It's always a pleasure coming to the Royal Armouries to fire weapons from historical periods! If you enjoyed this video, hit the like button and stay tuned for part two, where Luke and Jonathan will be shooting the weapons of the Wehrmacht. 🔥🔥🔥
The concept of how serious a wound is and how triage is approached in relation to the time you were shot through out history is interesting though. Maybe even worth its own video.
British people talking about others getting shot: "A bullet anywhere on the body is going to be a problem" British people talking about the time they were shot: "What? This big hole in me chest? Nah, it's fine, no need to bother the doctor over it."
Woah, it’s THE Royal Armouries museum in the UK, home to thousands of iconic weapons throughout history that Johnathan Ferguson, keeper of firearms and artillery at the Royal Armouries museum in the UK, home to thousands of iconic weapons throughout history works at!
I see History Hit and Jonathan Ferguson, the keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in the UK, which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history I watch.
It's quite nice of Jonathan Ferguson The Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armories Museum in the UK, home to thousands of iconic weapons throughout history, to do these videos. he is an icon.
I'm a former US Marine. In our initial instruction on the M1911, we were told that the heavy, slow.- moving round was an answer to the thick bamboo-and-tree-bark armor which Philippine insurgents wore during and after the Spanish-American War. Even in the World wars, against modern armies, the heavy slug would inflict more damage than did a high-velocity .38 or 9mm one.
Those were Moro rebels. And other Filipinos had to fight them as well. It was during that campaign that the first Asian and Filipino to earn a Medal of Honor happened (Jose Nisperos)
I did hear that the AK47 had something of an advantage in Vietnam because it had heavier slower rounds than the M16's high velocity rounds. So it had more of a chance of shooting through vegetation like bamboo and branches if they were in the way
For those asking where the BAR and M1 Carbine are, it entirely possible Jonathan doesn’t have any examples he is willing to fire. Carbines are notorious for having their extractors break after a period of time, so it’s possible he didn’t want to damage an original gun. The BAR, I assume it’s possible due to the range limitations and safety. Having fired a BAR from the bipod and shoulder, the gun is fairly controllable, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, it can push you back. Don’t want to shoot an area of the wall not reinforced and have a stray .30-06 round flying through. Keep in mind this is all speculation.
@@Vladpryde BARs are pretty widely available on the collector’s machine gun market in the USA. There’s over 100,000 machine guns on the transferable list, and there’s a decent amount of BARs. A lot of them were surplused to police forces and they ended up on the transferable machine gun market. Now, if it’s transferable, meaning anyone willing to go through the NFA process can buy it, then it’s definitely worth somewhere around that amount given it’s (presumably) a direct sale. When it comes to the BAR in the UK however, we have a bit of a different problem. BARs were issued out to the Home Guard under Lend Lease, but a lot of those also made it back to the States. I believe it was around 20,000 BARs were leased out. Compared that to the 87,000 Garands given to the Home Guard, and the fact that the British purchased the Thompson and 1911 directly, the BAR was a much more rare sight in the UK. Lack of available parts and not wanting to wear out/risk damaging original parts can be a very real reason not to shoot the gun.
@@ianbeedles1329 wow, even when part of the military, the gov’t cucks you in limiting your ammunition supply when firing cool guns. That being said, it is a very fun gun to shoot and one of my favorites. There’s a range in my state that rents one out to people. It’s pricey, but not nearly as pricey as owning the thing.
Wow, the Garand they feature here is an early gas trap version, ever-so-rare today as almost all were converted to gas port configuration before & early on in the US involvement in WWII. There are less than 200 gas traps in existence today. I own 3 M1 Garands myself, including 2 early Springfield Garands (September 1941 & June 1942 manufactured rifles) witn one in original and one restored to original configuration, but I've never even seen a gas trap in person. I'd love hearing the back story on how that early weapon wound up in Great Britain. Keep up the good work gents!
That gas trap Garand was a neat surprise. Definitely a rare bird. I have a few M1 Garands and my favorite one is my early May 1941 example I got by chance from the CMP.
@@robertwoodroffe123 My dad liked the Springfield as well. When he went to Vietnam they gave him an M-16. He was not happy, he preferred the stopping power of the older weapons.
Jonathon has such a great understanding of firearms. He’s a bridge for Europeans who don’t have as much or any exposure to firearms on educating them on the mechanics and manual of arms of firearms. As a westerner it’s very refreshing and impressive to see how well he educates and handles all firearms.
Jonathan Ferguson, keeper of firearms and artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in the UK, which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history, is looking rather dapper this episode.
