subject: The British .303 and Variations - Part B (93.09.01) by ron.melson@chaos.lrk.ar.us Rifle No. 4 Mark 1I. This rifle originally appeared in 1931. Of excellant quality for a service arm, it was generally similiar to the No. 1 Mark VI except it had a heavier receiver. In 1939, the No. 4 Mark 1 was redesigned to allow for mass production and became, with the No. 4 Mark 1*, the British workhorse of World War II. Stamped bands were used and various manufacturing shortcuts were taken to increase production (hence, rifles after 1939 lack the quality of the earlier No. 4 Mark 1's). Three different sights were used on these rifles, ranging from a finely machined adjustable leaf type to a simple L- shaped peep sight. Many of these rifles can be found still in service in the British Commonwealth and in former British Territories. Rifle No. 4 Mark 1*. This was the North American production version of the No. 4 Mark 1 rifle. The principle difference was that the bolthead catch, which was situated behind the receiver bridge on the No. 4 Mark 1 (and earlier marks) was eliminated on the No. 4 Mark 1*, and a cutout on the bolt head track was used for bolt removal. Over 5 million No. 4 rifles were made during World War II in the UK, Canada and the United States (*Stevens Arms). Australia did not adopt the No. 4 and continued with the production of the No. 1 Mark III* at Lithgow. Rifle No. 4 Mark I* (light weight). Produced at the Long Branch arsenal in Canada in prototype form, this weapon had a one piece stock and the trigger pinned to the receiver. It weighed in at 6 3/4 pounds. The barrel was 23 inches in length with an overall length of 42 1/2 inches. The receiver wall was cut down and the stock inletted to reduce weight. The buttplate was a sporting type unit made of rubber. Micrometer sights with a peep battle sight was adjustable in clicks (100 yard steps) from 100- 1300 yards. It could also be used for grenade launching. One other feature of the rifle was the Mauser type trigger. Rifle No. 4 Mark 2. This rifle was developed at the end of World War II and differed from early marks by having the trigger pinned to the receiver rather than the trigger guard. Rifle No. 4 Mark 1(T) adn No. 4 Mark 1*(T). These are the sniper versions of the No. 4 rifle. They are fitted with scope mounts on the left side of the receiver and have a wooden cheek rest screwed to the butt. The No. 32 telescope is used on these weapons. There are also sniper versions of the No. 1 and No. 3 rifles (Pattern 14). The Canadians also used the No. 4 Mark 1*(T) with the Telescope C No. 67 Mark 1. Rifle No. 4 Mark 1/2 and Rifle No. 4 Mark 1/3. These are conversions of the No. 4 Mark 1 and No. 4 Mark 1* that have been modified to the pattern of the No. 4 Mark 2. These rifles are still in use and are possibly being held as reserve weapons in the UK. Rifle No. 5 Mark 1. The famous "jungle carbine", this rifle appeared at the end of World War II. It possessed a lightened and shortened barrel that has been fitted with a flash hider. The fore-end has been cut back and rounded, making the jungle carbine look more like a sporting rifle. A rubber pad was fitted to the buttstock to reduce recoil. Only 250,000 were made. Rifle No. 6 (Australia). It appeared only as a prototype, an 18 inch barreled version of the No. 1. It was developed at Lithgow. Historical Perspective. The original Lee Metford was a fine service arm until the introduction of Cordite Powders. It was found out quickly that Cordite burned much hotter and faster than black powder and that the new corrosive powders were eating away the bores of the rifles. The experts put their heads together to try and come up with a solution to the problem. It was resolved by experts at the Royal Ordnance Factory at Enfield Lock (hence the name Lee Enfield). Their solution was to create a barrel with a deeper, five grove rifling that was more resistent to the corrosive effects of Cordite. On November 11, 1895, the legend was approved and a year later, rifles produced at Enfield, Sparkbrook, L.S.A., and B.S.A., went into service. Externally, the Lee Enfield was identical to the Lee Metford. It was this gun and its modified version, the Mark I*, that the British used against Mausers for the first time during the Boer War. During this war, several shortcomings were found with the new Lee Enfield rifle. Problem with the sights and the lack of quick charging came to the front and once more the experts got together to find a solution. The