Lee-Enfield

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Lee Enfield)

Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III (SMLE Mk III, aka Rifle, No. 1 Mk III)
Image:SMLE Mk III.jpg
Type	Service rifle
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1907-Present
Used by	United Kingdom & Colonies, British Commonwealth, Thailand
Wars	World War I, World War II, Korean War, British colonial conflicts, numerous others
Production history
Designer	James Paris Lee, RSAF Enfield
Designed	1902
Produced	1907-
Number built	approx 7,500,000
Variants	SMLE Mk III, Mk III (HT) Telescopic Sighted Sniper Rifle, Mk III* Grenade-Launching Rifle
Specifications
Weight	8 lb 10.5 oz (3.9 kg), unloaded
Length	44.5 in (1,130 mm)

Cartridge	.303 Mk VII SAA Ball
Calibre	.303 inch (7.7 mm)
Action	Bolt-action
Rate of fire	20-30 rounds/minute
Muzzle velocity	2,440 ft/s (744 m/s)
Effective range	1,000 yards (914 m)
Maximum range	2,000 yards (1828 m)
Feed system	10-round magazine, loaded with 5-round charger clips
Sights	Sliding ramp rear sights, Fixed-post front sights, "Dial" long-range volley sights

The Lee-Enfield was the British Army's standard bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle from 1895 until 1956, in various marks. It was the standard army service rifle for the first half of the 20th century, and was adopted by Britain's colonies and Commonwealth allies, including India, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

The Lee-Enfield was chambered for the .303 British cartridge, and featured a ten-round box magazine. The magazine was loaded manually from the top, either one round at a time, or by means of five-round chargers (a.k.a. stripper clips). The Lee-Enfield superseded the earlier Martini-Henry, Martini-Enfield, and Lee-Metford rifles, and although officially replaced in the UK with the L1A1 SLR in 1956, it continues to see official service in a number of British Commonwealth nations to the present day.

Total production of all Lee-Enfields is estimated at over 17 million rifles, making it the one of the most numerous military bolt-action rifles ever produced- second only to the Russian Mosin-Nagant M91/30, which was itself a contemporary design.

[edit] Design and History

The Lee-Enfield rifle was derived from the earlier Lee-Metford, a mechanically similar (most would say identical) black powder rifle which combined James Paris Lee's rear-locking bolt system with a barrel featuring rifling designed by William Ellis Metford. Lee's action was a major improvement on existing bolt-action designs. The action cocked the striker on the closing stroke of the bolt, making the initial opening much faster and easier compared to the "cock on opening" of the Mauser design. The rear-mounted lugs place the operating handle much closer to the operator, over the trigger, making it much quicker to operate than "traditional" designs like the Mauser, which forced the operator to move his hand forward to operate the bolt; also, the bolt's distance of travel was identical with the length of the cartridge, and its rotation was only 60 degrees (compared to the conventional 90 degree rotation of Mauser-style actions). The disadvantage was that the rear lugs placed a greater load on the rigidity of the bolt up to the receiver. Because of the faster bolt locking mechanism, introduction of semi-automatic rifles was delayed considerably, relative to those nations using rifles derived from the Mauser's mechanism.

The Lee rifle was also equipped with a detachable sheet-steel, 10-round, double-column feed magazine, a very modern development in its day. Originally, the concept of a detachable magazine was opposed in some British Army circles, as some feared that the individual private soldier might be prone to lose the magazine during field campaigns. Early models of the Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield even used a short length of chain to secure the magazine to the rifle. Critics also predicted that a repeating rifle with such a large magazine capacity would discourage soldiers from taking careful aim, relying instead on sheer volume of fire to repel the enemy. Both of these concerns eventually proved unfounded.

The fast-operating Lee bolt action and large magazine capacity (ten rounds, compared to the five of most Mauser derivatives) enabled a trained rifleman to fire between 20 to 30 aimed rounds a minute, making the Lee-Enfield the fastest military bolt action rifle of the day. The current world record for aimed bolt action fire was set in 1914 by a musketry instructor in the British Army- one Sgt. Snoxall- who placed 38 rounds into a 12" target at 300 yards in one minute. Some straight-pull bolt-action rifles were thought faster, but lacked the simplicity, reliability, and generous magazine capacity of the Lee design.

The Lee was adapted to fire the .303 British service cartridge, a rimmed, high-powered rifle round. Experiments with smokeless powder in the existing Lee-Metford cartridge seemed at first to be a simple upgrade, but the greater heat and pressures generated by the new smokeless powder quickly wore the shallow, rounded, Metford rifling. Replacing this with a new square-shaped rifling system designed at the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) Enfield solved the problem, and the Lee-Enfield was born. Despite calls for a new rimless cartridge design better suited to the double-column magazine and the new machine guns then in development, the government demanded that the new design use the existing rimmed cartridge design in order to use existing ammunition stocks. This decision had the unintended effect of ensuring that the .303 British cartridge survived well into World War II and Korea, by which time the need for a rimless cartridge had become acute.

