I've owned several No1 Mk3 and No4 Mk1 .303 and not once did the magazine ever get dropped when I fired them. It actually takes a bit of effort to depress the magazine release.
I've Fired and handled a couple of hundred Lee Enfield's and have not found one that had a dodgy easy drop Magazine release, it seems this fella is spouting fourth hand Old Wives Tales.
Yeah when I used them weekly in the CCF I remember more the difficulty with removing the magazine for cleaning 🤣 'Eck they put a stiff spring on that catch 🤣
I used to go on the firing range at Conyer, near Teynham in Kent, in the early 60's firing these Lee Enfield .303, I can't remember any of the Army instructors saying there was a problem with the magazines. They were pretty thorough instructing us on the operation and maintenance of them. Excellent rifle.
About 30 years ago they sold lee Enfield air rifles that used ‘bullets’ that were special charged sleeves with a pellet projectile. That looked like real cartridges. They were very powerful and would now be too powerful to sell. Anyone remember them? They were on tv back then saying how powerful they were.
Late reply but they were “tandem air cartridge” guns. Discontinued/ outlawed due to the ease of them being converted to firing live ammunition. I believe owners could opt to put them on their FAC but could never sell them on or transfer them. Shame as it happened just as I was getting into air guns as a kid and was saving up for one.
Wow.we used to use decommissioned ones for drill practice back in the late 80's,early 90's.very iconic rifle.first rifle i learned tricks with...gotta get me one of these
.22 rimfire or known to us old sweats as the No.8 lee enfield, Many rounds down range as an army cadet many moons ago, even held the first issued rifle thats never been fired. serial no showed all Zeroes with the number 1 at the end , and still kept in original wrapping.
There were smellys modified to .22 without becoming the No.8 cadet rifle, keeping all the wood, and literally just sleeving the barrel and changing the bolt slightly.
I was in the British ACF for 3 yrs and basic training at Oakhampton we trained with the 303 mk1 no4 if the no4 was sold I would buy one in a heartbeat I loved this gun, what a kick, I won a award for shooting the Lee Enfield
I as member of Indian National Cadet corps NCC in 2015 trained with one of those .22 converted ones. Ironically my rifle had only 2 groves but was very accurate, 1.4 cm grouping at 50m was best score with that rife.😁
I have very recently bought one of these and I absolutely adore it. Great for knocking tin cans around. Good heavy piece of wood and metal. Very satisfying bolt action. I also ordered a reproduction 1907 pattern bayonet! Magazine is heavy and needs a little rock-in motion to seat it properly, so be careful you don't drop it. My magazine does very slightly leak co2. Can't wait to add a Webley Mk VI to my collection. Everyone needs to own both the rifle and revolver.
This replica is almost exactly the same as my Lithgow 1941 No1 mk3 S.M.L.E. I think you may referring to the No 4 Lee Enfield’s as their front end is completely different.
@@twilightroach4274 no its the wood shouldn't step up to the metal nose and the front shape is too round. I know the no4 is totally different. I have 3 smles.
The sling in NI was used just like you said but not only with the Lee Enfield but also with the SLR (FAL) you adjusted the sling to the length so it could not be turned on you when still attached to you wrist
By my day we were on the god awful British version of the sa80 😬 not much chance of rubbin a butt on someone with that piece of 💩- it’d have fallen apart! either that or it would have added to the blocking of the gas ports 😅
Whilst we did use a sling on the rear swivel to make a wrist loop, in Northern Ireland it was with the SLR, Banner started in 1969 and the Rifle No4 was out of regular service by then
at last an enfield, now all us old squaddies need for a memory jogger that plinks is an SLR/FAL replica. so suprised no one has made this gun that saw service world wide from 60s to today .
I've always liked proper battle rifles over assault rifles...as a cadet I got to handle an SLR, but unfortunately never had the chance to try one on the range. Bugger!
@@shumble69 i havent seen one, but then as per uk law a pellet firing airgun requires ONLY 18 and over where as air soft requires club or licence paperwork or dayglow two tone paint to make it LOOK like a childs toy.
I've come back after a while and watched this again and forgotten how awesome your reviews are Andy you got me into collecting co2 guns got plenty of umarex and gletcher lol
@@johnballantyne6853 You missed a trick there; you should have said "I'm way 7up North". Hold on, maybe not, that's silly but either way......them there cans are on the move.....
I think they need to start making more WW2 pcp rifles. Imagine, Lee Enfield, Mosin Nagant, K98, M1 Garand and Arisaka. I say make them in 177, 22 and 25 for small game hunting and make them all in a .35 for big game!
@@noseyparker6622 I think it's because CO2 is hard to get upto that power most are 1-3 ft / lb but the Walther Cowboy (non shell) is 4-5 ft lb and I've heard very accurate. It has a 88g CO2 tank too maybe that's part of the reason too Umarex did make the M4 that was 11.7 ft / lb but it's a break barrel.
@@Reknaw155Thats why i love my Umarex Cowboy Lever Action Shell Ejector. It runs Pellets beautifully at 6-700fps with silver cartridges, and can still run BBs if i want to as well. Smooth bore still super accurate, good power, and Mighty Realistic. Also i still want to get one of those Walther non ejectors because of how well made they really are
@@KiLLJOY1056 that's the one I have the Walter .177 pellet one. It takes 88g co2 and is pretty accurate, probably one of the best if not the best Umarex replica for actual use and accuracy. The problem with the shells is the time it takes to reload them but it must be satisfying hearing them eject however.
co2 and BB two words that killed it for me .............. now a pcp version in .22 or .25 would be interesting. I think most will end up as wall hangers
@@mrsteve170The Henry 1894 lever action has that kind of ammo, and loads thru a gate like the cowboy rifles its based on even ejects the empty cartridges
The wood at the front seems very blocky looking, and while the Gletcher Mosin didn't require the full length of travel for the bolt, they still did it. Here they seemed to keep the bolt travel to the minimum, and I feel like using the bolt would seem awkward for the length of the rifle.
thanks for a great review andy ....my SMLE arrived this morning and i am over the moon ....had a shoot in my garage shooting range and i am so tired its very heavy compared to my other more modern guns.....after shooting it i am even more impressed with soldiers who have used this rifle in a conflict,no wonder the army get soldiers very fit lol
I inherited an original Short Lee Enfield MKIII from my father. in .303 British, it was built in Lithgow in 1918 for the Australian army. It's FTR was in 1953 and still smooth as butter with beautiful rifling. I'd love to get one of these and the K98 Mauser air rifle for my collection!