charging problem was quickly resolved as was the sighting problem. In the process, a shorter length was added to the equation so the rifle would be easier to handle by both infantry and calvary. The result was introduced in 1902 as the Mark I SMLE. More improvements were made and in January of 1907, the Mark III was introduced, a rifle that was to become a legend. As with any war, World War I brought manufacturing short cuts to the Mark III. These included the elimination of the cutoff, dial sights, rear sight wind guage, and identification discs. This rifle was known as the Mark III*. In 1926, the nomenclature of service rifles was changed. The Mark III became known as the No. 1 Mark III and the experimental Mark VI became known as the No.1 Mark VI. After several modifications, the No.1 Mark VI emerged in 1931 as the No.4 Mark 1. With impending hostilities mounting in Europe, the development program on the No. 4 Mark 1 was stepped up and in 1939, the rifle was accepted as the standard service arm. The No. 4 was 44 1/2 inches overall with a 25 inch barrel. The action was beefier than the Mark III and the screw aperature adjustable rear sights (if installed) were graduated from 200 - 1300 yards. The barrel extends past the forestock a good three inches, allowing for the easy fitting of both a bayonet or grenade launcher. A variant, the No. 4 Mark 1* was built in Canada at the Long Branch facility and in the United States by Savage ( *or Stevens, there seems to be a conflict in sources here). The No. 4 Mark 1* is easily recognized by its simpler bolt head release. There was a cut-out in the reciever which allowed the bolt to be pulled back and the bolt head rotated in order to achieve extraction of the bolt. Both Marks were later fitted with an L-shaped flip up aperature that had two ranges, 300 and 600 yards. Last, but not least, of the original .303 Lee Enfields was the famous No. 5 Mark 1 "Jungle Carbine". This rifle had a barrel of 20 1/2 inches and featured a cone-shaped flash hider. The fore end and hand guard were cut down to expose more of the barrel and the base of the foresight assembly contained a lug that mounted a unique Bowie-bladed knife bayonet. Weight was reduced by 2 pounds which increased recoil, a big problem with this little gun. The right side of the butt was equipped with a sling loop, much like the old Lee Metford carbine. Although introduced too late in the war to see any real service, the jungle carbine did well enough, save for the wandering zero problem that never has been resolved. ________________________________________________________________________ VARIATIONS ON A THEME Pattern 13 (P-13). Tested in 1913, the P-13 was nothing more than a modified Mauser action (cocking on the forward stroke of the bolt), and was chambered for the large .276 caliber cartridge. The cartridge itself was remarkably similiar to the Canadian .280 caliber Ross cartridge. The rifle was made in very small numbers for field trials in .303 caliber. Pattern 14 (P-14). The P-14 was the production model of the P-13. Initially it was built in .303 caliber here in the United States for Great Britain during World War I. Save for its use as a sniping weapon, the P-14 was classed as a limited standard rifle and few were used. However, when the United States entered World War I, the P-14 was changed from .303 caliber to U.S. Cal. .30 (.30-06) and was designated the M1917, though it was known as the Enfield. Between World Wars, the British changed the nomenclature to Rifle No. 3 Mark I. Pattern 14 Sniper Rifles. During World War I, the P-14 was used extensively as a sniper rifle. There were two basic patterns, the P-14 (T) and the P-14 (T) A. The former has a Pattern 1918 telescope adjustable scope and the latter had an Aldis telescope. In 1926, when the British went to number designations, these weapons were renamed the Rifle No. 3 Mark I* (T) and the Rifle No. 3 Mark I* (T) A. Sniper Rifle L4A1. Developed from the commercial version of the No. 4 Mark 1 rifle, the Enfield Envoy, which was originally cut down and modified for target use. The rifle featured a cut down stock and rebarrelled to fire the .308 NATO cartridge. A further number were converted in similar fashion by the Royal Arms Factory (Enfield) and fitted with sights which are a modified version of the original No. 32 telescopic sight. Though superseded by the Accuracy International L96A1, some of the .308 Enfields (L4A1) still remain in the British Army's inventory.