|
British Enfield Rifles
British rifles were used more than any other rifle during the Civil War in the United States other than the Springfield M1861-63. The walnut trees around Enfield Lock, a canal lock in the Lea waterway in Middlesex, was the source of quality wood for more than 500,000 gun stocks for the muzzleloading Enfield rifled muskets bought by both the Union and Confederacy. The muzzleloaders were mass produced with imported Yankee machinery.
SMLE Mark III (Lee Enfield Rifle No. I) This rifle was adopted on Dec. 23, 1902. On Jan. 26, 1907 the SMLE Mark III was approved for British service. The Mark III version was dimensionally similar to the Mark I but is heavier. It weighs 8 lbs 10 oz. almost 6 oz heavier than the Mark I. The rifle later became known as the Rifle No. I Mark III. This rifle was in the British .303 caliber.
World War I In Word War I, private industry in the United States manufactured Pattern 14 bolt action Enfield rifles in the .303 caliber. The Pattern 14 rifle was first known in British nomenclature as the No. 3 rifle. It is also the only Enfield rifle manufactured using the Mauser type Action. It was intended to resemble the U.S. M1903 rifle used by the United States. Due to the rapid need of quality firearms in Word War I the British turned to the United States . The U.S. manufactures agreed to produce the new British rifle with certain modifications and large orders were placed with Winchester, Remington and Eddystone. On June 21, 1916 the new rifle was officially introduced in the British Service as the Pattern 1914 Enfield Rifle. It was also fitted with a Pattern 1913 Sword bayonet Mark I. These rifles were found to be very accurate and were soon fitted with the pattern 1918 telescope sights and issued to snipers in the various theaters of war. During World War I U.S. Government armories were not able to produce the Springfield M1903 rifle rapidly enough. The problem was solved by the adoption of the Model 1917 Enfield .30-06 rifle which was a slightly modified version of the Pattern 14 rifle. It was manufactured by Winchester, Remington and Eddystone. The three factories produced close to 2,200,000 Model 1917 rifles. Except for the caliber, this rifle is almost identical to the British Pattern 14 Enfield.
World War II Immediately following World War I the British War Office Small Arms Committee spent much time and a lot of thought on the idea of a new rifle. It was then decided that the same caliber would be used, the British .303. It was also decided that the accuracy should at least match that of the Pattern 14 rifle. The final result result was the N0.4 Mark I Rifle. Official approval for manufacture was given on Nov. 15, 1939. The No.4 Mark I Rifle was chambered for the .303 caliber and weighed 8 lbs. 13 oz. without the bayonet. It’s overall length is 44 ½ inches and has a 25.2 inch barrel. The rifle was manufactured at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, and at the B.S.A. company in Birmingham. The outbreak of World war II found the capacity at Enfield stretched to it’s limits so arrangements were made in Canada and the U.S. for manufacture of the No. 4 Rifle. Nearly one million rifles were manufactured at the Long Branch Facility near Toronto, and another million were made by the Savage Arms Corporation I n the United States. The rifle was made to an alternative design of the receiver and was designated the No. 4 Rifle, Mark I*. It differed from the United Kingdom production in several respects. A slot was cut in the receiver ribway, through which the bolt head was released for disassembly . Machining for the bolt head catch was omitted. The bolt head catch, and the spring and plate were also omitted. A new pattern bridge piece was incorporated in the receiver to permit removal of the bolt. I own several of these rifles and the U.S. version manufactured by Savage is easier and quicker to remove the bolt assembly than the British manufactured rifles. ( Since England’s small arms production was greatly strained by wartime demands, the Stevens Arms Co. which was a division of Savage Arms Corp., Chicopee Falls, Mass. Manufactured the No.4 rifle under the lend lease Act. These rifles are the ones that are found with the “ U.S. property” marked on the receiver.
The Model No.5 Mark I is a modified version of the No.4 rifle. The No.5 has the same action as the No.4 but the No.5 is a shortened and lightened model intended for use in the jungle. The barrel was shortened to only 18 ¾ inches and is equipped with a bayonet stud and a conical flash hider. It is the only Enfield rifle manufactured with a flash hider. This rifle is known as the Jungle Carbine. It was popular with the troops in the role it played despite a rather heavy recoil. By the end of 1944 over 50,000 had been accepted into service, and on July 1947 it was declared obsolete. Only a limited number were made and this model is comparatively scarce. I am proud to also be an owner of one of these.
Rifles in my collection include multiples of: SMLE No.1 SMLE No.I* SMLE No. II SMLE No. III No. 4 MK I No. 4 MK I* No. 5 MK I No. 7 Rifle ( .22 cal ) Also a 7.62mm 2A rifle.
|