Well worth it imo In the 70s I was blessed enough to fire 303s on a military target range with markers showing the shooter where his/her projectile hit target or not 8f not then showing how off target they were , what a great day was had by everyone, we also had a regularly short lee Enfield 22's in a local t/a range. Do you need an air rifle licence for this beautiful working co2 replica.. Thanks for sharing this gem and bringing back good memory's from my past.
Great review a group of us in the US play with original SMLE 22 trainers in fact I have 3 in the safe and just finished a restoration on one for a friend ,,,, the retail in this piece is phenomenal,,,, again great job thanks
Hello everyone! Could you please tell me which bolt-action air rifle is the most satisfying one ? I really want to feel the bolt-action every shot... can I use the bolt action manually every shot on the M1 carbine ?
at 56 only got back into shooting through covid . and only because of this guy great no nonsence reviews and bit humour . am never gonna afford the top end stuff but like to watch anyway . so will happy plink away with my second hand cheap dan wesson revolver and watch them lotto numbers .
I had an Indian-made version of this same rifle in .308 NATO. I don't know if that was original manufacture or if it was a conversion. Doesn't matter. I loved the rifle. That's saying something since I have owned many military rifles from the first half of the 20th century. I am pleased as punch, therefore, that a functional copy (albeit CO2) has been made and that it is so faithful to the original design. Cracking!
I drilled with the .303 SMLE for many years until it was replaced by the 7.62 FN SLR. However, some .303s were rebored to 7.62 NATO and are called the L39A1 rifle. It’s more for cadet training than a serious military weapon. As to the magazine, it’s almost impossible to remove them as the catch is so stiff. My personal preference was the Nr4 SMLE as it had both a battle sight and a flip up ladder sight, which made it more accurate than the ramp sight of earlier models.
This is pretty cool. I actually have an original SMLE303 Mark 3. It is all original you know complete with a foreign yellow painted stripe it stripe at the end of the barrel across the wood, comma I assume probably some sort of troop markings. I bought it in the early nineties From rose's department store store back when they used to sell gun is Lil guns for a wapping price of $89 US. It is a decent shooting rifle.
I Would love to see a pcp pellet accurate replica rifle like this, I'm sure I'm in a minority thinking that way, but it would be nice to have the best of both worlds. It always seems a shame to have such an iconic rifle and it be just to fire bbs over a short distance. 😔
totally agree! i would pay more than 400 quid for a pcp (or even a co2) version that fired pellets at just under the legal limit, but, much as i love the look of this one, that price is just too high for a wall hanger! I never fired the mk3, but i lugged the mk4 around and shot it when i was in the army cadets and loved it, although i was also just a bit scared of it too!
I get you, I think it gets to the point you need to learn to make one lol I want an SVD dragonov with dark wood furniture that shoots pellets . 5 years later, I am going to take a Dremel and a tig welder to alloy replica, and drop a God dam cp2 inside, and secure it with grub screw,s. haha
I have been looking for one of these for the last 2 years, nobody ever has then stock, so yep they are like the proverbial rocking horse manure !!! great review though Andy
The original rifle was the Lee Metford, Metford developed the rifling to handle the .303 cartridge which originally was black powder. When smokeless powder was developed and the .303 became smokeless, the rifling couldn’t handle smokeless cartridges. The Enfield armoury developed their own rifling which then became the standard, hence the Enfield in Short, Magazine, Lee, Enfield is the rifling not where the rifle was made
We were trained on these original beautiful rifles on the early 80s when I was in the marine cadets. On some there was a small cleaning kit of a small bottle of oil and a rope pull through housed behind a little round flap located in the brass butt plate. In 2009 I was in India a month after the terrorists attack in Mumbai and was amazed to see the young privates in the Indian army patrolling the almost deserted beaches with these rifles. Probably left behind from the former British Empire. I doubt they would be any use of you came up against an opponent armed with a modern day fully automatic 9mm !
Last month a I got to shoot a No. 4 Mk I Long Branch in .303. Still a great shooter after all these years. I enjoyed the history lesson in this review.
The front swivel is not for the sling and should have @ a 10mm gap in the center of it.. : The piling swivel was fitted to the underside of the SMLE nosecap behind the bayonet bar, and was used so that rifles could be linked together and stood on their butt plates in a pyramid shape so that they would be easily to hand and kept out of the dirt when the troops were working or resting.
Great review Andy, as always! I want one! lovely replica of an historic gun, and one you can have a little fun with, better than a real deactivated gun that most people probably would not be able to own anyway, and would be just an ornament
Im dissapointed too, the Kar98 from Diana shoots with pellets, not BB's. making expensive builds using BB's are plain stupid imho from a company/sales standpoint. Only kids wants BB's and kids cant afford replicas. So?! Wut?
@@AutismIsUnstoppable I'd rather shoot a single shot springer than a 10 shot bb! There's a Diana k98 in spring version good quality! There is a pcp version too but not that quality of the springer version!
Andy....What a really excellent review of this iconic Rifle. Top marks also fr the 'History' lesson behind it all. You really are a source of our hobby.
