We Fired Weapons From The 1500s, 1700s and 1900s!
"We Fired Weapons From The 1500s, 1700s and 1900s!"
In this video exclusive to the History Hit KZhead channel, Louee Dessent and Luke Tomes headed to the Royal Armouries Museum firing range in Leeds to shoot three guns spanning four centuries of history!
With the help and guidance of Keeper of Firearms & Artillery at Royal Armouries in Leeds, Jonathan Ferguson, we fired a 16th Century replica arquebus, an 18th Century Brown Bess musket and finally the famous Lee Enfield bolt-action rifle.
We explore the evolution of guns by looking at some of the first guns in existence through to the weapons of The First World War and Second World War.
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#weapons #oldguns #historyhit
00:00 Introduction
00:45 National Firearms Centre
02:05 Arquebus
10:34 Brown Bess Musket
18:04 Lee Enfield
23:41 Final Scores
Hey guys, check out our latest firearms challenges with Jonathan, including the Martini-Henry which lots of you asked for! 💥 Guns of the Old West: kzhead.info/sun/bLyGmNmfbHyKnJE/bejne.html Firing the Martini-Henry: kzhead.info/sun/dLaIpL2vjKKMmaM/bejne.html
10 months later, he adds a new comment. Me. 1 month later, after he posts the new comment, I reply.
What makes me shocked is no one's talk about the real first war battle with fire guns
You guys need to start to look on the Beatles that change the world when they started to use guns and cannons to defeat big army's when you have a side wish use ships Greco-Roman and other side portugues army's with fire guns and cannons since 1400s
I win the weapon I choose is 13 billion years old its a rock 🪨
Repent and trust in Jesus. He's the only way. We deserve Hell because we've sinned. Lied, lusted stolen, etc. But God sent his son to die on the cross and rise out of the grave. We can receive forgiveness from Jesus. Repent and put your trust in him. John 3:16 Romans 3:23😊❤😊❤
Jonathan Ferguson continues his quest to take over the entirety of KZhead, and we all love it.
Literally about to make the same comment 😂 he's everywhere and I'm loving it
He still has to face the big final boss: Simon Whistler
@@cleverusername9369 best comment
i hope he starts a militia. i will be there
I wasn't expecting it I was like wtf I've seen that guys before...oh yeah IGN and Ian!
Important safety notice - we at the Royal Armouries do not advise viewers to charge their own muzzleloading firearms directly from the flask as seen in this video. Our methods are specific to our activities as a museum, and are based upon a risk-assessed approach, taken in consultation with external expert advice, intended to approximate period loading techniques in as safe a manner as possible. The prevailing wisdom in muzzleloading circles is to charge from individual powder measures rather than the flask.
Jonathan rightfully your popping up everywhere , I expect to see you in the next Call of Duty :)
Pussified
Would love to have a friendly yank versus brit Brown Bess shoot off, been quite a long time since the last. :)
Or just preload shot and powder in reusable tubes. Saves a lot of time and hassle.
Do modern firearms next!
16th century warfare is highly underrated. Imagine being on a battlefield right at the transition between the medieval and the early "modern" world. Muskets, full plate armor, swords, pikes, crossbows, cavalry, artillery, cannons, longbows, anything goes!
Sandrohman History should be a great Channel fore you then. He focusses on this time period.
@@vinz4066 Yess I love his channel, I'm a big fan already haha
@@MihaiRUdeRO Oh ok haha
It would be like, modern soldiers using Ak's and m4's while wearing ww2 armour or clothes
@@user-el2yw1kb5h to be fair, when the ak came around, ww2 were in service, only 2 years after ww2
I'll never be able to comprehend how anyone could have the balls to stand shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of men being torn apart by cannon and grapeshot and then maintain enough composure to keep their lines and fire 3 times a minute
Lots of drill, faith in luck and the afterlife, clenching your jaws, and hoping that the one to get holed isnt you. To be fair, its already stated by history experts that there werent as many deaths on line battles (not talking about getting a shot and being injured). The most deaths came when charges came into action, specially cavalry charges and after-battle pursuits.
@@KYDEX97 drugs, for example ottomans made their soldiers consume opium.
@@reconscout2238 that has been pretty common, from hassassins taking hash to the germans taking anphetamine
It's important to remember that flintlocks weren't particularly accurate, and you were typically in more danger if you broke formation than you were by standing in place. If you broke the line, cohesion would be lost and the enemy cavalry would ride in and cut down the whole unit. Battles of the time were very much a contest of wills.
Also nice username
I love how it looks like they just set up a makeshift shooting range in the corner of the office.
Was looking for this comment.
