Mad Minute with an Enfield

[meles meles]

I guess it depends upon how accurate one's aimed shots have to be...

[ovenpaa]

I can take 5 aimed shots in 15 seconds with my AI and just about keep inside the 5 ring at 600 yards, a magazine change would take me out of the running and even then I am only on a cyclic rate of fire of 20-22 rounds a minute, to take 38 shots with the Lee Enfield is bloody impressive,

[tikkathreebarrels]

ISTR that the higher round count involved a partly empty magazine, at least one full mag change and someone feeding stripper clips for the shooter. But then I could be wrong.

[M99]

I remember watching David Barnard (original owner of the tunnel club in Devizes) do this for a TV documentary in the 100 yard indoor range - the total number of rounds escapes me - but he did do 3 magazine changes - he repeated it numerous times too for the filming, before they got the shots they wanted!

He was shooting with his second finger too, as mentioned above.

Mike

[Dougan]

I usually have a go at the rapid at the Trafalgar (max 15 in 1 min at 200yds), and find 15 about right for 'scoring' shots; with 5 in to start and 2 strip clips of 5. I've shot more in club shoots, but the scores are never very good....That said, I had a right old fumble with one of the strip clips at last years' Trafalgar, and didn't even get 15 away

[Rearlugs]

The Mad Minute practice used by Lee Enfield Rifle Association (LERA) involves starting at the standing alert position, then dropping to the prone unsupported position upon the appearance of the target (Fig11) at 200yds. The highest totals of rounds fired during this version of the MM are 25 or 26 rounds in the minute. The top scorers tend to use the "second finger" method of firing the rifle, in which the bolt handle is held at all times with the first finger and thumb, and the second finger is used on the trigger.

There is no documentation about the original record set by Snoxall, other than scores of 30 were "normal" for trained soldiers, and 34-35 were "not uncommon".

Its thought that the original practice would have been at 200 yds, with the rounds needing to strike the scoring band of the target in use at the time - something like a Fig11 with a 12" "kill zone" running from top to bottom.

I expect that the original practice involved the soldiers shooting from the "fire trench supported" position - ie standing in a fire trench with the rifle supported by a sandbag. This method would give the extra "head start" and dexterity (i.e. body weight not on elbows) needed to get the extra 10 or so rounds over a typical high contemporary LERA score.