The Lee rifle was introduced in November 1895 as the .303 calibre, Rifle, Magazine, Lee-Enfield, or more commonly simply Magazine Lee-Enfield, or MLE (sometimes spoken as "emily" instead of M, L, E). The next year a shorter version was introduced as the Lee-Enfield Cavalry Carbine Mk I, or LEC, with a 21.2 inch (538 mm) barrel as opposed to the 30.2 inch (767 mm) one in the "long" version. Both underwent a minor upgrade series in 1899, becoming the Mk I*. Many LECs (and LMCs in smaller numbers) were converted to special patterns, namely the New Zealand Carbine and the Royal Irish Constabulary Carbine, or NZ and RIC carbines, respectively. Some of the MLEs (and MLMs) were converted to load from charger clips, and designated Charger Loading Lee-Enfields, or CLLEs.

[edit] Models/Marks of Lee-Enfield Rifle and Service Periods

Model/Mark	In Service
Magazine Lee-Enfield	1895-1926
Charger Loading Lee-Enfield	1906-1926
Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk I	1904-1926
Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk II	1906-1926
Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III/III*	1907-Present
Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk V	1923-1926 (Trials Only)
Rifle No. 4 Mk I	1939-Present
Rifle No. 4 Mk I*	1941-Present
Rifle No 5 Mk I "Jungle Carbine"	1944-Present
Rifle No. 4 Mk 2	1947-Present
Rifle 7.62mm 2A1	1965-Present

[edit] Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk I

On 1 January 1904 a shorter and lighter version of the original MLE was introduced, the famous Rifle, Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield, or SMLE (sometimes spoken as "smelly", rather than S, M, L, E). The barrel was now half-way in length between the original long rifle and the carbine, at 25.2 inches (640 mm). The SMLE's visual trademark was its blunt nose, the end of the barrel protruding a small fraction of an inch beyond the nosecap. The new rifle also incorporated a charger loading system, another innovation borrowed from the Boer's Mausers. The shorter length was controversial at the time: many authorities of the day felt that it was neither short enough for the cavalry, nor long enough for accurate long-range fire by massed infantry.

Image:SMLEAction.jpg

[edit] Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III

The iconic Lee-Enfield rifle, the SMLE Mk III, was introduced in 1907, and featured a simplified rear sight arrangement and a fixed, rather than a bolt head mounted sliding, charger guide. The design of the handguards and the magazine were also improved, and the chamber was adapted to fire the new Mk VII spitzer bulleted .303 ammunition. Many early model rifles, of Magazine Lee Enfield (MLE), Magazine Lee Metford (MLM), and SMLE type, were upgraded to the Mk III standard. These are designated Mk IV Cond., with various asterisks denoting subtypes.

During World War I, the standard SMLE Mk III was found to be too complicated to manufacture. In 1916, the Mk III* was introduced, which incorporated several changes, the most prominent of which were the deletion of the magazine cutoff and the long range "volley" sights. The windage adjustment capability of the rear sight was also dispensed with, and the cocking piece was changed from a round knob to a serrated slab. Rifles with some or all of these features present are found, as the changes were implemented at different times in different factories and as stocks of preexisting parts were used.

The inability of the principal manufacturers (RSAF Enfield, Birmingham Small Arms, and London Small Arms) to meet military production demands led to the development of the "peddled scheme", which contracted out the production of whole rifles and rifle components to several shell companies, leading to a minor political scandal.

The SMLE Mk III* saw extensive service throughout World War II as well, especially in the North African, Pacific and Burmese theatres.

Australia and India retained the SMLE Mk III* as the standard-issue rifle during WWII, due to familiarity with the design and ease of production.

[edit] Pattern 1914/M1917 Enfield

During the Second Boer War the British were faced with accurate long-range fire from the famous Mauser rifles, model 1895, in 7.92 x 57 mm (also known as 8 mm Mauser) caliber. This smaller, high-velocity round prompted the War Department to develop their own "magnum" round in 1910, using a .276 caliber round patterned from that of the Canadian Ross rifle. A modified Mauser-pattern rifle was built to fire it, the Pattern 1913 Enfield (P13), although the outbreak of war and the attendant manufacturing and logistic constraints prevented adoption of the rifle. Enfield then adapted the same rifle pattern to fire the standard .303 round, later called the Pattern 1914 Rifle (P14). The P14 was an accurate, but long and heavy rifle fed from a five-round internal magazine. Britain's complete lack of spare industrial capacity (the P14's initial contractor (Vickers) never produced more than a handful of rifles) and the need to maintain SMLE production meant that the P14 was never a serious contender for replacing the SMLE. The rifle was instead used as a sniper rifle and as a reserve weapon.