Literally. It’s the most rag tag indoor range I’ve ever seen.
To be fair, all you need for a range is some sort of backstop. I'm sure there's some kind of law or code you have to follow in the UK to build one, but that's all that's really needed to have a functioning one
@@tybick12 do you really need a backboard though
@@minorityhunterzoro1507 an indoor range, yeah. Unless you wanna slowly punch holes through your walls
Royal armory needs to have a “Jonathan experience” where you pay to spend a day on the range and get a history/shooting lesson with Jonathan.
I'd travel from Scotland and pay a lot of money for that
@@stewiecall97 I would do it from America, I own a Enfield Mk3* and I have a 1842 flintlock (the last flintlock adopted by the US army) that i'm getting ready to shoot, Even to just spend a day in the museum with Jonathan would be amazing to me.
@@GeorgeWashingtonLaserMusket Do you know anything about the UK? Because that's not how it works at all. You can't have armed security, you can't buy a gun for self defence, yes shotguns are easier to get than rifles but they don't need to be kept at a police station, you can have rifles if any caliber, but only rimfires in semi auto. The only armed security in this country are police, but it's not like you can just hire them. I don't necessarily agree with our laws on self defence, not one bit. But the same rules apply to everyone
@@GeorgeWashingtonLaserMusket The murder rate in the US is 18x higher than here in the UK because of their idiotic gun laws. And we have had 2 mass shootings in my whole lifetime here compared to over 200 in the US in 2022 alone. You may want the UK to become a gun worshipping death cult like the US but most people here have never seen a gun and never want to.
@@GeorgeWashingtonLaserMusket 🤣 Wet wipe
Not at all a gun person, but I could listen to Jonathan all day. His passion is contagious.
It's the british accent isn't
You click for the knowledge, you stay for the vibes
Another youtuber that has a similar level of passion is Ian from Forgotten Weapons. I could sit and listen to him for days at a time.
Try watching Brandon Herrera especially his range videos he loves it so much he’s like a child just barely able to contain it
He needs to visit the US and hang out with Ian McCollum aka ForgottenWeapons. Put the Brit in a 2-gun match with the weapons of his people (Ian does rifle+pistol matches with WWI/II French stuff, he can probably provide the equivalent British stuff for Ferguson, and it he can't, I will.)
This video does highlight the main advantage of early fire-arms over longbows: even a completely untrained individual, who is shooting the thing literally for the first time, can hit the target somewhat reliably.
Biggest difference being the time to train... takes years to develop skills for accurate and fast archery, takes 3 weeks to train up a recruit with a firearm.
@@g00gleisgayerthanaids56 Three weeks to train thousands of recruits, but three hours one-on-one instruction
@@TheSundayShooter eh, 3 hour block to teach basic firearms handling and safety, but that's not enough time to get into battle drills and unit tactics as well as cls. There's a lot more to soldiering than shooting guns/marksmanship.
And AP
I had a question along the same lines.. how come muzzle loading guns became viable when it takes an eternity to reload.. a guy with a bow can shoot three arrows in the meantime. I guess a gun in the simplest form outranges even the longbow and like people say here it takes little to nothing to train people to use it and hence you always had a surplus of war ready infantry.
I'm slowly getting the impression that the Venn diagram of people in the UK who have shot a gun and have met Jonathan Ferguson is basically a circle.
There’s a few of us about. My old man has three 12 bore shotguns that we use for clay pigeon shooting when the weathers nice… it’s also a very nice insurance policy if society collapses or the apocalypse happens.
@@Bloke-98 yeah, as an American I feel like most of us think we're the only bastion of gun ownership on earth. its strange
@@tommygarson8592 I’m pretty sure nowhere in the world has guns outright banned for all citizens. It’s just a big deal in the US because guns are literally a part of the fabric of your country. “Right to bear arms” etc
Why does everyone think guns are banned here lol
@@SStupendous the typical all or nothing mentality of the average American haha
Its pretty impressive that a soldier could repeat this operation 3 times per minute especially under battle conditions.
Once the firing started, a more realistic rate of fire was one round per minute. Remember, you have a lot of gun smoke now in the air, obscuring the targets. In addition, as they only carried 40 to 50 rounds, at three rounds per minute, they would be out of ammunition in 17 minutes. Battles lasted far longer than that.
