[54] A transitional model the No. 8 and Rifle, No. The rifle became known simply as the "three-oh-three". Add to Cart. The next year, a shorter version was introduced as the Lee–Enfield Cavalry Carbine Mk I, or LEC, with a 21.2-inch (540 mm) barrel as opposed to the 30.2-inch (770 mm) one in the "long" version. 4 marks, in the hope of increasing sales of a rifle that had little U.S. market penetration. Winning bid: US $29.00 [ 5 bids] Shipping: $6.25 Standard Shipping | See details . When this rifle began to be outdated, Enfield began designing once more, this time with a new cartridge of 4.85 mm caliber, ready for the 1978 NATO small arms trials. It was never an official military designation but British and Commonwealth troops serving in the Burmese and Pacific theatres during World War II had been known to unofficially refer to the No. 8 is in regular use with UK Cadet Forces as a light target rifle. In 1910, the British took the opportunity to replace their Mk VI cartridge with a more modern design. [45] The No. According to the official C.I.P. Measured between the grooves, the nominal size of the bore is .311-inch (7.90 mm). 4 Mk I, Britain had obviously settled on the rear aperture sight prior to WWI, with modifications to the SMLE being tested as early as 1911, as well as later on the No. The 7.7mm cartridge used by the Japanese versions of the British guns is a direct copy of the .303 British (7.7×56mmR) rimmed cartridge and is distinctly different from the 7.7×58mm Arisaka rimless and 7.7×58mm Type 92 semi-rimmed cartridges used in other Japanese machine guns and rifles.[30]. III (Mk. During the 1960s, the British Government and the Ministry of Defence converted a number of Lee–Enfield No. [citation needed]. As a sniper rifle… [33] [26], During the First World War, the SMLE Mk III was found to be too complicated to manufacture (an SMLE Mk III rifle cost the British Government £3/15/–) and demand outstripped supply; 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 mechanism, which when engaged permits the feeding and extraction of single cartridges only while keeping the cartridges in the magazine in reserve and the long-range volley sights. The Mark VII loading used a 174 gr (11.28 g) pointed bullet with a flat-base. In 1935 the .303 O Mark 1 Observing round was introduced for use in machine guns. 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 that had a barrel featuring rifling designed by William Ellis Metford. Military surplus .303 British ammunition that may be available often has corrosive primers, given the mass manufacture of the cartridge predates Commonwealth adoption of non-corrosive primers concurrent with the adoption of 7.62 NATO in 1955. Sterling Armaments of Dagenham, Essex produced a conversion kit comprising a new 7.62mm barrel, magazine, extractor and ejector for commercial sale. It is possible to obtain a 10-round (the maximum allowed by law) M14 magazines for the M10-B2 match rifles in particular, provided an import permit from the appropriate Licensing Services Division can be obtained in some States, yet Australian Federal Customs may still refuse importation on no valid grounds. CIA officer Gust Avrakotos later arranged for the Egyptian Ministry of Defence to set up production lines of Enfield .303 ammunition specifically for the conflict. Add to Buddy List. Quote Reply Topic: Is it an Enfield? The Enfield Pattern 1853 Rifle-Musket (also known as the Pattern 1853 Enfield, P53 Enfield, and Enfield Rifle-Musket) was a .577 calibre Minié-type muzzle-loading rifle-musket, used by the British Empire from 1853 to 1867, after which many Enfield 1853 Rifle-Muskets were converted to (and replaced in service by) the cartridge-loaded Snider-Enfield rifle. Bullets specifically produced and sold for reloading .303 British are made by Sierra, Hornady, Speer, Woodleigh, Barnes, and Remington. Les meilleures offres pour Jacob Snider's Action & Boxer Cartouche Snider FUSIL ENFIELD livret guerres sont sur eBay Comparez les prix et les spécificités des produits neufs et d'occasion Pleins d'articles en livraison gratuite! As a result, the Mark III and other expanding versions of the .303 were not issued during the Second Boer War (1899–1902). SAF Lithgow, in Australia, produced shotguns based on the MkIII action under the "Slazenger" name, chambering the common commercial .410 shotgun shell. The Indian Army phased them out in 1990-92, being replaced by AKM-type rifles; see Indo-Russia Rifles. The .280 cartridge case: The .280 cartridge has a rimless necked case and it is made of brass. Lee Enfield rifles are used by the Jamaica Constabulary force for training recruits during field-craft exercises and drills. Minor changes led to the adoption of the MLE Mk I* in 1899 and the MLE Mk I (India Pattern) in 1905. After the Second World War the British army needed to find a new rifle cartridge. [8][9][10] Ballistite was a stick-type smokeless powder composed of soluble nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine. BSA Commercial Charger-Loading Lee-Enfield Mk. 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. 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. Calibre .44, rim fire. Bores for many .303 military surplus rifles are often found ranging from around .309-inch (7.85 mm) up to .318-inch (8.08 mm). These conversions were prompted by firearms legislation that made possession of a rifle chambered in a military cartridge both difficult and expensive. 4 Mk I (T) and No. Rifle Factory Ishapore of India still manufactures an sporting/hunting rifle chambered in .315 with a Lee–Enfield action. The magazine cutoff was also reintroduced and an additional band was added near the muzzle for additional strength during bayonet use. The Australian military were not permitted to manufacture the No. In Jordan, the Lee–Enfield was in use with the Police and Gendarmerie until 1971, and with the Armed Forces until 1965. [41] The No.4 rifle was primarily produced for the United Kingdom, Canada and some other Commonwealth countries such as New Zealand. [11] The Hague Convention of 1899[11] later declared that use of expanding bullets against signatories of the convention was inhumane, and as a result the Mk III, Mk IV, and Mk V were withdrawn from active service. The .303 British Mark VII cartridge was loaded with 37 gr (2.40 g) of Cordite MDT 5-2 (cordite MD pressed into tubes) and had a muzzle velocity of 2,440 ft/s (744 m/s) and a maximum range of approximately 3,000 yd (2,743 m). These were similar to the No. Details about CIVIL WAR ENFIELD RIFLE .577 CARTRIDGE See original listing. It was introduced in the Bengal Army by the East India Company in early 1857. The Australian Army modified 1,612[50] Lithgow SMLE No. This means that .303 British chambered arms in C.I.P. Rather, they are newly manufactured firearms and are not technically chambered for commercial .308 Winchester ammunition. II in 1943 which offered side adjustments in finer 1 MOA increments, and finally the Mk. [14] Total production of all Lee–Enfields is estimated at over 17 million rifles.