THE PROGRESSION OF MATTERS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LEE-ENFIELD MILITARY TRAINING RIFLES No.5 & No.6 Early in 1943 there was government discussion about the direction in which small-bore shooting should go in order to best prepare young men in the use of the rifle. This was problematic at a time when .22 rifles were in extremely short supply and ammunition similarly so. Even range space was at a premium, and paper for targets yet another material of which there was a dearth. The journal of the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs "The Rifleman" carried regular reports on the situation because the society was by then heavily supported by the War Office in its work training members of the Home Guard, Civil Defence organisations and cadet units. The scheme to include all suitable younger members of society became known as “The Youth Movement”, and the S.M.R.C. was approved as being able to provide the best means by which such training could be achieved. The following report in March 1943 affords an indication of then current thought in Government circles.T H E R I F L E M A N M a r c h , 1 9 4 3 .this issue, and the high standard of shooting with the .22rifle achieved by the majority of the men. All praise to~ the winning team. No. 15 Platoon D Coy. 7ist West Riding(Staincross Group).While looking forward to victory we do not forgetthe reaction which followed the war of 1914-18, wheni n d i f f e r e n c e a l m o s t k i l l e d t h e r i fl e c l u b m o v e m e n t a s w e l las practically all other forms of National Defence. We,therefore, heartily welcome the support which the Government are prepared to give to the various juvenile organisat i o n s n o w r e f e r r e d t o a s " T h e Y o u t h M o v e m e n t . " A n t i c ipating, as we feel sure we may, that the rifle clubs forming the Society will do their best to teach the young idea to shoot, the Chairman and Council of the Society have been in c o m m u n i c a t i o n w i t h t h e a u t h o r i t i e s w i t h a v i e w t o finding out how help can best be given. In this issue of our journal will be found the considered and approved arrangements fully set out. These, of course, rest upon the goodwill of the clubs. It is on the lines indicated that we propose to proceed with your co-operation. Comments , and criticism will be welcomed as soon as Rifle Club Com- ' mittees have fully considered the matter. A n d w h a t - a b o u t a l l k i n d s o f C i v i l D e f e n c e m e n a n d women learning to shoot ? Only a year ago, following Lord Croft's statement in the House of Lords, it was the avowed policy of the Government to help and encourage all such people in the use of weapons and fighting defence. Furthermore to strengthen anti-invasion plans the cry was "Every man ( and woman) a Rifleman ! " T h e a r m s w o r k e r s w e r e t o l e a r n t o u s e s o m e o f t h e weapons they made in order to defend_ their factories. Unfortunately none of them made the most effective and economical introductory training weapons—the .22 rifle. And so much good intent of keen Britons had to evaporate in abortive searches for training rifles that would have been practised on miniature ranges quite near the people's homes. Whilst we were glad to see a recent strong appeal in The Nottingham Guardian to the Nottingham Corporation for municipal ranges, the question of finance is the handicap, as in many private undertakings. Enterprise in finding places for miniature ranges is ■ r e m a r k a b l e a n d t h e r e w o u l d h a v e b e e n m a n y m o r e t h a n : 144 ranges made and 503 new clubs formed in 1942 if .22 rifles had been available. Undoubtedly the clubs' equip ment has been worked almost to capacity and we earnestly i ask for such to be maintained and, if possible, extended by i good organisation on the ranges to prevent the wastage of a single person's space for shooting on the firing point. ^ With all the people wishing to learn to shoot, both ! juvenile and adult, surely it would be a dereliction of duty not to use available equipment to the full. We urge that everyone, not only members of Cadet j Corps and"rifle .clubs, should regard it as a duty to attain | some standard of efficiency in .22 shooting and earn a i certificate for it. An admirable certificate has been prepared for the Youth Movement. A reference to "Russia's Fighting Forces " elsewhere shows 80 per cent, draftees for enrolment holding marksman badges. Besides the feeling of strength in our movement at this time there stands revealed some weaknesses, it is only natural that being fostered by its strong sporting appeal and aspect the original objective of .22 shooting has become dulled and artificial aids to precision and comfort somewhat overdone. Therefore, we have got our old-and-modern-timer,A. G. Banks, to combine in an article " The Club Rifle ofthe Future," some practical ideas both in the weapon thatshould be used and the dividng up of S.M.R.C. competitions into sections best calculated to be of national serviceon one hand and an advanced game of skill on the other.We commend the enterprise of the Taunton Small-boreRifle Club. Apparently Alderman C. H. Goodland, T.D.,J.P., Mayor of Taunton, Som., in 1939 went to Taunton,Mass., U.S.A., on a good-will visit, when he presented areplica of his town's mace to the daughter town and alsoplanted an oak tree there. Amongst many other forms of relationship good-will is to be a .22 rifle and pistol team match on 24th May between the rifle clubs of the two towns, the English town team to be witnessed and their scores con firmed by a U.S.A. officer, now on service in England, before such are exchanged with the scores of the team representing Ta u n t o n , M a s s . T h e M a y o r w i l l a t t e n d t h e m a t c h a n d the B.B.C. will probably broadcast the result. S.M.R.C. m e m b e r s a r e i n v i t e d . The Territorial Army has always been very helpful to the affiliated units of the S.M.R.C. by way of allowing the use by our members of the miniature rifle range at most drill halls throughou.t the country. Not until national necessity or the absence on service of those in charge did we find difficulty, and then in some cases, at our President's request in the first year of the war, the clubs were allowed to make use of them under the guarantee of a local res ponsible person. Behind much of this co-operation has been the T.A, Rifle Association. Therefore express our appreciation of the continuation of such assistance in the past and what has been possible in the present, to their Chairman, Major- General H. Willans, C.