@@timerover4633 Not really. Part of the standard kit is a cartridge box, containing prepared shot and powder. A paper cylinder with a pre-measured amount of powder, seated atop a ball, and stored in a wooden block inside a leather bag. Tear the top off the cartridge, prime the pan, pour the rest down the barrel, then shove the paper wrapped ball down the barrel, then fire on command. And it was NOT common for regiments to just blaze away, volleys were fired on command of the officer. It was a very regimented way of waging war, that didn't survive much past 1850. I volunteered at a historical site in the US for many years, I still have my musket and rifle-gun over the mantle, and my cartridge box hanging next to them. :)
@@tschriv This may shock you, but I knew that maybe 55 years ago. I also fire a black powder rifle. I also have read the statistics on the muzzleloading rifles picked up after the Battle of Gettysburg, where a large number were found to be incorrectly loaded. There is a vast difference between the theoretical rate of fire and the actual one. As for volley firing, that continued through the Crimean War and the U.S. Civil War, as they were using muzzleloading weapons. It began to end with single shot breechloaders, but not entirely. Sometimes the first fire would be a commanded volley to maximize the effect on the targets, then the command would be load and fire at will.
Now that's soldiering
@@timerover4633 that isn't true for redcoats, they fired is columns of 3 and had to be ready for the next shot within 20 seconds of firing the last round ..you fire a round every 20 seconds in a rotation 1st line then 2nd then 3rd for a constant devastating stream towards the enemy, it is why they were so feared.
Biggest take away from this demonstration to me is the rate of fire: In the time it took the guys to load the Brown Bess once, they fired off 5 rounds from the Enfield. Small wonder the 20 century was the bloodiest in human history.
It would be the machine gun that would kill.
And in the time that Enfield got off 5 rounds( and the Enfield is a fast shooting boltgun) the Maxim got off half a belt! A rifle could be deadly, the machinegun was the killer!
@@cxpKSip Possibly, though the biggest casualty maker in the late 19 century through WWI was field artillery. Then during WWII through the modern day aerial bombs and missiles have claimed that token, especially that 1 bomb killed nearly 200,000 people in a snap of a finger and many thousands more in its aftermath.
@@cxpKSip The MG-42 was the fastest firing gun till the minigun came around which is based upon the gatling gun the first modern rapid fire gun just with a electric motor so I kind of find that ironic. MG-42 can cut a tree in half its so fast.
@@pilsplease7561 That's just not true. The MG-42 was one of the fastest firing machineguns in service as a squad weapon, but it was not the fastest firing gun until the minigun was adopted. The Soviet ShKAS had a substantially higher firerate. The MG-42 hovered around 1200 rounds per minute. A base variant ShKAS fires 1800 rounds per minute and it's variants go up to 3000 rounds per minute. A high firerate isn't really that great though. It was good for the ShKAS since it was mounted in an aircraft where you have very short opportunities to fire, but on an infantry level there's such a thing as too many rounds. A high firerate requires more ammunition, which brings all sorts of logistical problems with it. A higher fire rate also increases the rate at which the gun heats up, and it's very likely that you'll permanently damage your gun within just a few minutes. A lot of machineguns have methods to reduce the firerate. The currently in-service MG-3 uses a heavier bolt and matching return springs to lower the firerate to around 900. An MG-42 can't cut a tree in half because it is so fast... Firerate is irrelevant to that. You could do the exact same with any battle rifle in semi-automatic. The cartridge is the deciding factor, not the fire rate.
As an American shooter, I can say that these two gents did a great job as novice shooters. I always love seeing Mr. Ferguson introduce firearms in a safe, and enjoyable fashion to his countrymen. I hope to one day see the growth of the British firearms community
Aren't they forbidden from owning firearms?
@@Cheka__ not at all, for obtaining a licence we need to show valid reason to own one. (policing, hunting, farm defence as opposed to "because i want to") and need to prove that we can maintain and safely and securely store them in our home. their are some restrictions on the firearms themselves (no full auto, .22 for calibre for most) but legally obtainable firearms in the UK are actually illegal in the US (.22 semi auto MP5K for example)
@@TheSimmr001 But there's no right to bear arms, is there?
@@Cheka__ no not really. its more a privilige to wield one. like if you know someone who is allowed to wield one, you know they had to study their shit to own it. i think they are slightly draconian, but it us what it is.
@@TheSimmr001 I think that’s how owning a firearm should be. It’s not like in America where you can walk into a Walmart and come out with a shotgun. I think this is how you should obtain a firearm. Also there should be regular mental health checks just to see if you are still able to own one.
History Hit knocking it out of the park recently. Thoroughly enjoyable and and accessible content, keep it up team 👍
2:06 Arquebus 10:20 Flintlock Musket 18:03 Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle
Jonathan Ferguson is one of the most genuine and entertaining people on the internet. Just a good chap.
Imagine if you’re a soldier in the 1500s and you reload all of that just to miss💀💀💀
misfire go "clink"
With some knight with a lance charging at you.
