"Lee-Enfield" is an English rifle. Description, characteristics, photo

World weapons history knows a lot of cases when some rifles became a real "face" of their time. This was our "three-line", the same was the rifle "Lee-Enfield". Until now, collectors around the world can put off a decent jackpot for any lucky person who can offer them a sample of this weapon in perfect condition. In the UK itself, rifles of this type have the same significance as the legendary "moss" has.

How it all began?

For the first time an English rifle of this type was adopted by the Royal Army in 1895. In fact, its direct predecessor was the rifle "Lee-Enfield" in 1853. It is interesting that initially the weapon was created specially for smoky powder. When they conducted tests of cartridges with the latest smokeless samples, it was immediately found out that the weapon for their use is completely unsuitable.

The British had to urgently develop a new trunk with a different configuration of rifling. Of course, the aiming devices were also altered. Its "proficiency" the new "Lee-Enfield" fully proved during the bloody Anglo-Boer Wars.

If you were reading adventure novels in your childhood, then for sure remember about the "drills" and "fittings", allowing you to hit the enemy from beyond the limits of those times distances. Strictly speaking, in most cases, it was just about the English "Lee-Enfield", as the Boers (Dutch colonists) used mainly German "Mausers".

Incidentally, the production of the Germans in those conflicts proved much better, but the patriotic British praised their rifle, which has since often been called "drill".

What did the African events show?

That war Britain won, but the army team suffered a lot from the exact "Mausers". It is not surprising that they urged an urgent modification of their rifles. And so already in 1903 a new model appeared - SMLE Mk I. How did it differ from its predecessors?

Following the example of the Germans, the British decided to do something intermediate between the cavalry carbine and the "full" rifle in size (like "Mauser K98"). This was a fully justified decision, since it became clear already in that war that the cavalry was gradually losing its importance and that the mounted soldiers constantly had to dismount in order to conduct fire in the combat mode.

In 1907, the modification SMLE Mk.III was adopted, which was characterized by the possibility of rapid charging by means of clips. This rifle "Lee-Enfield" was widely used during the First World War and very well proved. Soldiers loved this weapon for its high accuracy and accuracy. In 1916, an "intermediate" version of this rifle was adopted, which could be manufactured using a simplified technology, which was quite superfluous under wartime conditions.

What did the soldiers like so much about?

Despite some technological "sophistication", the British managed to create an extremely reliable weapon. There are cases when soldiers wound the bolt with oiled rags, after which they continued to fight, even lying in the water of trenches. In the conditions of constant shelling from large guns, when all the contents of the trenches were covered with a thick layer of dirt and sand, the reliability of these rifles was just a gift from above.

Further development

Before the Second World War, the modification SMLE No.1 (SMLE No.4 Mk. I) was adopted. The main innovations concerned the creation of a more robust trunk, a simple and technological receiver. Also at that time a simple dioptric sight appeared, greatly improving the accuracy of aiming and fire.

If we compare the new rifle with the early modifications, it has become even simpler and more reliable. Maintenance of weapons began to take considerably less time. The course of the shutter became shorter, it could be faster and easier to distort. Finally, the rate of fire of this rifle for the first time surpassed that of the Mauser.

About "weighty" characteristics

It should be noted that the British military noted only one significant drawback - weight. Only the fifth modification weighed 3.3 kg, and all other varieties were within 4 kg (Rifle No. 4 Mk. I weighed 4.11 kg). On the other hand, our "moss" with a bayonet pulled out all 4.5 kg, so this drawback is very doubtful against the background of other competitors. By the way, "Mauser K98" also weighed about 4.1 kg, so here it is full parity.

Sniper "modding" and other modifications

On the basis of the latest modification, sniper rifles also began to be created , since the need for a separate category of weapons for "well-aimed shooters" by that time became evident. However, before the manufacture of individual conveyors, the British did not reach: the weapon was simply selected from the general heap, based on increased accuracy and accuracy (in the same way we did what in the Wehrmacht). The names of the sniper modification are SMLE No.4 Mk. I (T).

