Lee-Enfield

Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk I, II and III (SMLE Mk III, aka Rifle, No. 1 Mk III) Type Bolt-action rifle Country of Origin UK Specifications Length 1,130 mm (44.5 in) Barrel 635 mm (25 in) Weight ~4 kg (8.8 lb) depending on wood density Cartridge .303 Mk VII SAA Ball Caliber .303 action Bolt-action Muzzle velocity 744 m/s (2,441 ft/s) Effective range 550 yd (503 m) Max. range 2,000 yd (1,829 m) Feed 10-round magazine, loaded with 5-round charger clips Sights Sliding ramp rear sights, Fixed-post front sights, "Dial" long-range volley sights Service History In service 1895-present Used by United Kingdom & Colonies, British Commonwealth, Thailand Wars First & Second Boer War, World War I, Irish War of Independence, World War II, Korean War, Suez Crisis, Falklands War, Northern Ireland, Mau Mau Uprising, Sino-Indian War, Indo-Pakistan Wars, Soviet war in Afghanistan and numerous other conflicts. Production History Designer James Paris Lee, RSAF Enfield Production dates 1907- Number built over 17,000,000 Variants SMLE Mk III*, (HT) Telescopic Sighted Sniper Rifle, Mk III* Grenade-Launching Rifle

The Lee-Enfield was, in various marks and models, the British Army's standard bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle for over 60 years from (officially) 1895 until 1957, although it remained in British service well into the early 1960s and is still found in service in the armed forces of some Commonwealth nations. In its many versions, 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 which was loaded manually from the top, either one round at a time, or by means of five-round chargers. The Lee-Enfield superseded the earlier Martini-Henry, Martini-Enfield, and Lee-Metford rifles, and although officially replaced in the UK with the L1A1 SLR in 1957, it continues to see official service in a number of British Commonwealth nations to the present day—notably with the Indian Police—and is the longest-serving military bolt-action rifle still in official service.

Total production of all Lee-Enfields is estimated at over 17 million rifles, making it 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.

Design and history

The Lee-Enfield rifle was derived from the earlier Lee-Metford, a mechanically similar black powder rifle, which combined James Paris Lee's rear-locking bolt system with a barrel featuring rifling designed by William Ellis Metford. The Lee 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 force 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.

The Lee-Enfield relied on various woods for its stock but chiefly walnut, both North American black walnut and European 'English' walnut, renowned for their qualities. The decorative figure of these timbers, prized amongst game shooters, was not required for military rifles, but it is not uncommon to find military Lee-Enfield rifles with almost presentation-quality wood stocks.

The rifle was also equipped with a detachable sheet-steel, 10-round, double-column 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 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 were proved to be unfounded.

The fast-operating Lee bolt-action and large magazine capacity 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 — Sergeant Instructor Snoxall — who placed 38 rounds into a 12" target at 300 yards (270 m) in one minute. Some straight-pull bolt-action rifles were thought faster, but lacked the simplicity, reliability, and generous magazine capacity of the Lee-Enfield. War stories from WWI tell of British troops sending the Germans home reporting they'd suffered withering machine gun fire, when, in fact, it was simply a group of trained riflemen armed with standard-issue SMLE Mk III rifles.

Standard Mk VII .303 inch cartridge for Lee-Enfield rifle

The Lee-Enfield 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 pressure generated by the new smokeless powder quickly wore away 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 a priority to enable the Commonwealth militaries to field self-loading rifles (which require rimless cartridges for more-reliable magazine feeding).

The Lee-Enfield 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 (538mm) barrel as opposed to the 30.2 inch (767mm) 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 chargers, and designated Charger Loading Lee-Enfields, or CLLEs.