I wouldn't take much of this to heart, it's not a very faithful replica and he has a few anecdotes that just aren't true (especially that magazine one). If you're interested in the history of these rifles for real, I highly recommend Forgotten Weapons and C&Rsenal, they may not be perfect, but they do corroborate their videos with actual historians, primary sources, as well as military, government, patent office, and design records from the time.
Loved this one.this is what my dad carried in the staffs regiment.400 for a good looking piece that keeps as close to the real item as legally possible,gets my vote.birthday coming up on tax day,will have to start dropping hints.🤗
I've never heard of any instances of magazines falling out in the manner described, my No4 and every No4 or SMLE I've ever handled have had extremely firm engagement of the magazine.
Yeah, I was wondering where he got that from. Never heard of it. I fired a lot of No. 4s, and my main instructor was an old soldier, who, if it had ever been heard of, would have warned us. He taught us to work the safety catch with our index finger whilst holding the bolt down with our other 3 fingers.
I grew up with 4 and 7 as a cadet, and then later on as an instructor, so this doesn't immediately make me want to run out and buy one. It's very cool, but looks toy-ish, particularly the stock and fitment.
On a charge, visiting the Guard room for remedial weapon train, aka pokey drill. Rifle above your head, Rifle at arms length, Rifle out stretched in front of you, not fun!
To all the critics here... it’s just first production so not bad for first series. It’s quality of production will get better in the future (gamo’s guns have similar problems from time to time, my air rifle was build from the wrong parts...) so I want one😍!
The short stroke of the bolt kills this for me :( I can take it on the Diana Mauser K98 PCP because at least that's giving me 12 ft lbs and pellets so I can fire it at the local range. But when it's a BB replica, there's no excuse for that bolt IMO. Airsoft can manage realism in that department. I live in hope that one day someone finally comes out with a 12 ft lb PCP classic rifle replica that also has a decent bolt action, but so far I'm not aware of any!
I think it looks pretty good. Of course there will always be compromises on a BB version which mean it’s not an exact replica. I’m sure a few mods can make it look even better. It’s quite expensive but all wood and metal isn’t going to be cheap thses days!
Andy, check out “Bloke on the Range” youtube change for all S.M.L.E. details and mad minutes, middle finger triggering bolt held minutes too ? great video, btw, so are his on real steel mk4 S.M.L.E.s, cheers
A simple Co2 .22 crossman rabbit stopper, had no issue getting to +10 ft lbs. This replica would have more appeal if it was pellet fed and with more power a more realistic bark.
I bought one of these last year, but sadly had to return it due to constant failing of the seals in the magazine. Love the rifle, just a shame about the inferior seal system. I just felt it was too much to spend on a rifle that spent more time back in the shop than in my hands, plinking away with it. 👎
I've had mine for 6months now and ive distressed it quite a bit like sanding the Very straight edges on the wood and restaining to make the wood darker 👌👌now it looks much better. My only complaint with it is it needs a longer bolt throw but besides that I love mine
A one damn fine replica!!. And very good so, if the price of one being that high up. So much wood! Wow! And an operational compartment within the stock even. Not a replica for myself - but absolutely for the ones that appreciate awesome historical rifles. The ONLY negative I can think of about this review.. I would surely been interested to see some 10 meter range paper target work also - just to get an image of it's approximate capabilities. Otherwise, a one fine review. Thank you so very much to Andy and crew once again!
@@thorsfew64 I'm guessing thats why its not included in the review. I know is only a co2 bb gun but I still want half decent accuracy. Also the bolt travel looks very short and breaks the feeling of authenticity. I was considering buying this replica but this review has helped me make up my mind, I'll give it a miss.
@@BennyH11, I agree with you. Having replayed AAR review, I too think £400 can be utilised on a later purchase of a replica. I'd be tempted to save for the real thing (decommisioned), but it's hard to find a genuine one with the correct parts without spending a small fortune!!! Oh, why can't we have a pellet version of the smelly and Kar... with ammo loading like the replica pistols and the "cowboy rifle" lever action rifle with ejecting shells??? 🤔🤪😭
Well i'm on magazine no three now , hope this one doesn't leak , have to say the shooting party ( lee-enfield guns Ltd) customer service has been absolutely outstanding and they have replaced the leaking magazines quickly and without fuss but there does seam to be a problem with the magazine seals .
The Enfield in the name relates the the rifleing in the barell, they changed it from the Metford rifleing, SMLE"s were made all over the world at different times, like long branch , India even converted some to 410 for use in there prisons.
When my uncle bought a new house in the 1970's he found a crate of Lee Enfields in the loft. Apparently the previous owner was a member of the home guard and they had been forgotten about after the war ended. He brought them round to show us before he took them to the police station to hand them in. I really hope they weren't destroyed :(
What a shame! I think I was taken to petticoat lane market around 1972 ish( ten years old) There was a gloomy dank cellar type shop with military stuff in one corner. I could have bought a muzzle load musket for £8. There was about twenty, rusty and manky and dusty in a barrel. Weird to look back on that!
looks great fun but if I was being picky something looks a bit different in the woodwork to the real thing... the 'hook' where your little finger of your trigger hand lands on the small of the butt and where the fore end meets meets the nosecap looks a bit off
I was an army cadet in Woking, Surrey in the early 60's and we fired the Lee Enfield at Bisley ranges. We also used them with a .22 sleeved barrel on an indoor range at the Woking TA drill hall. I live in Australia now and the Lee Enfield was manufactured in vast numbers at the Lithgow factory in NSW for the Australian army during WW1 and WW2
Steve you are exactly right the original Metford rifling was to shallow the black powder cartridge fouled the rifling so they changed to Enfield rifling became lee Enfield
A lovely replica of the rifle I learned to shoot on. Sadly, at that price I won't be buying one. Way over priced for a BB gun. Great review though Andy.
