Searching for the Best World War II Sniper Rifle: Part 2

To read part 1 of this series which examines the German Mauser Model 98k, click here.

The British did nothing between the wars with development of its sniper rifles or training of snipers, choosing to forget the horrors of trench warfare. Early in World War II, though, the British army reissued the small number of remaining sniper rifles from World War I in storage. These rifles were Pattern 1914 (P14) Enfield rifles fitted with either an offset Pattern 18 or Aldis 3X scope. The rifles had a detachable cheek rest that was not well liked; the Pattern 18 scope had focus and elevation adjustments but no windage adjustment. Lateral adjustment was done mechanically in the scope base. The Aldis scope offered focus, windage and elevation adjustments. These scopes were considered antiquated and not very reliable. However, the Brits must be credited for realizing they needed a first-­rate sniper rifle early in World War II.

By September 1940, a scope mount and rings were designed for the then-new No. 4 Mk 1 rifle to mount the No. 32 scope, which was originally developed for the Bren machine gun. The No. 32 was supposed to be mounted on the left side of the Bren, which is why the windage turret is on the left side of the scope and not the right. The No. 32 scope was a well-­designed, rugged scope. In 1941, the conversion of No. 4 Mk 1 rifles to the No. 4 Mk 1 (T) sniper variant began at Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) Enfield. Converted rifles were officially available for issue in February 1942, but commando units had them prior to this. In late September 1942, Holland & Holland (H&H) was awarded a contract to produce No. 4 Mk 1 (T) rifles. H&H made more than 23,000 of the approximate 25,000 No. 4 Mk 1 (T) rifles that were produced. Rifles selected for conversion showed particularly good accuracy during production tests.

The conversion to a No. 4 Mk 1 (T) was more elaborate than other sniper rifles during World War II. The rifles were carefully re-­bedded with 4 to 5 pounds of upward pressure on the barrel from the front of the forend. Only the front several inches of the forend wood, and an inch or so directly in front of the receiver, were allowed to touch the barrel. If the forend wood and metal spacer on the front action screw in the triggerguard couldn’t be adjusted to meet this specification, small, grooved metal tabs were placed at the front of the forend channel to provide upward pressure on the barrel. All this was done to stabilize the action in the stock. A wooden cheekpiece was also added to the stock. When compared to other sniper rifles of the time, the cheekpiece of the No. 4 Mk 1 (T) made the rifle more user friendly, as an actual cheekweld could be achieved. Triggers were also smoothed to achieve a crisper trigger pull.

Optic Improvements

Two small metal tabs were screwed to the flat left side of the receiver, which were drilled and tapped for the scope-­mount bolts. A heavy duty one-­piece mount was screwed to the mounting tabs on the side of the receiver with large screws. A 3.5X No. 32 scope with heavy post reticle and thin horizontal-­line reticle was used. Original scopes feature a rounded top to the post. Reproductions have a slightly pointed top on the post. The scope has both elevation and windage turrets on a 1-­inch diameter maintube. There was no focus adjustment, but the scope did provide focus for the reticle. The No. 32 scope was made in three versions as the war progressed, each incorporating steady improvements to the mechanics and function. The Mk I scope, available in 1942, had 2 minute-­of-­angle (MOA) click values for both windage and elevation, but it was somewhat difficult to adjust and lock the turrets.

The Mk II scope was introduced in April 1943. It had 1-MOA click values and internal improvements to the turret to reduce backlash. The Mk II scope retained the difficult-­to-­adjust turrets of the Mk I. First issued in October 1944, the final No. 32 Mk III had 1-MOA click values for both elevation and windage, and further internal mechanical improvements to reduce backlash with easier turrets to zero and lock.

The No. 4 Mk 1 (T) was such a successful design that it remained in service into the 1990s. A number were even converted to 7.62 NATO chambering and redesignated as the L42A1.

Snipers were issued a wooden chest and kit that contained the No. 4 Mk 1 (T) rifle and scope, a metal can for the scope, a 20X collapsible spotting scope, binoculars, scope adjusting tool, 1907-­style leather sling and a camouflage smock. Web slings were supplied in limited quantity. The British were serious about equipping their snipers.

