'Lovley Boy, Lovley boy'! that plus arms out at shoulder height hold rifle acros shands , and death if you drop it!
I did change step 20 times in a row once because of the drill mongs in the front rank. Happy days
I was taught to imagine that the shouting Sgt/CSM/RSM was standing in just his underpants and socks. Difficult for anyone to be intimidating like that.........
Oh joy of joys and nostalgia.
I'm another one who shot this rifle in the army cadets and it's very accurate.we used to take on all comers sea cadets,air cadets even the TA we had such a great shooting team we were unbeaten.Having our own indoor range used to help of course.Happy days......
I used this at air cadets and it was a dream to shoot and it did misfire a couple of times but it's an old gun and it had been used alot. I really like the sights of the No.8 as they were easy to use and it had a crisp bolt action. It is sad to see them go but they are old weapons and they have done their job.
Also They were officially replaced in march of last year for the cadet forces with the savage fvt
Yup I shot this in the cadets as well. They shot very well. I could put 10 rounds in the 10 ring no problem. The bolts felt extremely slick and fast. I’m still pretty handy with an L85 these days as well.
Hi mate from Australia I have a question on 1943 BSA NO1 MK3 dispersal rifles I got one with matching numbers in Mid 55000 do you know any thing on them
Loved shooting them in the csdets .I'm trying to get hold of one but it isn't easy in England .work in progress .
You'll likely have to import them from New Zealand. The MOD doesn't seem to be willing to release these as surplus.
Unfortunately they have been removed from the cadet force.i remember using them way back in 73 never any trouble or problems unlike their replacement. The military will not sell them to fire arms owners in England.
Also Issued to the British Army Cadet Force, as a practice and competition weapon. As you can imagine easier to handle for 13 year olds. Generally fired at 25 yards/ 30m.
Yeah shot this loads as a cadet and went to Bisley shooting them as well nice little rifle
Could you look at the Canadian version? I just received one in NIB condition from long branch dated 1945. It is marked 22, but has a 303 magazine in the well. As the 22 is shorter I am assuming it is a single shot with the magazine being cosmetic. The bolt and barrel are not modified as these are. There was a note to the previous owner from a wpns tech describing the clean and bed performed in 1975.
The trigger can be set for single- or double- pressure, and pull-off weight. The sear assembly is quite complex and completely different from a standard service rifle.
Most schools and cadet units had two versions of this rifle: one with "iron" sights as shown in the video, the other fitted with a Parker Hale PH5D target sight and a PH FS22 front sight tunnel.
Although a couple of thousand of these rifles are being withdrawn from cadet service, sadly they will not be sold as surplus - British government policy for some time has been to destroy all withdrawn military and Police weapons, parts and accessories.
It seems that batches of these rifles were built by BSA, Enfield and - possibly - Woolwich Arsenal.
The Parker Hale Sights are easy and fast to put onto the Rifles, so there was only one version of the Rifle. I change my Sights out regularly depending on what I’m using the Rifle for.
remember when I first shot a rifle with cadets, I was with 209 atc on Coningsby, i remember my rifle misfired and forgot the procedure (you just smack the bolt) but I unloaded it and reloaded the round like a melt
Was just going for the No.7 and No.9, but now I have to scrounge up more for the No.8. Be a shame to not have the complete series.
I used to shoot these in my snotty army cadet days. A genuine pleasure to shoot.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my No 8! Thank you Ian (Platz)
Wow. Happy memories. I qualified as a 'marksman' on one of these, which I realise now was nonsense, but it made 14 year old me feel proud.
It's such a nice looking gun!
Learned to shoot with a number 8 happy days @ bath st TA Center with 4Troop E Battery RA
Wouldn't that target have to be about 2 feet above the poster and not below it, since you would be adjusting your sights for a massive increase in elevation.
Awesome Ian! 👍🏼
Still have my Squadron Marksman patch received after a weekend shooting one of these with Air Cadets many years ago. Such a shame it's still the only live-firing rifle I've come into contact with...
4:15 "doing KP for a month" ...makes me think of the sergeant on British Muzzle Loaders.
CR 512 is the butt stock size (length) there were 3 sizes Short Normal Long CR 511 / 512 / 513, CR = Cadet Rifle
Great fun popping off rounds all day in the cadets with these. I think they replaced them now but back in the day these where great
I was still shooting these 20 years ago in the cadets.. Royal Green Jackets Cadets of Oxfordshire stick your hands up!
First gun I ever shot.
Commonwealth troops didn’t get KP for punishment, we received something called pack drill. Imagine wearing all of your FFO, helmet and rucksack and doing drill at double time. To make the experience even better they would do a complete kit layout and inspection. If anything wasn’t to standard and it was always not to the standard, you got extra drill. Oh, the joys of doing this in a hot Wainwright sun.
Also, the UK govt has deemed these rifles as a weapon of war, which means they are to be destroyed (several thousand). Bloke on the Range has a video about this
Ian, in all this you have forgotten one .22 traing rifle used in great numbers by the British military. The Mossberg Mb42a
I used to shoot this rifle great training weapon lovely rifle to shoot and very accurate as well.
Are you sure those pieces on the left side of the bolt are extractor assistors on these 22 trainers? They seem more like Chambering guides to me like on the Marlin bolt action 22s
Why were the lightening cuts a problem for the full power .303 British round in the no. 5 jungle carbine?
Love these things! They've lasted really long we're only just phasing them out.
These are still used in the Army Cardets
grin, thanks for making this video
Do yo know the start and stop numbers to the different models of the old BSA rifles up through the 12/15's?
I know this out of topic but I haven't seen a full review of a DSR-1 sniper rifle in any channel I hope can see it here in the near future:)