[11] The Lee bolt-action and 10-round magazine capacity enabled a well-trained rifleman to perform the 'mad minute' firing 20 to 30 aimed rounds in 60 seconds, making the LeeEnfield the fastest military bolt-action rifle of the day. IV[60] from 1921 onwards. (The Pattern 1914 became the Rifle No. [15] Total production of all LeeEnfields is estimated at over 17 million rifles.[8]. The Original Yesterdays Weapons Lee Enfield - Serial Numbers Moderators: millwright39, PaulM, Amatikulu Share 15 posts 1 2 Next Amatikulu 223 veteran member Aug 17, 2008 #1 The link below is to a web site I created some time ago. 4 Mk 2 rifle, the British refurbished many of their existing stocks of No. Ive just purchased a 1942 stamped Lee Enfield rifle which has a number 93L8939. [14] LeeEnfield rifles are still popular in the region, despite the presence and ready availability of more modern weapons such as the SKS-45, the AKM, the Chinese Type 56 assault rifle, and the AK-74. 1930 (trials only; 1,025 produced and leftover parts assembled into rifles early in WWII), 1931present (2,500 trials examples produced in the 1930s, then mass production from mid-1941 onwards). The Lee-Enfield No. With an S prefix, this was about the 196,800th rifle produced by RSAF Enfield in 1916. 5 Mk I was popular with soldiers owing to its light weight, portability and shorter length than a standard LeeEnfield rifle. It was published in 2007, available now from Aust., N.Z., US and UK distributors. Such rifles would have 5-digit serial numbers with either an "E" or an "F" serial number prefix, and the serial number would be stamped on the rear of the bolt handle and on the bottom of the fore-end, as well as on the receiver ring. The accuracy requirement was ability to place 7 of 7 shots in a 5 inches (12.7 cm) circle at 200 yards (183 m) and 6 of 7 shots in a 10 inches (25.4 cm) circle at 400 yards (366 m). During the 1960s, the British Government and the Ministry of Defence converted a number of LeeEnfield No. 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. 5 was first issued to the British 1st Airborne Division and used during their liberation of Denmark and Norway in 1945. The rest of the story is that this carbine was accepted into New Zealand service in 1899 and was assigned inventory number 1909. 3. The British probably used helical locking lugs to allow for chambering imperfect or dirty ammunition and that the closing cam action is distributed over the entire mating faces of both bolt and receiver lugs. (E.A.L. 1 Mk. Magazine cut-off on an SMLE Mk III rifle. That is a red flag to me. [41], During the course of the Second World War, the No. In good looking condition, this was the last year they were ever made. Hand. Original Long Branch years are on the left sidewall of the receiver. 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.[47]. And to get that, the rifle has to be original original original, matching numbers through out, not mismatched sported or refurbished. The LeeEnfield was the standard issue weapon to rifle companies of the British Army and other Commonwealth nations in both the First and Second World Wars (these Commonwealth nations included Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India and South Africa, among others). L59A1 Drill Rifles were rendered incapable of being fired, and of being restored to a fireable form, by extensive modifications that included the welding of the barrel to the receiver, modifications to the receiver that removed the supporting structures for the bolt's locking lugs and blocking the installation of an unaltered bolt, the removal of the striker's tip, the blocking of the striker's hole in the bolt head and the removal of most of the bolt body's locking lugs. I, Mk. The Lee-Enfield No. Italy: post-World War II Italian Army and Navy. Yours falls into the category of having a low serial number and one of 917,000 produced. The insurance guy I use has no clue on guns, I have asked before. 5 Rifles). The Royal Canadian Air Force also used these as a survival rifle in the remote parts of Canada. [50], The term 'Jungle Carbine' was popularised in the 1950s by the Santa Fe Arms Corporation, a U.S. importer who refurbished many surplus rifles, converting many of the No. 950.00 . [10] Replacing this with a new square-shaped rifling system designed at the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) Enfield solved the problem, and the LeeEnfield was born. )[36], The SMLE design was a relatively expensive long arm to manufacture, because of the many forging and machining operations required. So as to match critical parts, serial number was also stamped under the rear sight leaf (and fore-ends, nosecaps, bolts, of Lee-Enfields too). III* LeeEnfields were used by the. When the number sequence reached 9999 the next letter assigned to the factory would be substituted in place of the former. II and Mk. It was introduced in service in the 1970s. 2 Mk. Lee Enfield rifles are used by the Jamaica Constabulary force for training recruits during field-craft exercises and drills. By the late 1930s, the need for new rifles grew and the Rifle, No. De Lisle, was effectively an SMLE Mk III* receiver redesigned to take a .45 ACP cartridge and associated magazine, with a barrel from a Thompson submachine gun and an integrated suppressor. Lee Enfield SMLE No1 Mk1 .303 Serial Number 1 - YUP Serial number 1 Made in the LSA ( london small arms factory ) this is rifle number 1 a very rare find and a jewel in my collection, here. The serial number on this rifle is M / 25105 (by convention, the slash is used to indicate a different line). 