The .303 Lee-Enfield Rifle - Castpics
AN AMERICAN R?FLEMAN REPRINT
REMODELI}{G .. .
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The .303 Lee-Enfield Rifle
Complete information, with exploded parts views on the various models, on disassembly, inspection, and adjustment, on remodeling into deluxe sporter, and on handloading the .303 arttidge. Also, plans for
a gun rack.
THE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN is the offi'
cial iournal of The National Rifle Association
of America (NRA). Its readership is well de'
fined and essentially has a strong common
bond
the on
of
interest in firearms, and their I e, in the hu
ammunition,
ea-nd
as
acquired,
and
enjoyed.
tor lurther in?o?molion, wr?le lhe NRA ot l?00 Rhode lslond Ave., N. W., Woshington
?, D. C.
50 CENTS
This reprinr is from rhe Ap?il 1957, Morch 1958, July l9!i9 ond Augurt 1959 issuc? of IHE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN. o fullv opvrishrsd publicorion (R2)
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$Mokn.eV.3lI0,3Mcakr.trVidgIIcso(f1.Uto.
r.): Mk. VI, S. manufac-
ipthcrWimepsitnlestyeaRdicohfarsdtasb
crimp, capped
of several types made in Eng-
sporting with soft-nose bullet
(general type macle in U. S.)
r long Lee-En?eld. Weight about 9.4 This model, an improvement of the 895, has safety lock which appeared
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Tfffi.303 tEErlEN]Fn]E,tD
By Col. E. H. Horrison, USA (Rer'd)
NRA Technicol Sroff
,-f-. t" standard military rifle of the I British Empire and the present Commonwealth was, from 1888 onward, the .303 Lee in various models. Not until 1954 was it replaced, and then
only with a self-loading rifle. No other breechJoading rifle and cartridge have been the standard of a major power for
so long.
The gradual rearming of British Commonwealth forces with self-loading rifles resulted in large numbers of Lee-Enfield rifles coming on the American market. The construction and characteristics of the rifle and cartridge thus became of considerable practical interest.
While the basic rifle design preceded
the cartridge, it is convenient to con-
sider the cartridge first (see Fig. 1).
Among originol militory smoll bores
The .303 rifle cartridge was among the original military 'small bores', and dates from 1888. It is contemporary with the 7.9x57 or 8 mm. Mauser
cartridge which also appeared that year.
The 8 mm. Mauser proved much the
better design in the long run, especially for automatic arms. Even for hand-operated magazine rifles its rimless form is better. The choice of a flanged case for the .303 was thus a mistake, in spite of
certain advantages of that form which
then seemed more in-rportant. There is,
however, very little in it for the user of
a .303 rifle to become concerned about. The riffe handles this cartridge excel-
lently, and to the user it will nlake no
difference in practice.
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