@@theoncousland4587 and then the winged hussars arrived
There is a reason why melee weapons were still used pretty frequently all the way until the widespread adoption of repeating firearms like revolvers and lever actions.
As someone who owns a Lee Enfield for Hunting let me tell you these rifles are an absolute joy to shoot. Ammo availibility is the biggest pain for me right now, however. And as the sights are pretty good there is no need for me personally to sporterize or scope it. I own a 1918 Lithgow No1 Mk3.
Sporterizing a milsurp rifle in the modern era should get you the death penalty anyways
i hated shooting with it. always problems with the reloading
As an American that's been shooting a variety of firearms since I was 10 years old,(which is very normal and cultural for the southern U.S), I love how absolutely giddy you guys are getting to shoot for the first time and brings me back to the first time I shot my Grandpa's .22 rimfire.
That's one of the neat things about growing up in the UK. If you lived in a city, unless you were a member of one of our cadet organizations, you were unlikely to have fired any kind of firearm ever. You don't miss what you have never known.
When I was 18 and in the Canadian Armed Forces, one of my unit mates was a firearms collector. He had a Lee Enfield in his collection and I had the pleasure of firing it. It was a very nice rifle. Of course, the 7.62 FN C1 we used in our basic training was a modern semi-auto rifle with a 20 or 30 round mag, so very superior, but that Lee Enfield was really impressive. He also had a WWI Russian infantry rifle; that beast kicked like a mule!
Sounds like Chairman Trudeau is banning pistols outright. I pray for Canada.
Good job as novice shooters. Would be very interesting to have these guys come here to the USA and try out some of the guns we all enjoy shooting.
"How did you hit it so accurately?" "Honestly Jon, I just imagined the target as a Frenchman."
When in the Air Training Corps in the mid 1960s we trained on WWII Lee Enfield 303s in a marshland military training area east of London. The targets were usually several hundred yards away (and were gigantic). As mid-teenagers we were not strong enough to fire standing, so all our shooting was done in the prone position. Unfortunately no ear defenders in those days. The 303 certainly has a powerful recoil. We also trained on .22s using Martini rifles at 25 yards, indoors. Shooting was just one aspect of ATC training, which was actually centred on flying of course !
The first rifle I owned - it must be nearly 50 years ago now - was a BSA Martini .22 rifle (shooting from 25 yards up to 100 yards) but I’ve also used several 7.62mm rifles at distances of up to 1000 yards. One of these was a LeeEnfield mark 4 converted from .303 to 7.62mm - I think the latter was common years ago, but most ‘fullbore’ target shooters would now use purpose-built target rifles, I believe. I wasn’t in the ATC but I’ve competed against them in various matches in the past.
Exactly the same Army cadets at Altcar 1980's. But no flying lol.
CAN'T BELIEVE THEY WENT RIGHT OVER THE ROLLING BLOCK AND TRAPDOOR RIFLES
I really appreciate that y'all kept in that initial misfire (is that what its called?). Even in the best of cases with an expert loading the rifle in fairly relaxed conditions, there was still a pretty good chance it wouldn't work correctly. I always wondered why bows and crossbows were still in use for so long (besides material/manufacturing required to make an arquebus/musket) when they developed literal hand cannons. Great vid!
I am working on a translation of a Japanese text from the 1800's, and in it there are a lot of mentions of firearms. This video really cleared up the difference between a musket and an arquebus for me, which helped a lot.
Apparently firearms were first introduced into japan by the Portuguese around 1540.
@@xHeadcleanerx Yes and contrary to the bullshit that Hollywood and anime has taught, samurais used it extensively. There’s no honour in war, as the only honour is victory by any means necessary.
@@egoamigo-1377 Contrary to popular belief, the Samurai primarily used ranged weapons. The katana was the backup weapon. The Bow was the preferred weapon of the Samurai class, until the introduction of the gun. IIRC, one of the invasions of Korea involved a samurai writing to a friend telling him to leave his sword, he'll only need his gun.
I've been shooting since I was six years old, been hunting from the age of twelve and I was a United States Marine Marksmanship Instructor. I can say, I'd take these lads shooting any time. As always, Jonathan is a wonderful presenter and extremely well versed on weapons.
Jonathan is the ultimate firearms chad. Such a great chap.
I bought my son a Winchester 1917 for his birthday. It’s one of the best purchases that I’ve ever made. It shoots a little low but we could care less, it’s a beautiful piece of history.
You missed out on the first single cartridge one round loaded Mk2 Martini-Henry rifle used during the Zulu war. Then you should have tested the Lee Enfield after it. But still great vid on technological change over the history of the British Empire. Would have been good if you followed also with the SLR and then SA80.