When the US entered WWI, the P14 was standardized and modified by the US Ordnance Department and went into production in America as the M1917 Enfield, having been chambered for the standard US 30-06 cartridge, ultimately far surpassing the Springfield in total production. Prior to and during World War II, the P14 was used in Britain as a substitute standard arm, and was issued to the Home Guard (the soldiers of Dad's Army carried P14s). Early in WWII, the US also sent some M1917 rifles to the UK under Lend-Lease, though the .30 caliber ammunition it required severely limited its use.

It must be noted that, as derivatives of the Mauser action, the P13, P14 and M1917 rifles are not based on the original Lee action, and as such cannot be considered "Lee-Enfield" rifles.

[edit] Inter-War Period

In 1926 the British Army changed their nomenclature and the SMLE became known as the Rifle No. 1 Mk III or III*, with the original MLE and LEC becoming obsolete along with the earlier SMLE models. Many Mk III and III* rifles were converted to subcaliber (.22 rimfire) trainers, and designated Rifle No. 2, of varying marks. (The Pattern 1914 became the Rifle No. 3.)

The SMLE design was fairly expensive to manufacture because of the many forging and machining operations required. In the 1920s several experiments were carried out to help with these problems, reducing the number of complex parts. The SMLE Mk V, later Rifle No. 1 Mk V, used a new receiver-mounted aperture sighting system, which moved the rear sight from its former position on the barrel. The increased gap resulted in an improved sighting radius, improving sighting accuracy, and the aperture improved speed of sighting (making it also known as a "battle sight"). The magazine cutoff was also reintroduced, and an additional band was added near the muzzle for additional strength during bayonet use. Unfortunately, this design was found to be even more complicated to manufacture than the Mk III. Production of this rifle numbered approximately 20000 units, produced between 1922 and 1924 at RSAF Enfield. The No. 1 Mk VI also introduced a heavier "floating barrel" that was independent of the forearm, allowing the barrel to expand and contract without contacting the forearm and changing the zero of the rifle. The receiver-mounted rear sights and magazine cutoff were also present. Production numbered 1025 units, produced between 1930 and 1933.

[edit] Rifle No 4 Mk I

Rifle No 4 Mk I (aka Lee-Enfield No 4 Mk I)
Image:SMLE No4 Mk1.jpg Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I, with "pigsticker" spike bayonet
Type	Service rifle
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1940-Present
Used by	United Kingdom & Colonies, British Commonwealth
Wars	World War II, Korean War, Malayan Emergency, British colonial conflicts, numerous others
Production history
Designer	RSAF Enfield
Designed	1939
Produced	1941-1955
Number built	approx 5,000,000
Variants	No 4 Mk I*, No 4 Mk II, No 4 Mk I (T) Telescopic Sighted Sniper Rifle
Specifications
Weight	(4.7 kg), unloaded
Length	44.5 in (1130 mm)

Cartridge	.303 Mk VII SAA Ball
Calibre	.303 British
Action	Bolt-action
Rate of fire	20-30 rounds/minute
Muzzle velocity	2539 ft/s (774 m/s)
Effective range	1000yds (914m)
Maximum range	2000yds
Feed system	10-round magazine, loaded with 5-round charger clips
Sights	Flip-up rear aperture sights, Fixed-post front sights

By the late 1930s the need for new rifles grew, and the Rifle, No. 4 Mk I was adopted in 1939, although widespread production did not start until 1941. The No. 4 action was similar to the Mk VI, but lighter, stronger, and most importantly, easier to mass-produce. Unlike the SMLE, the No 4 Lee-Enfield barrel protruded from the end of the forestock. The No. 4 rifle was considerably heavier than the No. 1 Mk. III, largely due to its heavier barrel. A new bayonet was designed to go with the rifle. The result - a spike bayonet with a heavy steel mount and latch - was essentially a steel rod with a sharp point, and was unsurprisingly nicknamed "pigsticker" by the soldiers. Towards the end of WWII, however, a bladed bayonet was developed and issued for the No 4 rifle, using the identical mount as the spike bayonet.

During the course of World War II, the No. 4 rifle was simplified for mass-production with the creation of the No. 4 Mk I* which saw the removal of the bolt release catch, replaced with a more simplified notch on the receiver. It was produced only in North America with Long Branch Arsenal in Canada and Savage-Stevens Firearms in the USA producing the No. 4 Mk I* rifle from their respective factories.