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., and to note with satisfaction that Major-General Viscount Bridgeman, D.S.O., M.C., the D.G. H.G., and T.A., who is a member of the S.M.R.C. Council, is now the T.A.R.A. President. Warm congratulations to Major T. Sutton, who was invested with the M.B.E. in the New Year's Honours List by His Majesty. No doubt this wasdue to his H.G. services as second in command of the 21st Sussex Bn. An abbre viated record of his great services for small-bore shooting appears elsewhere. Tw o n o t a b l e a d d i t i o n s t o o u r l i s t o f Vi c e - P r e s i d e n t s are Miss Patricia A. Young, M.B.E., of Lincluden, the first and only lady member of the Council of the Society, who has now been advanced from that position to become 'the first lady Vice-President of it. The other is Colonel Deneys Reitz, M.P. for Barberton, S.A., Minister of Native Affairs for South Africa since 1939 ; Deputy Prime Minister, and now appointed High Commissioner, for South Africa in London. We are glad to say that Mr. S. F. Waterson, late High Commissioner, still retains his position as a Vi c e - P r e s i d e n t . The opportunity is taken to thank our competitive members and clubs, together with the Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd. and the proprietors of the News of the World, whose contributions to the S.M.R.C. competitions enabled the Council to make the following additional d o n a t i o n s ; — f s . d . King George's Fund for Sailors ... 57 13 9 H.R.H. The Duke of Gloucester's Red Cross and St. John Fund ... 59 14 9 T h e C r o w n P r i n c e s s o f G r e e c e ' s F u n d 9 6 7 3 Warm letters of thanks have been received from the organisers of each Fund. A particularly well-known soldier and successful rifleman of the day, A.G. Banks, was instrumental in galvanising action to remedy the lack of a suitable modern service type training rifle to replace the hitherto conversions of First World War Lee-Enfield rifles that had been in use for decades and had become both well-worn and unrepresentative of the latest No.4 service rifle. The already famous author of “A.G.’s Book of the Rifle”, he wrote a comprehensive piece on what he considered should be the configuration of a new small-bore service rifle. This was published in the March 1943 issue of the S.M.R.C. journal, and is replicated below. It is followed by an incidental paragraph on the training of Fire Guards.March, 1943.T H E R I F L E M A N3The Club Rif]By A.I AM no believer in the idea that this war, or any other war within the present purview of Man, is likely t o b e a " w a r t o e n d w a r , " S u c h a c o n d i t i o n c a n only come when the whole world, including such fanatical nations as the Japanese, have developed beyond the present universal belief in the final Arbitrament by Force. Such a time is not within sight. So long as war exists, I still maintain as firmly as I did in 1900 that its strongest and finally decisive factor is the personal skill of the soldier with his personal weapon, and that such personal skill is impossible to develop to a sufficient degree during the short period of war-time training. It is even impossible to produce a sufficiency of competent instructors at such a time, or to produce a sufficiency of training, weapons, ranges, ammunition and equipment. A long and hard experience as instructor in t w o w a r s h a s c o n fi r m e d t h e s e b e l i e f s . I t s t i l l r e m a i n s a f a c t t h a t t h e r i fl e h a s n e v e r b e e n fully tried as a war-weapon. By this I mean that no Army has ever entered the field, every rifleman of which possessed the shooting skill of an average N.R.A. or S.M.R.C. club rifleman, and the snipers of which possessed the skill of Club, County, and National Champions. This is the standard at which we should now aim, and obviously it can only be achieved by national interest in civilian shooting fostered by Government approval and assistance. If we all agree in principle on this, let us consider how we, the men who understand shooting and have tried to teach and are teaching it, can best help by our advice, drawing on our own experience of trying to make riflemen out of raw beginners. Even the civilian rifleman has a great deal to learn when he puts on the khaki of the citizen Army and the c i t i z e n w h o h a s n o t b e e n a r i fl e m a n a t a l l h a s t o l e a r n -everything. The less that the civilian rifleman has to learn about the Service rifle which he will then have to use, • the better, so that he can make the most rapid progress possible, and also help on his more inexperienced brethren. Thus it is in the highest degree desirable that without, if possible, losing any advantage that the civilian has at present in his pursuit of high accuracy, he should use in his shooting a rifle as much as possible like the military war-weapon. This means that he should use a bolt-action mechanism, a box magazine, and sights of the type current on the . war weapon. But it is important that the rifle he uses, based on these desiderata, should be as perfect in operation and as easy to use as the single shot Martini action weapons of high quality which have hitherto been our National type of civilian rifle. Otherwise, the standard of accuracy of civilian marksmanship will suffer ; and one of the greatest present values of small-bore civilian shooting is the tremendously high standard of accuracy which is common, and is therefore still expected when graduating t o t h e " f u l l - b o r e " S e r v i c e r i fl e . It seems, from the coming of the new " No. 4 " Service rifle, that we are still committed to the Lee bolt-action, and do not intend, after all, to adopt the forward-locking Mauser as seemed likely from the introduction in 1914 of the " P. 14." This being so, the Lee action. No. 4 pattern. , of the Future. B a n k s .will be the rifle we are expected to use in the ne^t war, as f a r a s w e c a n s e e a t p r e s e n t . , • , t j - Now my experiences as an instructor in the