[7]. Gun Rifle. 7, Rifle, No. regulated countries are currently (2014) proof tested at 456.00 MPa (66,137 psi) PE piezo pressure. The main difference between the two conversions was in the cartridge ejection arrangement; the Enfield magazine carried a hardened steel projection that struck the rim of the extracted case to eject it, the Sterling system employed a spring-loaded plunger inserted into the receiver wall. The pronounced tapering exterior shape of the case was designed to promote reliable case feeding and extraction in bolt action rifles and machine guns alike, under challenging conditions. Like the No. 1 Mk. [11] Although officially replaced in the UK with the L1A1 SLR in 1957, it remained in widespread British service until the early/mid-1960s and the 7.62 mm L42A1 sniper variant remained in service until the 1990s. The.303 British cartridge was designed specifically for that rifle, and later on, when the Lee-Metford was replaced with the Lee-Enfield, the Powers That Be kept the existing caliber. [9][10] The WWI versions are often referred to as the "SMLE", which is short for the common "Short, Magazine, Lee–Enfield" variant. It was unsuitable for general issue and production ceased in 1947, due to an "inherent fault in the design", often claimed to be a "wandering zero" and accuracy problems.[46]. [9][10] Unlike Cordite, Rifleite was a flake powder, and contained no nitroglycerine. 4 Mk I* rifles that were brought up to Mk 2 standard were renamed No. 32 Mk. Work on a long-range replacement cartridge began in 1910 and resulted in the .276 Enfield in 1912. As a standard-issue infantry rifle, it is still found in service in the armed forces of some Commonwealth nations,[12] notably with the Bangladesh Police, which makes it the second longest-serving military bolt-action rifle still in official service, after the Mosin–Nagant (Mosin-Nagant receivers are used in the Finnish 7.62 Tkiv 85). The SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute) Maximum Average Pressure (MAP) for this cartridge is 49,000 psi (337.84 MPa) piezo pressure (45,000 CUP). From 1965 to 1975 (when production is believed to have been discontinued), the sight ranging graduations were changed from 2000 to 800, and the rifle re-designated Rifle 7.62 mm 2A1. II and Mk. [84][85] Also contributing to the total was the Rifle Factory Ishapore (RFI) at Ishapore in India, which continued to produce the SMLE in both .303 and 7.62×51mm NATO until the 1980s, and is still manufacturing a sporting rifle based on the SMLE Mk III action, chambered for a .315 calibre cartridge,[86] the Birmingham Small Arms Company factory at Shirley near Birmingham, and SAF Lithgow in Australia, who finally discontinued production of the SMLE Mk III* with a final 'machinery proving' batch of 1000 rifles in early 1956, using 1953-dated receivers. Explosive bullets were not produced in the UK after 1933 due to the relatively small amount of explosive that could be contained in the bullet, limiting their effectiveness, their role being taken by the use of Mark 6 and 7 incendiary bullets. The Battle of Britain - Excerpts from an Historic Despatch by Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Here it is – the new Sako rifle for the Canadian Rangers, "Photos of the contents of different .303 British cartridges", "Photo of Sellier & Bellot 150 gr (9.7 g) .303 British soft-point fired into ballistic gelatin (bullet travelled right to left)", "Photos of various different types of .303 ammunition", "Headstamps of various .303 ammunition producers", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=.303_British&oldid=995271121, Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1889, Articles with failed verification from April 2020, Articles needing additional references from April 2020, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2017, Articles needing additional references from May 2014, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 20 December 2020, at 03:03. Frank Brock RNVR, its inventor, was a member of the Brock fireworks-making family. 4 Mk IV, sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFWilson2007 (, sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFSkennerton2001 (. The .280 was shortly approved for service in the early fifties as 7 mm MK 1 (together with a new rifle the EM 2), but finally it was replaced by the American .30 T65 E3 (later known as the 7.62x51 NATO round). The Enfield Pattern 1853 rifle-musket (also known as the Pattern 1853 Enfield, P53 Enfield, and Enfield rifle-musket) was a .577 calibre Minié-type muzzle-loading rifled musket, used by the British Empire from 1853 to 1867; after which many were replaced in service by the cartridge-loaded Snider–Enfield rifle. The action features helical locking surfaces (the technical term is interrupted threading). These were known as .22 Pattern 1914 Short Rifles[59] during The First World War and Rifle, No. I introduced in 1942, the Mk. [45] A "Shortened and Lightened" version of the SMLE Mk III* rifle was also tested by the Australian military and a very small number were manufactured at SAF Lithgow during the course of the Second World War. The increasingly popular all-copper Barnes TSX is now available in the .311" diameter as a 150 gr projectile which is recommended by Barnes for hunting applications. 4 Mk I was officially adopted in 1941. I, Mk. Lee–Enfields are also popular with competitors in service rifle competitions in many Commonwealth countries.