Ohh the intrigue , Scorpion Regulated ? , or sub £400 regulated BSA package ?, I can hardly wait . Nice looking replica it's just a shame it's only a plinker . PCP pellet shooter , or better still underlever springer/gas ram repeater with 11+ft/lb would really float My boat . If You stuck a bayonet on it it would be a very scary looking piece of kit from a distance and could probably fool many none shooters . Good revue Andy , it would have been nice to have seen a couple of bulls eye targets to see just what it is capable of , and would be great fun knocking plastic soldiers off at the bottom of the garden if the accuracy is there . Shoot Straight Stay Safe & Stay Well .
Had mine for a while & it's a fantastic gun to shoot & reasonably accurate but I also own a deactivated 1917 smle & as a replica it looks nothing like the real steel . The woodwork is too slab sided & the bayonet mounting plate is recessed into the wood.
That was one of the first things that caught my eye the fore end just not right. I'm afraid to say that would bug me if I owned this air rifle. I'm a No.4 fan but have shot the No.5 which was interesting to say the least. Yes my shoulder did complain afterwards!
Now we have the Lee Enfield, K98, only thing missing is the M1 Grant now. I am sure someone at Umerex is working on it. Once that comes out, I can complete my collection of WWII 3 legends!
Used to shoot the Mk 3 SMLE (.303) in the Army Cadets many moons ago over 300 yds. I'd love to have one of these for nostalgic reasons. You say the action was strippable? That would be the clincher for me.
Loved this review. I learned to shoot, in the Cadets, on the Mk 4. It is a beautiful replica and I was seriously surprised by the detail it goes into. Thanks Andy, for making online reviews so enjoyable, unbiased and entertaining !
@@glenross9467 No - same rifle just different variations on a theme. Mks1-3 were stub nosed and took a 16" bayonet, Mk 4s took a spike bayonet on a protruding muzzle.
Why can no one get the nomenclature right? No1 Mk3 was the most common 'snub nose' as you describe it. The No4 Mk1 was the most common redesign that you would have used in cadets (assuming you're not over 90 years old).
Loved the review and cannot wait for the BSA, but...can you please iron your backdrop! I spent longer looking at the creases in it than I did the SMLE!
AAR merchandise www.aar-OnAir.com
The shop www.vector-air.co.uk
Hi Andy. I think some actual target work would've been nice as you do on all videos.
@the old timer You're*
@the old timer This is a channel for reviewing airguns so a bit sad of you really to make such a comment!
Any chance of a review on Hatsan 900x
V
Forgotten weapons is the gun Jesus, Andy is the airgun Jesus
Yes he is! The best is he looks exactly like my doctor 🤔😅
Imagine a combine video ! Talking about replica airguns and old airguns used us firearms !
17 appearances and only 4 goals... personally i would be insulted by the comparison 🤨
@@Adampeterdale wdym
@@joshuagibson2520 he said Jesus 😁
I've owned several No1 Mk3 and No4 Mk1 .303 and not once did the magazine ever get dropped when I fired them. It actually takes a bit of effort to depress the magazine release.
I've Fired and handled a couple of hundred Lee Enfield's and have not found one that had a dodgy easy drop Magazine release, it seems this fella is spouting fourth hand Old Wives Tales.
Yeah when I used them weekly in the CCF I remember more the difficulty with removing the magazine for cleaning 🤣
'Eck they put a stiff spring on that catch 🤣
That was exactly my reaction to that comment too Jenni
@@josephduggan7065 nah it was on the older ones that's why it's never happened to you guys... the problem was fixed
I trained with the Enfield and the mag was closed tighter than a virgins knees. 😂
I used to go on the firing range at Conyer, near Teynham in Kent, in the early 60's firing these Lee Enfield .303, I can't remember any of the Army instructors saying there was a problem with the magazines. They were pretty thorough instructing us on the operation and maintenance of them. Excellent rifle.
About 30 years ago they sold lee Enfield air rifles that used ‘bullets’ that were special charged sleeves with a pellet projectile. That looked like real cartridges. They were very powerful and would now be too powerful to sell. Anyone remember them? They were on tv back then saying how powerful they were.
Late reply but they were “tandem air cartridge” guns. Discontinued/ outlawed due to the ease of them being converted to firing live ammunition. I believe owners could opt to put them on their FAC but could never sell them on or transfer them. Shame as it happened just as I was getting into air guns as a kid and was saving up for one.
Wow.we used to use decommissioned ones for drill practice back in the late 80's,early 90's.very iconic rifle.first rifle i learned tricks with...gotta get me one of these
.22 rimfire or known to us old sweats as the No.8 lee enfield, Many rounds down range as an army cadet many moons ago, even held the first issued rifle thats never been fired. serial no showed all Zeroes with the number 1 at the end , and still kept in original wrapping.
I used one in 93-96. Loved the smell of the LR ammo.
There were smellys modified to .22 without becoming the No.8 cadet rifle, keeping all the wood, and literally just sleeving the barrel and changing the bolt slightly.
Fired the no.8 on many occasions
I was in the British ACF for 3 yrs and basic training at Oakhampton
we trained with the 303 mk1 no4
if the no4 was sold I would buy one in a heartbeat
I loved this gun, what a kick, I won a award for shooting the Lee Enfield
It`s a beautyful rifle. I used it quite often in Fallout 4 as a sniper rifle.
I as member of Indian National Cadet corps NCC in 2015 trained with one of those .22 converted ones. Ironically my rifle had only 2 groves but was very accurate, 1.4 cm grouping at 50m was best score with that rife.😁
At 50m you could club the target......with a pistol.
I have very recently bought one of these and I absolutely adore it. Great for knocking tin cans around.
Good heavy piece of wood and metal. Very satisfying bolt action.
I also ordered a reproduction 1907 pattern bayonet!
Magazine is heavy and needs a little rock-in motion to seat it properly, so be careful you don't drop it.
My magazine does very slightly leak co2.
