Lee-Enfield rifle series: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:03, 11 May 2009

Lee-Enfield No.1 Mk.III* - .303 British. This was the main battle rifle of British and Commonwealth forces during the First World War, introduced in 1907 it has seen action throughout the 20th century.

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Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk.I - .303 British. This was the main battle rifle of British and Commonwealth forces during World War Two, however, it was supplemented heavily with the older Lee Enfield No.1 MK.III. In service between 1941–Present

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Lee-Enfield No.5 Jungle Carbine - .303 British. This is not a chopped down No. 4 conversion (like many jungle carbines are) but an original No.5

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SMLE Mk.III* / Lee-Enfield No.1 Mk.III* - .303 British. The most common World War One rifle, in service between 1907–Present Day

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Lee-Enfield Mk.I - .303 British. In service between 1896-1907

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Lee-Enfield issued to the Royal Irish Constabulary

The Lee-Enfield series of bolt-action rifles and carbines saw extensive service with the armed forces of Great Britain and the nations, colonies, and dominion states of the British Empire and the later British Commonwealth from 1895 until the rifles were replaced from frontline military service by the British version of the FN FAL rifle, the L1A1 Self Loading Rifle; in 1957. Despite being removed frontline service in 1957, the Lee-Enfield saw extensive use as a secondary infantry rifle with reserve forces as well as use as a sniper rifle by the British military. In 2008, nations like India, Pakistan, Nepal and Canada still use the Lee-Enfield rifle as a standard issue rifle to police forces and to reserve military units. In the case of Canada, the Canadian Rangers are still using the Lee-Enfield No.4 rifle as their standard-issue rifle. In the case of India and Pakistan, the Lee-Enfield is used by the police forces of both nations with the Indians utilizing a 7.62mm NATO version of the No.1 MkIII* rifle called the Indian 2A/2A1 rifle. Australia still manufacture/convert Lee-Enfield's as hunting/plinking weapons in a range of calibres from 7.62mm NATO and the Soviet 7.62x39mm M43 with Australian International Arms (AIA) manufacturing modern versions of the Lee-Enfield rifle for the civilian firearms market.

The Lee-Enfield rifle saw extensive use in many military conflicts from the late 19th century to the present day (easily outstripping the length of service the Mosin-Nagant rifle has achieved) with Lee-Enfields being used in conflicts like the Second Boer War, the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency, the Suez Canal Crisis, and the Mau Mau Uprising. The Lee-Enfield was also extensively used by the Mudjahideen during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1970s and 1980s. The Lee-Enfield has also seen extensive use in the hands of insurgents and warring factions in nations like Nepal (where both Nepalese Government forces and Maoist guerrillas used the Lee-Enfield rifle), Afghanistan, Iraq and the Solomon Islands (where many of the warring factions in the Solomon Islands were seen armed with Lee-Enfield No.4 rifles stolen from military and police armories).

Unlike Mauser-derived bolt-action rifles (with their 5 round internal magazines and "cock on opening" bolt systems), the Lee-Enfield series of bolt-action rifles and carbines have a 10-round detachable magazine and a "cock on closing" bolt system, which allowed a well-trained rifleman to fire between 15 to 30 aimed rounds in under 1 minute. Between 1895 and 1957, around 17 million Lee-Enfields have been produced and, as of 2008; are in circulation today.

The Lee-Enfield rifle and variants can be seen in the following movies and video games:

Short Magazine Lee-Enfield rifle

Film

Daniel Radcliffe as Lieutenant Jack Kipling in My Boy Jack (2007) (No.1 MkIII)

Richard Dormer as Corporal John O'Leary in My Boy Jack (2007)

Shiite refugee in Three Kings

Kamal Khan's guards in Octopussy (SMLE No 1 Mk 3)

Afghan Mujahideen in The Beast of War

Holstered in a motorbike sidecar in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Paul Hogan as Mick Dundee in Crocodile Dundee (Hunting rifle converted)

British troops in A Bridge Too Far (No.4 Mk1 and No.4 Mk1* rifles)

British troops in The Longest Day (1963) (No.4 Mk1 Rifles)

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Lock-Nah in The Mummy Returns

British and IRA forces in Michael Collins (SMLE No 1 Mk 3 and R.I.C. pattern)

An IRA member in Bloody Sunday (2001) (SMLE No 1 Mk 3)

British Army soldiers in The Water Horse

British and Indian Army soldiers in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"

Oceanian soldiers in 1984 (No.5 Jungle Carbines)

Kevin Eldon as Sgt. Tony Fisher in Hot Fuzz (No.1 MkIII* rifle)

British soldiers and public school students in If... (No.4 rifles)

Paper Tiger (No.4 Mk1 and No.5 Jungle Carbines)

Rambo III

Farewell To The King

You Only Live Twice

Kelly's Heroes (No.4 rifles - used as a "stand-in" for the M1 Garand in a number of scenes where there were not enough Garands to equip the background actors)