Home Guard have rather altered my ideas in some respects. I used to think that any intelligerit man could pass easily from using a small-bore Martini to the use of a Lee (S.M.L.E.) or Mauser (P 14 and M. 17) action. It does not work out so in practice. Recruits take an unconscion able time to learn the silly little elements of using the safety catch, getting the charger Of cartridges into the magazine witlTout a jam, and so on. It takes quite a time to get them to realise that you must push the .300 cartridge down into the magazine before the bolt-extractor can engage it properly and avoid broken extractors. They find difficulty in realising the necessity for withdrawing the bolt to its full extent for ejection, and even for closing the bolt in a single complete motion, to avoid semL extractions. They have to have ridiculous " bolt exercises " to impress these things. Thus I feel that our civilian' small-bore rifle should also require all these details of manipulation, so that they become second nature. But we must not lose efficiency of the rifle over them as a small-bore weapon. Let us see what our friends the Americans have done. Many years ago they forsook the single-shot lever actions as a general thing and adopted bolt magazine actions on their small-bores. The leading rifles of this type are the Winchester 52 and Remington 37 target rifles, which are both heavy weapons of about 12 lb. weight and superfine quality in all respects. They also have lighter standard models of 8 to, 10 lb. for those who prefer them, but practically every leading marksman uses one or other of ■ t h e t w o m e n t i o n e d . In the field of Service training, the Americans, always progressive, have a rifle called the " U.S. Rifle Caliber .22 M2r" which is a standard issue, and made, I believe, by their Springfield ordnance factory. It seems to be based on a combination of all the best points of the great firms, Winchester, Remington, Savage, etc., and looks very similar to their top-class weapons mentioned above. It has the nice weight for an all-round rifle of SJ lb. ; for of course the U.S. teach shooting in all four positions equally, and do not spend all their time, as we do, in what they beautifully call " belly-busting." In respect of this .22 Service rifle, as for their .300 Service rifles, they issue a full, very complete, " Technical Manual," for they take the .22 rifle just as seriously as the others. Their " Basic Field Manual " contains com plete range practices in detail for the .22 rifle in all positions and at ranges up to 200 yards. This " Caliber .22 Manual," 1940, contains a detailed mechanical description to the last nut and pin, of the rifle, with diagrams ; and full ballistic calculations and data about the cartridge. These include drops of the bullet at every range from 25 yards to 300, and angles of elevation up to 1,450 yards, etc., etc. The extreme range is given as 1,500, for the 1,100 f.p.s. cartridges used. There is a mass of other useful information regarding the small-bore. All this is very good, and we might do well to emulate it. But in one respect I think we could improve on it.March, 1943.T H E R I F L E M A N3The Club Rif]By A.I AM no believer in the idea that this war, or any other war within the present purview of Man, is likely t o b e a " w a r t o e n d w a r , " S u c h a c o n d i t i o n c a n only come when the whole world, including such fanatical nations as the Japanese, have developed beyond the present universal belief in the final Arbitrament by Force. Such a time is not within sight. So long as war exists, I still maintain as firmly as I did in 1900 that its strongest and finally decisive factor is the personal skill of the soldier with his personal weapon, and that such personal skill is impossible to develop to a sufficient degree during the short period of war-time training. It is even impossible to produce a sufficiency of competent instructors at such a time, or to produce a sufficiency of training, weapons, ranges, ammunition and equipment. A long and hard experience as instructor in t w o w a r s h a s c o n fi r m e d t h e s e b e l i e f s . I t s t i l l r e m a i n s a f a c t t h a t t h e r i fl e h a s n e v e r b e e n fully tried as a war-weapon. By this I mean that no Army has ever entered the field, every rifleman of which possessed the shooting skill of an average N.R.A. or S.M.R.C. club rifleman, and the snipers of which possessed the skill of Club, County, and National Champions. This is the standard at which we should now aim, and obviously it can only be achieved by national interest in civilian shooting fostered by Government approval and assistance. If we all agree in principle on this, let us consider how we, the men who understand shooting and have tried to teach and are teaching it, can best help by our advice, drawing on our own experience of trying to make riflemen out of raw beginners. Even the civilian rifleman has a great deal to learn when he puts on the khaki of the citizen Army and the c i t i z e n w h o h a s n o t b e e n a r i fl e m a n a t a l l h a s t o l e a r n -everything. The less that the civilian rifleman has to learn about the Service rifle which he will then have to use, • the better, so that he can make the most rapid progress possible, and also help on his more inexperienced brethren. Thus it is in the highest degree desirable that without, if possible, losing any advantage that the civilian has at present in his pursuit of high accuracy, he should use in his shooting a rifle as much as possible like the military war-weapon. This means that he should use a bolt-action mechanism, a box magazine, and sights of the type current on the . war weapon. But it is important that the rifle he uses, based on these desiderata, should be as perfect in operation and as easy to use as the single shot Martini action weapons of high quality which have hitherto been our National type of civilian rifle. Otherwise, the standard of accuracy of civilian marksmanship will suffer ; and one of the greatest present values of small-bore civilian shooting is the tremendously high standard of accuracy which is common, and is therefore still expected when graduating t o t h e " f u l l - b o r e " S e r v i c e r i fl e . It seems, from the coming of the new " No. 4 " Service rifle, that we are still