I love the martini henry. the SA80 is hot garbage though
@@bernardoohigginsvevo2974 The original was trash. Now the L85A3 is fantastic
@@CFMLEAP it's been good since HK got their hands on the a1 to make a2s, really interesting set of videos on forgotten weapons (incl some with Jonathan)
I have a Martini Henry, ammunition for it is ludicrously expensive and hard to find. I think that's why they don't include it here.
@@bernardoohigginsvevo2974 Infantry for 4 years SA80 A2 is crap, Jams all the time.
I was surprised at the kick of the Brown Bess. It occurs to me that that was probably the first time I've seen one of those fired with an actual round loaded. I have a MK III Lee Enfield I bought in a Walmart in South Caroline in the 80s for $100.00. It still shoots great.
It was the most reliable rifle of its time, I've had the pleasure of shooting a No.7 and it was the most fun I've ever had with a bolt action rifle. Treat her well!
They are shooting really light loads here. These guys have never shot a gun though.
Blackpowder isn't anemic like some people like to believe. The thing that primarily made it obsolete its it leaves a lot of fouling, not lending itself for repetitive fire guns besides those properly designed for it(the gatling and the early maxim)
@@nuru666 it wasn't the best at all, it was pretty good but not the best. It was less accurate than other european musket. The french charleville 1777 that was used in the napoleonic wars war more powerfull and had a better range. What the brown bess had more than the other musket was the sight. But still it was a great if not the best musket in term of quality
@@kinsmart7294 Not to mention that it makes a whole lot of smoke, which plays hell with battlefield visibility.
Coming from an American over here across the pond, what a great job. Considering never firing a round to starting off with these oldies… great job gents! Great series!
Jonathan Ferguson is awesome, seen him on Gamespot too. Shout out to him 👍👍👍
In that case, you need to look up Forgotten Weapons and his book on UK Bullpups.
For even more old gun fun check out C&Rsenal whom he has provided research for too
It's important to note in the question about how steel plate armor fared against these earlier firearms that breastplates evolved to be thicker and harder. Firearms and cannons did not immediately spell out the end of armored knights and castles. They did eventually, as tactics, fortifications, and armor had to evolve along with firearm technology. However, there was still quite a long period of time where these things all just kinda existed together.
Said bullet-resistant plate armour was also more expensive, harder to produce (most consist of two layers of steel), and much heavier. Not everyone would had wore them, and the infantry rank and file mostly had iron or unhardened steel munition armour.
British KZhead: "We've never fired a gun before." American KZhead: "Let's shoot a sword and see if we can split a bullet in half."
Friendly Tip: 1.) When shooting long guns in a standing position, tuck your shooting elbow in towards the body and don't flare it out like a "chicken wing", this will give you a more stable platform since your strong hand will help hold the rifle and gives less stress to the non dominant arm.This also allows you to absorb the recoil properly. 2.) Pull the rifle towards your dominant side shoulder that way the rifle doesn't pull away from you once you absorb the recoil (think of the act of game tug-of-war where you're pulling a rope), this allows you to get a better sight picture. 3.) Squeeze the trigger instead of pulling it (think of the act of squeezing a fruit or sponge) once you squeeze the trigger, keep it squeezed for at least a second before withdrawing your trigger finger forward. This will allow you to get an accurate sight picture and sight alignment throughout the trigger break minimizing the loss of sight impact and placement (easier follow up shots). 4.) Lastly, once you are ready to fire; lean forward and take a fighting stance (feet shoulder width apart, one in front of the other). Take a deep breath and exhale all the way while holding your breath at the end of your exhalation phase before squeezing the trigger. This allows you to minimize the rise and fall of your rifle and control muzzle movement making a better shot.
British people shooting guns is like the most adorable thing ever.
I’ve been shooting my whole life growing up in rural Montana, and I was pretty impressed with how you guys did for your first time. Well done!
I love seeing people shoot weapons that have a lot of kick to them. It reminds me of when I started out on shotguns, the first one I shot was a single shot 16 gauge that has been passed down from my grandpa, to my dad, and to me. I wasn’t prepared for the recoil of it at all, and I was shooting high brass, and it knocked me off my feet.
Another great post from History Hit! As a teenage sea cadet in the late 70s, I can remember going on a training course to the Whale Island Naval Base where we marched (seemingly for hours) with Lee Enfield rifles. The weight of the rifle (being supported by only a finger or two) became a real issue after a while... I can also remember using one on a firing range (at Whale Island) and, being particularly skinny, the pain/discomfort caused by the weapon recoling. A great experience, nevertheless! I bet the health and safety brigade has long since (sadly) put an end to such activities for cadets.....
