Well, is left handed after all…no military rifle of the ww1 was designed for him.
Last week I put in some range time at a UK military/academic facility, and as well as modern stuff had the chance to try some interesting weapons form their museum (only a couple of shots with each, sadly).
This included a .303 Lee Enfield No.4 and a Mauser Kar 98k. I preferred the Lee as the aperture sight was much better to use and the action was shorter and slicker. There was also less muzzle flash and blast and the recoil felt a bit softer.
I also got to shoot an Fg 42 and an MKb 42(W) 
Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion forum
Hello Tony, yes it’s Doug who departed from that other forum about 6 weeks ago.
Like Trooper our high school cadets has SMLE in the 1970s, some one which dated back, according to the stamp on the receiver, to 1898. Of course these may have been much modified since that date as our rifles were obviously ‘short’, of the length that came into service after the Boer war. Even as 13 year old I didn’t find the recoil excessive, but as in most situations we had to fire from prone.
It was only later that a bunch of us, sent on an inter-school competition at age of 16, fired the weapon from a standing position, without any formal training in doing so. When in 1972 a few of us got the chance to fire SLR (L1A1) I noticed that the recoil seemed negligible in comparison to the SMLE.
Our SMLE also had the original form of sight.
Hello guys, I’m new in collecting the Enfields and I have a few questions regarding the Lee-Enfield No.4 MkI Rifles, please help me answer some questions, thanks so much !! I’m into WWII so I only purchase small arms that are historically (or appearance-wise) accurate to the WWII-era.
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What does “Savage Lee-Enfield” mean? I know they are the ones made in the States (correct me if I’m wrong) but are they different from the Enfield No.4 MkI’s Britain used during WWII? If they are different can you tell me where?
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Can you tell me what kinds of wood were used for the stock of a No.4 MkI ? Because I’ve seen them in dark wood but also some in lighter color wood stocks.
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Can you please tell me which year was the last WWII-ish No.4 MkI made? Because I know they still makes the No.4 MkI in the 50’s and the 60’s I believe but was told they made some alterations and the magazine was made to be more square looking in shape. So if I’m looking for a No.4 MkI which is exactly identical to the 1940’s ones made in 1950’s, will it be possible?
Sorry for my noobish questions guys, just that I’m really new in collecting :oops: Please help if you can, thanks !!
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The early savage rifles are identical to the British production. There are not many of these around, and they are worth a fortune. The majority of the US production were the no.4 mk1*, the difference being the method of release of the bolt head – the Mark 1 has a release catch at the rear of the bolt way, the Mark 1has a cutout towards the front of the bolt way. The majority of the Canadian produced rifles are also Mark 1.
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Beech, Birch, walnut, occasionally maple, and sometimes even other random woods.
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The Mark 1 was not produced into the 50s and 60s, from about 1946 onwards, if I remember correctly, the Mark 2 was being produced, the last mark 2’s being produced in the mid-1950s. I may look it up for you later. Externally, the only difference is in the small metal piece at the rear of the forend, internally, the mark 2 has a trigger mounted on the receiver and not on the trigger guard.
Go and get yourself a copy of “The Lee Enfield Story”, by Ian Skennerton, then you will know all.
see also http://69.41.147.2/cgi-bin/lee-enfield/lee-enfield.pl where much discussion of these takes place
and http://enfieldrifles.profusehost.net/ for reference material
The SMLE in the sniper role.
Extracted from “Military sniper from 1914” by the argentine ilustrator Ramiro Bujeiro.
That is not an SMLE, but a No.4 Mk. I (T)
Its still one of the SMLE family of rifles.
Its full title is,
Small, Magazine, Lee-Enfield, Rifle, No.4 Mk.1 (T)
ps, The small refers to the length of the rifle, not the magazine 
It’s actually Short Magazine Lee Enfield, as the barrel was shorter than earlier models.
But the SMLE designation was officially dropped in 1926, so the proper name of the WW2 gun was simply Rifle, No.4, Mk 1, .303"
Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion forum
Incidentally… what variant was this? Is the one used in the Malvinas/ Falkland War.
You lucky dog. An FG 42 AND an MKb 42, so lucky…
Pzknacker: it’s an L42, it is essentially a No.4 Mk I (T) re barrelled in 7.62 mm NATO with a heavy barrel and the forend cut back to slightly beyond the lower band. The scope is still the same No. 32. It was in mainstream use until the mid-1990s, when it was replaced with the Accuracy International L96. Some reports indicate that THEY sometimes still use the L42, possibly with the scope from the L96.
If anybody ever question is what the best sniper rifle during the Second World War was, the fact that the No.4(T) soldiered on into the 1990s with just a re barrelling and calibre change as the L42 has to mean that it takes the prize.
In other news, Tony – you beat me to it!
Thanks, in the original photo the soldier was pictured near the HMS Sir Galahand.
This gun was very great. I would love to have this gun in the war. At least on the British side of battle. I never would trust this gun except on the british side.