committed to the Lee bolt-action, and do not intend, after all, to adopt the forward-locking Mauser as seemed likely from the introduction in 1914 of the " P. 14." This being so, the Lee action. No. 4 pattern. , of the Future. B a n k s .will be the rifle we are expected to use in the ne^t war, as f a r a s w e c a n s e e a t p r e s e n t . , • , t j - Now my experiences as an instructor in the Home Guard have rather altered my ideas in some respects. I used to think that any intelligerit man could pass easily from using a small-bore Martini to the use of a Lee (S.M.L.E.) or Mauser (P 14 and M. 17) action. It does not work out so in practice. Recruits take an unconscion able time to learn the silly little elements of using the safety catch, getting the charger Of cartridges into the magazine witlTout a jam, and so on. It takes quite a time to get them to realise that you must push the .300 cartridge down into the magazine before the bolt-extractor can engage it properly and avoid broken extractors. They find difficulty in realising the necessity for withdrawing the bolt to its full extent for ejection, and even for closing the bolt in a single complete motion, to avoid semL extractions. They have to have ridiculous " bolt exercises " to impress these things. Thus I feel that our civilian' small-bore rifle should also require all these details of manipulation, so that they become second nature. But we must not lose efficiency of the rifle over them as a small-bore weapon. Let us see what our friends the Americans have done. Many years ago they forsook the single-shot lever actions as a general thing and adopted bolt magazine actions on their small-bores. The leading rifles of this type are the Winchester 52 and Remington 37 target rifles, which are both heavy weapons of about 12 lb. weight and superfine quality in all respects. They also have lighter standard models of 8 to, 10 lb. for those who prefer them, but practically every leading marksman uses one or other of ■ t h e t w o m e n t i o n e d . In the field of Service training, the Americans, always progressive, have a rifle called the " U.S. Rifle Caliber .22 M2r" which is a standard issue, and made, I believe, by their Springfield ordnance factory. It seems to be based on a combination of all the best points of the great firms, Winchester, Remington, Savage, etc., and looks very similar to their top-class weapons mentioned above. It has the nice weight for an all-round rifle of SJ lb. ; for of course the U.S. teach shooting in all four positions equally, and do not spend all their time, as we do, in what they beautifully call " belly-busting." In respect of this .22 Service rifle, as for their .300 Service rifles, they issue a full, very complete, " Technical Manual," for they take the .22 rifle just as seriously as the others. Their " Basic Field Manual " contains com plete range practices in detail for the .22 rifle in all positions and at ranges up to 200 yards. This " Caliber .22 Manual," 1940, contains a detailed mechanical description to the last nut and pin, of the rifle, with diagrams ; and full ballistic calculations and data about the cartridge. These include drops of the bullet at every range from 25 yards to 300, and angles of elevation up to 1,450 yards, etc., etc. The extreme range is given as 1,500, for the 1,100 f.p.s. cartridges used. There is a mass of other useful information regarding the small-bore. All this is very good, and we might do well to emulate it. But in one respect I think we could improve on it.4T H E R I F L E M A NM a r c h , 1 9 4 3 .That is by adopting a Service .22 rifle which really looks and is like our No. 4 Service .303 rifle, but without such "defects, from a target-shooting point of view, as are unavoidable in a mass-produced war weapon. The Americans make no attempt to make their Service .22 like their Service .300 in any respect except that the former is a bolt action, it is a box magazine, and it is of Service weight. In all other respects it is merely designed to handle the .22 longrifle cartridge in the best possible way, just like the private rifle manufacturers' weapons. It has the semi-sporting length forend, the improved trigger pull, and the short-travel quick-ignition firing pin of the standard .22 weapons of the leading makers, and a good click adjusting aperture backsight of Lyman design. It has not, as far as I can see from the sectional diagrams and descriptions, the actual latest target rifle developments such as the widened palm-grip forend, the eye-relief adjust ment for backsight, or the practically faultless dead-beat trigger pull now perfected in these weapons, but no doubt some of these may have been incorporated in later models of the military .22. What I think we want, then, and by that I mean we want our Ordnance Department to produce, is a .22 rifle which has the same appearance and weight as our No. 4 Service .303, which may in fact be made of the same parts as that rifle, as regards its barrel (duly reduced in diameter to keep to Service weight), its stocking and butt, and its general furniture. In order to make it equal to the best of target rifles for the .22 cartridge the stocking must be done with meticulous care, and of course the barrel must be to the latest and most approved .22 specifications of rifling and chamberinjg. The action requires completely re-designing, while keeping the general proportions of the Lee action. The bolt travel should be the same, instead of the short travel usually given to a .22 bolt action. This is easily achieved by adopting one of the systems of recessed bolt-head and double hook extractor, but placing the ejector stop at the rear of the long bolt travel, so that the empty case is not thrown out undl it gets there. To operate a .22 R.F. in a magazine feed, the lower half of the bolt head has to be cut flat, as in the Americans'. The magazine requires a complete and in fact a hitherto unknown design, for I want it to take .22 R.F. cartridges from a clip or charger loader. I believe this has never been done, but I think it could be, although the .22 cartridge has not hitherto been thought suitable for it. The present .22 system is to load the cartridges singly into a detachable magazine box, which is then slipped into the rifle from below. This system is quite effective, but slow, and gives no