[edit] Rifle No 4 Mk 2 and Sniper Rifles

In the years after World War II, the British produced the No. 4 Mk 2 (Arabic numerals replaced Roman numerals for official designations in 1944) rifle which saw the No. 4 rifle being refined and improved with the trigger being hung from the receiver of the rifle and not from the trigger guard, the No. 4 Mk 2 rifle being fitted with beech wood stocks and the return of brass buttplates to the rifle. With the introduction of the No. 4 Mk 2 rifle, the British refurbished all their existing stocks of No. 4 rifles and brought them up to the same standards as the No. 4 Mk 2 rifle. Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I rifles that were brought up to Mk 2 standards were re-designated as the No. 4 Mk I/2 rifle while Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I* rifles that were brought up to Mk 2 standards were re-designated as the No. 4 Mk I/3 rifle.

Both the No. 4 and No. 5 rifles served in Korea (as did the SMLE Mk III*- mostly with Australian troops, however).

Image:Sgthamarshall.jpg

During both World Wars and the Korean War, a number of Lee-Enfield rifles were also modified as sniper rifles. During the later war, the result was the No. 4 Mk I (T). Standard No. 4 rifles, selected for their accuracy during factory tests, were modified by the addition of a wood cheekpiece, and telescopic sight mounts designed to accept a 3x telescopic sight. Holland and Holland, the famous British sporting gun manufacturers, converted many of these sniper rifles, along with BSA and Long Branch in Canada. These rifles were extensively employed in various conflicts until the late 1960s. An updated 7.62 mm NATO version was in use as late as the Falklands War of 1982.

The Australian Army modified 1612 Lithgow SMLE Mk III* rifles by adding a heavy target barrel, cheek-piece, and a telescopic sight, creating the SMLE Mk III* (HT). (HT, in this case, standing for "Heavy Barrel, Telescopic Sight), which saw service in WWII, Korea, and Malaya and through to the 1970's.

The standard Lee-Enfield rifle was replaced in front-line service with the FN FAL-derived L1A1 SLR in 1955, although it continued in service for a few years as a training and drill weapon for those who undertook National Service. Many of ex-British Enfields eventually saw service in a variety of Commonwealth countries and ex-British colonies around the world.

[edit] Rifle No 5 Mk I - The "Jungle Carbine"

Image:Jungle Carbine.jpg

Main Article: Jungle Carbine

Later in the war the need for a shorter, less heavy rifle for use in the jungles of the Far East led to the development of the Rifle, No. 5 Mk I (a.k.a. the "Jungle Carbine"). With a severely cut-down stock, a prominent flash hider, and a receiver machined to remove all unnecessary metal, the No. 5 was both shorter and 2 lb (907 g) lighter. Despite a rubber butt-pad, the .303 round produced too much recoil for the No. 5 to be a complete success. Because of this, along with alleged inaccuracy ("wandering zero") caused by the lightened receiver, and increased availability of the American .30 Carbine, it was never popular with the troops.

An Australian experimental version of Jungle Carbine, designated Rifle, No. 6, Mk I was also developed, using an SMLE MK III* as a starting point (as opposed to the No 4 Mk I used to develop the No 5 Mk I Jungle Carbine). The No 6 Mk I never entered full production, however, and examples today are extremely rare and valuable to collectors.

The term "Jungle Carbine" was a marketing term popularised in the 1950s by a U.S. importer of surplus rifles, used in the hopes of increasing sales of a rifle that had had little U.S. market penetration. It is in no way an official designation- however, British & Commonwealth troops serving in the Burmese and Pacific theatres were known to unofficially refer to the No 5 Mk I as a "Jungle Carbine".

[edit] Lee-Enfield Conversions

[edit] .22 Training Rifles

After WWI, numbers of SMLE rifles were converted to .22 calibre training rifles, in order to teach cadets and new recruits the various aspects of shooting, firearms safety, and marksmanship. These rifles were designated Rifle, No 2 Mk IV, and were generally single-shot affairs, although some were later modified with special adaptors to enable magazine loading. After World War II, the Rifle, No. 7, Rifle, No. 8 and Rifle, No. 9, all .22 rimfire trainers and/or target rifles, were adopted or in use with Cadet units and target shooters throughout the Commonwealth.

[edit] Charlton Automatic Rifle

Small numbers of Lee-Enfield rifles were built as, or converted to, experimental semi-automatic loading systems, the best-known of which was the Charlton Automatic Rifle, designed by a New Zealander, Philip Charlton.

During WWII, the majority of New Zealand's land forces were deployed in North Africa. When Japan entered the war in 1941, New Zealand found itself lacking the light machine guns that would be required for local defence should Japan choose to invade. The New Zealand Government funded the development of self-loading conversion kits for the Lee-Enfield rifle. The end result was the Charlton Automatic Rifle (based on the obsolete MLE) which was issued to Home Guard units in NZ from 1942. Over 2000 conversions were made - including some by the Australian firm Electrolux using Lithgow SMLE Mk III* rifles- and an example is viewable at the NZ Army museum in Waiouru (NZ), as well as at the Infantry Museum in Singleton, NSW (Australia) and the Imperial War Museum in London (UK).