In 1944, active fighting began in Burma and other regions of Asia, from where the British tried to expel the Japanese, who easily escorted the British from there at the very beginning of the Second World War. It quickly became clear that with standard rifles, infantrymen feel very constrained in the jungle, since the long trunk severely limits the freedom of maneuver.

Because of this, designers quickly created Rifle No. 5 Mk. I Jungle Carbine. This rifle had a pronounced flame arrester, and also had a very short trunk and forearm. But the soldiers did not like this modification for a number of reasons, this model was not widely used in the troops.

By the way, what is the range of this weapon? It is quite impressive: the first modifications - 2743 meters, the Rifle No. 5 Mk. I Jungle - 1000 meters. Of course, all this - "horses in a vacuum", because in practice the effective range of fire did not exceed 500-900 meters, but these results (even by today's standards) are quite good. For the conduct of close combat was designed bayonet: "Lee-Enfield" was equipped with an impressive blade, which is still very much appreciated by collectors.

Tales and "hunting legends"

Until the end of the 50-ies of the last century, these weapons stood in the arsenal of the Royal Army. In principle, the rifle of one of the above described models can still be easily found in those countries that were British colonies. It is known that in Afghanistan, the Mujahideen actively used the Enfields in attacks against our soldiers. At the same time, the stories describing the real use of "Boers" have since accumulated a great many.

For example, it is quite possible to agree that a bullet fired from an old English rifle really does break through a standard army body armor. But the stories about the wounded ... BTR !? To put it mildly, such information causes doubts among specialists, since the BTR-70/80 armor holds, albeit not at point-blank, a caliber of 12.7 mm. There is also information that Soviet transport helicopters have been hit several times from the Boers.

With this, you can also agree: the "MI-8" armor is missing as a class, so there is nothing surprising in such episodes. In the end, in Vietnam, American "Hugh" was also shot down from the simplest rifles of World War II. In a word, contradictory disputes about the advantages and disadvantages of the "Enfields" are held up to now, and the end is not visible to them.

Specifications

From a constructive point of view, an English rifle is a classic representative of a weapon with manual recharging and a longitudinal slider. The main feature is a ten-charge store, which, although strongly favoring the dimensions of the "drill", is not fixed. On the photo of the weapon it is clearly visible.

Simply put, you have to charge it, pushing the bolt to its extreme position (as on a three-line or "Mauser"). However, in the depth of the trigger guard is a latch, which can be used to remove the store. Although this option was used only in the event that it was required to perform a full cleaning or replacement of the part.

Ammunition

Charging is done through the longitudinal window in the receiver. It, as we already mentioned above, is released only when the shutter is fully open. To charge the weapon it was possible as on one patron, and clips, in each of which was on five rounds. As in all rifles of that period, for the convenience of the latter type of loading, special grooves were milled in the receiver itself.

By the way, what kind of cartridge is used here? "Lee-Enfield" was equipped with rather specific ammunition: caliber .303 British, which in the human metric system - 7.7 mm. The length of the sleeve is 56 mm. It should be noted that initially the caliber of the weapon was 7.69 mm, but later it had to be changed due to the transition to a new system of rifling.

Shutter characteristics and usl

In the lower part of the shutter there were two ledges, due to which the barrel was securely locked. When the shutter was closed, the trigger was cocked automatically. The handle of the handle for recharging was slightly bent, lowered down. The shutter itself is very convenient to handle, has a "solid", but a short stroke. Due to the latter circumstance, there was an increased rate of fire, which was always famous for the rifle "Lee-Enfield".

USM (that is, the shock-trigger mechanism) is the simplest, shock type. There is a fuse located on the left side of the receiver. Unlike our three-line, this detail on the "Englishwoman" was very convenient, you could work with a fuse with the finger of one hand, without changing the grip of the weapon.

In addition, the rifle "Lee-Enfield" had a two-stage descent, which greatly improved the accuracy of the shooting. The butt of the butt is very interesting: having a practically "pistol" shape, it was very ergonomic, which greatly improved the grip of the weapon.

If you look at the butt, you can find in it three small holes: one is for storing cleaning equipment, the other two are needed to reduce the total weight of the weapon. In general, there are many trees in the construction: the photo of the weapon shows that all the lining is made of this material.