My brother used to love shooting the No4 Lee-Enfield on the ranges when he was in the Army Cadets. Even though he was a southpaw & the bolt handle was on the 'wrong' side. They had a .22LR training version. had a ridiculously thick & heavy barrel for that cartridge. I assume it was to make the rifle feel the same to handle when doing drill with it as for the No4. Strange because they had 'DP' No4 rifles with a chunk taken out of the barrel forwards of the chamber that could still handle a blank but not a live cartridge. That training rifle remains the only firearm I have fired with a live round.
In cadets we no longer use the Enfield, but we instead use the L98A2, which is basically the L85A2 but without full-auto. I think that if you progress far enough, you can also fire a 7.62 target rifle but this is based off of a Mauser design instead of being a variant of the Enfield.
@@ferrarif3408 The jump from a Lee Enfield to a L98A2/L85A2 is like having a ray gun by comparison)
I took my Army shooting test using a Lee Enfield, on an outdoor range at various distances. When I watch rifle-type videos, I'm surprised how few, if any, show the strap being used correctly. We were taught to wrap the strap in such a way as it stabilised the forward arm, like using a tripod almost. ( I did get my Marksman badge..)
I have a Lee Enfield No.4 that up until a few years ago I used it deer hunting. Not sporterized, it was with the full military stock and original iron sights. It put a lot of venison on the table, even though we’re dealing basically with 1890s technology (with a few upgrades for WW2). Every fall, I took my deer with a single shot.
Beautiful rifle
Damn, i love technology! Those first 2 guns must of been terrifying to fire especially in combat!! Well done!
This was great and what a nice guy Jonathan was! Great of the Royal Armoury to stage this for you guys.
My Dad for his 14th birthday got a surplus Lee-Enfield my grandpa bought at a hardware store back in the days there'd be a barrel of surplus military rifles for $10-help yourself. Really nice bolt action and very accurate with the peep sight.
That grouping Louee had with the Lee Enfield, that's honestly a pretty darn good grouping from someone who's never shot a gun before. Hat's off to you, sir, making this American proud haha
I have an 1873 cattleman El Patron revolver. If you’re not used to shooting hand guns or any fire arms at all Im impressed they’ve all done so well. I’ve enjoyed the historical aspect of the video since we all know movies are for fun and not for facts 😊 swell video guys.
Good form with the arquebus. Keeping your position after firing, well done. And no flinching. Looks like a fun day at the range. Yes, both of you did well. It's all about practice now.
Absolutely love my history hit subscription. Well worth it. It just seems to get better and better
The oldest pistol I have I got from my great grandfather, it was made in 1890 and I have a Russian Mosin Nagant from 1942…Both fire like they were just made..Firearms last incredibly long if you maintain them.
the lee enfield Mk3, aesthetically speaking is one of the most beautiful rifle in the world .
This is so cool to take a trip from the past. Its even cooler when if you had a whole entire line of muskets instead of one person firing them.
Very well done with that misfire. You handled that _exactly_ the way you're supposed to. Kept it straight down range. Didnt even loosen it. 👏Bravo for your very first experience with a firearm. Plus, as a gun-loving American, I'm quite envious of you. Even a bit jealous! Almost nobody gets the privilege to fire such an old style of weapon, for their first time! And I'd be _infinitely,_ INFINITELY more jealous if you somehow convinced them to let you fire an authentic, genuine-from-time arquebes! Cheers boys! Come visit America sometime if you want to have some more fun, with some much bigger toys!
Great video. Informative and just damn interesting!
This was really fun watching! :) Would be awesome if you could make a similar video but with pistols.
Firing these old guns to me, is like going back in time.
I love this little range lol. Office lights and everything.
You never seem to see much about early single-shot breach loading rifles. They were still a huge improvement over muzzle loading firearms. We're also missing a lot of the various advancements which were made with muzzle loaders.
Nice vid! Glad these things can still happen!
Love watching people shoot guns for the first time. Nice shooting guys
“I own a musket for home defence cuz thats waht the founding fathers intended”
With the arquebus and musket both being smooth-bore, I'd say those were damned fine shots.
see. as first time shooters. these guys were brilliant. listening. attentive. good firearm saftey. absaloutley brilliant
Gotta love Johnathon Ferguson what a legend! And some Beasty weapons there... beatufully made bits of kit I gotta say 👍
i can't help but imagening the preparation for the nice, casual, chatty walkins of each segment....