A few unit-­level sniper schools sprang up in England early in the war. After D-­Day, sniper schools were set up on the continent. Most of these schools were 2-­ to 4-­weeks long. Emphasis was put on shooting skills and fieldcraft.

Both the original and reproduction scopes I have used have identical characteristics in terms of the rather mushy clicks and backlash in both turrets. With the No. 32 scope, it is important to always adjust in the same direction and go well past your desired setting and come back to it if you must switch directions. Always make the final click adjustments in the same direction. Reproduction and original scopes exhibit varying amounts of cross talk between the windage and elevation turrets, from virtually none to noticeable. It seemed to be a function of parts’ fit and wear.

I view the windage turret on the No. 32 scope as an aid for easy zeroing, as there is no windage adjustment in the scope mount. In his book “With British Sniper to the Reich” (1948), Captain Clifford Shore wrote, “It was foolish to adjust the windage knob. One should learn to hold off for wind.”

Targets Downrange

Expectations for the British sniper according to “Infantry Platoon Weapons Pamphlet No. 10, Sniping” were, “As a guide, the standard of shooting to be demanded of a sniper is that he should hit a man-­sized head target regularly at 200 yards and a man’s trunk up to 400 yards, this standard may well be improved on.” Further, “Accuracy can be obtained to 1,000 yards, but shooting at anything approaching this range should be discouraged in the field unless there is some very special reason for doing so.”

Shore wrote, “The No. 4 (T) was capable of 2½ MOA, day in, day out. Sometimes better than this depending on the ammunition.” Most engagements Shore described were between 200 and 400 yards, but one high-­value target at approximately 600 yards involved three snipers who were brought in to simultaneously fire at the target. That employment of snipers was successful.

The effectiveness of the Broadhurst Clarkson & Co. three-draw 20X spotting scope that snipers were issued was notably effective. It allowed the snipers to make observations and see details that were not possible with the Kershaw 4X binoculars, giving the British sniper a significant edge.

The Rifle

We primarily used my No. 4 Mk I (T) for evaluation, an original rifle dated 1943 and marked “TR” on the left side of the metal wrist and stock socket. “TR” was the marking used to denote a rifle selected as one for conversion to a Mk I (T) sniper rifle. Incidentally, the “T” stands for “telescope equipped.” When I purchased the rifle, the scope mount bases were included, but there was no mount or scope. I acquired a reproduction set of scope rings and a No. 32 Mk II scope. I have examined and used original scopes, and I cannot tell the difference in the mechanical operation between current reproduction scopes and the originals. Reproductions seem to have better glass than the original, but mechanical function is indistinguishable. Guns & Ammo Editor-­in-­Chief Eric Poole participated in several days of range evaluation and brought his all-­original 1941-dated No. 4 Mk 1 (T), but the turret housing came loose early in testing, so we stopped shooting it. The triggers on these rifles were clean, exhibiting no creep and measuring 5 pounds on a Lyman digital trigger pull gauge. The No. 4 Mk 1 (T) is a heavy gun, weighing 11½ pounds, so felt recoil was not a factor. It is nearly 3 pounds heavier than its American counterpart, the Springfield Armory M1903A4.

Ammunition

The primary-­issue ammunition in the British army during World War II was the .303-­caliber Mk VII ball round. It featured a 174-­grain spitzer, flat-­base bullet and was loaded with cordite propellant. This round dates back to 1910. The Mk VIIz round was introduced during World War I and featured smokeless stick propellant and the same 175-­grain, flat-­base projectile. In 1938, the Mk VIIIz round was introduced to improve the range of machine gun fire. The round was loaded with a smokeless stick propellant and a 175-­grain boattail bullet. The Mk VIII round was observed to produce excessive throat erosion, though, and was prohibited from use in rifles and light machine guns. An urban legend about a British sniper’s ammunition preferences was that Winchester ammo was preferred for being more accurate. We explored this theory at the range.