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	1906–1927
Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III/III*	1907–Present
Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk V	1922–1924 (Trials Only 20,000)
Rifle No. 4 Mk I	1941–Present
Rifle No. 4 Mk I*	1942–Present
Rifle No 5 Mk I "Jungle Carbine"	1944–Present
Rifle No. 4 Mk 2	1949–Present
Rifle 7.62mm 2A	1964–Present
Rifle 7.62mm 2A1	1965-Present

Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk I

A shorter and lighter version of the original MLE — the famous Rifle, Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield, or SMLE (sometimes spoken as "Smelly", rather than S, M, L, E) — was introduced on January 1, 1904. The barrel was now halfway in length between the original long rifle and the carbine, at 25.2 inches (640mm). 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 Mauser rifle; notably the charger system is different from the fixed "bridge" that would become the standard. The shorter length was controversial at the time: many Rifle Association members and gunsmiths were concerned that the shorter barrel would not be as accurate as the longer MLE barrels, that the recoil would be much greater, and the sighting radius would be too short. A number of the authorities of the day also felt that it was neither short enough for the cavalry, nor long enough for accurate long-range fire by massed infantry.

Magazine Cut-Off on an SMLE Mk III rifle- this feature was deleted on the Mk III* rifle.

Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III

The iconic Lee-Enfield rifle, the SMLE Mk III, was introduced on January 26, 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 High Velocity spitzer .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. Demand was outstripping supply, and in late 1915, the Mk III* was introduced, which incorporated several changes, the most prominent of which were the deletion of the magazine cut-off, 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 magazine cut-off was reinstated after WWI ended, and not entirely dispensed with until 1942.

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* (redesignated Rifle No.1 Mk III* in 1926) saw extensive service throughout World War II as well, especially in the North African, Italian, Pacific and Burmese theatres in the hands of British and Commonwealth forces. Australia and India retained and manufactured the SMLE Mk III* as their standard-issue rifle during the conflict, presumably due to familiarity with the design and ease of production, and the rifle remained in Australian military service through the Korean War, until it was replaced by the L1A1 SLR in the late 1950s. (The Lithgow Small Arms Factory finally ceased production of the SMLE Mk III* in 1953.)

The infant National Army of Ireland adopted the SMLE as their service rifle upon the foundation of the state in 1922. Captured examples had already seen widespread service with the Irish Republican Army during the War of Independence. The weapon was used by both sides during the Civil War period, and examples were still being used by the IRA during the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

Pattern 1914/US M1917

Main Articles: Pattern 1914 Enfield/M1917 Enfield rifle

It should be noted that the Pattern 1914 Enfield and M1917 Enfield rifles are sometimes (incorrectly) assumed to be part of the Lee-Enfield family on account of either their calibre (.303), service history, or designer (RSAF Enfield). P14 and M1917 rifles are Mauser 98 derivatives and not based on the Lee action, and are therefore not part of the Lee-Enfield family of rifles. As such, they are not covered within the scope of this article.

Inter-War period

In 1926 the British Army changed their nomenclature; 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 (.22 rimfire) calibre training rifles, and designated Rifle No. 2, of varying marks. (The Pattern 1914 became the Rifle No. 3.)

Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I* - Longbranch in .303

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 and expensive to manufacture than the Mk III, and so was not developed or issued beyond a trial production of this rifle numbered approximately 20,000 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, and production numbered 1025 units, produced between 1930 and 1933.

Rifle No 4 Mk I

By the late 1930s the need for new rifles grew, and the Rifle, No. 4 Mk I was first issued in 1939 but not officially adopted 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, and a new bayonet was designed to go with the rifle: a spike bayonet, which was essentially a steel rod with a sharp point, and was nicknamed "pigsticker" by soldiers. Towards the end of WWII, a bladed bayonet was developed and issued for the No 4 rifle, using the same mount as the spike bayonet.

During the course of World War II, the No. 4 rifle was further simplified for mass-production with the creation of the No. 4 Mk I* in 1942, which saw the bolt release catch removed in favour of a more simplified notch on the bolt track of the rifle's 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. On the other hand, the No.4 Mk I rifle was primarily produced in the United Kingdom.

Rifle No 4 Mk 2

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 and not from the trigger guard, the No. 4 Mk 2 rifle being fitted with beech wood stocks and the return of brass buttplates. 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. No. 4 Mk 1 rifles so upgraded were re-designated as the No. 4 Mk I/2 rifle, whilst No. 4 Mk I* rifles that were brought up to Mk 2 standards were re-designated as the No. 4 Mk I/3 rifle.