As an American who’s been around and shot guns my whole life, this was both extremely fun and *painful* to watch Painful in the sense in regards to their shooting forms! but I’ve seen far far worse from beginners and at least they were safe
as brit who used a modern rifle and more tradition hunting rifles, i could not agree more.
@@Duke_of_Petchington What are the gun laws like in the UK? It's kind of hard to tell here in the states. The people on the right will say that it's impossible to get a gun, and that you can't even own a butter knife. The folks on the left say the UK does things right (which makes me skeptical). What are your thoughts?
@@bernardoohigginsvevo2974 you can own firearms (the actual term for such weapons). you can own a pistol from standard 9mm to .357 Mag as its 21" or more (commonly would a revolver with extended barrel and stock). .50 cal rifle for target shooting, you can own a Steyr AUG with a 45 round mag as long as its Gas Cycle system for Full and Semi removed (basically turning it into a bolt action) though personally this is dumb because it doesn't stop people from converting to full auto when in country. you can own a semi auto weapon as long as its .22 you can own alot of Firearms in this country but most resticted to Bolt action. the reason for why we haven't gotten alot of the restrictions lifted is because: 1: The UK doesn’t have a Massive culture to push back this encrouchment 2: The UK Government is Crooked and let the famous school shooting happen so they could actually put restriction on fire arms. Personally the UK should lift some of the restrictions on Firearms (mainly for Semi-auto rifle calibres with 10 round mags and allow for concellable pistols). Philip A Luty has already proven that you can't stop the unregistered productions of firearms, so the Gov should stop bothering cause criminals can get AKs or what ever gun they want through different methods that can't be tracked.
@@Duke_of_Petchington a bolt action AUG sounds like one of the most cursed guns possible. Thanks for the info!
@@bernardoohigginsvevo2974 you basically re-cock the rifle every time you fire, not much to the normal AUG but no gas cycling system.
you both shot pretty well guys well done
the menacing music over the clip of the musket made me laugh, hysterically.
It must suck to go from filming this awesome video back to never shooting a dang thing again in England 😂
Guns aren't banned u can go to ranges and go shooting it's just to own em you have a somewhat lengthy licencing process
As an American, it was interesting seeing such complete newbs introduced to firearms. I would have preferred to have the lock priming and function of the lock on the Brown Bess actually covered in the interest of completeness.
So, Jonathan's job is "Keeper of Firearms and Artillery". Seeing as he manages the loading and preparation of the arquebus himself, is he also qualified to operate everything else from derringers to siege guns? If so, awesome.
This was a great video! Always wanted to shoot a Lee Enfield
Good video but they forgot to show 1 very vital part of reloading the musket which was to put gunpowder in the pan before he fired the gun as the prime wouldn’t have charged
As an x 1812 reenactor the brown Bess was my weapon and it was a great tool we of coarse fired blanks and never a paper down or ram we poured powder down the barrel and no ball just a small amount in the pan from the cartridge's . and elevated 70 degrees at the top of the shako. but I did feel the furry of battel even if it was all pre planed. thanks for showing the Bess , It brought back lots of memories, PS we drilled a lot to learn to do it safe and to stop kick back spread your legs and step right foot back ! Hazzar !
really happy with this video. good instructions. pointing the business end down range and not cocking till ready
What I love about Jonathan is that, in every video he's in, he avoids the modern historian's trap of speaking in a taxative manner all the time. He will point out that they assume something is that way or was done that way whenever they don't have enough background information to give a definitive answer.
13:50 Good news is, black powder is dangerous in many ways-- toxicity is not one of them. 14:35 What an air gap between powder and ball will do is cause the powder to burn too quickly. Trapped air is not only an additional reaction mass, it makes the individual grains rattle loosely around where the burning gases can get to them instantly. You have to pack the round down tight against the powder to ensure the powder charge is ignited over (very short) time rather than having every granule in the charge ignited simultaneously.
One thing you forgot with the Brown Bess was to prime the pan. With cartridges, you would use some of the powder to prime the pan before you would poke the rest down the barrell.
I wondered the same thing. Why wasn't that shown?
I have had the opportunity to fire all three of these firing mechanisms. The matchlock I used had no spring it simply rotated the match forward with the triger pull and had a smooth recoil. Actually I lie I fired a percussion cap American civil war rifle that rolled black powder rings downrange with each shot, lots of fun. I have used a SMLE 303 as my hunting rifle for 15 years. I have never seen the point of anything more modem. Also using a piece of history is always a privilege.
