A future article. Comments welcome.
John
The Lee-Enfield rifle will forever be associated with its long use by the British Empire. Its extensive history, iconic profile and reputation for reliability and rapid fire indelibly etch it into one’s mind as a one of the true military rifle classics. It was one of the most successful bolt action rifles in its time frame, which spanned from 1895 to the 1990s. Produced by many nations, including the United States, it’s been distributed worldwide and even today can be found in the hands of combatants in the mountains and plains of Afghanistan. The sun never sets on Lee-Enfield rifles. It’s been estimated that over 17 million have been produced.
The Lee-Enfield was essentially a redesign of the black powder Lee-Metford Mk I rifle, which was the brainchild of James Paris Lee (1831-1904), a Scottish-Canadian who moved to America in 1858. The Lee-Metford was adopted by the British Army in 1888. The first Lee-Enfields were introduced in 1895, as the .303 caliber “Rifle, Magazine, Lee-Enfield.” This differed from the Lee-Metford primarily in usng a deeper rifling developed by Enfield Arsenal, as the more shallow Metford rifling fared badly after smokeless Cordite powder replaced compressed black powder charges. This was a long, heavy weapon. The MLE (nicknamed “Emily”) was superseded in December, 1902 by the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk I (SMLE). This one was popularly known as “Smelly.” The “Short” in the designation does not refer to the magazine, but to the length of the rifle. While the MLEs had 30.2-inch barrels and the cavalry carbines had 20-inchers, the new rifle was much lighter than the MLE and had a mid-length 25-inch barrel. Then in 1907 the SMLE Mk III appeared. It fired a redesigned .303 high velocity spitzer round designated as the Mk VII cartridge. This utilized a pointed 174-grain bullet instead of the previous 215-grain rounded bullet. This model then became standard issue throughout the World War I period. SMLEs achieved an enviable reputation for rapidity of fire. A trained infantryman could get off as many as 15 - 30 shots a minute including reloading. The action of the rifle separated the extraction and cocking phases (it cocked on closing), and so enabled quick manipulation. The Germans of WWI sometimes reported that they were facing machine guns, when in reality they were encountering well-trained Brits shooting their rifles at full tilt. The demand for rapid production during WWI spawned some modifications that allowed reductions in cost and more efficient manufacturing. Long range sights on the side of the rifle were eliminated and the magazine cut-off was deleted. The revised SMLE Mk III* (Mark III star) was renamed after the war to be the Rifle, No. 1, with various mark numbers.
The Mark III* or No. 1 rifle was to see plenty of action in the years to come. The standards were set at a weight of about 8.8 pounds and a length of 44 ½ inches. The barrel length was fixed at 25 inches. The Mk VII Ball cartridge had a muzzle velocity of approximately 2440 feet per second, giving the rifle an effective range of about 550 yards. The weapon had a removable box magazine with a capacity of 10 rounds. It was designed to be reloaded by 5-round clips or “chargers” from the top. The magazine was removable primarily for cleaning or replacement purposes, and only one was issued with each rifle. Individual cartridges could be fed into the magazine as well. The rifle utilized a sliding ramp rear sight and post front sight, drift adjustable for windage. It could be equipped with scope sights for sniper purposes. The Lee-Enfield design featured rear locking lugs. This allowed a shorter and therefore quicker bolt movement. Another great design feature was the removable bolt head. This could be unscrewed and changed to compensate for differences in headspace. The 10-round magazine had greater capacity than most of its contemporaries. The Enfields also had generous chamber dimensions which allowed for dirty ammunition, easing extraction when the rifle was fouled or overheated from firing. All had two-piece stocks.
In World War II, yet another variation was introduced. This was the No. 4 Mk I, which was adopted for the British services in 1941. The weight was somewhat reduced, and it utilized a spike-type bayonet often referred to by its users as the “pig sticker” or “tent peg.” A somewhat more mass-producible version was the No. 4 Mk I* (Mark I star). It was manufactured at the Long Branch arsenal in Canada and by the Savage-Stevens company in the United States. The U.S.-produced weapons were all marked “U.S. PROPERTY” and were specifically made for lend-lease to the British. None were ever standard issue for U.S. troops. Some of these rifles had 2-groove rifling instead of the standard 5-groove. These U.S. rifles had a simplified bolt release, and had the rear sight mounted on the receiver, as with all No. 4's. The rear stock was made in several lengths in order to fit individual soldiers. The rifle illustrated is a Savage-Stevens-made example, manufactured in 1942 in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. Winchester Repeating Arms Company made a large quantity of .303 British ammunition to go with the rifles. Both the rifles and the ammunition are collector items today. No. 4 rifles equipped with sniper scopes were used during WWII and on into the Korean War and beyond. Australia did not adopt the No. 4, and continued to make the No. 1 rifle until it was replaced by the L1A1 self-loading rifle.