For testing the No. 4 Mk 1 (T), I was able to find Radway Green (RG) 1942 Mk VII ammunition loaded with cordite. I also found a small quantity (14 rounds) of 1943 Winchester (WRA) Mk VII ammunition loaded with a Ball powder. Poole also sourced post-­war 1954 Royal Laboratories Mk VII ammunition for comparison. Nearly every round of the British-­made ammunition produced a hangfire, and there were several duds. It was a testimony to Poole’s trigger discipline and follow-through that he was able to shoot this ammunition as well as he did.

At The Range

Testing was done on a known-­distance (KD) range with targets at 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 yards. We fired at the B-­27 silhouette paper target to closely match the sight picture that would have existed for a sniper. The No. 4 Mk 1 (T) was zeroed with a handload of 37.5 grains of Accurate 2495 and Sierra 174-­grain Match Kings with several five-­shot groups averaging 2,188 feet per second (fps) and a standard deviation (SD) of 19. We only fired three-­shot groups at each distance for accuracy results due to the limited supply of period ammunition, and touched up the zero along the way using the issued adjusting tool and tightening the lock ring. As long as scope adjustments were made in the same direction, the scope tracked well. If adjustments were made in the opposite direction, we had to go two or three clicks past where we wanted to be and come back to the setting due to backlash. We did not adjust the windage turret after zeroing at 100 yards. All loads combined averaged .96 MOA at this range.

We then fired at the increasingly distant targets by dialing the elevation turret for the range come-­up given from calculated trajectory performance for each load. We found the elevation turret range calibration was not as accurate as a sniper would like. We held off for windage, which became an influencing factor. Winds gusted 10 to 20 mph from a consistent three-­o’clock direction during testing. We tried not to shoot in gusts, with Poole the primary trigger man as I spotted and gave wind calls.

The Radway Green Mk VII ammunition was very accurate. Radway Green produced sub-­MOA groups at 100 yards, averaging .88 inch; at 200 yards, averaging 1.63 inches. It was hard to tell how well the Royal Laboratories ammunition shot due to the number of hangfires. Still, groups measured 1.13 inches at 100 yards, but increased to 4.63 inches at 200 yards and much larger out to 400 yards. The sample of Winchester (WRA) ammunition dispelled the myth that it was more accurate than British-­issue ammunition. It did not have hangfires but grouped an average of 4.53 inches at 100 yards. This lot was miserably inaccurate in our test rifles after recorded 161/2-­inch groups at 200 yards. We gave up shooting the WRA load after a frustrating 200 yards. For comparison, the Radway Green load averaged 131/2 inches at 500 yards.

Our standard practice was to try and shoot in the same wind condition experienced while testing sniper rifles from other countries. I based wind corrections on flags I had staked at each yardage and observing surrounding vegetation. It was way too windy to read mirage, which wasn’t a concern until about 500 yards. The matchup succeeded most of the time, but several of the groups showed an obvious miss of a wind condition. With the low-­power scope and thick post reticle, wind corrections were generally “Hold right-­half” or “Hold right-­edge of the silhouette.” Greater target resolution was not possible beyond 300 yards with the No. 32 scope. Nearly every group revealed the vertical elevation of the group measured less than the windage group size.

Parting Shot

The Enfield No. 4 Mk (T) proved to be an effective rifle to 500 yards, averaging 1.89 MOA across the entire 500-­yard test. The integral cheekpiece was a significant improvement to sniper rifle designs, making it more comfortable to precisely shoot than the Mauser K98k Zf.39 tested in Part I and the Mosin-­Nagant 91/30 PU that will be examined in Part III of “Guns & Ammo’s World War II Sniper Rifle Series.” The No. 32 scope was easy to use, but the sniper had to be conscious of backlash and dial accordingly. These rifles were accurate, more so than standard-­issue Lee-­Enfields, as evidenced by the performance data collected while testing the Radway Green load and reproduction handloads.

Depending on ammunition, 6oo yards was probably the limit for reliable torso hits on the battlefield. The low-­power optic and its heavy post reticle were significant limitations for greater range and effectiveness. The test results matched closely to the comments recorded by Capt. Shore. 

Next, we will examine the Soviet Mosin-­Nagant 91/30 PU in Part III.

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