[edit] De Lisle Commando Carbine

Main article: De Lisle carbine

Image:De Lisle Carbine Folding Stock.jpg

During WWII, the Commando units of the British military requested a silenced rifle for eliminating sentries, guard dogs, and other clandestine operational uses. The resulting weapon, designed by W.G. De Lisle, was effectively an SMLE Mk III* receiver redesigned to take a .45 ACP cartridge and associated magazine, with the barrel shortened and replaced instead with an integral silencer. The weapon was particularly effective, and it was said by Commando personnel that the sound of the bolt operating was louder than the sound of the gun being fired.

[edit] The Change To 7.62x51 NATO

RFI Rifle 7.62mm 2A1 (aka Ishapore 2A1)
Image:RFI Rifle 7.62mm 2A1.JPG
Type	Reserve Weapon
Place of origin	India
Service history
In service	1963-Present
Used by	India
Wars	Sino-Indian War
Production history
Designer	Ishapore Rifle Factory
Designed	1963
Produced	1963-1975
Number built	approx 500,000
Variants	2A (2000m sights)
Specifications
Weight	4.7 kg, unloaded
Length	44.5 in (1130 mm)

Cartridge	7.62x51mm NATO
Calibre	7.62x51 NATO
Action	Bolt-action
Rate of fire	20-30 rounds/minute
Muzzle velocity	2600 ft/s
Effective range	800m
Maximum range	2000m
Feed system	10 or 12- round magazine, loaded with 5-round charger clips
Sights	Sliding ramp rear sights, Fixed-post front sights

During the 1960's, the British Government and the Ministry of Defence converted a number of Lee-Enfield No. 4 rifles to 7.62 mm NATO as part of a program to retain the Lee-Enfield as a rear-echelon weapon and as an emergency issue rifle for British military and civil defence forces if the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact invaded Western Europe and the British military were short of L1A1 SLRs to arm her troops at home and abroad to fight the Soviet Union.

The Lee-Enfield No. 4 series rifles that were converted to 7.62 mm NATO were re-designated as the L8 series rifles with the rifles being refitted with 7.62 mm NATO rifle barrels, new bolt faces and extractor claws, new rear sights and new 10-round 7.62 mm NATO rifle magazines that were produced by RSAF Enfield and Sterling Armaments to replace the old 10-round .303 British rifle magazines that the No. 4 series rifles employed.

The outward appearance of the L8 series rifles were no different to the original No. 4 rifles, except for the new 7.62 mm NATO rifle magazine to replace the old .303 British magazine and the new 7.62 mm rifle barrel.

The results of the trials that were conducted on the L8 series rifles produced were mixed and the British Government and the Ministry of Defence decided not to convert their existing stocks of Lee-Enfield No. 4 rifles to 7.62 mm NATO. Despite this, the British learned from the results of the L8 test program and used them in successfully converting their stocks of No. 4 (T) sniper rifles to 7.62 mm NATO and hence the creation of the L42A1 series sniper rifles.

The L42A1 sniper rifle continued as the British Army's standard sniper weapon until the early 1990s, being replaced by Accuracy International's L96.

During the 1970's, RSAF Enfield produced the Enfield Enforcer series sniper rifles for use by police marksmen in Great Britain. The Enfield Enforcer was made in small numbers and the rifles are highly sought after by many gun collectors due to the small numbers of rifles that were produced by RSAF Enfield, and due to the policy of various Metropolitan Police services in Great Britain to destroy old police firearms instead of selling them to the general public which has made the Enforcer rifle a collector's item.

[edit] Ishapore 2A/2A1- The Last Lee-Enfield

Main article: Rifle 7.62mm 2A1

At some point just after the Sino-Indian War of 1963, the Ishapore Rifle Factory in India began producing a new type of rifle known as the Rifle 7.62 mm 2A, which was based on the SMLE Mk III* and reworked to use the 7.62 mm NATO round. Externally the rifle is very similar to the classic Mk III*, with the exception of the magazine- which is more "square" and usually carries twelve rounds instead of ten, although a number of 2A1s have been noted with 10 round magazines. Ishapore 2A/2A1 rifles are made with strengthened steel (to handle the increased pressures of the 7.62x51 round), and the extractor is redesigned to cope with the rimless round. From 1965-1975 (when production is believed to have been discontinued), the sights were changed from 2000 m to 800 m, and the rifle re-designated Rifle 7.62 mm 2A1.