The No. 4 Mk 2 saw extensive use with the Irish Army in the post war period. It was replaced in regular service in the early 1960s by the FN FAL, when the need for a more modern rifle was realised during the Congo Crisis. Examples continued in use by the Army Reserve right up until 1990, and despite its shortcomings as a military weapon by that time, it was popular amongst those who used it.

Lee-Enfield No. 5 Mk 1 "Jungle Carbine"

Rifle No 5 Mk I - The "Jungle Carbine"

Main article: Jungle Carbine

Later in the war the need for a shorter, lighter rifle for use in the jungles of the Far East led to the development of the Rifle, No. 5 Mk I (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 (0.9 kg) lighter. Despite a rubber butt-pad, the .303 round produced too much recoil for the No. 5 to be suitable for general issue. Production of the No. 5 Mk I ceased in 1947 due to an "inherent fault in the design", often said to be a "wandering zero" and accuracy problems. However, the No. 5 Mk I was popular with soldiers owing to its light weight, portability, and shorter overall length than a standard Lee-Enfield rifle.

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, and examples today are extremely rare and valuable to collectors. A "Shortened and Lightened" version of the SMLE Mk III* rifle was also trialled by the Australian military, and a very small number were manufactured at SAF Lithgow during the course of WWII.

The term "Jungle Carbine" was popularised in the 1950s by the Santa Fe Arms Corporation, a U.S. importer of surplus rifles, used in the hopes of increasing sales of a rifle that had little U.S. market penetration. It was never an official military designation, but British & Commonwealth troops serving in the Burmese and Pacific theatres during WWII were known to unofficially refer to the No. 5 Mk I as a "Jungle Carbine" to differentiate it from full length SMLE and No. 4 Lee-Enfield rifles.

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

Lee-Enfield conversions

Canadian Sergeant sniper Harold Marshall carries a No. 4 Mk. I (T).

During both World Wars and the Korean War, a number of Lee-Enfield rifles were modified for use as sniper rifles.

Sniper rifles

The Australian Army modified 1,612 Lithgow SMLE No1 Mk III* rifles by adding a heavy target barrel, cheek-piece, and a World War One era Pattern 1918 telescope, creating the SMLE No1 Mk III* (HT). (HT standing for "Heavy Barrel, Telescopic Sight), which saw service in WWII, Korea, and Malaya and was used for Sniper Training through to the late 1970s.

During WWII, standard No. 4 rifles, selected for their accuracy during factory tests, were modified by the addition of a wooden cheek-piece, and telescopic sight mounts designed to accept a No. 32 3.5x telescopic sight. This particular sight progressed through three marks with the Mk 1 introduced in 1942, the Mk 2 in 1943 and finally the Mk 3 in 1944 (later somewhat confusingly re-designated the L1A1). Holland and Holland, the famous British sporting gun manufacturers, converted the majority of No 4 Mk I (T) sniper rifles, with the rest converted by BSA and, in Canada, Long Branch arsenal. These rifles were extensively employed in various conflicts until the late 1960s, and when the British military switched over to the 7.62x51 NATO round in the 1950s, many of the No 4 Mk I (T) sniper rifles were converted to the new calibre and designated L42A1.

The Lee Enfield sniper was a remarkable weapon of design. With the scope to the side, the shooter was still able to use the original iron sights and load by a 5 round stripper clip. Most snipers used by other factions could not use their original sights and were loaded one bullet at a time. The Enfield was a formidable weapon in its design.

The L42A1 sniper rifle continued as the British Army's standard sniper weapon until the mid 1980s, being replaced by Accuracy International's L96.

During the 1970s, 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 firearms collectors.

.22 Training Rifles

After World War I, 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 at a markedly reduced cost per round. 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.

Charlton Automatic Rifle

Main article: 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 in 1941 to act as a substitute for the Bren and Lewis gun light machine guns which were in chronically short supply at the time.