A variant popularly known as the “jungle carbine” was also manufactured during World War II. It was designated as the No. 5 Mk I. This weapon had a cone-shaped flash suppressor and a drastically reduced length for portability. It also had a rather ineffective recoil pad. The recoil on this lightweight carbine can only be described as brutal, and it was not well received in the field. It was soon declared obsolete. Many examples also had a problem of a "wandering zero,” the cause of which was never diagnosed properly. The Australians made a few similar experimental carbines designated No. 6, Mk I. The production life of the No. 5 Mk I was quite short, making it collectible today. Be advised that there are some cobbled-up fakes resembling these weapons, so be sure of what you are looking to acquire.
There was an unusual pistol-caliber carbine made for British special operations. This was known as the “De Lisle Carbine,” and was specifically designed for covert assassination purposes. It was a Lee-Enfield modified to chamber and fire the .45 ACP cartridge from a short barrel. It featured an integral sound suppressor and was fed from a standard M1911 pistol magazine. Also, many Lee-Enfields were modified to chamber .22 rimfire cartridges for inexpensive training purposes.
During the Cold War, the 7.62x51 NATO cartridge became standard. In Britain, a few Lee-Enfields were converted to fire this new round, and but it was not adopted by the British military in standard form. However, the scoped L42A1 sniper rifle was made for the 7.62mm round and has seen extensive use. The Indian Ishapore arsenal did make standard Lee-Enfields in 7.62mm, as well as some .410 shotguns using the Lee-Enfield action. Production of standard 7.62mm rifles started in 1963 and ran through 1975. These rifles had a muzzle velocity of 2600 feet per second, and utilized a 12-round detachable box magazine. Loading was by 5-round stripper clips. Some of these are in use even today. These 7.62mm Indian rifles used improved steel over earlier No. 1 rifles. Britain produced some 7.62mm L39A1 “Envoy” rifles, which were target rifles fitted with short forestocks and target sights.
A large number of manufacturing sites produced the various Lee-Enfields. In Britain, these included the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, the Royal Small Arms Factory at Sparkbrook, Birmingham Small Arms Company Ltd., London Small Arms Company Ltd., the Royal Ordnance Factory at Fazakerley, the Royal Ordnance Factory at Maltby, and the Birmingham Small Arms Factory at Shirley. As mentioned, American Lee-Enfields were produced by the Savage-Stevens Company. Canadian versions were made at their Long Branch Arsenal. In Pakistan, they were manufactured at the various Pakistan Ordnance Factories, and in India at the Ishapore Arsenal. Australian rifles came out of the Lithgow Small Arms Factory.
Although replaced by the L1A1 7.62mm SLR rifle in 1957, the Lee-Enfields remained in the British service until the early 1960s. The 7.62 mm L42A1 sniper rifles soldiered on until the 1990s. Standard SMLEs are still in service with some Commonwealth nations.
Nations using the Lee-Enfield rifles besides the United Kingdom have included Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy (post WWII), Ireland, Israel, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Greece, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Pakistan, Republic of China (Savage-Stevens-made No. 4 Mk I* rifles were provided to RoC forces in India during WW II), Rhodesia, South Africa, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and the United States. U.S. utilization occurred during WWI when some members of the American Expeditionary Force attached to British and Australian units borrowed and used them, and Merrill's Marauders used some in Burma in WWII.
Often regarded as inferior to the Mauser system in the strength of its action and its lack of gilt-edged accuracy, the Lee-Enfield proved to be one of the most “soldier proof” rifles of its day. It was reliable, extremely fast in operation, easily maintained in the field, and distributed in large numbers around the world. It surely ranks among the classic military rifles of the 20th Century.
(c) 2013 JLM
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