practice at all in the full-bore Service method of loading from the top. The most important re-design required is perhaps in the firing pin and trigger mechanism. The existing Lee firing pin with its long and slow travel makes every shot with a .22 sound like a hang-fire—" Ker-flop "—sort of effect. That is because the .22 bullet takes so long to get to the muzzle that you can hear the slow drop of the firing pin before you hear the report. We must have the latest short-travel " speed lock " system. The total time then from pressing trigger to emergence of bullet is about the same with (a) the speed lock and .22, and (b) the Lee lock and the .303. Which is as it should be. As regards the trigger pull, the Lee action is always rough, dragging, and bad. This may be necessary in the war article, though I am not so sure. But in our .22 we cannot do with it at any price, for we are out to produce first-class .22 shooting with the best possible Service training. Let the pull be a double one, by all means. A double pull is a desirable safety device on a war weapon, and it i s d e s i r a b l e t o b e c o m e a c c u s t o m e d t o i t . I t i s n o t a s e r i o u s detriment on a target rifle in itself, provided that the second or final pull is perfect. That is the main thing. The first pull must be smooth and jerkless, but above all the second pull must be the modern perfect dead-beat pull of the highest class Martinis and American bolts screw adjustable to the exact 3 lb. weight. This is quite easily done ; but it may mean some arrangements about patent rights. As regards the sights I am not quite so definite as to the best procedure. Let this evolve later in this article, when I come to the ideal programme for popularising this rifle. We have, then, if these dreams come true, the first scientifically designed British .22 Calibre Service Rifle, produced by our Ordnance experts assisted by one or two selected civilian riflemen who have used the best bolt- action rifles at present obtainable, and by our leading rifle manufacturers, who understand the technical dilficulties and methods of best overcoming thern. The rifles will, of course, be also manufactured by private firms, just as .303 rifles are, but will have to be to Government specifica tion. It will be noted that hitherto I have thought only i n t e r m s o f a d u l t s . I t w i l l a l s o b e n e c e s s a r y — I s a y ttecessaiy, to produce with equal care and thoroughness a Cadet rifle on similar lines, but smaller size and weight for the use of Boys' Brigades, A.T.C., Schools, Scouts, Youth Movements, Boys' Clubs (not forgetting correspond ing girls' organisations) and all the host of youngsters upon whom our future and all futures depend. And it does not want to be a "War Office Miniature," nor yet a cheap and nasty " sporting " rifle ! In all probability the adults' rifle as described, but fitted with a short forend (sporting, pattern) and shortened butt, thus making the rifle about a pound lighter, would be quite suitable. Reverting then to the Service .22, I wonder whether readers are aware that our friends the Russians have for years had such an " official " weapon ? It is, however, , not so thorough going as my projected British one. Part of this scheme must be, I feel, a corresponding' re-organisation of our competition system, much on the lines of the' N.R.A. system in running the " big Bisley," f o r t h e . 3 0 3 S e r v i c e r i fl e . Working on these lines, then; I want to see S.M.R.C. competitions divided into three groups. These are " .22 S.R. (a) " (rifle as issued), " .22 S.R. (b) " (rifle as issued, but with the use of special backsights and perhaps foresights) and " M.R." which means " match rifle" and would be open to any rifle of either Service or Martini or any other type with any additions desired. The first two groups would be open to all the present classes of Newcomers, Tyros, Inexperts and Experts. It would simplify matters if, instead of having completely separate competitions for these classes as at present, everybody shot the same competitions (the No. 1, No. 2, ^tc.), but the scores to go for separate prize lists for each class of competitor. In other words, you would have a number of competitions making up the .22 S.R. (a) Aggregate and another number making up the .22 S.R. (b) Aggregate. Any tyro entering for either or both aggregates4T H E R I F L E M A NM a r c h , 1 9 4 3 .That is by adopting a Service .22 rifle which really looks and is like our No. 4 Service .303 rifle, but without such "defects, from a target-shooting point of view, as are unavoidable in a mass-produced war weapon. The Americans make no attempt to make their Service .22 like their Service .300 in any respect except that the former is a bolt action, it is a box magazine, and it is of Service weight. In all other respects it is merely designed to handle the .22 longrifle cartridge in the best possible way, just like the private rifle manufacturers' weapons. It has the semi-sporting length forend, the improved trigger pull, and the short-travel quick-ignition firing pin of the standard .22 weapons of the leading makers, and a good click adjusting aperture backsight of Lyman design. It has not, as far as I can see from the sectional diagrams and descriptions, the actual latest target rifle developments such as the widened palm-grip forend, the eye-relief adjust ment for backsight, or the practically faultless dead-beat trigger pull now perfected in these weapons, but no doubt some of these may have been incorporated in later models of the military .22. What I think we want, then, and by that I mean we want our Ordnance Department to produce, is a .22 rifle which has the same appearance and weight as our No. 4 Service .303, which may in fact be made of the same parts as that rifle, as regards its barrel (duly reduced in diameter to keep to Service weight), its stocking and butt, and its general furniture. In order to make it equal to the best of target rifles for the .22 cartridge the stocking must be done with meticulous care, and of course the barrel must be to the latest and most approved .22 specifications of rifling and chamberinjg. The action requires completely re-designing, while keeping the general proportions of the Lee action. The bolt travel should be the same, instead of the short travel