Great video! Very well made, thank you
For the Enfield, it looked like the rounds were binding a bit in the magazine, which is a problem with the rimmed cartridges. In essence, the base of each of the rounds has a flare to it, and if you have stacked bullets, and the top round's rim is behind the bottom, both can be pulled forward as the bolt tries to grab the top one. This can be prevented by careful loading of the stripper clips, if when you load the clip, you ensure that each round from bottom to top has its rim in front of the previous one, then you get much more reliable and faster cycling. The SMLE has one of the smoothest bolts of the era, you can easily manipulate the bolt with one finger.
I love putting the safety on for the 2 seconds it takes him to shoulder the gun!!! It’s just cute!!!
Probably regulations for untrained operators so they don't accidentally shoot themselves in the foot during those two seconds. If the Lee-Enfield's safety didn't also lock the bolt it probably would have been on while loading.
@@ckl9390 I understand. However if you can’t be trusted for 2 seconds with a gun, you probably shouldn’t have it in your possession.
@@danielcurtis1434 If you're unwilling to put the safety on at any point where you're not actively firing, you can't be trusted with a gun.
Luke, you need to "lean into" the shot, put your left foot forward and put most of your weight onto that foot. Your left hand supports the rifle, but also pushes it into the hollow of your shoulder. Your upper torso is now a shock absorber, keeping the rifle steady under recoil, making your groups touching holes.
Amazing video, fascinating stuff
Great Video! *Awesome Weapons!*
I belive the "simple" (sounds simple, but if it really was, it would've been done from the start) idea of putting projectile, accelerant and primer into one object was one of the biggest milestones in firearms technology.
It realy kinda was. You can kinda see the difference between the two in the movies Waterloo and Zulu, how fast people could be with a Martini-Henry, able to let small numbers of people hold back great human wave mass bullrish tactics. Volley-fire in Napoleon's day was devastating with a few clever tricks to keep the incoming volleys semi-constant, with individual regiments within the line volleying a bit over once a second. Volley-fire during the height of Britains big colonial era seems almost like machinegun by comparison. Volley Fire in WW1 and WW2 was, in at least one instance, legitimately confused for actual machinegun fire by German troops, with British soldiers holed up in a house and firing as fast as they could operate their enfield rifles accurately at them.
the idea is indeed simple, i'm sure some people thought of it even back in medieval China, the problem is that making cartridges like that before industrialisation would've been unrealistically expensive and laborious, and they would come out with little inconsistencies that wouldn't allow a cycling mechanism anyway
They quite literally shot their way through history.
Man, Jonathan is a fricken legend
That would be so fun I’m so jealous lol. It would be so cool to get to shoot an arquebus.
You guys should have gone up to the 1960's Cold War G3 and FAL rifles in full auto!
I really love the arquebus firearms period. It looks so sleek yet so primitive, It looks like a laser weapon, maybe one it day an actual future weapon will look like it, and come full circle.
Once ergonomics, mechanics, and suitability for function are accommodated for, everything else is arbitrary. Though I do agree that other than the match-lock, that particular arquebus did look like something from a Sci-Fi setting.
Love this! Keep it coming
Y'all skipped a few iterations of firearms. Going from flintlock to a multi cartridge bolt action .
Americans: *loud bang bang* British: *historical bang bang*
Very nice! How long to get proficient in a longbow vs giving ranks of people guns with basic training?
Lifetime of difference 😉
bows took years of training, and the bowmen had to have good strength to deal with the amount of weight necessary to draw, while guns take less time.
@@maximilianolimamoreira5002 Matches what we've seen with these videos, performance with all the firearms were markedly better. Sure, there are more variables, but it seems to be good point of reference overall.
@@mattjohnson7369 You can train someone to be a decent shot within a week. A longbow? A lifetime.
@@Spartan265 Yep, longbow from a very young age and forced by law to do it every Sunday lol.
Man, those cats in the English Civil War packed their blinderbusses with damn near anything they could find. So cool. Thick English accent: I mix my blunderbuss with some silverware , some rocks I found, and chicken bones my hag made last night. Lololol.
I was issued a Lee-Enfield SMLE Mk III at school by the Combined Cadet Force. Mine was stamped 1911 and appeared in excellent condition when I got it in 1960. We were taught to strip and reassemble the weapon and to fire it on the range that the school had. Watching this demo, I wonder that the guys appeared to have had a small problem using the bold, whereas I distinctly recall the silky-smooth and flawless bolt action!
Man, I love the Lee-Enfield. One of these days I want to add it to my collection.
Would like to see more gun videos.
shooting with the Lee Enfield is a dream! It is in my bucket list.
A lot of people are taking about how weird their little range it...but I love it. I usually hate indoor ranges as the sound is out of this world...but drywall, soft ceiling tiles, and carpet would help a lot with reverb. I will say that it is definitely a fire hazard though for those older weapons.