Mell How good was the Lee Enfield rifle?
For service use, it was robust, reliable, and effective. Its bolt action was quick and smooth, allowing a soldier to make fast followup shots. Its 10-shot magazine had twice the capacity of its contemporaries, enabling small units to lay down an impressive rate of fire and keep it up longer.
When did the British army stop using the Lee Enfield rifle?
1957
Rifle No. The Lee–Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed repeating rifle that served as the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century. It was the British Army’s standard rifle from its official adoption in 1895 until 1957.
How many rounds in a.303 Lee Enfield?
The bolt action, Caliber .303 in. Magazine Lee-Enfield, MLE, held two columns of 5 cartridges each. A skilled soldier could fire the 8.8 lb rifle’s deadly 174 grain bullet at from 20 to 30 aimed rounds per minute, making British Commonwealth infantry as effective as any in the Korean War. (British Commonwealth Occupation Forces Japan photo.)
What was the WWI version of the Lee Enfield?
The WWI versions are often referred to as the “SMLE”, which is short for the common “Short, Magazine, Lee–Enfield” variant. A redesign of the Lee–Metford (adopted by the British Army in 1888), the Lee–Enfield superseded the earlier Martini–Henry, Martini–Enfield, and Lee-Metford rifles.
What kind of Charger did the Lee Enfield use?
The SMLE included charger loading, borrowed from the Mauser rifle. The SMLE Mk III, 26 January 1907, featured a simplified rear sight arrangement and a fixed charger guide, and was chambered to fire the Mk VII High Velocity spitzer .303.
When did the Lee Enfield Short Magazine come out?
A shorter and lighter version of the original MLE—the Rifle, Short, Magazine, Lee–Enfield or SMLE (sometimes spoken as “Smelly”, rather than S, M, L, E) —was introduced on 1 January 1904. The barrel was now halfway in length between the original long rifle and the carbine, at 25.2 inches (640 mm).