usually given to a .22 bolt action. This is easily achieved by adopting one of the systems of recessed bolt-head and double hook extractor, but placing the ejector stop at the rear of the long bolt travel, so that the empty case is not thrown out undl it gets there. To operate a .22 R.F. in a magazine feed, the lower half of the bolt head has to be cut flat, as in the Americans'. The magazine requires a complete and in fact a hitherto unknown design, for I want it to take .22 R.F. cartridges from a clip or charger loader. I believe this has never been done, but I think it could be, although the .22 cartridge has not hitherto been thought suitable for it. The present .22 system is to load the cartridges singly into a detachable magazine box, which is then slipped into the rifle from below. This system is quite effective, but slow, and gives no practice at all in the full-bore Service method of loading from the top. The most important re-design required is perhaps in the firing pin and trigger mechanism. The existing Lee firing pin with its long and slow travel makes every shot with a .22 sound like a hang-fire—" Ker-flop "—sort of effect. That is because the .22 bullet takes so long to get to the muzzle that you can hear the slow drop of the firing pin before you hear the report. We must have the latest short-travel " speed lock " system. The total time then from pressing trigger to emergence of bullet is about the same with (a) the speed lock and .22, and (b) the Lee lock and the .303. Which is as it should be. As regards the trigger pull, the Lee action is always rough, dragging, and bad. This may be necessary in the war article, though I am not so sure. But in our .22 we cannot do with it at any price, for we are out to produce first-class .22 shooting with the best possible Service training. Let the pull be a double one, by all means. A double pull is a desirable safety device on a war weapon, and it i s d e s i r a b l e t o b e c o m e a c c u s t o m e d t o i t . I t i s n o t a s e r i o u s detriment on a target rifle in itself, provided that the second or final pull is perfect. That is the main thing. The first pull must be smooth and jerkless, but above all the second pull must be the modern perfect dead-beat pull of the highest class Martinis and American bolts screw adjustable to the exact 3 lb. weight. This is quite easily done ; but it may mean some arrangements about patent rights. As regards the sights I am not quite so definite as to the best procedure. Let this evolve later in this article, when I come to the ideal programme for popularising this rifle. We have, then, if these dreams come true, the first scientifically designed British .22 Calibre Service Rifle, produced by our Ordnance experts assisted by one or two selected civilian riflemen who have used the best bolt- action rifles at present obtainable, and by our leading rifle manufacturers, who understand the technical dilficulties and methods of best overcoming thern. The rifles will, of course, be also manufactured by private firms, just as .303 rifles are, but will have to be to Government specifica tion. It will be noted that hitherto I have thought only i n t e r m s o f a d u l t s . I t w i l l a l s o b e n e c e s s a r y — I s a y ttecessaiy, to produce with equal care and thoroughness a Cadet rifle on similar lines, but smaller size and weight for the use of Boys' Brigades, A.T.C., Schools, Scouts, Youth Movements, Boys' Clubs (not forgetting correspond ing girls' organisations) and all the host of youngsters upon whom our future and all futures depend. And it does not want to be a "War Office Miniature," nor yet a cheap and nasty " sporting " rifle ! In all probability the adults' rifle as described, but fitted with a short forend (sporting, pattern) and shortened butt, thus making the rifle about a pound lighter, would be quite suitable. Reverting then to the Service .22, I wonder whether readers are aware that our friends the Russians have for years had such an " official " weapon ? It is, however, , not so thorough going as my projected British one. Part of this scheme must be, I feel, a corresponding' re-organisation of our competition system, much on the lines of the' N.R.A. system in running the " big Bisley," f o r t h e . 3 0 3 S e r v i c e r i fl e . Working on these lines, then; I want to see S.M.R.C. competitions divided into three groups. These are " .22 S.R. (a) " (rifle as issued), " .22 S.R. (b) " (rifle as issued, but with the use of special backsights and perhaps foresights) and " M.R." which means " match rifle" and would be open to any rifle of either Service or Martini or any other type with any additions desired. The first two groups would be open to all the present classes of Newcomers, Tyros, Inexperts and Experts. It would simplify matters if, instead of having completely separate competitions for these classes as at present, everybody shot the same competitions (the No. 1, No. 2, ^tc.), but the scores to go for separate prize lists for each class of competitor. In other words, you would have a number of competitions making up the .22 S.R. (a) Aggregate and another number making up the .22 S.R. (b) Aggregate. Any tyro entering for either or both aggregatesMarch, 1943.T H E R I F L E M A N5would take a prize in his own prize list. Rapid fire competitions, using the magazine, would be a regular feature, and Rule 3 prohibiting repeating rifles must be scrapped. The championship of the meeting should, I think, go to the Grand Aggregate of both. The M.R. group of competitions I would open to experts only, and would give quite a small prize list. It would really be for men who, as in the Bisley M.R. class, shoot simply for fun and love of trying out improvements in rifles and ammunitions. For this reasoh I should make it open to any rifles and any sights, which includes telescopic. Make it a real heaven for gun-cranks. I would allow the use of the sling in all classes of com- ! petition. There is not and never has been any objection to its use for military purposes except the perverseness of our War Office. Are our readers yet aware that in the ; American Forces all men are taught to shoot in all positions j with the sling? Their Manual contains no single practice, w i t h o r w i t h o u t c o v e r, i n w h i c h t h e s l i n g i s n o t - : ordered, and