There are no other differences between the Ishapore 2A and 2A1 rifles, but they are often incorrectly described as ".308 conversions". It must be stressed that the 2A/2A1 rifles are not conversions of .303 calibre SMLE Mk III* rifles- they are new manufacture, and are not technically chambered for commercial .308 Winchester ammunition. However, many 2A/2A1 owners shoot commercial .308 Winchester ammunition in their rifles with no problems, although it must be stressed .308 Winchester does generate higher pressures than 7.62x51 NATO, even though the rounds are otherwise interchangeable. The Ishapore 2A1 has the distinction of being the last non-sniper military bolt action rifle ever designed and issued to an armed force, and they are becoming increasingly popular with civilian shooters and collectors in the US, UK, and Australia as the supplies of affordable .303 British ammunition fluctuate.

[edit] Production & Manufacturers

In total over 14 million Lee-Enfields had been produced in several factories on different continents when production in Britain shut down in 1956, at ROF (Royal Ordnance Factory) Fazakerley. Contributing to the total was the arsenal at Ishapore in India, which continued to produce the Enfield in both .303 and 7.62 mm (NATO) (the 2A1) until the 1980s,the BSA factory at Shirley near Birmingham, and SAF Lithgow in Australia, who finally discontinued production of the SMLE Mk III* in 1950.

Post-WWII SAF Lithgow converted some SMLE IIIs and III*s to commercial sporting rifles with Lithgow Slazenger branding. These included the centrefire .22 Hornet and the .410 British shotgun.

From the late 1940s, legislation in New South Wales, Australia, outlawed .303 British calibre rifles, so large numbers of SMLEs were converted to "wildcat" calibres such as .303/25, .303/22, and the popular 7.7x54 round. .303/25 calibre sporterised SMLEs are very common in Australia today, although getting ammunition for them is very difficult. The restrictions placed on the .303 British calibre and rifles chambered for .303 British in New South Wales were lifted in the 1970's and many people who converted their Lee-Enfields to the "wildcat" rounds converted their rifles back to .303 British.

Numerous attempts were made to convert the .410 Shotgun model (which was single shot, and generally manufactured by the Ishapore arsenal) to a bolt-action repeating model by removing the wooden magazine plug and replacing it with a standard 10 shot SMLE magazine. None of these is known to have been successful, however, a compromise has been reached by fitting a Stevens/Savage .410 magazine into an original SMLE magazine housing.

The .410 conversions were mostly used for crowd control as riot shotguns in India. They are chambered for a 2" British .410 shotshell, basically a blown out .303 British cartridge. As these cartridges have not been manufactured for several years ammunition is strictly a "roll your own" prospect. Many of these conversions have been reamed out to accept modern 2 1/2"-3" .410 shotshells in the United States. As the pressure for even high velocity .410 ammunition operate well below standard .303 British pressure ranges these conversions, when done by a competent gunsmith, are quite safe to shoot.

SMLEs were also made as (or converted) to .22 rimfire for training purposes, designated "Rifle No 2 Mk IV"- not to be confused with the service-issue Rifle No 4 Mk 2.

Ishapore-made .303 calibre SMLE Mk III* rifles have appeared with 1980's manufacture dates suggesting that it may still be manufactured in the Indian sub-continent. Attempts to contact the Ishapore Rifle Factory to confirm this have been unsuccessful. However, re-arsenaled rifles on the Indian sub-continent often have all old markings scrubbed off, and a new marking added, so there is some debate as to whether 1980s-dated SMLEs are actually newly-made, or simply re-arsenaled. Image:LSA SMLE Band Markings smaller.jpg

[edit] List of Manufacturers

The manufacturer's names found on the MLE, CLLE, and SMLE Mk I- Mk III* rifles and variants are:

Marking	Manufacturer	Country
Enfield	Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield	United Kingdom
Sparkbrook	Royal Small Arms Factory Sparkbrook	United Kingdom
BSA Co	Birmingham Small Arms Co. Ltd	United Kingdom
LSA Co	London Small Arms Co. Ltd	United Kingdom
Lithgow	Small Arms Factory Lithgow	Australia
GRI	Ishapore Rifle Factory	British India
RFI	Ishapore Rifle Factory	India (Post-Partition)

_{Note 1: "SSA" and "NFA" markings are sometimes encountered on WWI-dated SMLE Mk III* rifles. These stand for "Standard Small Arms" and "National Rifle Factory", respectively. Rifles so marked were assembled using parts from various other manufacturers, as part of a scheme during WWI to boost rifle production in the UK. Only SMLE Mk III* rifles are known to have been assembled under this program.}

_{Note 2: GRI stands for "Georgius Rex, Imperator", denoting a rifle made during the British Raj. RFI stands for "Rifle Factory, Ishapore", denoting a rifle made after the Partition of India in 1947.}

For the No. 4 Mk I, No. 4 Mk I* and No. 4 Mk 2 rifles:

