Lee-Enfield rifle series: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 08:15, 3 March 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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Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk.I - .303 British. In service between 1904–1926

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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 can be seen in the following movies and video games: