Lee-Enfield : Right Arm of the Empire

The British military adopted the Lee-Enfield in 1895. It was a revolutionary design. It was issued across the British Empire, and became one the most widely recognized bolt-action weapons ever deployed. The Lee-Enfield, despite being overshadowed in the history of bolt-action rifles by the Mosin-Nagant and the Mauser, is still the third-most-produced model with an estimated 17,000,000 units produced. 4 Mk 2. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.Not too many rifles have been in active service for centuries like the Lee-Enfield. The Lee-Enfield rifle has been used in many conflicts since 1899, including the Middle East. It was a new variant as warfare evolved in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The Lee-Metford is named after Jame Paris Lee who designed the action and William Ellis Metford, who designed rifling. The Lee-Metford rifle was developed in the era of black powder cartridges. It was a high-tech design that offered rapid-fire as opposed to the slow-to-reload Martini-Enfield single-shot rifles it replaced. The military liked the Lee-Metford but the switch to smokeless powder cartridges forced it to evolve into the Lee-Enfield that we know today. A Lee-Metford Mk 2 Photo: Wikipedia. As you may know, the Mauser 98’s action is locked into place by two primary lugs on the front of the bolt. This means that the Mauser requires the user to lift the bolt 90 degrees in order to cycle the action. Despite its shortcomings, the Mauser 98 had a lasting impact on the design of bolt-action rifles in the years to come. The Lee-Enfield action, while not as popular as the Mauser, had some distinct advantages. This is because the locking lugs are located closer to the rear end of the bolt and lock into the receiver bridge, rather than the receiver ring, as on Mauser rifles. This allows the bolt to be cycled faster than a Mauser action. It also does not block the shooter’s view, as it only requires a bolt lift of 60 degrees. This also results in a shorter travel distance for the Lee-Enfield’s bolt. The Lee-Enfield was the fastest cycling bolt-action gun of its time because of these details. A Lee-Enfield Bolt. One of the rear locking lugs is visible on top. If there is one negative aspect of the rear lug, it’s accuracy. Photo: Apex Gun Parts. The Mauser-style action has more play because the front of bolt does not lock in the receiver. Enfields were faster than Mausers, which gave them an advantage in accuracy. However, for military rifles the speed advantage was more important. The Lee-Enfield used a 10-round box magazine. It was a unique feature, but the old-school army assumed that soldiers would lose it. Our soldiers today are equipped with multiple magazines, and they don’t hesitate to drop them during a reload. The soldiers were required to recharge the magazines with stripper clips, even though they had detachable magazine. This was not feasible in the past, and the soldiers were expected, despite having detachable magazine, to do so while the rifles were still loaded. In the prone position, a rifleman shoots at a target 48 inches across at 300 yards. The goal is to hit the target the most times possible in one minute. A trained rifleman can easily get 20-30 hits in 60 seconds. British troops training with a SMLE Mk III. While the rear lug-action of the Lee-Enfield rifle was novel, its barrel length of 25.2 inches was controversial. The established shooting community believed that a rifle required a long barrel to improve accuracy. This was not true. The Lee-Enfield had a barrel between a carbine and a rifle, and provided a good compromise between maneuverability and ballistic effectiveness. By WWII, the Lee-Enfield was transformed into the No. The Lee-Enfield rifle was renamed the No. 4 in 1942, which cemented its reputation as the world’s best military rifle. The phrase “the empire where the sun never sets” was used to describe the fact that the sun always shone on at least one of England’s overseas possessions. The nations of the Commonwealth were also armed with Lee-Enfields. The Lee-Enfields were used in all the territories, from the deserts to the jungles. The rifles were as popular as Kalashnikovs today..303 British loaded into stripper clips. The.303 British cartridge was developed in 1887 and adopted by British forces in 1888 for the Lee-Metford rifle. It was actually used by the British military until 1957, when it was replaced with the 7.62x51mm NATO. The original load for.303 British was a 215 grain round nose bullet with a cobalt-nickel jacket, over 70 grains of compressed powder. However, cordite was quickly substituted when it became available in 1891. This cordite load produced velocities of approximately 1,970 fps. The round-nose bullet proved unimpressive in battle, so the British experimented several expanding projectiles until they were prohibited by the Hague Convention of1899. Spitzer bullets have a pointed design, rather than being rounded. This results in a higher velocity. The MK VII cartridge, loaded with a 174 grain full metal jacket bullet was capable of producing 2,440 fps at the muzzle and approximately 2,300 foot-pounds in muzzle energy. The MK VII round was unique in that it had a solid jacket but the front part of the bullet core is made of wood pulp, aluminum or other materials. The bullet’s center-of-gravity was shifted backwards, causing it to tumble and cause more severe injuries. Most current commercial.303 British ammunition is loaded with 180-grain FMJ and soft-point bullets. In some cases, older variants are updated to the most recent design specifications and given a brand new name. MLEAn MLE Mk 1 that has undergone the CLLE transformation. