Maj Reynolds 4(T) article

[madcratebuilder]

Maj Reynolds 4(T) article for your viewing pleasure. From July 1964 American Rifleman

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[Strangely Brown]

As an aside to the article "MCB" has kindly provided for us on the No4 T Rifle written by Major E.G.B. Reynolds; I would also like to reproduce part of an article I wrote for "Dispatches", the news letter of the Lee Enfield Rifle Association.
The article was about the proposed target rifle matches I introduced on becoming Target Rifle Captain for the Association four years ago, one of which was for the Service Rifle "b" match named after him.

Not only a very good technical author of firearms, he was also one of the greatest shots of his generation.

“The Major Reynolds”

This is the name given to the S.R. (b) match in honour and remembrance of the man who wrote “The Lee Enfield Rifle” (1960, Its history and development from first designs to the present day). Major Reynolds book is still regarded by many devotees of the Lee Enfield as the best technical book ever written on the subject and when one looks at his remarkable career we see that his knowledge of the SMLE starts in the mud of Flanders.

Rather fittingly Edward Reynolds served in the 11th Bn. The Rifle Brigade; after the Great War he became a technical officer for the Inspectorate of Armaments Headquarters Staff which occupied him for some fourteen years, dealing mainly with the inspection and development of small arms and, in particular the development of the No. 4 Rifle, helping to organise trials and experiments before it went into production in 1941,
During World War II he found himself serving on the staff at the Sniper Wing of the Small Arms School at Bisley where as a technical officer for the Inspectorate of Armaments he carried out investigations into rifle defects and accidents.

Major E.G.B. Reynolds was very much more than a man with just an interest in the Lee Enfield Rifle; he was also one of this country’s best marksmen.
His principal hobby for some forty years had been rifle shooting and he was selected a staggering ten times as a member of the British team in the annual Dewar trophy against the U.S.A., Canada, South Africa and Australia. In 1933 he was the first person to make a full score of 400 ex 400 in this match, a world record.

He also gained full-bore international honours on many occasions including the Kolapore, National, Mackinnon, and Britannia Shield contests.
When the world championships were held at Stockholm in 1947 he won silver medals for both full-bore and small-bore also holding many individual honours including the Bisley All Comers Aggregate (1957) and the Suffolk County Small-Bore Championship. For his world record shoot in 1933 he was made a member of the U.S.A. “400” Club.
For a number of years during the 1960’s he contributed a column in the “Shooting Times” as well as finding time to co author a book on Target Rifle shooting with Robin Fulton in 1972.

[Surpmil]

And he probably knew five times as much as went into that book, and the rest is all lost...or did his papers end up somewhere?

[Mk VII]

He wrote the 'Around The Ranges' column for Guns Review for many years.

[Strangely Brown]

He wrote the 'Around The Ranges' column for Target Gun for many years.

I didn't know that James; I assume Pete Bloom took over from him?

Er...did you mean Guns Review?

[Strangely Brown]

And he probably knew five times as much as went into that book, and the rest is all lost...or did his papers end up somewhere?

I believe he had a son; A.G.E. Reynolds who shot for the "Old Alleynians" Rifle Club, I suppose he would be in his seventies now, I have looked for his name at Bisley but as yet have not discovered him.