Portraits of WWII re-enactors

E. von Hoegh · Mar 3, 2018

Nodda Duma said:
Swiss Vetterli, '73 Trapdoor, '96 Krag here. An old friend has a Martini Henry, one like it is on my short list.

Don't know why I've never shot a photo of them with my dry plates and plate camera.

I had a Trapdoor, with blackpowder handloads (you can't get 70 grains in a modern case) at a surveyed 1000 yards, I could just about reload it by the time the bullet got to the glacial erratic we used as a target.
My Krag was purchased from Bannerman by my grandfather in the late 1920s, for some ridiculously low price.
By all means, put up some pics!
Edit- also have a m1911 Schmidt-Rubin, 7.5 x 55. It will shoot 1.375" groups with Norma ammunition, a bit better with handloads. And a #4 mk1* Enfield 2 groove from Long Branch, I once shot tightest group of the day using Dominion ammo loaded in 1909! 5" at 200 yds, disregarding a flyer it would have been 4".

jtk · Mar 4, 2018

Most are over-sharpened (white outline).

pentaxpete · Mar 5, 2018

That 'over-sharpening'is the effect of putting photos from Flickr into THIS site -- something happens .

Willyekerslike · Mar 5, 2018

pentaxpete said:
That 'over-sharpening'is the effect of putting photos from Flickr into THIS site -- something happens .

+1

benjiboy · Mar 5, 2018

E. von Hoegh said:
I had a Trapdoor, with blackpowder handloads (you can't get 70 grains in a modern case) at a surveyed 1000 yards, I could just about reload it by the time the bullet got to the glacial erratic we used as a target.
My Krag was purchased from Bannerman by my grandfather in the late 1920s, for some ridiculously low price.
By all means, put up some pics!
Edit- also have a m1911 Schmidt-Rubin, 7.5 x 55. It will shoot 1.375" groups with Norma ammunition, a bit better with handloads. And a #4 mk1* Enfield 2 groove from Long Branch, I once shot tightest group of the day using Dominion ammo loaded in 1909! 5" at 200 yds, disregarding a flyer it would have been 4".

It would have to be a lucky day if I could shoot a 5" group at 200 yards with a Lee Enfield, and I was a Royal Marines marksman and small arms instructor. This is really good shooting..

jtk · Mar 5, 2018

U

pentaxpete said:
That 'over-sharpening'is the effect of putting photos from Flickr into THIS site -- something happens .

Would be better to save photos anywhere other than Flickr. Flickr was designed to "improve" everything, which is one reason it's popular.

Would be interesting to see those fine photos from more legit sources.

E. von Hoegh · Mar 5, 2018

benjiboy said:
It would have to be a lucky day if I could shoot a 5" group at 200 yards with a Lee Enfield, and I was a Royal Marines marksman and small arms instructor. This is really good shooting..

Thank you.
I went through five or six of the rifles to find the best shooter, and that group was fired prone, under good light. The no.4 has an aperture rear sight, and on a bench with sandbags it will give 3" or smaller groups at 100 yd.s with any decent ammunition.
My father taught me to shoot, he was a "rifleman" (sniper) in the 36th infantry division and the best natural shot I have ever seen.

Tobes71 · Mar 5, 2018

LH001 by Toby Key, on Flickr

I shot this last summer - these guys are dressed in Boer War era British army uniforms. I shot this with my 4x5 monorail camera. I hurt my back getting the case for my camera out of the car and spent the next several hours in considerable pain - fun times!

Carter john · Mar 5, 2018

Beautiful work Pete, love the fill flash.

jtk · Mar 5, 2018

Tobes71 said:
LH001 by Toby Key, on Flickr

I shot this last summer - these guys are dressed in Boer War era British army uniforms. I shot this with my 4x5 monorail camera. I hurt my back getting the case for my camera out of the car and spent the next several hours in considerable pain - fun times!

Tobias' photo suggest that Flickr isn't to blame for the oversharpening we see in the first photos. This is a lot less artificial-looking ... and the "soldier" actors are more-appropriate age-wise.

I very much like the quiet, unforced look of his "5X4" film work : http://portrait.tobiaskey.com/film-photography/

benjiboy · Mar 6, 2018

The

E. von Hoegh said:
Thank you.
I went through five or six of the rifles to find the best shooter, and that group was fired prone, under good light. The no.4 has an aperture rear sight, and on a bench, with sandbags, it will give 3" or smaller groups at 100 yd.s with any decent ammunition.
My father taught me to shoot, he was a "rifleman" (sniper) in the 36th infantry division and the best natural shot I have ever seen.

The Number 4 was my era I'm very familiar with it, my father was an infantryman and used one for more than six years in WW 2.
For my money.the Lee-Enfield No.4 was the best bolt action battle rifle of WW2, the German Mauser 98k was a very good rifle but only held five rounds against the No. 4's .ten.

benjiboy · Mar 6, 2018

Tobes71 said:
LH001 by Toby Key, on Flickr

I shot this last summer - these guys are dressed in Boer War era British army uniforms. I shot this with my 4x5 monorail camera. I hurt my back getting the case for my camera out of the car and spent the next several hours in considerable pain - fun times!

These uniforms aren't from the Boer War there from WW1, the soldier on the extreme right is a cavalryman because he is wearing jodhpurs and riding boots.
Boer War soldiers looked like this https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/322077810832635916/

Nodda Duma · Mar 7, 2018

benjiboy said:
The

The Number 4 was my era I'm very familiar with it, my father was an infantryman and used one for more than six years in WW 2.
For my money.the Lee-Enfield No.4 was the best bolt action battle rifle of WW2, the German Mauser 98k was a very good rifle but only held five rounds against the No. 4's .ten.

It's been said that the Mauser was a very good sporting / hunting rifle, and the Enfield was a very good combat rifle.

E. von Hoegh · Mar 7, 2018

Nodda Duma said:
It's been said that the Mauser was a very good sporting / hunting rifle, and the Enfield was a very good combat rifle.

And the '03 Springfield is essentially a Mauser.
The Enfield can be fired very rapidly, U. S. troops armed with Garands were flabbergasted at how fast the British could fire them. The no.4 also evolved into an excellent sniper rifle.
I use mine for hunting, too, the issue sights work well with my eyes.

jtk · Mar 7, 2018

It would be sad if we fail to obtain and scan photos of our military parents...lack of respect, perhaps, or careless loss of the photos that are always made. Photos of old men playing soldier are poor substitutes.

David A. Goldfarb · Mar 7, 2018

Folks, watch the topic drift in this thread. Discussion of the photos and the authenticity of their content is fine, but comparisons between what weapon shoots better are off topic.

benjiboy · Mar 8, 2018

David A. Goldfarb said:
Folks, watch the topic drift in this thread. Discussion of the photos and the authenticity of their content is fine, but comparisons between what weapon shoots better are off topic.

O.K. David point taken.

Portraits of WWII re-enactors

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