Royal engineers "sappers" tunnel rifle

[Gil Boyd]

Lovely example of a 1916 MK3 Enfield cut down for purpose when digging tunnels under the enemy in WW1.Now that would have been an interesting CQB using that

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[lee_enfield223]

would have been a bugger to fire !!!!!!! the muzzle flash and kick would have been awesome

[Colonel Enfield]

I've never seen one of those before but I'm not surprised by it. You'd think the sappers would just carry handguns but when you've got to make the best use of what's available, a sawn-off .303 would be better than nothing...

[browningautorifle]

WE had a whole thread on this some time back and we sort of came to that conclusion too. Hard to say though since there's no one around to tell us...

[Gil Boyd]

Jim,
I did my usual trawl knowing someone sometime must have put it up but couldn't find it on a search for "sappers rifle".
Never mind someone new might find it interesting, what those lads did with a file and a hacksaw was amazing

[Peter Laidler]

Firing a rifle like that in a tunnel is the stuff of fairytales Gil. Not even two sets of ear defenders would save your ears and the increase in gas pressure would be catastrophic on them. I would read the earlier thread. I'm sure that some coputer literate can resurrect it. But in short, Tunnel rifle or anything of the sort, load of, er............., well, you get my drift. That's coming from someone who was caught out in a room when a Gurkha sniper holed up in a cupboard fired over me

[Gil Boyd]

Peter,
I did find something about something aluding to what the sappers used in tunnels in WW1 by a person who was subsequently banned on the site, so I didn't go there as it was about as useful as a preverbial porcupine in a baloon factory

[Peter Laidler]

It's also worth asking this......... Why have a monstrosity like this wher you WILL be totally deafened and stunned (think stun-grenade as a devastating instantaneous release of gas is all a s/gren is) to boot and with absolutely no realistic chance of hitting anyone except by some total fluke or accident. When you could have 6 chances - albeit still deafened - with a revolver. And these escapades all took place over a few metres as I understand it.

Like someone advertising a mini with a poorly chopped off roof as 'used in car limbo dancing contests'

[bigduke6]

Peter,
I did find something about something aluding to what the sappers used in tunnels in WW1 by a person who was subsequently banned on the site, so I didn't go there as it was about as useful as a preverbial porcupine in a baloon factory

I,m not that convinced to call it a ... Whatever, as most who know the history and the extent of the tunnels that were built, mined, dug ect I think a cut down rifle would of been a reserve arm if enemy tunnelers had broke through so would guess it it was a last reserve or emergency arm, so the clay kicker at the time could be armed. I would also guess they were a one off and only a few of them made and most would of been left behind in the tunnels etc....

[Patrick Chadwick]

last reserve or emergency arm, so the clay kicker at the time could be armed. I would also guess they were a one off and only a few of them made and most would of been left behind in the tunnels etc....

IMHO the whole thing is a fairy story. Yet another example of junk being peddled as a rarity.

Are we supposed to believe that 1) Webleys were extinct? 2) And the Colt New Service? 3) And all the other revolvers, S&W etc etc? 4) So serviceable SMLEs were being cut up as a revolver "Ersatz"? Carried how?

Pull the other one, it plays "It's a long way to Tipperary" in 3/4 time.

This monstrosity was probably inspired by the "Mare's Leg" (cut-down LAR) used by Steve Mcqueen. Which was a long-range rifle by comparison with this horror.