minute directions and .many illustrations are given showing how to use it. Now as to sights for the .22 Service rifle as issued. I am anxious to use the nearest possible approach to the No. 4 rifle backsight, which is a plain double battle- sight—400 yards with one leg up, 600 yards with the other. The best way to do this in terms of .22 is, it seems to me, to have one leg for 50 yards and one for 100 yards, with a sliding adjustment on each to be set for correct elevation and line and fixed with a screwdriver (like the backsight of a Webley air pistol). The foresight to be exactly military pattern, i.e. blade, immovable except for lateral zeroing, with, of course, the regulation sight protectors. With these sights it would be necessary to aim down at 25 yards, which is a perfectly normal thing to do in practical Service shooting. What I should do, personally, would be to set the sight for aiming just below 6 o'clock on the 25 yards S.M.R.C. black, when it would be correct for point of impact aiming (i.e. at the centre of the black) at 50 yards. Thus, and thus only, would you get a general knowledge into people of how the fixed sights of a war i rifle have to be used, and teach them something of allowing for the trajectory of a bullet. Home Guards at present seem to wander aimlessly about in a mist of ignorance of such simple things, which never gets cleared away. That everlasting question about the how, what, and why, of the " six o'clock aim " might be automatically solved if competitors had to hit the centre of a bull with a fixed sight which they couldn't twiddle. In the S.R. (b) class I would allow, as in N.R.A. rules, any specially made aperture sight of solid construction which did not involve altering the rifle (actually I would provide the necessary screw holes for it in the standard receiver). It might be desired also to allow ring foresights in this class, but personally I am opposed to it; It is a sight of no practical value, being suitable only for circular black aiming marks, and not even necessary for those, insomuch as our present national champion small bore shot always uses a blade. Also I am in hopes that our Services, and also our Society, will, after more contact i with our American allies, adopt their system of holding competitions in standing, kneeling and sitting positions, ; and will even ultimately evolve and adopt practical targets. ^ The use of ring foresights militates against all such activities. In short, I am here setting on record that I am against , all measures which tend to turn a practical kifling weapon into a mere instrument for a game of skill with httle national value. But that I am all in favour of training; everyone to the hiahest possible degree of skill with a practical weapon of"the hiahest possible accuracy suitable for hitting any kind of object at any range within its powers and equally from any shooting position. >■ The scientifically re-designed No. 4 .22 Service bo.x magazine bolt action rifle here described in general outline, made in highest class quality and finish by our great makers at the Service weight of about 8 to 8-V lb. would constitute a splendid all purpose weapon equally suitable for sporting or target work. There is no reason why heavier barrels should not be allowed for use in prone- ' competition work, as is done in Australia and Ammca in respect of their .303 and .300 Service rifles, by those who like them, for the use of a heavy barrel is no detriment to training in the weight of a standard one. Nor is there- any objecdon to the fitting of different length biiSfe t' the S.R. (b) class I think l"should allow cheek rests, too, or special butts. But that is leading to a host of contentious matters. The main thing is to stick to our general outline of the fully stocked military rifle with full travel bolt and full sized everything, except cartridge. It is at present possible to use the full sized (though not full powered) cartridge, in the regulation magazine, by adopting the Parker Hale " .303 cum .22" system of cartridge adapters. This is not, however, capable of high- class accuracy and must therefore be ruled out. Used with adapted S.M.L.E. or No. 4 rifles, as it is, however, it constitutes the best method of purely military .22 training yet evolved, and it is a pity more rifles are not available for it. They should be the military issue to the Services in place of the ordinary .22 S.M.L.E. now issued ; but for our purposes, i.e. high-class target shooting, the system is not good enough. I am well aware that the suggestions made in this article, which would cause a complete upheaval in present srnall- ' bore practice, are bound to meet with a storm of opposition. My defence is simply this. The system is the best I can think of for turning the masses -into a nation of prospective Service rifle shots at short notice; and of turning what is at present fast becoming a specialised and useless game of skill into a national asset in the form of practical rifle shooting. Fire Guard Pocket Chart CONCISE—COMPREHENSIVE. To assist in the urgent task of training Fire Guards Messrs. Jordan and Sons Limited, publishers of " A.G.'s Book of the Rifle " and many other war-time publications of training value, have issued a pamphlet which sells at 4d. each, or 30s. for 100 copies. It contains information essential to Fire Guards, which is presented by pictures, diagrams and charts, making training and revision particularly easy. Most people know now how to tackle incendiary bombs, but the knowledge of trailer pumps, notes on first-aid duties, and a comprehensive table of war gases is most useful, and simple descriptions are included. Altogether a useful production for those with very limited time who can quickly learn from pictures and diagramatic sketches.March, 1943.T H E R I F L E M A N5would take a prize in his own prize list. Rapid fire competitions, using the magazine, would be a regular feature, and Rule 3 prohibiting repeating rifles must be scrapped. The championship of the meeting should, I think, go to the Grand Aggregate of both. The M.R. group of competitions I would open to experts only, and would give quite a small prize list. It would really be for men who, as in the Bisley M.R. class, shoot simply for fun and love of trying out improvements in rifles and ammunitions. For this reasoh I should