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The Lee-Enfield bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle was the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire/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.^[3][4] The Lee-Enfield used the .303 British cartridge and in Australia and New Zealand the rifle became known simply as the "303". It was also used by the military forces of Canada, India, and South Africa, among others.^[5]

A redesign of the Lee-Metford, which had been adopted by the British Army in 1888, the Lee-Enfield remained in widespread British service until the early 1960s, and the 7.62 mm L42 sniper variant remained in service until the 1990s. As a standard-issue infantry rifle, it is still found in service in the armed forces of some Commonwealth nations.^[6]

The Lee-Enfield featured a ten-round box magazine which was loaded manually from the top, either one round at a time or by means of five-round chargers. The Lee-Enfield superseded the earlier Martini-Henry, Martini-Enfield, and Lee-Metford rifles, and although officially replaced in the UK with the L1A1 SLR in 1957, it continues to see official service in a number of British Commonwealth nations to the present day-notably with the Indian Police-which makes it the longest-serving military bolt-action rifle still in official service.^[7] Total production of all Lee-Enfields is estimated at over 17 million rifles.^[1]

The Lee-Enfield bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle was the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire/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.^[3][4] The Lee-Enfield used the .303 British cartridge and in Australia and New Zealand the rifle became known simply as the "303". It was also used by the military forces of Canada, India, and South Africa, among others.^[5]

A redesign of the Lee-Metford, which had been adopted by the British Army in 1888, the Lee-Enfield remained in widespread British service until the early 1960s, and the 7.62 mm L42 sniper variant remained in service until the 1990s. As a standard-issue infantry rifle, it is still found in service in the armed forces of some Commonwealth nations.^[6]

The Lee-Enfield featured a ten-round box magazine which was loaded manually from the top, either one round at a time or by means of five-round chargers. The Lee-Enfield superseded the earlier Martini-Henry, Martini-Enfield, and Lee-Metford rifles, and although officially replaced in the UK with the L1A1 SLR in 1957, it continues to see official service in a number of British Commonwealth nations to the present day-notably with the Indian Police-which makes it the longest-serving military bolt-action rifle still in official service.^[7] Total production of all Lee-Enfields is estimated at over 17 million rifles.^[1]

<sup>SNIDER

The British .577 Snider-Enfield is a type of breech loading rifle. The firearm action was invented by the American Jacob Snider. It was one of the most widely used of the Snider varieties. It was adopted by Britain as a conversion system for its ubiquitous Enfield 1853 rifled musket muzzle loading arms. In trials, the Snider Pattern 1853 conversions proved both more accurate than original Pattern 1853s and much faster firing as well. From 1866 on the rifles were converted in large numbers at the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) Enfield beginning with the initial pattern, the Mark I.</sup>

^{New rifles started as Pattern 1853s, but received a new breechblock/receiver assembly. Converted rifles retained the original iron barrel, furniture, locks and hammer. The Mark III rifles were newly made, with steel barrels which were so marked, flat nosed hammers, feature a latch-locking breech block}

^{The Snider was the subject of substantial imitation, approved and questionable, including the near exact copy of the Nepalese Snider, the Dutch Snider, Danish Naval Snider, and the "unauthorised" adaptations of the French Tabatière and Russian Krnka. It served throughout the British Empire, including the Cape Colony, India, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, until its gradual phase out by the Martini-Henry, beginning in 1874 but still being used by volunteer and militia forces until the late 1880s. It stayed in service with the Indian army until the Mid 1890's because Indian troops between the Mutiny and 1905 were kept one weapon generation behind the British. They got the Martini-Henry when the British introduced the Lee-Metford.}

Martini-Enfield rifles were, by and large, conversions of the Zulu War era .450/577 Martini-Henry, rechambering the rifle for use with the newly introduced .303 British cartridge. Whilst most Martini-Enfields were converted rifles, a number were newly manufactured as well.

Overview

The Martini-Enfield Mk I was effectively a Martini-Henry Mk III rebarrelled to .303 and with a new extractor installed, whilst the Martini-Enfield Mk II rifles were generally of new manufacture- although there are examples of converted Mk II rifles.

Manufacturer's markings on the left hand side of an 1898 dated Martini-Enfield Mk I .303 rifle

Originally (from 1889) Martini-Henry conversions used Metford rifled barrels (and were known as Martini-Metford rifles), which were more than suitable for the first .303 cartridges, which used black powder as a propellant, but they wore out very quickly when fired with cordite/nitrocellulose cartridges (introduced in 1895) and so in 1895 the Enfield rifled barrel was introduced, which was much more satisfactory and suitable for use with "modern" (smokeless) ammunition.

The Martini-Enfield was in service from 1895-1918 (Lawrence of Arabia's Arab Irregulars were known to have used them during the Arab Revolt of 1916-1918, along with any other firearms they could acquire), and it remained a Reserve Arm in places like India and New Zealand until well into World War II.