Can't wait to add a Webley Mk VI to my collection. Everyone needs to own both the rifle and revolver.
Lovely gun but with so much attention to detail how did they get the nose so badly wrong.
The muzzle on the Lee Enfield 303 I trained with was different, however I believe that there must be more than one incarnation. 👍
This replica is almost exactly the same as my Lithgow 1941 No1 mk3 S.M.L.E. I think you may referring to the No 4 Lee Enfield’s as their front end is completely different.
@@twilightroach4274 no its the wood shouldn't step up to the metal nose and the front shape is too round. I know the no4 is totally different. I have 3 smles.
And the semi pistol grip is completely wrong.
@@cantbearsedmechanics yeah the wood is pretty atrocious. The bottom should slope up far more gradually rather than these steep jumps and angles
The sling in NI was used just like you said but not only with the Lee Enfield but also with the SLR (FAL) you adjusted the sling to the length so it could not be turned on you when still attached to you wrist
@@henrymoreland8719
Come on Henry we would never do such a thing 🤣🤣🤣
By my day we were on the god awful British version of the sa80 😬
not much chance of rubbin a butt on someone with that piece of 💩- it’d have fallen apart! either that or it would have added to the blocking of the gas ports 😅
@@bugsy742 I've always heard that the SA80 made a better club than a rifle :)
@@rogueriderhood1862 😅 yup, after H&K got their hands on it morale went through the roof 😎
Whilst we did use a sling on the rear swivel to make a wrist loop, in Northern Ireland it was with the SLR, Banner started in 1969 and the Rifle No4 was out of regular service by then
at last an enfield, now all us old squaddies need for a memory jogger that plinks is an SLR/FAL replica. so suprised no one has made this gun that saw service world wide from 60s to today .
I agree. I was issued with a FN FAL and Browning Hi-Power in the RRhAF 1970 - 1976. Sadly both absent from replicas.
I've always liked proper battle rifles over assault rifles...as a cadet I got to handle an SLR, but unfortunately never had the chance to try one on the range. Bugger!
You can get the FAl in airsoft.
@@shumble69 i havent seen one, but then as per uk law a pellet firing airgun requires ONLY 18 and over where as air soft requires club or licence paperwork or dayglow two tone paint to make it LOOK like a childs toy.
There's a few 6mm BB FAL AEGs on the market. Would be nice to get gas ones with a bit of a kick.
I've come back after a while and watched this again and forgotten how awesome your reviews are Andy you got me into collecting co2 guns got plenty of umarex and gletcher lol
I`m getting one, just in case we get invaded by an Army of empty 7up cans in the near Future !!
What do you mean 'in case' John? It's already happening here in deepest darkest Cheshire. ;-)
@@mitchly I’m way up North so i better get my act together👍🏼😂
@@johnballantyne6853 You missed a trick there; you should have said "I'm way 7up North". Hold on, maybe not, that's silly but either way......them there cans are on the move.....
Nothing would surprise me after 2020...
History would show it'll most likely be Fanta cans
Great replica- & review. Be nice if they turn it into a PCP pellet gun down the road, like Diana did for Mauser K98.
I think they need to start making more WW2 pcp rifles. Imagine, Lee Enfield, Mosin Nagant, K98, M1 Garand and Arisaka. I say make them in 177, 22 and 25 for small game hunting and make them all in a .35 for big game!
@@donniecarson5188 That’s great idea 👍
Was lucky enough to fire the Mk4 303 down at Bisley in the 90’s. Fabulous rifle to fire.
I did enjoy that, took me back to me teens in the CCF, thanks Andy.
Biggest let down is the short stroke of the bolt, everything thing else detail wise is fixable.
It should of had a cylinder and more power would have been perfect.
What a shame this wasn’t designed as a full power 12flbs .22 pellet rifle. BBs are for children to be honest.
@@noseyparker6622 I think it's because CO2 is hard to get upto that power most are 1-3 ft / lb but the Walther Cowboy (non shell) is 4-5 ft lb and I've heard very accurate. It has a 88g CO2 tank too maybe that's part of the reason too
Umarex did make the M4 that was 11.7 ft / lb but it's a break barrel.
@@Reknaw155Thats why i love my Umarex Cowboy Lever Action Shell Ejector. It runs Pellets beautifully at 6-700fps with silver cartridges, and can still run BBs if i want to as well. Smooth bore still super accurate, good power, and Mighty Realistic.
Also i still want to get one of those Walther non ejectors because of how well made they really are
@@KiLLJOY1056 that's the one I have the Walter .177 pellet one. It takes 88g co2 and is pretty accurate, probably one of the best if not the best Umarex replica for actual use and accuracy. The problem with the shells is the time it takes to reload them but it must be satisfying hearing them eject however.
co2 and BB two words that killed it for me .............. now a pcp version in .22 or .25 would be interesting. I think most will end up as wall hangers
I would have loved to have seen a pellet version with mock cartridges (like some replica co2 revolvers) that feed from the magazine.
@@mrsteve170The Henry 1894 lever action has that kind of ammo, and loads thru a gate like the cowboy rifles its based on even ejects the empty cartridges
The wood at the front seems very blocky looking, and while the Gletcher Mosin didn't require the full length of travel for the bolt, they still did it. Here they seemed to keep the bolt travel to the minimum, and I feel like using the bolt would seem awkward for the length of the rifle.
I was lucky enough to spend the day inside the enfield factory early 80s totally amazing day .enjoy your channel great stuff 👍
thanks for a great review andy ....my SMLE arrived this morning and i am over the moon ....had a shoot in my garage shooting range and i am so tired its very heavy compared to my other more modern guns.....after shooting it i am even more impressed with soldiers who have used this rifle in a conflict,no wonder the army get soldiers very fit lol
I inherited an original Short Lee Enfield MKIII from my father. in .303 British, it was built in Lithgow in 1918 for the Australian army. It's FTR was in 1953 and still smooth as butter with beautiful rifling. I'd love to get one of these and the K98 Mauser air rifle for my collection!