make it open to any rifles and any sights, which includes telescopic. Make it a real heaven for gun-cranks. I would allow the use of the sling in all classes of com- ! petition. There is not and never has been any objection to its use for military purposes except the perverseness of our War Office. Are our readers yet aware that in the ; American Forces all men are taught to shoot in all positions j with the sling? Their Manual contains no single practice, w i t h o r w i t h o u t c o v e r, i n w h i c h t h e s l i n g i s n o t - : ordered, and minute directions and .many illustrations are given showing how to use it. Now as to sights for the .22 Service rifle as issued. I am anxious to use the nearest possible approach to the No. 4 rifle backsight, which is a plain double battle- sight—400 yards with one leg up, 600 yards with the other. The best way to do this in terms of .22 is, it seems to me, to have one leg for 50 yards and one for 100 yards, with a sliding adjustment on each to be set for correct elevation and line and fixed with a screwdriver (like the backsight of a Webley air pistol). The foresight to be exactly military pattern, i.e. blade, immovable except for lateral zeroing, with, of course, the regulation sight protectors. With these sights it would be necessary to aim down at 25 yards, which is a perfectly normal thing to do in practical Service shooting. What I should do, personally, would be to set the sight for aiming just below 6 o'clock on the 25 yards S.M.R.C. black, when it would be correct for point of impact aiming (i.e. at the centre of the black) at 50 yards. Thus, and thus only, would you get a general knowledge into people of how the fixed sights of a war i rifle have to be used, and teach them something of allowing for the trajectory of a bullet. Home Guards at present seem to wander aimlessly about in a mist of ignorance of such simple things, which never gets cleared away. That everlasting question about the how, what, and why, of the " six o'clock aim " might be automatically solved if competitors had to hit the centre of a bull with a fixed sight which they couldn't twiddle. In the S.R. (b) class I would allow, as in N.R.A. rules, any specially made aperture sight of solid construction which did not involve altering the rifle (actually I would provide the necessary screw holes for it in the standard receiver). It might be desired also to allow ring foresights in this class, but personally I am opposed to it; It is a sight of no practical value, being suitable only for circular black aiming marks, and not even necessary for those, insomuch as our present national champion small bore shot always uses a blade. Also I am in hopes that our Services, and also our Society, will, after more contact i with our American allies, adopt their system of holding competitions in standing, kneeling and sitting positions, ; and will even ultimately evolve and adopt practical targets. ^ The use of ring foresights militates against all such activities. In short, I am here setting on record that I am against , all measures which tend to turn a practical kifling weapon into a mere instrument for a game of skill with httle national value. But that I am all in favour of training; everyone to the hiahest possible degree of skill with a practical weapon of"the hiahest possible accuracy suitable for hitting any kind of object at any range within its powers and equally from any shooting position. >■ The scientifically re-designed No. 4 .22 Service bo.x magazine bolt action rifle here described in general outline, made in highest class quality and finish by our great makers at the Service weight of about 8 to 8-V lb. would constitute a splendid all purpose weapon equally suitable for sporting or target work. There is no reason why heavier barrels should not be allowed for use in prone- ' competition work, as is done in Australia and Ammca in respect of their .303 and .300 Service rifles, by those who like them, for the use of a heavy barrel is no detriment to training in the weight of a standard one. Nor is there- any objecdon to the fitting of different length biiSfe t' the S.R. (b) class I think l"should allow cheek rests, too, or special butts. But that is leading to a host of contentious matters. The main thing is to stick to our general outline of the fully stocked military rifle with full travel bolt and full sized everything, except cartridge. It is at present possible to use the full sized (though not full powered) cartridge, in the regulation magazine, by adopting the Parker Hale " .303 cum .22" system of cartridge adapters. This is not, however, capable of high- class accuracy and must therefore be ruled out. Used with adapted S.M.L.E. or No. 4 rifles, as it is, however, it constitutes the best method of purely military .22 training yet evolved, and it is a pity more rifles are not available for it. They should be the military issue to the Services in place of the ordinary .22 S.M.L.E. now issued ; but for our purposes, i.e. high-class target shooting, the system is not good enough. I am well aware that the suggestions made in this article, which would cause a complete upheaval in present srnall- ' bore practice, are bound to meet with a storm of opposition. My defence is simply this. The system is the best I can think of for turning the masses -into a nation of prospective Service rifle shots at short notice; and of turning what is at present fast becoming a specialised and useless game of skill into a national asset in the form of practical rifle shooting. Fire Guard Pocket Chart CONCISE—COMPREHENSIVE. To assist in the urgent task of training Fire Guards Messrs. Jordan and Sons Limited, publishers of " A.G.'s Book of the Rifle " and many other war-time publications of training value, have issued a pamphlet which sells at 4d. each, or 30s. for 100 copies. It contains information essential to Fire Guards, which is presented by pictures, diagrams and charts, making training and revision particularly easy. Most people know now how to tackle incendiary bombs, but the knowledge of trailer pumps, notes on first-aid duties, and a comprehensive table of war gases is most useful, and simple descriptions are included. Altogether a useful production for those with very limited time who can quickly learn from pictures and diagramatic sketches.Next >