Rubbish. Just about any flintlock looks miles better. The 1911 has an unmistakable utilitarian charm, but it's just a tool, whereas certain handguns are unique, bona fide works of art.
@@alexanderhowarth6460 Can we agree that both are works of art? I also enjoy the craftsmanship put into flintlock pistols, but I should have specified modern handguns.
I visited a military museum just last week, and even seeing flintlocks and muskets up close, the m1911 gives me a childish excitement by just looking and watching it. I love the design so much, it's so bloody good.
@@Ash_Hudson no, art is by definition design for design's sake. I could grant you that 1911s are beautiful without granting that they are art. When I talk about a gun as a work of art, I'm really talking about the engravings and decorations you see on pistols made for royalty and that sort of thing. Gold etching and so on. I can see this comment becoming a pretentious essay on art and style and what makes the 1911 so iconic, so it's probably best I stop here, I regret replying in the first place. I'm glad you like the 1911, so do I.
Yours? The garand is Canadian ergo British via the Commonwealth, the M1903 is a cheap tacky copyright infringement not only copying Paul Mausers Gewehr 1898 but also infringing on DWMs Spitzer rounds. The 1911 is a laughing stock, at least 10 iterations were developed while it competed directly with the Luger (designed and perfected in 1898) which ultimately saw all the greatest features from the Luger copied over as the yanks had to keep moving the goalposts to stroke their nationalist egos. Well done for the Thompson I guess, built around a flawed concept, that of the Blish Principle, but it works despite being chambered in an awful calibre. Not much to take pride in, it's just theft mixed with mediocrity, nationalism and excessive amounts of lard.
We sent hundreds of thousands of various firearms in various calibers to the Brits in World War II, they literally wanted anything and everything they could get their hands on fearing that they would be invaded early on in the war, the home guard had a little bit of everything issued to them.
@@andrewince8824 True about the Mauser, however, the Garand was an American project although the designer was Canadian born, the 1911 has nothing in common with the Luger at all, the Luger is actually a very poor combat pistol, was prone to failure and was exceptionally expensive to make, the .45acp sure was better than that 38-200 anemic Brit revolver caliber, your knowledge is not as good as you think it is and is actually at fault, sounds like you have a little anger problem there fella, what’s wrong?, some Yank pound your backside?😂
@@andrewince8824 you seem like one of those guys that would say the F22 isn't anything to boast about. Because if it wasn't for the Germans. Fighter jets wouldn't be a thing. Just say you don't like the USA dude.
You actually don't realize how iconic American WWII firearms are until they're next to each other. And there's plenty missing, the BAR, M1 carbine, the 1897 trench gun, M1 grease gun etc etc
Will we also be getting similar, yet separate episodes on shooting British, German, Japanese, and Russian weapons? As well as some of the few other weapons used by countries like Canada and Australia etc in addition to their standard issue British weaponry?
Also if possible I'd love to see weapons from smaller countries actively involved in the war who had their own designs and not just the commonwealth ones.
I,have,a,Springfield,armory,stainles,steel,TRP,and,I,looge,it!I,feel,it,makes,me,a,beter,shot. I,don’t.let.many.trangers.shoot.it.but.when,they,frequently,say,the,same,thing.As,you probably,knowthe,the,TRP,inased,on,TheOpeerator,Springfield,created,for,the,F BbI,hostage,rescue,team,the,HRC.The,TRrP,has,much,less.hand,fitting,thann,the,Operator,to,make,it,more accessible,for,the,average,shooter Thank you for the video
@SampoPaalanen These weapons are often very rare, and their ammo is also very hard to find. As an example, the Mannlicher-Schönauer is basically extinct in it's original 6.5 chambering.
You guys forgot the M1 Carbine, I live in the USA and I own M1 Garand, M1903, M1911, British 303, German Mauser and M1 carbine, the M1 carbine is my favorite, lots of fun to shoot.
Lots of folks like to throw shade at the M1 (.30 carbine), for being ineffective, but no one that's ever 'Caught' one of those projectiles would be amongst them! For lighter weight/recoil (Which usually meant better accuracy from the shooter), the terrain they were meant to fight in was against them. Jungle warfare is hell on lighter cartridges/projectiles.
The M1 Carbine is my favorite hiking, vehicle and home defense weapon. So easy to sling over your shoulder. Light and easy to handle. Powerful PDW with .30. Carbine compared to pistol ammo
Always love it when Brits upload videos on firearms. Something about the presentation I just love. Not to mention they are actually decent shots and value marksmanship over theatrical bs.
