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

abdrodaedd-ltaonderxifisfitninggreriqflueisreidnto19r0e7sist

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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