Well worth it imo
In the 70s I was blessed enough to fire 303s on a military target range with markers showing the shooter where his/her projectile hit target or not 8f not then showing how off target they were , what a great day was had by everyone, we also had a regularly short lee Enfield 22's in a local t/a range.
Do you need an air rifle licence for this beautiful working co2 replica..
Thanks for sharing this gem and bringing back good memory's from my past.
Great review a group of us in the US play with original SMLE 22 trainers in fact I have 3 in the safe and just finished a restoration on one for a friend ,,,, the retail in this piece is phenomenal,,,, again great job thanks
Hello everyone! Could you please tell me which bolt-action air rifle is the most satisfying one ? I really want to feel the bolt-action every shot... can I use the bolt action manually every shot on the M1 carbine ?
Love your historic gun reviews. From USA.
at 56 only got back into shooting through covid . and only because of this guy great no nonsence reviews and bit humour . am never gonna afford the top end stuff but like to watch anyway . so will happy plink away with my second hand cheap dan wesson revolver and watch them lotto numbers .
Fabulous historic icon for the average consumer and collector!
I had an Indian-made version of this same rifle in .308 NATO. I don't know if that was original manufacture or if it was a conversion. Doesn't matter. I loved the rifle. That's saying something since I have owned many military rifles from the first half of the 20th century. I am pleased as punch, therefore, that a functional copy (albeit CO2) has been made and that it is so faithful to the original design. Cracking!
I drilled with the .303 SMLE for many years until it was replaced by the 7.62 FN SLR. However, some .303s were rebored to 7.62 NATO and are called the L39A1 rifle. It’s more for cadet training than a serious military weapon. As to the magazine, it’s almost impossible to remove them as the catch is so stiff. My personal preference was the Nr4 SMLE as it had both a battle sight and a flip up ladder sight, which made it more accurate than the ramp sight of earlier models.
This is pretty cool. I actually have an original SMLE303 Mark 3. It is all original you know complete with a foreign yellow painted stripe it stripe at the end of the barrel across the wood, comma I assume probably some sort of troop markings. I bought it in the early nineties From rose's department store store back when they used to sell gun is Lil guns for a wapping price of $89 US. It is a decent shooting rifle.
I Would love to see a pcp pellet accurate replica rifle like this, I'm sure I'm in a minority thinking that way, but it would be nice to have the best of both worlds. It always seems a shame to have such an iconic rifle and it be just to fire bbs over a short distance. 😔
totally agree! i would pay more than 400 quid for a pcp (or even a co2) version that fired pellets at just under the legal limit, but, much as i love the look of this one, that price is just too high for a wall hanger! I never fired the mk3, but i lugged the mk4 around and shot it when i was in the army cadets and loved it, although i was also just a bit scared of it too!
Totally agree ,with all the technology available ,why not make a full power pellet version ,pcp or Co2 full power.
Would pay the extra for that
You hit the nail on the head no cylinder no pellets and low power it’s a pistol with long barrel, it needs to be 12ft lb version accurate and pellet.
Cant take BBs serioisly
I get you, I think it gets to the point you need to learn to make one lol
I want an SVD dragonov with dark wood furniture that shoots pellets .
5 years later, I am going to take a Dremel and a tig welder to alloy replica, and drop a God dam cp2 inside, and secure it with grub screw,s. haha
I have been looking for one of these for the last 2 years, nobody ever has then stock, so yep they are like the proverbial rocking horse manure !!! great review though Andy
I really want to buy one to go with the Scammells, It would look perfect in the rifle rack and still get to plink the empty beer cans!
The original rifle was the Lee Metford, Metford developed the rifling to handle the .303 cartridge which originally was black powder. When smokeless powder was developed and the .303 became smokeless, the rifling couldn’t handle smokeless cartridges. The Enfield armoury developed their own rifling which then became the standard, hence the Enfield in Short, Magazine, Lee, Enfield is the rifling not where the rifle was made
We were trained on these original beautiful rifles on the early 80s when I was in the marine cadets. On some there was a small cleaning kit of a small bottle of oil and a rope pull through housed behind a little round flap located in the brass butt plate. In 2009 I was in India a month after the terrorists attack in Mumbai and was amazed to see the young privates in the Indian army patrolling the almost deserted beaches with these rifles. Probably left behind from the former British Empire. I doubt they would be any use of you came up against an opponent armed with a modern day fully automatic 9mm !
Last month a I got to shoot a No. 4 Mk I Long Branch in .303. Still a great shooter after all these years. I enjoyed the history lesson in this review.
Any chance they will make a .22 pellet version?
Promise of a new BSA then the SMLE review.Good morning to you too!
The front swivel is not for the sling and should have @ a 10mm gap in the center of it.. : The piling swivel was fitted to the underside of the SMLE nosecap behind the bayonet bar, and was used so that rifles could be linked together and stood on their butt plates in a pyramid shape so that they would be easily to hand and kept out of the dirt when the troops were working or resting.
Great review Andy, as always! I want one! lovely replica of an historic gun, and one you can have a little fun with, better than a real deactivated gun that most people probably would not be able to own anyway, and would be just an ornament
Why they do always only bb versions of them like the nagant?
Not sure but might be down to magazines.
Im dissapointed too, the Kar98 from Diana shoots with pellets, not BB's. making expensive builds using BB's are plain stupid imho from a company/sales standpoint. Only kids wants BB's and kids cant afford replicas. So?! Wut?
@@AutismIsUnstoppable I'd rather shoot a single shot springer than a 10 shot bb! There's a Diana k98 in spring version good quality! There is a pcp version too but not that quality of the springer version!
@@MrXFIELD I own the Diana-Mauser k98k spring-gun, in0.177". The accuracy and consistency is remarkable.
