Britain’s Forgotten Silencer Rifle: The Suppressed Lee-Enfield with firearm expert Jonathan Ferguson

This video provides an expert-level overview of the rare RIC Royal Irish Constabulary Enfield Carbine, presented by Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons. It delves into the carbine's historical context within the RIC, detailing specific modifications required for bayonet use and highlighting unique technical features like the magazine cutoff and tangent rear sight. The presentation emphasizes the carbine's rarity and identification through various markings, offering valuable insights for firearms enthusiasts and historians.

This guide outlines the basic steps and components involved in understanding the Howell Automatic Rifle conversion, a semi-automatic modification of the Lee-Enfield rifle. It highlights the gas-operated system and magazine capacity, presented in a humorous infomercial parody by Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons. The information is presented for educational purposes regarding historical firearm modifications.

This expert guide, presented by Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons, details the specific modifications and identifying features of the SMLE MkI*** rifle, particularly those related to the transition from Mark 6 to Mark 7 .303 British ammunition. It covers sight adjustments, volley sight re-marking, and the identification of unique Irish contract examples, providing crucial insights for collectors and enthusiasts.

This guide details the process of converting a Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk. 1 into a compact 'truck gun' carbine, as demonstrated by expert gunsmith Mark Novak. The modification focuses on shortening the barrel to 16 3/8 inches while maintaining a factory-like appearance, integrating custom muzzle devices, and extending the wooden handguard using advanced woodworking techniques. Novak emphasizes ethical modification practices, reserving such projects for rifles lacking collector value.

This guide details the disassembly and internal modifications of the Charlton Automatic Rifle, a unique conversion of the Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle. It highlights the extended receiver tracks, modified bolt, gas piston system, and protective shield, as explained by Ian McCollum. Advanced knowledge of firearm mechanics is required for this procedure.

This guide details the disassembly and inspection of a rare 1942 British prototype rifle, presented by Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons. The rifle was designed as a simplified, faster-to-produce alternative to the No. 4 Mk I Lee-Enfield. Key features include a single-piece receiver machined from square steel stock, front locking lugs on the bolt, a welded magazine box and trigger group, and a unique reversible spike bayonet. The presence of scribe marks on the wooden furniture indicates hand-fitting, typical of prototype development. The analysis highlights the design's focus on manufacturing efficiency and its historical context during WWII.

Ian McCollum and Jonathan Ferguson of the Royal Armouries present a challenge to find three unique firearms based on appearance, mechanical oddity, and historical impact. They showcase experimental and rare pieces like the Charlton Automatic Rifle, Sterling 7.62mm prototype, Schwarzlose Model 1898, Gabbett-Fairfax Mars pistol, an SA80 prototype, and a BSA Machine Carbine, highlighting their unusual mechanisms and limited adoption.

This entry details the Knight's Armament KS-1 (L403A1), the British Army's new Alternative Individual Weapon, adopted under Project Hunter. Expert Jonathan Ferguson from the Royal Armouries provides an in-depth look at its features, intended use for specialized units, and its role in supplementing existing platforms like the SA80.

This guide details the process of arming an 11th-century Norman knight, as explained by an institutional expert from the Royal Armouries. It covers the sequence of donning essential protective gear, including padded undergarments, a mail hauberk, a nasal helmet, and a kite shield, emphasizing weight distribution and historical construction techniques.

This guide details the installation and operation of the Harston's Patent Mark IV magazine, a rare modification designed to convert the single-shot Martini-Henry rifle into a repeater. Expert Jonathan Ferguson explains the mechanism, its inventor Captain Charles Gravelle Harston, and the historical context of its development. The guide covers fitting the magazine, the cycling process for feeding rounds, and the use of the cutoff device for single-shot operation, while also noting potential reliability issues and the high conversion cost.