[panzerfaust44]

Since the iron sights are marked up for such, just wondered if any members on here ever tried for a 2000 yard shot??

Just curious as to what the SMLE designers and or Ordnance inspectors/ect were shooting at when they went for 2000 yards???

I have to imagine that a man size target at 2000 yards using iron sights would be quite a challenge.

 

[tomj]

Most milsurp bolt actions have sights up to around 2000 yards. The idea of this is that was the maximum range of the cartridge technically. As far as actually shooting at 2000 yards in practice I believe it was intended for volley or indirect fire at an area. Like if you get 100 guys lobbing bullets at a hillside you’re bound to hit something or at least keep the enemies heads down. I am no expert this is just my understanding of the crazy sight ranges

 

[148Infantry]

Also remember we had a thread not long ago covering Volley Sights. There is a channel on YouTube demonstrating the use of it at extreme range.
Think fire en mass on an area target, suppressive fire of the late 19th early 20th Century when large troop formations were still employed.

 

[Alan De Enfield]

Musketry Regulation Part 1 1909

Trajectory out to 1500 yards for MkVI and MkVII ball.

 

[BJung]

I just posted an inquiry on the reloading section asking if there is a formula to estimate the POI of a bullet using a given MV, the angle between the muzzle and the point of aim of the front sight to the rear sight calibration. I've spoken to one shooter who shoots at 1000 yards. Does anyone have the formula? Some Afghanis would have your answer.

 

[Ruprecht]

I just posted an inquiry on the reloading section asking if there is a formula to estimate the POI of a bullet using a given MV, the angle between the muzzle and the point of aim of the front sight to the rear sight calibration. I've spoken to one shooter who shoots at 1000 yards. Does anyone have the formula? Some Afghanis would have your answer.

Just locate one of the many free on-line ballistics calculators. I have a favorite that I use to try to estimate where the sight settings are going to put me at ranges beyond the 300m that I can physically check at my range. With a good MV, reasonable BC and hard zeroing data at 100, 200 and 300m I've found it possible to make good extrapolations to 500 to 600m using one of these. It involves measuring the incremental rear sight height above the bore for each position on the sight beyond 300m.

Ruprecht

 

[Nagloc68]

I remembered the older thread referenced above, and I think this maybe the video referenced. Impressive stuff!
Enfield Long Range Volley

 

[tacfoley2]

Some interesting shooting by our Australian team......

 

[BJung]

That is the second time I observed an Australian shoot while his wife, daughter, or girlfriend was helping spot. I'm impressed. My wife just says, "have a good day" and that's it. Do you think a quality vernier sight would improve shots at long range?

 

[Quailridge]

Since the iron sights are marked up for such, just wondered if any members on here ever tried for a 2000 yard shot??

Just curious as to what the SMLE designers and or Ordnance inspectors/ect were shooting at when they went for 2000 yards???

I have to imagine that a man size target at 2000 yards using iron sights would be quite a challenge.

Yeah, a hunter I knew in the '60s made a 2000 yard shot. At the end of his hunt he fired his deer rifle into the air. The bullet came down through the roof of a trailer about 2000 yards away. Fortunately no one was harmed! Jeff

 

[staffy]

Not just large columns - regularly used to supress fire when pickets moved in to occupy commanding positions and on their vacating those positions. The technique was commonly used in northern India & Afghanistan.

 

[Hoot4570]

Well, it wasn't 2000 yards but I used my No. 4 on the White Buffalo at the Whittington Center. That's 1126 yards and I think I ended up using the 1000 yard setting due to the elevation. Hit it twice in 10 shots. Used a majority of those shots trying to range it.

 

[tacfoley2]

That is the second time I observed an Australian shoot while his wife, daughter, or girlfriend was helping spot. I'm impressed. My wife just says, "have a good day" and that's it. Do you think a quality vernier sight would improve shots at long range?

It's his Mrs. She also shoots. Most everybody of my acquaintance shooting long-range BPCR shoots with a tang Vernier sight - I do for up to 600 yards with my Winchester High Wall. Look up the Montana Vintage Arms website for more info on Vernier sights.

 

[Lyman1903]

I think it was Hatchers Notebook, (not Enfield related, but related to this thread) or it may have been another reference manual for the 1903 Springfield,

to paraphrase, they shot on the beaches near Daytona Fla, and would take a few shots and look for the impacts, (in the sand) IIRC,

that was used to determine maximum range etc etc, and I am fairly sure that was not minute of man, but for suppression fire, or to rain hell on someone,


or I may have had one too many Bourbons tonight

 

[AD-4NA]

Enfield Long Range Volley

Awesome! I have been wanting to see that for years and actually see them in use.

 

[AD-4NA]

Quite interesting to see what one shooter performing aimed fire can do at a man sized target using the system.
Despite whatever nitpicks anyone has, one could infer some interesting results whilst imagining a whole unit firing with the sights.

 

[Lithgow10]

The concept of dial sight shooting at very long ranges was tied to the fact that in the late 19th century machine guns were heavy tripod or wheeled carriage weapons that were deployed well behind the actual rifle firing line and were available only in very limited numbers-volley sight shooting was never very effective but it was better than nothing when there were no alternatives.
During WW1 large numbers of LMGs and MMGs along with mortars and other light artillery became available and with the fact that all the armies were composed of hastily trained troops after the core of regulars were burnt up in 1914/15 battles, there was simply no reason to continue with the technique. Volley sites were dropped from SMLE production by 1916 and the P14 rifles had their volley sights removed in the mid 1920s 'Wheedon' refits.

 

[Cobra82d]

The long range fire by individual marksmen was replaced by machine guns. Machine gun manuals had the technique for long range fire putting lots of rounds into a "beaten zone" and they had the sights for it. Pretty much had to do it from a tripod. MG long range fire itself was generally replaced by the advancement in light weight unit mortars as 81 and 60 mm mortars did a better job. Still a good concept in the days before MGs and small mortars.

"

 

[SpartanValor]

Since the iron sights are marked up for such, just wondered if any members on here ever tried for a 2000 yard shot??

Just curious as to what the SMLE designers and or Ordnance inspectors/ect were shooting at when they went for 2000 yards???

I have to imagine that a man size target at 2000 yards using iron sights would be quite a challenge.

Troop concentrations observed by hilltop or aerial reconnaissance.

 

[quentin]

We need to find the Bisley Championships records. The SMLE was shot extensively as the 'Service Rifle', against international teams and thus there used to be a huge amount of long range data..
From memory it was found to be generally more accurate than mauser styles at very extended ranges - and prone to vertical disperal rather than the Mausers horizontal dispersal due to the locking lug positions.
Wish I knew where to look..