Andy....What a really excellent review of this iconic Rifle. Top marks also fr the 'History' lesson behind it all. You really are a source of our hobby.
I wouldn't take much of this to heart, it's not a very faithful replica and he has a few anecdotes that just aren't true (especially that magazine one). If you're interested in the history of these rifles for real, I highly recommend Forgotten Weapons and C&Rsenal, they may not be perfect, but they do corroborate their videos with actual historians, primary sources, as well as military, government, patent office, and design records from the time.
I believe the Enfield name is the type of rifling, rather than the place of manufacture, compared to the previous Lee Metford
Nice. Now they need to make one as a PCP( put the air reservoir in the buttstock ) with a 22 caliber in the Mk 4 model!
Loved this one.this is what my dad carried in the staffs regiment.400 for a good looking piece that keeps as close to the real item as legally possible,gets my vote.birthday coming up on tax day,will have to start dropping hints.🤗
I've never heard of any instances of magazines falling out in the manner described, my No4 and every No4 or SMLE I've ever handled have had extremely firm engagement of the magazine.
Yeah, I was wondering where he got that from. Never heard of it. I fired a lot of No. 4s, and my main instructor was an old soldier, who, if it had ever been heard of, would have warned us. He taught us to work the safety catch with our index finger whilst holding the bolt down with our other 3 fingers.
Love the look of it, just seems the bolt travel is a bit short and looks a little awkward.
Yes about 3 inches because it's not loading a long 303 round that makes it awkward
The Gletcher Mosins had the full bolt travel, so it seems a bit disappointing to see another bolt action recreated, only to be ruined by that
I grew up with 4 and 7 as a cadet, and then later on as an instructor, so this doesn't immediately make me want to run out and buy one.
It's very cool, but looks toy-ish, particularly the stock and fitment.
Fantastic replica, I just wish someone would produce a PCP version, that would be even more fun.
Good revew Andy, fired both .303 and .202 right would look nice on the wall. 👍
This is crying out for Umarex to do a shell ejector version
WOW it looks really good. I wish the k98 would have been replicated this accurate.
Thanks for the video!
Interestingly, the Hilter Youth had k98 airguns. My grandfather brought one home as a war trophy.
Tut tut!! sling on backwards.. You'd be on a charge for that back in the day.
What's a charge? for us mere mortals
On a charge, visiting the Guard room for remedial weapon train, aka pokey drill. Rifle above your head, Rifle at arms length, Rifle out stretched in front of you, not fun!
@@irvsstella Yikes... have a little physical punishment for a sling being on backwards oh dear!
@@d4rkhound388 bet you'd remember to put it on the right way next time though and that's the point.
Love the windows on the background
To all the critics here... it’s just first production so not bad for first series. It’s quality of production will get better in the future (gamo’s guns have similar problems from time to time, my air rifle was build from the wrong parts...) so I want one😍!
Great review. Fantastic looking gun. How much better would it be if it had a shell ejecting set up ?
Half the price, FULL POWER and rifled would be a winner
i think the phrase is fully stocked..as said the front end looks odd and is not correct as the rifle should taper and not have that odd drop
@andy - is this still the best SMLE wall hanger, that does fun stuff too out there?
The short stroke of the bolt kills this for me :( I can take it on the Diana Mauser K98 PCP because at least that's giving me 12 ft lbs and pellets so I can fire it at the local range. But when it's a BB replica, there's no excuse for that bolt IMO. Airsoft can manage realism in that department. I live in hope that one day someone finally comes out with a 12 ft lb PCP classic rifle replica that also has a decent bolt action, but so far I'm not aware of any!
I think it looks pretty good. Of course there will always be compromises on a BB version which mean it’s not an exact replica. I’m sure a few mods can make it look even better. It’s quite expensive but all wood and metal isn’t going to be cheap thses days!
Andy, check out “Bloke on the Range” youtube change for all S.M.L.E. details and mad minutes, middle finger triggering bolt held minutes too ? great video, btw, so are his on real steel mk4 S.M.L.E.s, cheers
Roll on next Friday at 1:00pm! You little tease!
A simple Co2 .22 crossman rabbit stopper, had no issue getting to +10 ft lbs.
This replica would have more appeal if it was pellet fed and with more power a more realistic bark.
I bought one of these last year, but sadly had to return it due to constant failing of the seals in the magazine. Love the rifle, just a shame about the inferior seal system. I just felt it was too much to spend on a rifle that spent more time back in the shop than in my hands, plinking away with it. 👎
I've had mine for 6months now and ive distressed it quite a bit like sanding the Very straight edges on the wood and restaining to make the wood darker 👌👌now it looks much better. My only complaint with it is it needs a longer bolt throw but besides that I love mine
A one damn fine replica!!. And very good so, if the price of one being that high up. So much wood! Wow! And an operational compartment within the stock even. Not a replica for myself - but absolutely for the ones that appreciate awesome historical rifles.
The ONLY negative I can think of about this review.. I would surely been interested to see some 10 meter range paper target work also - just to get an image of it's approximate capabilities. Otherwise, a one fine review.
Thank you so very much to Andy and crew once again!
Looking at the tin cans, I'd guess not too impressive,.. but I'm still eager to make the purchase for my collection😍
@@thorsfew64 I'm guessing thats why its not included in the review. I know is only a co2 bb gun but I still want half decent accuracy. Also the bolt travel looks very short and breaks the feeling of authenticity. I was considering buying this replica but this review has helped me make up my mind, I'll give it a miss.
@@BennyH11, I agree with you. Having replayed AAR review, I too think £400 can be utilised on a later purchase of a replica. I'd be tempted to save for the real thing (decommisioned), but it's hard to find a genuine one with the correct parts without spending a small fortune!!!
