CIA officer Gust Avrakotos later arranged for the Egyptian Ministry of Defence to set up production lines of Enfield .303 ammunition specifically for the conflict. Although the round had better ballistics, troop trials in 1913 revealed problems including excessive recoil, muzzle flash, barrel wear and overheating. Stock. Although Mark 8 ammunition works well in a Vickers gun, it should not be used in rifles because the cordite powder causes increased barrel wear. The model 2|A1 changed the rear sight to 800 m, and was manufactured until at least the 1980s; a sporting rifle based on the Mk III* action remained in production. 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. 3. This one was no different. Curio & Relic Long Gun. While British and Australian conversions were to the standard commercially available .410 shotgun cartridge (though of varying chamber lengths) the Indian conversions have been the source of considerable confusion. [35] The increased gap resulted in an improved sighting radius, improving sighting accuracy and the aperture improved speed of sighting over various distances. VI but had a flat left side and did away with the chequering on the furniture. The Lee–Enfield rifle is a popular gun for historic rifle enthusiasts and those who find the 10-round magazine, loading by charger clips, and the rapid bolt-action useful for Practical Rifle events. Most bolts were copper plated for identification. Dies and other tools for the reloading of .303 British are produced by Forster, Hornady, Lee, Lyman, RCBS, and Redding. BSA Shirley undertook 100 conversions to .22". .303 British maximum C.I.P. The bolt has a relatively short bolt throw and features rear-mounted lugs and the bolt operating handle places the bolt knob just rearwards of the trigger at a favourable ergonomic position close to the operator's hand. 22. Finish. As soon as the bullet hit the target and decelerated, its heavier lead base caused it to pitch violently and deform, thereby inflicting more severe gunshot wounds than a standard single-core spitzer design. The Mark III and other expanding versions of the .303 were not issued during the Second Boer War (1899–1902). [30], The SMLE Mk III* (renamed Rifle No.1 Mk III* in 1926) saw extensive service throughout the Second World War, especially in the North African, Italian, Pacific and Burmese theatres in the hands of British and Commonwealth forces. 69 sold. The Pattern 14 had an interesting and limited combat history in the First World War. Some Martini-Henrys were rebarrelled to use the new .303 as the "Martini–Metford", The Lee–Metford was used as a trial platform by the British Committee on Explosives to experiment with many different smokeless powders then coming to market, including Ballistite, Cordite, and Rifleite. The best-known Lee–Enfield rifle, the SMLE Mk III, was introduced on 26 January 1907, along with a Pattern 1907 bayonet and featured a simplified rear sight arrangement and a fixed, rather than a bolt-head-mounted sliding, charger guide. These design features facilitate rapid cycling and fire compared to other bolt-action designs like the Mauser. From 1948 onwards, restrictions were placed on jacketed ammunition by the government and that had the effect that various individuals started wildcatting the .303 British case. 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*[79] and was slightly redesigned to use the 7.62×51mm NATO round. 7, Rifle, No. 4 rifles, except for the new barrel (which still retained the original No.4 rifle bayonet lugs) and magazine. IV[59] from 1921 onwards. [13][14], In 1898, Atelier de Construction de Puteaux (APX), with their "Balle D" design for the 8mm Lebel cartridge, revolutionised bullet design with the introduction of pointed "spitzer" rounds. The cumulative effects of firing Mk 8 ammunition through rifles were known during the Second World War, and British riflemen were ordered to avoid using it, except in emergencies. The Best 303 British Stock of 2021 – Reviewed and Top Rated. Serial numbers below 6000 were for civilian sale, serial numbers 6000 and higher were built under contract to the Canadian government. In total, over 16 million Lee–Enfields had been produced in several factories on different continents when production in Britain shut down in 1956, at the Royal Ordnance Factory ROF Fazakerley in Liverpool after that factory had been plagued with industrial unrest. SURPRISING Ross Rifle: Model 1910 MK III .303 British - YouTube. 32 Mk. Enfield Model No 4 Mk 1 Bolt Rifle - .303 British $450.00: 0 $450.00 10h 14m: 17135521. The Swiss were concerned about small arms ammunition that "increased suffering", and the Dutch focused on the British Mark III .303 loading in response to their treatment of Boer settlers in South Africa. [13] The design of the handguards and the magazine were also improved and the chamber was adapted to fire the new Mk VII High Velocity spitzer .303 ammunition. Grip. The Lee-Enfield rifle was first adopted by the British as a military arm in 1895 and later modified with a shorter barrel in 1904. [73], In the early 1950s Essential Agencies Ltd. [94] Enfields continue to be used as drill weapons by the National Ceremonial Guard of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) as well as the Australian Defence Force Cadets. Lee Enfield rifles are used by the Jamaica Constabulary force for training recruits during field-craft exercises and drills. Roughly 1,400 of these were converted to No. It has better ballistic performance than the standard .303 British cartridge. [38] Unlike the SMLE, that had a nose cap, the No 4 Lee–Enfield barrel protruded from the end of the forestock. 