The Foundation of Freedom is the Courage of Ordinary People
History  On Line
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.303 Lee Enfield
Rifle and Manual
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.
Rifle Manual: Lee Enfield Rifles No.1 Mk
III; No.3 Mk I; No.4 Mk I; No. 5 Mk I
TM9-2200 (html): Technical Manual for
WWII Small Arms
(British Commonwealth Occupation Forces Japan
photo.)
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3rd Battalion, Royal Australian
Regiment, armed with Number 4 Mark I SMLE rifles,
distinguished itself in Korea in a number of
engagements. In its first fight the Aussies, using
mainly only Enfield rifles and 18 in. bayonets,
routed a North Korean regiment.
In three years of some of the
worst fighting of the Korean War, 3RAR was never
forced from a position.
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The .303 caliber Lee-Enfield rifle,
November 1895,usually called the Magazine Lee-Enfield,
or MLE. The next year a shorter version was introduced
as the Lee-Enfield Cavalry Carbine Mk I, or LEC, with a
21.2-inch barrel as opposed to the 30.2-inch
"long" version. After modifications, in 1899
they became the Mk I. Some of the MLEs (and MLMs) were
modified to load from chargers, "Charger Loading
Lee-Enfields", or CLLEs. 
Rifle, Short, Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) Mark 1
The SMLE, January 1904, is a shorter
and lighter version of the MLE. Barrel length was
halfway 25.2 inches, halfway between the original long
rifle and the carbine. There was concern at the time
that the shorter barrel would not be accurate, with
greater recoil, and too short a sighting radius.
The most noticeable characteristic of
the SMLE was its blunt nose, with only the bayonet boss
protruding a small fraction of an inch beyond the
nosecap. The SMLE included charger loading, borrowed
from the Mauser rifle. 
Rifle, Short, Magazine Lee Enfield Mark 3 -- 1907,
different sights
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. During WWI, many
changes were made to simplify manufacture and help meet
production requirements, resulting in the SMLE Mk III*
(redesignated Rifle No.1 Mk III* in 1926) saw extensive
service throughout the Second World War as well,
especially in the North African, Italian, Pacific and
Burmese theatres in the hands of British and
Commonwealth forces. The SMLE was manufactured in Australia and India, and
the old faithful 4 mk1 .303 was standard-issue for the Royal Australian
Regiment in the Korean War, helping to make them at least as effective as
any infantry in that miserable war.
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Rifle, Short, Number 4 Mark 1, Short, Magazine Lee
Enfield - 1941
Top shown mounting Bayonet Number 9,
bottom blow-up mounts "Pig-Sticker"
bayonet.
Interesting to some American
Korean War veterans, the Enfield wasn't
issued a flash protector. Quoting one of my
Aussie Mates, Vince Gilligan (note the cone
suppressor on his Bren in this link):
The cone type flash eliminators were standard
on the Bren Gun and the Jungle .303 Carbine but
I was a Infantry instructor and never came
across one for the old faithful 4 mk1 .303.
Another Aussie mate, Keith Hasler adds:
"Hi Bert ... I agree with Vince that our
Lee Enfield Rifles had no flash suppressors,
but our trusty Bren Gun had a cone shaped
'flash eliminator.' The remaining
ammunition used was 9mil in the Owen sub
machine gun (with no suppressors). Our Vickers
belt fed and water cooled machine gun (also a
.303 user) and equiped with a form of cone
shaped suppressor, was used by specialist
gunners in their own unit as opposed to the
former three weapons used by the infantry
troops in section, platoon and company sized
operations....
Flash suppressors reduce the
flash by rapidly cooling the gases as they
leave the barrel, reducing the gas density and
temperature and correspondingly the brightness
of the flash. Obviously this is entirely to
protect night vision of the shooter, not try to
hide him from the shootee.
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M1 QD Flash Hider
Cone suppressor
T-37 prong flash suppressor.