4 Mk. [10][11] The WWI versions are often referred to as the 'SMLE', which is short for the common 'Short Magazine LeeEnfield' variant. [21] Some of the MLEs (and MLMs) were converted to load from chargers, and designated Charger Loading LeeEnfields, or CLLEs. At some point just after the Sino-Indian War of 1962, the Rifle Factory Ishapore 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*[87] and was slightly redesigned to use the 7.6251mm NATO round. The demand of new ENFIELD SMLE MARK 3 rifle's has risen 2 units over the past 12 months. 1s, 4 No. Both Savage and Long Branch started off by making No4 Mk1 rifles (with bolt catch) before moving production to the slightly simplified 1* version. The LeeEnfield rifle was derived from the earlier LeeMetford, 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. Thanks to inter-war development, an improved and simplified design was waiting in the wings, and the No. The left side of the receiver is marked "No.4 Mk2 / UF 55 A17380". Dave91 Apr 25, 2010 The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast Member Benefits: No ad networks! The Indian conversions were originally chambered for the .410 Indian Musket cartridge, which is based on the .303 British cartridge, and will not chamber the common .410 shotgun cartridge. with lettered prefixes. The manufacturer's names found on the MLE, CLLE, and SMLE Mk IMk III* rifles and variants are: Note 1: 'SSA' and 'NRF' markings are sometimes encountered on First World War-dated SMLE Mk III* rifles. India: In service during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Anschutz target rifles fall into this category, and their system is given on the page for these rifles. The initial wooden-stocked De Lisle with a fitted suppressor. [97] Magazine supply/importation (M14 and AK 10 single stack mag) whilst legal in Australia, it has been spasmodically curtailed by Australian Federal Customs (for more information, see Gun politics in Australia). The Howell Automatic Rifle was the first attempt to convert the LeeEnfield SMLE into a semi-automatic rifle. [48] The No. I* (T) sniper rifles. 2 Mk. Israeli female soldiers equipped with the SMLE Mk III during the 1948 ArabIsraeli War. MAGAZINE LEE RIFLES & CARBINES Lee-Metford Lee-Enfield Note: Charger loaders and conversions are family. I have a No4 MkI cruciform bayonet made by Singer Sewing Machine. There were three main batches of conversions. I/L bayonet, which has a rotating handle and a large ring on the cross-guard was not for the No. The 'G.R.' An SMLE owned by Maoist rebels in Nepal, 2005. No5 rifles (Jungle Carbines) serial numbers consisted of a sequential 4 digit number starting with 0001 running through to 9999, the numbers were preceded by a letter prefix. That is. if the 1942 denotes year. Yours falls into the category of having a low serial number and one of 917,000 produced. 4 Mk. Serial numbers are found on the inside right, front of the body while.303 conversion numbers used the left side. They are idiots. Nigeria: Used by the Nigeria Regiment and then by Nigerian Army. The SMLE Mk V (later Rifle No. The rifles were manufactured by parts outsourcing and were assembled and finished in Australia, chambered in 7.6251mm NATO and fed from modified M14 magazines. 6 Mk I never entered full production and examples are rare and valuable to collectors. 1 Mk V rifles were manufactured solely by R.S.A.F. Most bolts were copper plated for identification. GWF is free to use so please support the Forum. 4 (T) LE. for the rest of the story you need to post some really good photos , there is a question or two that jump to mind but ill leave those to the more knowledgeable among us . The floating barrel increased the accuracy of the rifle by allowing it to vibrate freely and consistently, whereas wooden forends in contact with barrels, if not properly fitted, affected the harmonic vibrations of the barrel. [17] Some straight-pull bolt-action rifles were thought faster, but lacked the simplicity, reliability, and generous magazine capacity of the LeeEnfield. Enfield from 19221924, with a total production of roughly 20,000 rifles, all of which marked with a 'V'. THE SAVAGE MADE NO4MKI* ENFIELD. Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. Canada converted about 1,588 rifles at Small Arms Limited (to the end of 1945) and, in 1946, at Canadian Arsenals Limited. A redesign of the LeeMetford (adopted by the British Army in 1888), the LeeEnfield superseded the earlier MartiniHenry, MartiniEnfield, and LeeMetford rifles. 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