We marched, drilled and did PT with deactivated M1s in US Navy bootcamp in the 80s so I can say I carried an M1 in the military. Never did fire one. Also had training on the 1911, but didn't fire one of those either!
I would hazard to guess that if you did fire it in anger, that by the time you’d emptied the gun and your enemy had fired his gun, no one is going to hear the “ting” of your empty clip because everyone’s ears will be deadened and probably ringing too😁
Thanks for your service.... It is because of persons like you that my family and I sleep well each night in suburbia..... Because we know that you've got our backs! 🙂 Thanks again.
@@MrMightyZ My father and his 2 brothers were First Lieutenants from ROTC. They served rather safe and "cushy" positions in the 1950's. My aunt's husband though, he worked his way up to Seargeant in the 1901 Bomb group in Korea. He was a photographer. He not only took tactical images for the service but he also other, public image /war confidence images for the war effort. Knowing he was closest to the heat, than my other uncles, I asked him about the use of his side arm. --He said only once. He explained that it was late one night, as he was working in the photo lab: This big, hairy rat kept scurrying past the door nearby. Every couple minutes and that dirty rat would come by again. Having had enough of this distraction,, my uncle said he pulled his side arm from his belt and set it upon the table. The next time that annoying rat came by..... "Boom!" uncle says he blasted that dirty stinker into the middle of next week! 😀 It did leave a bit of a mess there, in the hall, but uncle says he eventually signed out and went to his barracks. He was woken a few hours later though. His superior officer wanted to see him. At that office, with his superior officer and the next higher ranking officer on base, they questioned my uncle about the big hole in the wall of the office across the hall from the photo lab. My uncle says he explained it just as he /I did here and the young officers could barely keep a straight face! He was eventually advized, "Next time, Seargeant..... Request a trap!" He was then dismissed. My uncle told me that he could still hear their laughter all the way down the hall where he finally exited the building. 😀
@@LG-ro5leYou just marched with that weapon. You were taught to shoot with the actual service weapon. When I was in Navy Boot in the 90s some units would march with M14s since they weren't used in service, like M1s had been retired for the other gentleman. When we went to the range we shot the M16A1.
They left out the M1 Carbine, which kinda foreshadowed the future of battlefield weapons, intermediate cartridge, semi-auto fire. The plain fact is during WWII the US had an amazing array of terrific small arms weapons.
I feel somewhat sad for Jonathan when he says shooting a Garand is a rare occurrence for him. Here in the USA, the government sells civilians M1 Garands through the CMP. You can buy one in any state.
Semi-automatic centre-fire rifles and carbines have been prohibited for civilian use here in UK since 1986 - we have the Hungerford Massacre to thank for that.
Sure you can, if you’re lucky enough and have enough money to get one. Effective October 1, 2023, the CMP’s new yearly limit on M1 Garands will be 6 per calendar year..” Prices are anywhere from 750~3 or 4K.
@@Bagledog5000 yes, there’s hurdles to jump through, but Garands are still fairly abundant on the civvie market. They are going up in price. However, all of that can be eliminated if we bringback the 80,000 Garands from Korea that were supposed to come back but Obama blocked it and no one has done anything about them since. Hell, even if you don’t want to go through the CMP, I got mine for $1,500. The top quality CMP ones, last time I checked, go for around $1,750. Also, NO ONE should pay $3,000 for a barebones M1 Garand (unless it’s the sniper versions or the gas trap models, or it has specific provenance), just because some fudd lists his M1 on Gunbroker for $3,000 doesn’t mean the gun is actually worth that much. Also, the limit is six guns per individual, which isn’t a problem for anyone other than Garand collectors or paranoid boomers that still believe in “mUh sToPpIng pOwEr.”
@@Bagledog5000 We only have so much surplus.. CMP has been selling Garands forever so it only makes sense as time goes by that we run out of milsurp rifles and the price will go up. It's too bad.. I kinda missed my chance, but there are still plenty of Garands out there outside of CMP! At this point they're historic items and just like an SKS or Mosin, the price is gonna explode.
I know y'all are going for effect, but please, if doing future episodes, stay away from the ringing sound effect. As someone who suffers from tinnitus, it is not appreciated to wonder if it's me or the program.
I've been binge-watching all the History Hit vids in this oeuvre over the last few days. While the content is great (as so many others have said), I also want to mention that Luke is a great presenter, very clear and personable, and obviously with great passion and background knowledge for every single era, object and location he looks at.
