Heavy But Effective: Britain's No4 MkI (T) Sniper Rifle
569,573
Published 2018-08-29
Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! shop.bbtv.com/collections/forg...
The main British sniper rifle of World War Two, and arguably one of the best looking military sniper rifles of all time, the No4 MkI (T) was something the British military knew they would want even before the No4 MkI rifle had gone into real production. The first No4 snipers were built on leftover trials rifles from Enfield, and the pattern was formally introduced in February of 1942. First use was in North Africa, but the fighting there was not really suited to sniper rifles, and the weapon’s practical combat debut was in Italy in 1943.
The No4 MkI (T) was a conversion of a standard No4 MkI rifle, using examples chosen for particular good accuracy. They were sent to Holland & Holland to have scope mount bases added and No32 telescopic sights fitted (along with cheek risers on the stocks and having the battle sight aperture ground off to allow room for the scope bell). Between 23,000 and 26,000 were made during the war, and they would continue to be used in the British military for decades, including later conversion into 7.62mm NATO L42A1 rifles.
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N Oracle #36270
Tucson, AZ 85704
All Comments (21)
-
Ian is quite possibly the best man on Youtube talking about historical firearms. Always clear, concise and accurate. You learn something every time you listen to him. In a universe of misinformation and ill informed opinions, he stands out. Well done sir !!
-
Any time Ian says “but I digress” or “I’m getting ahead of myself” I find myself thinking ‘no! Please carry on!’ Id love to own this Gorgeous rifle, and it’s fascinating history. Cheers Ian!
-
Carried this on several tours in Northern Ireland in the 70’s. Glad to say that it never got used in anger.
-
The 7.62 nato versions were still used by the paras in the Falklands in 82
-
My father carried one of these rifles in the kings own rifles regiment during his conscription in ww2 This was a pleasure to watch and brought home to me memories of what he would tell me about it during my childhood A sincere thank you for your very informative videos
-
I have one of these and with good quality factory ball ammunition it shoots about 1.5 MOA groups at 100 yards. With hand-loaded ammunition it shoots just sub-MOA. The weight is not a problem at all for a sniper rifle, and I think it probably helps a little with accuracy as it aids with recoil management. Great video, keep up the good work Ian!
-
Bloomed or blooming was how lens coatings were referred to, before factory coated lenses were produced, early lenses would develop an natural coating over time--some kind of oxidation, I think--and people noticed that the "bloomed" lenses gave better results. So optical companies worked to figure out how to reproduce and ultimately improve upon this effect. After WW2, the technology was widely applied to camera lenses.
-
Pristine condition, connection to ww2, rare configuration (even rarer to find without anything missing) and refitted by Holland and Holland... this will go for a pretty penny
-
awesome info
-
The ring markings may come from engine building. Connecting rod caps are often similarly marked, so they get reassembled in correct orientation, in correct position, with their matching components.
-
A bren gun with a scope, oh be still my beating heart!
-
My brothers and i had the pleasure of fixing up one of these for a gentleman who's father carried it in the invasion of Italy, overall a beautiful rifle and I wish I would have been able to keep it. Thanks for another great video Ian
-
I just watched another video about the Lee Enfield Mark IV. There was a great comment on there which explained the enormous lengths to which Lee Enfield went in order to accommodate left handed shooters. This approach can be summarised as follows : "Learn to fire it right handed."
-
in my school cadet force (in the UK) I used to shoot MkIVs in competition (1980's). Loved it! Really great to hear more about its history.
-
Sir, yours is, by far, my favorite gun channel on YouTube. I have watched many of your vids several times each. Please keep them up!
-
Fired a no.4 (not T) many times at Bisley here in the UK. Beautiful rifle and yes it weighs a bloody ton.
-
Happy to see these videos reappearing in my feed ❤️
-
I recently bought a Longbranch No 4. Mk 1* and now I'm drooling over this one! Thanks alot Ian .....
-
We love you Ian, Keep trucking
-
Great video and I can't wait for the L42 video! That one is on my list of dream rifles, right below the ZfK-55 you already profiled.