Oh, why can't we have a pellet version of the smelly and Kar... with ammo loading like the replica pistols and the "cowboy rifle" lever action rifle with ejecting shells??? 🤔🤪😭
Well i'm on magazine no three now , hope this one doesn't leak , have to say the shooting party ( lee-enfield guns Ltd) customer service has been absolutely outstanding and they have replaced the leaking magazines quickly and without fuss but there does seam to be a problem with the magazine seals .
The Enfield in the name relates the the rifleing in the barell, they changed it from the Metford rifleing, SMLE"s were made all over the world at different times, like long branch , India even converted some to 410 for use in there prisons.
When my uncle bought a new house in the 1970's he found a crate of Lee Enfields in the loft. Apparently the previous owner was a member of the home guard and they had been forgotten about after the war ended. He brought them round to show us before he took them to the police station to hand them in. I really hope they weren't destroyed :(
What a shame! I think I was taken to petticoat lane market around 1972 ish( ten years old)
There was a gloomy dank cellar type shop with military stuff in one corner. I could have bought a muzzle load musket for £8. There was about twenty, rusty and manky and dusty in a barrel. Weird to look back on that!
One would hope that they were returned to military ownership or museums where they can be enjoyed by all.
looks great fun but if I was being picky something looks a bit different in the woodwork to the real thing... the 'hook' where your little finger of your trigger hand lands on the small of the butt and where the fore end meets meets the nosecap looks a bit off
Nice bit of history nice gun my dad had on in peace keeping in The Congo .
I was an army cadet in Woking, Surrey in the early 60's and we fired the Lee Enfield at Bisley ranges. We also used them with a .22 sleeved barrel on an indoor range at the Woking TA drill hall. I live in Australia now and the Lee Enfield was manufactured in vast numbers at the Lithgow factory in NSW for the Australian army during WW1 and WW2
I was a Army Cadet also in the 60s Shooting in the Army Cadets Range at Kilmead in Crawley Where the TA REME where stationed . I think we used 22
I was an Air Cadet, we used them in cadets over here in Canada as well.
i was woking acf as well but early 80s, fired .303 @ bisley and pirbright ..happy days
Steve you are exactly right the original Metford rifling was to shallow the black powder cartridge fouled the rifling so they changed to Enfield rifling became lee Enfield
I glad they made it made of real wood - because everyone likes good wood! :)
A lovely replica of the rifle I learned to shoot on.
Sadly, at that price I won't be buying one. Way over priced for a BB gun.
Great review though Andy.
Ohh the intrigue , Scorpion Regulated ? , or sub £400 regulated BSA package ?, I can hardly wait . Nice looking replica it's just a shame it's only a plinker . PCP pellet shooter , or better still underlever springer/gas ram repeater with 11+ft/lb would really float My boat . If You stuck a bayonet on it it would be a very scary looking piece of kit from a distance and could probably fool many none shooters . Good revue Andy , it would have been nice to have seen a couple of bulls eye targets to see just what it is capable of , and would be great fun knocking plastic soldiers off at the bottom of the garden if the accuracy is there . Shoot Straight Stay Safe & Stay Well .
Great review corporal Jones, They don’t like it up em!
No, they don't like it up 'em, them fuzzy wuzzies, they don't like it up 'em at all.
I have a No 4 MK 1 (a real one) one of my favorite rifles in my collection!
Had mine for a while & it's a fantastic gun to shoot & reasonably accurate but I also own a deactivated 1917 smle & as a replica it looks nothing like the real steel . The woodwork is too slab sided & the bayonet mounting plate is recessed into the wood.
I've had mine for 2 years now
That was one of the first things that caught my eye the fore end just not right. I'm afraid to say that would bug me if I owned this air rifle. I'm a No.4 fan but have shot the No.5 which was interesting to say the least. Yes my shoulder did complain afterwards!
I was just wondering if you heard about that co2 powered bowl they have out and what you maybe would test it and see what she thought about that one
Just got mine, loving it ...
Now THAT is a cool rifle. ( first impression at the beginning of the video! )
I'll be back later to watch the rest of this.
There were a few around in the 80's that were adapted to .410 smooth bore.
I love that manlicher stock.
Now we have the Lee Enfield, K98, only thing missing is the M1 Grant now. I am sure someone at Umerex is working on it. Once that comes out, I can complete my collection of WWII 3 legends!
The Garand is available as a 6mm AEG.
@@andrewince8824 I wanted one for steel BBS or pellets.
Used to shoot the Mk 3 SMLE (.303) in the Army Cadets many moons ago over 300 yds. I'd love to have one of these for nostalgic reasons. You say the action was strippable? That would be the clincher for me.
love the green screen crease
lol
We used to put bren gun mags into ours when I was in the army cadets in the 80s
I have the Lee Enfield band it's great fun... good review again..
Can't wait for the BSA unvieling...
i quite liked the Saxby and Palmer version shooting the nato bullet......
I trained with a Lee Enfield 303, however what we used had a different style muzzle, therefore was possibly a later design. 👍
Likely the later No4 version with a bit more exposed barrel and other small changes, if you post WW2/National Service
Loved this review. I learned to shoot, in the Cadets, on the Mk 4. It is a beautiful replica and I was seriously surprised by the detail it goes into. Thanks Andy, for making online reviews so enjoyable, unbiased and entertaining !
I remember my dad saying he shot these in the cadets too. Was this a 303 or was the 303 a different rifle??
@@glenross9467 No - same rifle just different variations on a theme. Mks1-3 were stub nosed and took a 16" bayonet, Mk 4s took a spike bayonet on a protruding muzzle.
Why can no one get the nomenclature right? No1 Mk3 was the most common 'snub nose' as you describe it. The No4 Mk1 was the most common redesign that you would have used in cadets (assuming you're not over 90 years old).
This is a very pretty rifle I hope it is not expensive
Loved the review and cannot wait for the BSA, but...can you please iron your backdrop! I spent longer looking at the creases in it than I did the SMLE!