Stephen Harper, defence minister go target shooting in Arctic with Canadian Rangers

Locutus

Locutus

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GJOA HAVEN, Nunavut — Stephen Harper took up arms — albeit antique ones — for some target practice on the Arctic tundra and plied the frigid waters of the Northwest Passage in a sovereignty patrol meant to show solidarity with Canadian Rangers.


Both the prime minister and newly appointed Defence Minister Rob Nicholson went shooting late Tuesday with the First World War-vintage .303 Lee Enfield rifles.


They are the standard-issue weapon for the aboriginal reservists — the part-time soldiers comprising the Rangers who spend their days patrolling the vast, desolate tundra.


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Stephen Harper, defence minister go target shooting in Arctic with Canadian Rangers | National Post
 
Jonny_C

Jonny_C

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The .303 Enfield is a time-tested, rugged and accurate rifle. Good on the PM for doing some shooting with one.

If it had been Putin, the story line would have been that he dispatched a rampaging polar bear. :lol:

The thumb position is fine as long as it doesn't obscure the sight line.
 
hunboldt

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Jonny_C said:
The .303 Enfield is a time-tested, rugged and accurate rifle. Good on the PM for doing some shooting with one.

If it had been Putin, the story line would have been that he dispatched a rampaging polar bear. :lol:

The thumb position is fine as long as it doesn't obscure the sight line.
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Cliffy

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Jonny_C said:
The .303 Enfield is a time-tested, rugged and accurate rifle. Good on the PM for doing some shooting with one.
Click to expand...
303s used in WW1 were a fine and accurate weapon. I had one (BSA 1916) - deadly. The WW11 version was prone to jamming. Don't know if they were as accurate, but if they jammed it was probably because they were not built as well as the older version.
 
DaSleeper

DaSleeper

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Any jamming problems usually happened because the magazine wasn't loaded properly......

Or if using hand loads....the brass not properly resized ...

I've also seen modern .308 Browning lever carbines jam with Improperly resized brass. because the cartridge chamber is bored to such exact specs that even a once fired cartridge brass stretches enough that if it is not "trimmed" it would "stick" when you tried to eject it with a reload.
 
Jonny_C

Jonny_C

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I used to collect Enfield .303's and as far as my personal experience, and from my reading, I have not come across jamming being a problem.

Since the .303 cartridge has a rimmed case, it's important to load the clip properly (the rim of each round positioned ahead of the rim on the round below it). But any soldier, or anyone else familiar with the make, would know that.
 
hunboldt

hunboldt

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Cliffy said:
303s used in WW1 were a fine and accurate weapon. I had one (BSA 1916) - deadly. The WW11 version was prone to jamming. Don't know if they were as accurate, but if they jammed it was probably because they were not built as well as the older version.
Click to expand...

some of the wwII rifles were 'fast built ' after Dunkirk, and a lot of old brass was reloaded in 1940. After Dunkirk, every thing that could fire was pressed into service, including rebuilt WWI and worn rifles.
 
MHz

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Like he is even looking through the peep-sight, it lines up an inch below his eye.. Is he a sniper also? Probably doesn't even know the sight lays down so you can use open sights.
 
Goober

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MHz said:
Like he is even looking through the peep-sight, it lines up an inch below his eye.. Is he a sniper also? Probably doesn't even know the sight lays down so you can use open sights.
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And his thumb position would interfere with the shot. Not as bad as Chretien and the helmet on backwards. Kudos to the Cpl who passed him that helmet.
 
MHz

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It doesn't look like the glove extends past where the wood stops, not that it matters all that much, it was a photo shoot, that is what they do. It isn't like he's claiming to have hit anything (other than a nerve in his shoulder).
 
Goober

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MHz said:
It doesn't look like the glove extends past where the wood stops, not that it matters all that much, it was a photo shoot, that is what they do. It isn't like he's claiming to have hit anything (other than a nerve in his shoulder).
Click to expand...

Look to the thumb and the glove.
 
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