Lol...Actually not you, but now you mention it I guess it could have been.
During the mad minute the soldiers used to palm the bolt, that is use their palm to work it leaving their forefinger free to engage the trigger faster.
You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
Ah, that does make sense. Since you have an SMLE, ever tried it? I've just been trying to cup my hand into that shape, and it feels like you're going to get cramped after that mad minute.
I've done the mad minute yes, and that's how I did it. You essentially have your hand open, and the bolt sits just below that fat part of your palm, under the thumb area. The trigger finger is extended. Fire, press the palm/hand into the bolt knob, up, back, forward, down, and the extended trigger finger is back on the trigger. 1.5 seconds or less generally. The bolt on the SMLE is quite stiff to work too, takes some effort.
That's quite impressive. Imagine using this in a firefight, quick-firing with speed and precision against the poor Bosch and his Mauser. 1.5 seconds per shot sounds pretty great for a bolt-action rifle, no?
Not 1.5 seconds per shot...That's how long it can take to work the bolt...Finding the target and getting an aimed shot off takes longer.
Ah right, a bit of a misspeak there.
No worries, just clarifying.
Mad Minute:
So, 4 seconds per aimed shot. That is very fast. We often have to do this sort of thing in long range rifle competitions and it is incredibly difficult, even with a modern rifle. Of course, the range I would be shooting at is much further. It's a good indication of how accomplished a shooter is, on the SMLE.
So, that's 4 seconds from chambering a new round with the bolt, aiming at the target, and then pulling the trigger? That's pretty rapid. I don't know why, but I've come to expect these old bolt-action rifles to be slow, but when you're putting it that way, it's quite astonishing. I can't imagine how difficult it would be at longer ranges.