Various video clips of Lee-Enfield rifles:
TOP TEN:Combat Rifles - Lee Enfield No4 (No.3)
Briton’s classic rifle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck66O0osLhQ
Air Cadets Shooting .22 No 8
Cadets shooting the Lee Enfield No 8 Rifle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzHwVaQZqjU
Savage Enfield No. 4 rifle
1943 Savage Enfield No. 4 MK I. It’s all original. All Savage.
I don’t think there is a bolt action that can be cycled faster!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euWiKTqlhWo
Enfield No. 4 MK I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE4J2acE8Z0
Lee Enfield #4 MK.1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpetT6gZXF8
Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk.II Bolt-action rifle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XozgC-hr3Q
Lee Enfield No4 shoot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stqj7y3dYGQ
Lee Enfield No4 MK.1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1ojKYn7fXQ
Jeff’s Lee Enfield
No.4 Mk.1* 1945 Long Branch Lee Enfield (Canadian)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndgtKorF9uQ
British Enfield
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-xpYA65eHw
Lee Enfield (possibly Indian in 7.62 NATO - magazine is more square)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQIVnY6e5tk
LERA - Mad Minute - SMLE 100 Year Anniversary
This is how it was done. They’re all aimed shots and a good grouping.
This chap was the winner of the LERA (Lee Enfireld Rifle Association)
competition especially for 100 years of the SMLE taken on a
military range in England.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m1yN-3n0FU
WW1 Enfield SMLE Rapid Fire
WW1 Enfield SMLE Rapid Fire at 300m. Royal Ulster Rifles Re-enactment group
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCNfcta9kzo
Lee Enfield SMLE shoot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gektT9x0nzI
Lee Enfield SMLE shoot 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzTJogE4Rio
Lee Enfield SMLE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THiHqDKvbG8
Lee Enfield SMLE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXo8UkX6Yp4
The recoil seems to be mild in comparative with the K-98K clips I had seen. :!:
yep this gun is a fine weapon i wish i could buy this litle baby with a slight recoil,good accrucy,and a 10 round clip (i think)i havent even shot it and i think its a weapon still
I shot both the Lee Enfield and the K98K side-by-side last year, and yes, the recoil of the Mauser is slightly harder.
Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion forum
The De Lisle carbine
The De Lisle was one of the more unusual weapons of World War II
The weapon was designed by one William Godfray De Lisle who was, in 1943, an engineer in the Ministry of Aircraft Production, During that period he patented a
silencer for a 5.59-mm (0.22-in) rifle, and this attracted the attention of persons interested in producing silent
weapons for use during the commando raids which were then being conducted around the coasts of occupied Europe.
Further development of the basic De Lisle silencer resulted in a drastic
modification of a Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mark III rifle to accommodate the
firing of an 0.45-in (11.43-mm) pistol cartridge. The basic bolt action was
retained, but in place of the large box magazine a small magazine casing was substituted. Forward of the bolt action was the silencer itself, and this comprised a series of discs held within a tubular housing that allowed the gases produced on firing to ‘swirl’ around beforethey were discharged from ports around the muzzle.
Firing the subsonic0.45-in (11,43-mm) pistol cartridge with this silencer system produced very little noise at all, and even this sounded
quite unlike a firearm being discharged. There was also no flash.
The first De Lisle carbines were produced in one of the tool rooms of
the Ford works at Dagenham. From there the early prototypes were taken
for field testing in commando raids along the north French coast. They
proved themselves remarkably successful, and even these early weapons
were used in what was to be their main operational role, a form of silent sniping to pick off sentries or other personnel
during the early stages of a raid. As the De Lisle carbine fired a pistol cartridge its maximum effective range was limited to 250 m (275 yards), but this was usually more than enough for raids carried out on dark nights.
With trials successfully completed, a production order for 500 carbines was placed and this was later increased to 600. The ‘production’ programme of modifying the Lee-Enfield rifles was
carried out by the Sterling Armament
Some were used in the Far East, having been designed for paratroops. The
early model (below) has been cut away to show the silencer mechanismWorks, also in Dagenham, but when the programme got under way things had changed.
By the time the De Lisle carbines 220 were being produced it was mid-1944 and the invasion of Europe had taken place. With the Allies safely ashore
there was far less need for a silenced commando weapon and the order was
cancelled. By then about 130 had been completed and issued, but as they
lacked arole in Europe most were sent to the Far East, where they were used by specialist units in Burma and elsewhere. Many were retained in the area after the war to see action once
more during the Malayan Emergency. Some of these weapons did not have
the solid butt of the earlier weapons,having instead a metal butt that folded
under the weapon, This version had originally been produced for parachute
troops, but only a small number was ever made.
Very few De Lisle carbines now exist, even in the most comprehensive
small-arms collections. Most of them appear to have been destroyed during the post-war years, probably as the result of their potential as assassination weapons.
Specification
De Lisle carbine
Calibre: 11.43 x 23 mm (0.45 ACP)
Length: 895 mm(35.25 in)
Length of barrel: 184 mm (7.25 in)
Weight: 3.74 kg (8.25 lb)
Muzzle velocity: 253 m (830 ft) per second
Magazine: 7-round box