Lee Enfield Cadet Trainers

when i was an Air cadet in the Uk we used the Mk8 and a martni .22
i was lucky enough to find a Mk 8 at auction and paid less than 200 for it
here it is next to my Mk 4
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I used the #7 when I was a cadet, saw one with all the fixings and box at the Calgary show for 1000$, tugged at my heartstrings a bit, but I'm out of the loop on the prices so I didn't think too much into it. Yes they are heavy, but they shoot, and personally I prefer heavy rifles and two stage triggers to this day.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
I'm going to toss out some of the counter arguments to switching to air rifles. The CNo.7s are big, long, heavy and old. They haven't been made since the 1940s, and all stocks of parts have been thoroughly triaged trying to make do. For Wpns Techs who expect to see neat and tidy parts drawers, they are a challenge. Soldiers are not taught to 'fix' things, but make them serviceable. And that is just about impossible when every third rifle needs parts. (No slight against the Gun Plumbers, but not every one likes or cares about old guns.)

The air rifles are easier to shoot. They don't put lead dust into the atmosphere. And for anyone who has to cajole or mollycoddle school or CF range administrators or CF medical boards, that is like army wrestling with an octapus.

The air rifles are lighter, easier to #### and don't need to be locked up to the same security orders' standards as firearms. If you want to get depressed, read the Security Manual for the CF. So many things to do and get charged with if not done.
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Again I must ask, JUST WHAT wears out on a CNo7? I have one and a British No7, and I am really NOT worried about anything wearing out in my lifetime.
They are heavy? So is the issue rifle, and here I foolishly thought the cadets just MIGHT be considering military service. Are the rifles any lighter if they are converted to DP for those SAME cadets?

When I was that age, in high school, we had.22 calibre M1922 Springfields and nobody complained about the weight. I would bet those same rifles are now in collector's hands and are still shooting.
 
John Sukey said:
Again I must ask, JUST WHAT wears out on a CNo7? I have one and a British No7, and I am really NOT worried about anything wearing out in my lifetime.
They are heavy? So is the issue rifle, and here I foolishly thought the cadets just MIGHT be considering military service. Are the rifles any lighter if they are converted to DP for those SAME cadets?

When I was that age, in high school, we had.22 calibre M1922 Springfields and nobody complained about the weight. I would bet those same rifles are now in collector's hands and are still shooting.
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Exactly, and besides which Army Cadets in Canada before C68 era also got to play with FN's at one time...they were also heavy, and everyone survived. :D
 
While part of the obsolescence of the Cno7s may be the weight and suitability, part might be the competition for parts between the cadet and the ranger programs.

For the most part, all the indoor ranges at the various armouries and bases are now gone, victims of either lead contamination or tight budgets. So the suitability of the rifles are also at play, although the 22 anschutz would do nothing to change that.

When I last checked, there were still several thousand of these rifles in the depots. Unless there was a very concerted effort to try and have a portion of them released through programs like the remnants of the DCRA or the provincial shooting programs, they are all destined for either the smelter or deactivation, with a few going to museums.

Shame we do not have a CMP type program here in Canada for these types of guns.

As an aside, I have my mint in the grease example at home, and I don't envision it going to the smelter anytime in my lifetime.
 
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