9, all .22 rimfire trainers and/or target rifles based on the Lee action, were adopted or in use with Cadet units and target shooters throughout the Commonwealth, the No.8 as of 2017 has been replaced among cadet forces due to obsolescence. In C.I.P. Fixed and adjustable aperture sights incorporated onto later variants, 1930 (trials only; 1,025 produced and leftover parts assembled into rifles early in WWII), 1931–present (2,500 trials examples produced in the 1930s, then mass production from mid-1941 onwards). 2, of varying marks. [71] Post-Second World War, SAF Lithgow converted a number of SMLE rifles to commercial sporting rifles- notably the .22 Hornet model- under the "Slazenger" brand. blue. [63], After the Second World War, the Rifle, No. A small quantity of No.4 rifles were converted to 7.62 NATO in 1964 through to 1965, designated 2A and 2A1. Numerous attempts have been made to convert the various single-shot .410 shotgun models to a bolt-action repeating model by removing the wooden magazine plug and replacing it with a standard 10-round SMLE magazine. The .303 British case was also used as a parent case for the South African designed 6mm Musgrave cartridge that was billed as a cheap surplus alternative to the popular .243 (6.2 mm) Winchester. Find the perfect British 303 Rifle stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. These were primarily used in Navy aircraft. III* (HT). The results of the trials that were conducted on the L8 series rifles were mixed and the British Government and the Ministry of Defence decided not to convert their existing stocks of Lee–Enfield No. 4 variant, a "battle sight" was developed that allowed for two set distances of 300 yards and 600 yards to be quickly deployed and was cheaper to produce than the "ladder sight". 4 Mk IV, sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFWilson2007 (, sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFSkennerton2001 (, Modern Warfare, Published by Mark Dartford, Marshall Cavendish (London) 1985. [67] Production of this model was 1944–1946 and a few in 1950 to 1953.[68]. [100] The Tongan security forces also retain a substantial number of No.4 rifles donated from New Zealand's reserve stocks.[100]. Measured between the grooves, the nominal size of the bore is .311-inch (7.90 mm). 4 Mk I/3. Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading, Rifle-Pistol, Third Edition, Hornady Manufacturing Company, 1980, 1985, pp. It was equipped with a No. [11] Although officially replaced in the UK with the L1A1 SLR in 1957, it remained in widespread British service until the early/mid-1960s and the 7.62 mm L42A1 sniper variant remained in service until the 1990s. [66], The C No.7 22" MK.I rifle is a .22 single shot, manually fed, training version of the No.4 Mk I* rifle manufactured at Long Branch. History, development, service, specifications, pictures and 3D model. Cartridges with the Roman numeral VIII on the headstamp are the Mark 8 round, specifically designed for use in Vickers machine guns. The action features helical locking surfaces (the technical term is interrupted threading). [citation needed]. The rifles were manufactured by parts outsourcing and were assembled and finished in Australia, chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO and fed from modified M14 magazines. The Howard Francis Self-Loading Carbine was a conversion of a No. Other distinctive features include a nose cap screw was slotted for the width of a coin for easy removal, a safety lever on the left side of the receiver was slightly modified with a unique angular groove pattern, and the two-piece hand guard being extended from the nose cap to the receiver, omitting the barrel mounted leaf sight. 2 Mk. Estimate Price: $1,400 - $2,250. [54], Numbers of Lee–Enfield rifles were converted to .22 calibre training rifles,[55] in order to teach cadets and new recruits the various aspects of shooting, firearms safety, and marksmanship at a markedly reduced cost per round. [28], The inability of the principal manufacturers (RSAF Enfield, The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited and London Small Arms Co. Ltd) to meet military production demands led to the development of the "peddled scheme", which contracted out the production of whole rifles and rifle components to several shell companies. 4 MK 1 and retained its original chambering in .303 British. [8] After extensive testing, the Committee on Explosives selected Cordite for use in the Mark II .303 British service cartridge. The Howell Automatic Rifle was the first attempt to convert the Lee–Enfield SMLE into a semi-automatic rifle. The 7.7mm cartridge used by the Japanese versions of the British guns is a direct copy of the .303 British (7.7×56mmR) rimmed cartridge and is distinctly different from the 7.7×58mm Arisaka rimless and 7.7×58mm Type 92 semi-rimmed cartridges used in other Japanese machine guns and rifles.[30]. 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