Jonathan is always a class act, and your doc style of a concise overview is well presented and fun to watch even though I was familiar with the subject already.
That’s an early gas trap M1, excellent piece to have in your collection! I have an M1 Garand, M1 carbine, a 1911 and had several 1903/A3s and I love them all. I’ve fired an M1A1 Thompson, she was heavy but controllable.
Snipers don’t generally “sniper duel” like the movies. At least between two equally skilled snipers (vs some yokel or teenager with a scoped rifle, they’re toast) You’ll keep yourself safe, get as close as you reasonably can to the point where you’re pretty sure you know where they are, and call on artillery or air support to turn their entire surroundings into concrete confetti. Either the sniper dies or retreats, and the normal infantry can advance safely and secure the area. Rinse and repeat until you win the war
Absolutely great video. I think you should've added 2 other weapons to the list - the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) and the M1 Carbine. According to the movie "To Hell and Back," Audie Murphy preferred the Thompson. In one scene he tells someone to give his Thompson back. I believe he was still a sergeant at the time. In the TV series "Combat," with Vic Morrow, Morrow carries a Thompson. My grandfather, who fought through much of WWII in Europe, said it was a very accurate portrayal, right down to the smallest guy carrying the BAR. My grandfather used the BAR and he was a small man. In several movies, I've seen where people carrying a Thompson would tape 3 magazines together. The 2 on the outside were oriented opposite to the one in the middle. This meant they could reload very quickly by just ejecting the expended magazine, flip them over and insert a fully loaded magazine. Admittedly, that adds a lot of weight, but gives you 90 rounds of almost continuous fire. Comment? In 1968 I went to Navy boot camp. We were issued Springfields that had been filled with lead to approximate the weight of the M1 Garand. We did our rifle qualifications using the Garand. While I didn't shoot very well, I rather liked the Garand.
One thing I saw with the 1903 Springfield, as a general rule of safety try to not put you finger in the trigger until you’ve shouldered the rifle and are ready to fire
When you were firing the 1911 the "traditional" one handed firing was only taught for close range (5-10 yards) in the US Army according to my research. Anything at a longer range the Soldier was instructed to cup their hands under the magwell and squeeze to have better control of the pistol.
And the 03-A4 was not manufactured by Springfield Armory. Remington was the only manufacturer of original 03-A4 rifles. some Some Smith Corona 03-A3s were rebuilt as 03-A4s.
The 1911 has always been my favorite pistol ever since I played Call of Duty back in 2010. I thank video games for giving my love and fascination of guns.
Fantasic to see a collab with my favorite British youtuber, Jonathan Ferguson keeper of firearms and artillery at the royal armouries museum in the UK.
The M1911A1 pistol is the epitome of "functional beauty", nothing, aside from the 'diamond' motifs on the earlier M1911 grip panels, is intended for visual appeal, including the radius milling on the frame and the relief cuts at the lower front of the slide, which were for utility and meeting weight requirements, my favorite pistol, by far.
Really well done. Appreciate you paying homage as I sit around watching this clutching my SMLE, K98K and M1 Carbine. Reminds me there's plenty more to add to the collection
When I went to Vegas to shoot some guns at a firing range, as a Brit who’d never shot a gun in his life, I shot an M1911 colt and Thompson and it was pretty bloody magical! The M1911 was fantastic, it’s so simple to fire and had a hefty wallop. I understood why so many forces used it as a reliable sidearm for so long. The Thompson made me feel like a commando, or gangster, in its rate of fire. I would love to fire a garand one day and hear the ‘ping’ when a clip is finished! I really admire this era of weaponry.
A benefit of revolvers seen by the Tunnel Rats is that you can take contact shots, ie press the muzzle against someone and be able to shoot without putting the pistol out of battery and cause a malfunction.
I just wanted to say that your channel's logo is that of a Kung Fu movie production company based out of HK in the 70s. It was called Ho Hua films, I think.
One historical documentary said that THOMPSON SMGS were actually being shipped by sea to France or had just docked when the WW-1 came to an end. The Americans used pump action shotguns to clear trenches.
Jonathan Ferguson, the keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in the UK, which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history❤
M1 Garand....such a beautiful weapon. That puppy kicks like a mule though. I joined the Army in 1984 & we had M16A1's. My buddy had a Garand & we cooked off a few hundred rounds at the range with it. I LOVED it. Load it with your palm, NOT your thumb....unless you didn't like having thumbs.