Marking	Manufacturer	Country
ROF (F)	Royal Ordnance Factory Fazakerley	United Kingdom
ROF (M)	Royal Ordnance Factory Maltby	United Kingdom
BSA Co	Birmingham Small Arms Co. Ltd	United Kingdom
Longbranch	Longbranch Arsenal	Canada
US PROPERTY [S]	Savage Arms	USA
POF	Pakistani Ordnance Factory	Pakistan

_{Note 1 : WWII UK production rifles had manufacturer codes for security reasons. For example, BSA Shirley is denoted by M47C, ROF(M) is often simply stamped "M", and BSA is simply stamped "B".}

_{Note 2: Savage-made Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I* rifles are all stamped "US PROPERTY". They were supplied to the UK under the Lend-Lease programme during WWII.}

Australian International Arms No. 4 Mk IV

The Brisbane-based Australian International Arms also manufacture a modern reproduction of the No 4 Mk I rifle, which they market as the AIA No. 4 Mk IV. Chambered in 7.62x51 NATO/.308 Winchester, the No. 4 Mk IV is designed with the modern shooter in mind, and has the ability to mount a telescopic sight without drilling & tapping the receiver. Stocked with Teak, the No. 4 Mk IV has been very positively received by shooters and hunters in Australia, despite retailing for approximately AUD$1000- compared to about AUD$400 for a .303 calibre WWII vintage No. 4 Mk I or a 1960s 7.62x51 NATO Ishapore 2A1. It must be noted that the rifles are produced in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and are subject to import controls in the United States.

[edit] Khyber Pass Copies

A number of British Service Rifles, predominantly the Martini-Henry and Martini-Enfield, but also the various Lee-Enfield rifles- have been produced by small manufacturers in the Khyber Pass region of the Indian/Pakistani/Afghani border. "Khyber Pass Copies", as they are known, tend to be copied exactly from a "Master" rifle, which may itself be a Khyber Pass Copy, markings and all- which is why it's not uncommon to see Khyber Pass rifles with the "N" in "Enfield" reversed, amongst other things.

The quality on such rifles varies from "As good as a factory-produced example" to "Dangerously unsafe", tending towards the latter end of the scale. The ammunition used in the region is often underloaded, being made from a variety of powders -or even old film (which contains nitrocellulose, a key component of smokeless powder), and as such, Khyber Pass Copy rifles cannot generally stand up to the pressures generated by modern commercial ammunition.

It is generally advised that Khyber Pass made firearms NOT be fired under any circumstances.

Although there are a few collectors out there who have made extremely mild handloaded cartridges for their Khyber Pass rifles, this practice is not recommended, as there is nonetheless a high element of risk involved.

Khyber Pass Copies can be recognised by a number of factors, notably:

Spelling errors in the markings; as noted the most common of which is a reversed "N" in "Enfield")
V.R. (Victoria Regina) cyphers dated after 1901; Queen Victoria died in 1901, so any rifles made after 1901 should be stamped "E.R" (Edwardius Rex - King Edward VII or King Edward VIII) or "G.R" (Georgius Rex, - King George V or King George VI).
Generally inferior workmanship, including weak/soft metal, poorly finished wood, and badly struck markings.

[edit] The Lee-Enfield In Military/Police Use Today

Lee-Enfield Rifles are used by reserve forces and police forces in many Commonwealth countries, particularly Canada, where they are the main rifle issued to the Canadian Rangers, and India, where the Lee-Enfield is widely issued to reserve military units and police forces - Indian police officers carrying SMLE Mk III* and Ishapore 2A1 rifles were a familiar sight throughout railway stations in India after the Bombay train bombings of 2006. Many Afghani participants in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan were armed with Lee-Enfields, the rifle being common in the Middle East and are today manufactured in the Khyber Pass region, as bolt-action rifles remain effective weapons in a desert environments where long-range accuracy is more important than volume of fire.

Photos from the current civil war in Nepal show that the Government troops are being issued SMLE Mk III/III* rifles to fight the Maoist rebels. The SMLEs observed are not in especially good condition, but it should also be noted that the Maoists are also armed with SMLEs (and anything else they can acquire), but as to whether the SMLEs in question are of British or Indian manufacture is unknown, as is the year of manufacture. Lee-Enfield rifles were also used by numerous warring factions in the Solomon Islands during the early 2000s, with news footage showing one faction's fighters using Lee-Enfield No.4 rifles that they had taken from government armouries.

The Lee-Enfield family of rifles is the oldest rifle design still in official service, after the contemporary Mosin-Nagant M91/30 was officially retired by the last of the former Communist Bloc in 1998 - a testament to both the durability of the original Lee-Enfield design and the influence of the British Empire.