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, and so the New Zealand Government funded the development of self-loading conversions 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 1,500 conversions were made, including a handful by the Australian firm Electrolux using Lithgow SMLE Mk III* rifles. The two Charlton designs differed markedly in external appearance (amongst other things, the New Zealand Charlton had a forward pistol grip and bipod, whilst the Australian one did not), but shared the same operating mechanism. Most of the Charlton Automatic Rifles were destroyed in a fire after WWII, but a few surviving examples are viewable at the Army Museum in Waiouru, the Auckland War Memorial Museum (both in New Zealand), as well as at the Infantry Museum in Singleton, NSW (Australia) and the Imperial War Museum in London (UK).

Folding stock version of the silenced De Lisle Commando Carbine

De Lisle Commando Carbine

Main article: De Lisle carbine

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 with an integral silencer.

Conversion to 7.62x51mm NATO

RFI Rifle 7.62mm 2A1 (aka Ishapore 2A1) Type Service rifle (reserve) Country of Origin India Specifications Length 1,130 mm (44.5 in) Weight 4.7 kg, unloaded Cartridge 7.62x51mm NATO Caliber 7.62mm action Bolt-action Rate of fire 20-30 rounds/minute Muzzle velocity 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) Effective range 800 m Max. range 2000 m Feed 10 or 12-round magazine, charged with 5-round stripper clips Sights Sliding ramp rear sights, Fixed-post front sights Service History In service 1963-Present Used by India Wars Sino-Indian War, Indo-Pakistan Wars Production History Designer Ishapore Rifle Factory Designed 1963 Production dates 1963-1975 Number built approx 500,000 Variants 2A (2000m sights) Main article: Rifle 7.62mm 2A1

During the 1960s, the British Government and the Ministry of Defence converted a number of Lee-Enfield No. 4 rifles to 7.62x51mm 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 its troops at home and abroad.

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 barrels, new bolt faces and extractor claws, new rear sights and new 10-round 7.62 mm NATO magazines that were produced by RSAF Enfield and Sterling Armaments to replace the old 10-round .303 British magazines.

The outward appearance of the L8 series rifles were no different to the original No. 4 rifles, except for the new barrel and magazine.

The results of the trials that were conducted on the L8 series rifles 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.

Ishapore 2A/2A1 – the last Lee-Enfield

Main article: Rifle 7.62mm 2A1

At some point just after the Sino-Indian War of 1962, 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 was 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 improved steel (to handle the increased pressures of the 7.62 mm NATO 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". The 2A/2A1 rifles are not conversions of .303 calibre SMLE Mk III* rifles —they are newly manufactured, and are not technically chambered for commercial .308 Winchester ammunition. However, many 2A/2A1 owners shoot such ammunition in their rifles with no problems, although it must be stressed .308 Winchester may generate higher pressures than 7.62 mm 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.

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 until the 1980s (and is still manufacturing a .315 calibre hunting/security rifle which appears to be based on the Mk III action to this day ), the Birmingham Small Arms Company 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, .303/270 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 1970s 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-round SMLE magazine. None of these is known to have been successful, however, a compromise was 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 are 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 1980s 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.

The wristguard markings on a 1918-dated Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III* rifle manufactured by the London Small Arms Co. Ltd

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	Lithgow Small Arms Factory	Australia
GRI	Ishapore Rifle Factory	British India
RFI	Ishapore Rifle Factory	India (Post-Partition)

_{Note 1: "SSA" and "NRF" 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
B	Birmingham Small Arms Co. Ltd	United Kingdom
M47C	Birmingham Small Arms Factory (Shirley)	United Kingdom
Longbranch	Longbranch Arsenal	Canada
US PROPERTY [S]	Savage Arms	U.S.
POF	Pakistan Ordnance Factories	Pakistan

_{Note 1 : World War II 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 II rifle, which they market as the AIA No. 4 Mk IV. The rifles are manufactured by parts outsourcing and are assembled and finished in Australia, chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO and feed from standard M14 magazines. 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 7.62x51mm NATO Ishapore 2A1. AIA also offers the AIA M10-A1 a Jungle Carbine-styled version chambered in 7.62x39mm Russian, which uses AK-47 magazines.

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 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.

The Lee-Enfield in military/police use today

The SMLE is still used in conflicts to this day.