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| - |
Mark 1 |
Mark 3 |
No. 4 Mark 1 |
| - |
Barley Corn
foresight
Tangent Leaf Rear |
Blade foresight
Tangent leaf Rear |
Blade foresight
Vertical leaf Rear |
| Operation |
Bolt Action |
| Caliber |
.303 in, Rimmed
cartridge, 2.15in case length |
| Muzzle velocity |
2060 fps |
2440 fps |
2440 fps |
| Ammunition |
Mark 6 ball, 215 grain
bullet, 33 gr charge
Mark 7 ball, 174 grain bullet, 36.5 gr charge |
| Capacity |
detachable box
magazine, holding 10 rounds in two columns
Normally loaded from stripper clips |
| Weight |
8.12 lbs,
unloaded |
8.62 lbs,
unloaded |
8.8 lbs, unloaded |
| Overall length |
44.57 in overall, 25.2
in barrel |
| Rate of fire |
20 aimed rounds per
minute |
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Corporal Donald Breyard Davie
gives covering fire for "B" Company,
3RAR, during their advance on a spur near Hill
614.
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Corporal Davie had loaded his
stripper clip the usual over-and-under method which
alternates the rims of succeeding cartridges in
front of then in back of, the rim of the previous
cartridges. That's the way the clip on the left
is loaded.
In another method, the rim of each
cartridge overlaps the rim of the previous
cartridge.
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The M1
Garand was the weapon of choice for US
infantry. The M2
Carbine, half the weight and with a less
powerful cartridge, was the weapon of choice for
support troops, and others not primarily involved
in infantry combat. It was designed to meet
combat needs less demanding than the M1 Rifle,
but more than can be met by the M1911A1 pistol. It was more
convenient to use than the M1, and less intrusive
to their other duties, while still much more
effective than hand guns.
When the Short Magazine
Lee-Enfield was first introduced into
British service, it met with a storm of
criticism -- though little from the
troops whom it served well during two
World Wars, Korea, and beyond.
British Commonwealth
forces used the Lee Enfield Mark 4 as
their main rifle. Although bolt action,
its locking mechanism made it the fastest
bolt action rifle in the world. Its long
service also permitted its design to be
optimized over time to make it very
rugged and reliable.
The trained soldier could
fire 30 aimed rounds at a target 200
meters in one minute (known as "the
mad minute").
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Ron Cashman, 3RAR |
As one vet, Vince Gilligan, 3rd Battalion
Royal Australian Army said:
"... on the Lee
Enfield .303 rifle our mob(Australians)
used in Korea. The brits used a later
version with the pig sticker bayonet. We
had the 18in. bayonet (blued). One of the
rifles I had was made in 1917-1918. It was
a very effective weapon. At least if you
hit something, it stayed Hit.'
And after all, that's
the idea.
- The
bluing process creates a protective layer
of treated metal on the surface of the
steel, by immersing the metal in a solution
of salts that chemically alter the surface.
The chemical reaction discolors the surface
of the metal to a blue color, sometimes a
vivid blue, sometimes more gray or
black.
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Clanton
One browser, Shane, offered the
following comments
These come for the Lee-Enfield No.4 MK1.
I now own one and some of your information is a
little off.
Rear Sights are flip-up adjustable
aperature micrometer sights, not vertical leaf
Weight unloaded is Nine pounds even
(I weighed it!) not 8.8 Barrel length is 25 1/4
inches, not 25 2 inches
Case length is actually 2.222
inches (Chamber size) and not 2.15
And, as for the aimed shot
capacity, it's actually more along the lines of
15 rounds per minute. Because of the way the Lee
action is set up, rapid fire is very easy to do. As
long as you've got some charger clips handy,
you can manage 3in. groups on a rapid fire
string.
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Another browser
responded
I am afraid I must
disagree with Shane's opinion on Lee Enfield
rate of fire. In British military rifle
qualification with the SMLE the minimum passing
score was 15 hits on a siluette target at 200 yards
in 1 minute. This was required of any cook or
clerk. Combat soldiers averaged 20 to 30 hits in 1
minute.
The all time aimed fire record with
a bolt action rifle was by Sgt. Snoxall of the
British army, 38 hits on a 12in. bull at 300 yards
in 1 minute.
Causes of the Korean Tragedy ... Failure of Leadership, Intelligence and Preparation
The Foundations of Freedom are the Courage of Ordinary People and Quality of our Arms
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