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company. The first Lee-Enfield model was the Magazine or Lee-Enfield, also known as MLE. It is sometimes called “Emily”, instead of saying each letter “M.L.E”. These rifles were adopted by the British in 1895. They were chambered for the.303-caliber round and had a 30.2-inch barrel. A shorter version was known as the Lee-Enfield carbine Mk I and it had a 21.2-inch bar. Over the years, the Lee-Enfield evolved. Some were converted to load from strips. These were known as Charger Loading Lee-Enfields (CLLEs) and first saw service in the Second Boer War, 1899-1902. The MLE was compared to Mausers in this war, but the MLE’s reloading time was inferior. The Mauser was able to reload relatively quickly using a stripper to reload its internal magazine, whereas the MLE required rounds to be inserted one at a time.SMLEAn SMLE Mark I. Photo: Wikipedia. This discovery led to the addition of stripper clips to the MLE. The new design was named the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE Mk I) and adopted by British military in 1904. The name “Short” came about because the 25.1-inch barrel was not as long as the MLE but also wasn’t shorter than the cavalry carbine version. The new SMLE designation led to many lovingly referring to the rifle as “Smelly.”SMLE Mark IIIAn SMLE Mark III. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company. The next major variant, the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III, was introduced in 1907. This model featured a new stripper guide and a rear ladder sight that was simplified. The front sight was protected by massive wings both on the left and right sides. The chamber was also modified to accommodate the Mk VII.303 British round that was introduced along with it. The Mk III* was introduced in 1915 as a cheaper and faster version of the Mk III, which was manufactured during WWI. The magazine cut-off was removed and the cocking piece was changed from a knob into a serrated flat piece. A sniper version called the SMLE No. A sniper variant called the SMLE No. sniper version. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company. The Mk III and Mk III* was used by British forces during World War I. They found them to tough, reliable and efficient. British troops would often hit German soldiers from 600 yards away when the war was fought over a long distance. The First Battle of Ypres took place between Allied forces, including the British. The speed with which the rifles were fired led the Germans to believe that the British were sometimes armed with machine gun. Guns were exposed to mud in the trench warfare which could cause the action to jam. The rear lug Lee-Enfield was also easier to clean. This was because the front of the bolt, as well as the breech, were easier to clean. Commonwealth manufacturers included Lithgow Small Arms Factory, Australia and Rifle Factory Ishapore, India. 4 Mk IA No. 4 Mk I*. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company. The next major variant was No. 4 Mk I. This model was first manufactured in 1931 but didn’t go into mass production or be officially adopted until 1941, after WWII had already begun. The No. 4 was a model that was modified primarily to make it easier to manufacture. The No. 4 was easier to produce. The barrel of the No. 4 is different from the SMLE rifles that were used in WWI. The barrel of the No. The rear sight was also changed to an aperture rear sight that had apertures for 300 yards and600 yards. The No. The No. In 1942, to meet wartime production requirements and simplify machining, the No. 4 rifle was redesigned. It went from a five- or six groove rifling pattern to a two-groove rifling pattern. The No. The No. 4 rifles were made in England, Canada, the United States and Pakistan Ordnance Factories. No. 4 Mk I T sniper variant. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company. The No. The No.4 was also developed as a sniper weapon. These rifles were selected by hand at the factory based on their accuracy. The rifle had to be able to fire seven shots within a five-inch diameter circle at 200 yards, and six shots within a 10 inch circle at 400 yards. These rifles are then equipped with a wooden cheekpiece, scope and designated the No. 4 Mk I(T) or No. 4 Mk I* (T) or No. 5 Mk IA No.5 Mk I “Jungle Carbine”. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.Late during WWII, a carbine-version of No. The 4 was redesigned with a shorter barrel, which reduced the weight of the rifle by 2 pounds. The barrel was fitted a cone-shaped shield and a rubber pad was used instead of a metal plate. This rifle was called Rifle No. The war and weapons of WWII saw a massive change. The No. 4 rifle was a rifle that had good accuracy, which was ideal for long-range combat in WWI. In WWII, the No. 4 started to show its age. Bolt-action guns were slow and heavy in comparison to the newer, self-loading weapons used by Germany. The No. While the No. Despite this, some Commonwealth countries still use the No. The No. The No. The L42A1 was rechambered from 4 Mk* (T) sniper weapons. Surplus Lee-Enfields, like other military rifles, found their way to many hunting camps throughout the years. Hunters in Australia, Canada and New Zealand still use the rifle, even though it is not as popular in America. Sporterized Enfields are usually equipped with scopes and have a cut-down stock. Due to the sheer volume of rifles produced, there are many Lee-Enfields available on the market. The most common variants of the SMLE No. The most common variants are the SMLE No. They are available in a variety of conditions. Many online retailers and auction websites sell them, but if the rifle’s past is important to you, it is best to avoid sporting guns that have been bubba-fied into hunting rifles by amateur gunsmiths. A sniper model or a more rare variant will command a higher price. However, you can find a shooter-grade Lee-Enfield that is less than $600 by shopping around. Photo: Wikipedia.Considering just how many times the Lee-Enfield was redesigned, updated and modified over the years, it’s no surprise that it remained in service for as long as it did. Early in its history, it was a strong competitor to rifles such as the Mauser 98. The rifle was a bit out of date by today’s standards when WWII arrived, but it served the British well. The No. 4 was a good choice because of the limited time and budget. The Lee-Enfield is still in use today by everyone from police to guerillas. It has been used since its invention in the majority of major conflicts around the world. This is likely to remain the case. 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