With regard to the M1911, you overlooked SPEED OF RELOADING. It takes only a seconds to drop a magazine and inset another, pull back the slide, and you're ready to go; MUCH LESS than reloading six chambers of a revolver.
Awesome. I'm a historic firearms collector with 96 in my stable. Most are loaned out to museums. I have multiples of a few and I keep a few really special ones with me.
First gun I ever fired my grnadads M1 Garand that he carried through North Africa, Sicily and Italy then through France and Germany, he taught me how to shoot with it as well as strip it, clean it, reassemble it as well, by the time he was done I hitting targets at 300 yards with it iron site.
Did anybody else notice that Jonathan had to put his jacket on before going to fire the pistol? "Good lord no. A gentleman NEVER takes part in any variety of shooting event without his jacket on. Whatever next?!"
That was a beautiful group, Jonathan, with the 1911. When I fam-fired the Colt in 1976 in Boot Camp, I was issued a pistol whose slide was so loose it would visibly wobble side to side when in battery. I still was able to fire a group at 10 yards that was only twice the diameter of your own.
"Ear protection" is the more general term, which would also include earplugs and other forms of protection, whereas ear defenders are the specific over-the-ears product they have at that range.
Jonathan Ferguson the keeper of Firearms and artillery at the royal armories museum, home to thousands of iconic weapons throughout history has the whole stock of guns in UK
As a US citizen, I see the title and don't think that much of it. But when I hear the accents and know these are not Americans, their reactions always bring me a smile.
Gents, where's the full monty? The M1 Carbine, Browning Automatic Rifle, and M3 Grease Gun? Not to mention our medium and heavy machine guns? American field-level firepower relied on these.
To be fair that 1911 was an decent grouping for single handed shoot! Considering he won't get a lot of range time, with automatic hand guns being outlawed here i bet he is under strict rules and wont be able to just shoot when he likes
As you said the Thompson and, when you think of it, all weapons are, to some degree or other, mission-specific. During WW2 my father, who initially was a B.A.R. gunner, preferred the M1 Garand for open country, and the Thompson for Urban or close-quarter combat. When he crawled through the thick hedgerows he preferred a pistol. He dragged his rifle behind him. When he cleared houses, he relied on HE grenades and his pistol if he didn't have a Thompson submachine gun. He survived. So he must have made the right choices.
It's really crazy about the M1911 pistols service history is when this pistol was adopted by the US military the Wright Brothers had just started flying their airplane prototype and when the 1911 was finally replaced humans had already been to the moon! Please keep these videos going I would love to see WW2 British firearms next👍🇬🇧
You didn't mention the stopping power of the .455 webley mk.v and vi... The brits were firing bricks. Slow bricks, but still.. 265 grains, or 17.5 grams.
I like this series! Hoping to see the British weaponry next, and, of course, russian and Japonese too. Was surprised Johnathan didn't include an M1 Carbine, more prolific that M1911A1s, and a lot more fun to shoot.
If Jonathan's a guest, I'm watching. This is an outstanding series. Excellent work educating in an entertaining fashion! Gotta get the cameraman eye pro to protect against extracted shell cases.
We as members of a historical museum had a range day with historical Allied weapons and I must say my favorite was the Garand it was the first time I had fired one! next to the Enfield. What a lovely weapon. and accurate. Sorry I am Canadian and proud of our Military heritage. This was one of the Americans better weapon inventions for the war.
Went to Vegas range a few years ago, fired all four of these plus a BAR and the M1 carbine. Fired a modern M249 SAW as a bonus. Every body who likes firearms should try it at least once...
Pound for Pound the M1 is the only real choice for "best". The other weapons may be better for it's specific purpose but the M1 outdoes them in all the other categories and is still does fine in compared to the more specialized weapons in a battlefield situation.
I agree. Yeah we could try and forge an argument for the M1941 Johnson but let's be real, huh? Short recoil only gets so accurate. And the M1 was overall better suited for Joe Smith riflemen for equal measures ease and effectiveness. The distinctive ping ""weakness"" is practically non existent because of how loud warfare actually is and to me the weight matter is a non issue. I don't think even these guys mentioned it.
The full auto mode for the Thompson is for cover fire or to sweep a human wave formation with a lot of the enemy coming at you in mass and you fire from the hip sweeping back and forth.
I don't know how to explain this. Is there a way you guys could "equalize" the audio levels from "narration" and "range narration"? When Mr. Ferguson is talking in the range it has a lower volume and, watching this at night, I'm constantly upping and lowering my volume so I don't wake up a monster, I mean GF.
