Left Hand Lee Enfield sniper

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fingers284

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I just watched a Smithsonian docu. on D day and the immediate aftermath. about 9 min into part II there is a picture of a U.S. soldier ( at least the helmet looked "merican") firing a Left hand bolt Lee Enfield with what appears to be a M84 scope ( same as some of the WWII Garands were issued). The scope is bridge mounted but off-set to the left side of the action. The guy firing the gun was firing left handed and had tilted his head over the comb a bit to be able to sight the gun.
The left side of the action looks the same as a regular Lee Enfield and ejection happened out the right side same as all others (facilitated by the left side off-set scope).

A left hand bolt gun for war issue must be scarce as hens teeth...anybody ever see one in this country. Is there any info as to #'ers produced or is it something an enterprising armorer produced "one-off" for a promising marksman recruit that happened to shoot left-handed? Regardless I bet it would be a much sought after item for a lot of Milsurp collections.
 
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Many of the "movies" you see on television are, as mentioned, reversed. This makes a regular right handed bolt action look like a left hand action rifle. You can also see this in some of the sporting shows, where they show a float plane or other aircraft, and the registration numbers or letters are backwards or mirror imaged.
 
If you watched it on Youtube there is a kind of get-out clause whereby the poster of the movie can dodge the copyright problem by reversing the image.

TBH, a genuine left-hand L-E is about as likely as a glass anvil.

Having served in the British Army for thirty three years all but ten days, and being a leftie, you can take it to the bank that absolutely NO thought was given to making things easier for a leftie at any time, let alone some 'puke' recruit. The only time I was REALLY useful was in a FIBUA scenario, where I was useful for pitching grenades around the right-hand corner.

tac
 
Nope not a chance it is a reversed negative...the bolt handle clearly closes down on the left/back side of the action, a regular Lee obviously closes down on the ejection side....so somebody thought it was prudent.
 
Where's my copy of Skennerton .... ?

Hardly likely. Armies wear uniforms to be standard. Soldiers have to fit within height and weight parameters. Handedness is not accepted. Hell, the Russians didn't issue socks to their troops in WW2. That is how simple armies try to keep supply.
 
tacfoley said:
If you watched it on Youtube there is a kind of get-out clause whereby the poster of the movie can dodge the copyright problem by reversing the image.

TBH, a genuine left-hand L-E is about as likely as a glass anvil.

Having served in the British Army for thirty three years all but ten days, and being a leftie, you can take it to the bank that absolutely NO thought was given to making things easier for a leftie at any time, let alone some 'puke' recruit. The only time I was REALLY useful was in a FIBUA scenario, where I was useful for pitching grenades around the right-hand corner.

tac
Click to expand...

I was training recruits when SA80 was introduced. The SASC captain assigned to our depot briefed us on it. I asked why it hadn't been built to allow the user to switch it to left-handed, as the French had done with FAMAS which had been in service for years. He said that was part of the original design and they got it working but it added too much to the unit cost so they dropped it before production. And they decided that since it would be difficult for left-handed soldiers shooting right-handed to achieve the necessary marksmanship standard we wouldn't have left-handed soldiers in the infantry. I said "But we are getting left-handed recruits." His reply was along the lines of "Of course, f*#king idiotic to think the infantry could ever ever afford to turn away an otherwise qualified man because he was left-handed. We'll have to give them extra practise so they can pass."
 
I was in the BA from 1967 to 2000, and although I was an officer at the time of introduction of what was then called the SA80, everybody had to become comfortable with the thing. My small unit, at that time, had only four of us Army types in it [three officers and one SNCO], and we were taught the new 'combat arm' by the on-base RAF Regiment training wing staff. All of us were lefties - only two of us were ambidextrous, being a lot older than the other two. We had no difficulties, but the other two poor b*ggers had an awful time of it. It was designed so that NOTHING, except the magazine latch [which self-operated when your wore webbing] was actually in any way accessible to a southpaw. The left-hand located hold-open latch was designed specifically to destroy the ends of the fingers, and the female SNCO ruined her fingers on it.

I'm eagerly awaiting proof of the existence of this left-handed Lee-Enfield. Meanwhile, I'll call up my pals in the former MoD Pattern Room in Leeds and see if any of them have ever encountered such a thing. I'd like to be wrong, but I think that it is as likely as a left-handed BREN. They often appear on Youtube movies, along with left-handed Brown Bess muskets...

tac
 
I visited the Pattern Room at Enfield in 1976, about 3 days before the first photos of the X-70 (soon to become the SA-80) were released, and was given a quick familiarisation on Serial Number 004. This was the original test model in 4.85mm. A few months later, I obtained a fired casing and projectile from Maj. Peter Labbett; I regard this as one of the little prizes of my collection and still have it.

With the rifle apart, it was easy to see how it could be modified for left-or-right ejection, left-or-right cocking and so forth, simply through the addition of a positionable ejector and mating cuts on both sides of the bolt and body cover. I suggested such a modification to the gentleman at the Pattern Room and he said it was a good idea. Considering that the entire Army at that time was trained with the L1A1, it would certainly speed the conversion to the new rifle. For left-handed troops -- as well as for right-handed men having to fire around corners in a street-fighting situation -- it is easy to see how this could become effectual.

It worked but, as pointed out above, it was the bean-counters who destroyed the idea after it was constructed and tested and found approval. The only outcome of the situation, I suppose, is that I can honestly say that I own 1-1/2 lines of "Small Arms of the World"!

I still think it would have found favour with the troops and would have been a success in the field....... but who cares what the troopies want? We're talkin' MONEY here!
 
I was a frequent visitor to the MoD Pattern Room, back in the Enfield Lock days, and then, under the aegis of BAe when it moved to Nottingham. My POC there was the irreplaceable Herbie Woodend MBE, whom I had first met in Northern Ireland some time previously. The three of us, him, me and Jim Clark of Monks of Chester, passed many an hour yacking. Three of my handguns are now in the collection there, donated by me after the Great Betrayal back in 1997/8.

tac
 
I met Mr. Woodend when I was visiting the Pattern Room, had tea-break with the staff in the small break-room. Interesting for certain. Given that I was there to research Maxims at the time, there was curiosity if I knew anything about anything else. Mr. Woodend asked if I was familiar with the LE series and I replied that I was shooting a taper-bored SMLE Mark I*** Navy conversion. He thought about that for an instant and said, "Really? We thought WE had the only one left! How does it shoot?"

I had to reply honestly but had run no real TESTS on it, so I just said, "Pretty good."

I guess the taper-bored rifles are scarcer than I thought. I have shot that rifle very little since then, just to preserve the tapered bore; I suppose it has averaged 2 or 3 rounds a year in the 50+ years I have had it. It was my first 'restoration', assembled from a barrel (literally) of spares in Lever's shop. Everything in the barrel was $2 and I wanted those lovely SIGHTS for the rifle I was shooting. Ran a swab with some Hoppe's through my $2 barreled Body and the first 8 inches of rifling disappeared. "She's pooched," thought I and tossed it in the corner. A day later I picked it up and there was the rifling again, nice square corners and all, hardly any wear, just VISIBLY deepening for those first inches from the chamber, then a parallel bore like all the others. So I headed back to Lever's and back into the barrel, came out with enough bits and pieces to finish a rifle. I have $12 invested in that one and I can't count the guys who have tried to buy it from me over the years. It's not for sale; I think I might just take that one with me when I go!

Note to BUFFDOG... No, I don't have Adolf's LH '34; I thought YOU were sitting on it! G:
 
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