[edit] The Lee-Enfield as a Target Rifle and a Hunting Rifle

Lee-Enfields are very popular hunting rifles. Many surplus Commonwealth rifles were sold in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Southern Africa- all countries in which they are also popular with hunters, farmers and sportsmen. A fair number have been 'sporterised', having had the front furniture reduced or removed and a scope fitted so that they resemble a bolt action sporting rifle while many other Lee-Enfields remained in their original military configuration. Top-notch accuracy is difficult to achieve with the Lee-Enfield design, as it was intented to be a battle rifle and not a sharpshooter's weapon, and thus the Enfield is nowadays overshadowed by derivatives of Paul Mauser's design as a target shooting arm. They did however continue to be used at Bisley up into the 1970's with some success, and continue to perform extremely well at Military Service Rifle Competitions throughout the world. More recently, the Lee-Enfield rifle is mainly shot by historic rifle enthusiasts and those who find the 10 shot magazine, loading by stripper clips and the rapid bolt action useful for Practical Rifle events. Since formation in 1998, the organisations such as the Lee Enfield Rifle Association have greatly assisted in not just preserving rifles in shooting condition (many Lee-Enfields are being deactivated and sold as "wall-hangers" to collectors who do not hold a Firearms Licence), but holding events and competitions wholly accurate in terms of the various courses of fire and targets of the period. Lee-Enfields are also popular with competitors in service rifle competitions in many British Commonwealth countries- notably Australia, which boasts a very active Military Service Rifle shooting community.

Many people still hunt with as-issued Lee-Enfield rifles, with commercial .303 British ammunition (typically loaded with a 180gr SP projectile) proving especially effective on medium-sized game. The 10-round magazine and fast bolt are especially desirable in areas where multiple opportunities to make a humane shot may present themselves, or there is a likelihood of encountering more than one animal at a time.

[edit] Lee-Enfields in Popular Culture

As the standard infantry arm of the British Empire for over a century, the Lee-Enfield rifle had a strong impact on the military affairs of the time, and often appears in feature films concerning the British Empire/Commonwealth. Notably, in the film Breaker Morant (set during the Boer War, Morant is asked under what rule or regulation he took it upon himself to shoot a group of Afrikaner prisoners. He replies "Three-oh-three, sir. I shot them under Rule three-oh-three"- a reference to the Lee-Enfield's calibre.

There is a long tradition of the incorrect use of Lee-Enfields in films; many First World War films- notably The Blue Max- have German soldiers equipped with the No. 4 Rifle, and similarly, the Turkish soldiers in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)- who should be carrying German Mausers- are, for some reason, shown equipped with SMLE Mk III rifles.

In non-military film usage, the Lee-Enfield makes notable appearances in The Mummy Returns, with John Hannah's character using a Lee-Enfield target rifle to fight off several attackers, and in the film Tomb Raider. The use of an SMLE Mk III Target Rifle in The Mummy Returns is somewhat unique, as hundreds of thousands of SMLE Mk III rifles were converted to Range Pattern/Target Rifles in the early to mid 20th century, yet they very rarely appear on screen. Indeed, The Mummy Returns is perhaps the only significant film to feature an SMLE Target Rifle in the correct historical context (despite the somewhat fanciful nature of the overall plot), whilst the presence (and use thereof) of an SMLE Mk III* in Lara Croft's house in Tomb Raider could be seen as an effort to convey almost a museum-like quality to her residence.

The Lee-Enfield rifle was surprisingly absent from computer games until fairly recently, as most WWII-themed games tend to focus on US and German equipment. However, of late, the Lee-Enfield No 4 Mk I has started to feature in a number of games, most notably Call of Duty, Battlefield:1942, and the Medal of Honor: Allied Assault series. The Lee-Enfield's representation in these games is often slightly inaccurate, in the interests of gameplay balancing- for example, the No 4 Mk I rifles in Battlefield: 1942 only hold 5 rounds (compared to 10 in reality), and the No 4 Mk I's rate of fire in Call of Duty is made slower to make it equal to that of the Karabiner 98k and the Mosin-Nagant M91/30 rifles also featured in the game, contrary to its actual speed. Interestingly, the SMLE Mk III rifle has not appeared in any major computer game, despite having actually been in service for a longer period of time (and in more wars) than the No 4 Mk I.

[edit] References

Skennerton, Ian The Lee-Enfield Story (1993). Arms & Militaria Press, Gold Coast QLD (Australia) ISBN 1-85367-138-X
Smith, W.H.B. 1942 Basic Manual of Military Small Arms (Facsimile Edition), Stackpole Books, Harrisburg PA (USA), ISBN 0-8117-1699-6
Wilson, Royce. "Jungle Fever- The Lee-Enfield .303 Rifle". Australian Shooter, May 2006