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. They are also still seen in the hands of Pakistani and Bangladeshi second-line and police units. Many Afghan participants in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan were armed with Lee-Enfields, the rifle being common in the Middle East and South Asia, and are today manufactured in the Khyber Pass region, as bolt-action rifles remain effective weapons in desert and mountain environments, where long-range accuracy is more important than rate of fire.

Photos from the recent civil war in Nepal showed that the government troops were 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 were 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 bolt-action 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.

The Rifle No. 8 variant (.22 chambered with no magazine) is in regular use with UK cadet forces as a light target rifle. The L98A1 Cadet GP Rifle replaced the No 4 for tactical exercises and full bore shooting. Deactivated No. 4 rifles are also used to practise weapon handling drills in UK Cadet Forces.

The Lee-Enfield in civilian use

Lee-Enfields are very popular as hunting rifles and target shooting rifles. Many surplus Lee-Enfield rifles were sold in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa after WWII, and 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. Top-notch accuracy is difficult to achieve with the Lee-Enfield design, as it was intended 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 1970s 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-round 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 License), 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. For these competitions rifles are sometimes converted to 7.62x39 and 5.56 mm NATO (.223 Remington), although this practice is frowned upon as it effectively removes the historic value of the altered rifle.

The extensive use of the Lee-Enfield rifle for service rifle shooting competitions in nations like Great Britain and Australia are also due to other factors like the gun laws of both Great Britain and Australia which strictly regulate and limit the private ownership of ex-military and military-style semi-automatic centrefire rifles. (For more information see Gun politics in the United Kingdom and Gun politics in Australia.)

Many people still hunt with as-issued Lee-Enfield rifles, with commercial .303 British ammunition proving especially effective on medium-sized game. Soft-point .303 ammunition is widely available for hunting purposes, though the Mark 7 military cartridge design often proves adequate because its tail-heavy design makes the bullet yaw violently and deform after hitting the target. The 10-round magazine and fast bolt-action 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.

Cultural impact

As the standard infantry arm of the British Empire for over half 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. Much like the Webley Revolver, which is often called into play to signify a stereotypical "British" revolver, the Lee-Enfield rifle can often be seen as a stereotypical "British Rifle".

Resources

The GOR online library has the following documents available for free download for the Lee-Enfield rifle:

• Lee-Enfield Rifle Manual (.pdf file)

The following technical diagrams are also available:

• 

  Illustrated parts breakdown of a Lee-Enfield No. 1

• 

  Illustrated parts breakdown of the Lee-Enfield No. 4

• 

  Parts view of a No. 1 Mk III

Gallery of images

• 

  Lee-Enfield SMLE No. 1 Mk III

• 

  Lee-Enfield SMLE No. 1 Mk III - Muzzle detail

• 

  Lee-Enfield SMLE No. 1 Mk III - Cutoff detail

• 

  Lee-Enfield No 4 Mk1

• 

  Lee Enfield at the Battle of the Somme, 1916

• 

  Lee Enfields in Malaya, 1941

• 

  Lee Enfields in Singapore, 1941

• 

  British sniper in the Ardennes, January 1945.

References

• Skennerton, Ian: The Lee-Enfield (2007) Arms & Militaria Press, Gold Coast QLD (Australia) ISBN 0 949749-82-6
• Skennerton, Ian The Lee-Enfield Story (1993). Arms & Militaria Press, Gold Coast QLD (Australia) ISBN 1-85367-138-X
• Skennerton, Ian: Small Arms Identification Series No. 1: .303 Rifle, No. 1, S.M.L.E. Marks III and III* (1994) Arms & Militaria Press, Gold Coast QLD (Australia) ISBN 0-949749-19-2
• Smith, W.H.B. 1943 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 Magazine, May 2006
• Wilson, Royce "SMLE: The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III", Australian Shooter Magazine, September 2007

External links

• Lee Enfield - detailed training manual dated 1942
• The Lee-Enfield
• Enfield Rifle Research
• Lee-Enfield Rifle Association
• Modern Firearms - Lee-Enfield rifle
• Lee-Enfield Rifle site
• The Lee-Metford
• Refinishing a US Savage manufactured Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk1* rifle