British military rifles
The origins of the modern British military rifle are within its predecessor the
Beginning in the late 1830s, the superior characteristics of the new rifles caused the
Rifles before 1800
Civilian rifles had on rare occasions been used by marksmen during the English Civil War (1642–51). In the 1750s, a few German rifles were used by British light infantry regiments in the Seven Years' War.[1]
Pattern 1776 Infantry Rifle
In January 1776, 1,000 rifles were ordered to be built for the British Army. A pattern by gunsmith William Grice, based on German rifles in use by the British Army, was approved for official issue as the Pattern 1776 Infantry Rifle. This weapon was issued to the light company of each regiment in the British Army during the American Revolution; these were probably present at most battles in the conflict in the American Revolution.
Ferguson rifle
Also in 1776, Major Patrick Ferguson patented his breech-loading Ferguson rifle, based on old French and Dutch designs of the 1720s and 1730s. One hundred of these, of the two hundred or so made, were issued to a special rifle corps in 1777, but the cost, production difficulties and fragility of the guns, coupled with the death of Ferguson at the Battle of Kings Mountain meant the experiment was short-lived.
Baker Rifle
The
Brunswick rifle
The
The Brunswick had a two-groove barrel designed to accept a "belted" round ball. There are four basic variants of the British Brunswick Rifle (produced in .654 and .704 calibre, both oval bore rifled and smoothbore). They are the Pattern 1836, the Pattern 1841, the Pattern 1848 and the Pattern 1840 Variant.
Early Enfield rifles
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2017) |
Throughout the evolution of the British rifle, the name Enfield is prevalent; this refers to the Royal Small Arms Factory in the town (now suburb) of Enfield north of London, where the British Government produced various patterns of muskets from components manufactured elsewhere beginning in 1804. The first rifle produced in whole to a set pattern at Enfield was the Baker rifle. Brunswick rifles were also produced there, but, prior to 1851, rifles were considered speciality weapons and served alongside the muskets, which were issued to regular troops.
Pattern 1851
In 1851, the Enfield factory embarked upon production of the .702-inch [17.8 mm] Pattern 1851 Minié rifle using the conical Minie bullet, which replaced the Pattern 1842 .753 calibre smoothbore musket as the primary weapon issued to regular troops. The Pattern 1851 was referred to as a rifled musket and was longer than previous production rifles, conforming to the length of prior muskets, which allowed for consistency in standards for firing in ranks and bayonet combat. Relatively few of these were produced since a new design was adopted within two years. The rifle used the lock and bayonet mount from the Pattern 1842, with a 39-inch (990 mm) barrel.
The new Minie ammunition allowed much faster loading, so that rifles were no longer slower to load than smoothbore muskets. Previous rifles, such as the Baker and the Brunswick, were designated for special troops, such as skirmishers or snipers, while the majority of shoulder-arms remained smoothbore muskets.
Pattern 1853
The Pattern 1853 Enfield used a smaller .577 calibre Minie bullet. Several variations were made, including infantry, navy and artillery versions, along with shorter carbines for cavalry use. The Pattern 1851 and Pattern 1853 were both used in the Crimean War, with some logistical confusion caused by the need for different ammunition. The Pattern 1853 was popular with both sides of the American Civil War; the Confederacy and the Union imported these through agents who contracted with private companies in Britain for production.
Pattern 1858
The Pattern 1858 naval rifle was developed for the
Pattern 1858 Indian Service
There is also the very short-lived Pattern 1858 developed from the Pattern 1853 for Indian service. A consequence of the rebellion, based on British fears, was to modify the native infantry long arms by reaming out the rifling of the Pattern 1853 which greatly reduced the effectiveness, as was replacing the variable distance rear sight with a fixed sight. This became the Pattern 1858, with an increased bore of 0.656" from 0.577" and a thinner barrel wall. Bulging and bursting of the barrel became an issue, as well as excessive flexing when the bayonet was fitted. To remedy this, new barrels were made with a thicker wall and became the Pattern 1859.
Pattern 1859 Indian Service (modified)
The Indian Service variant became the new standard issue and, when comparing the P1859 with the P1853, side-by-side, the difference would only become apparent if one was to feel just inside the muzzle for the presence of rifling or not. The British retained the superior earlier pattern for their own use.
Pattern 1860
The Enfield "Short Rifle" was a percussion rifle used extensively by the North and South in the US Civil War. It was generally well regarded for its accuracy, even with its short barrel. It was also used by the British Army.
Pattern 1861 Enfield Musketoon
The
Snider–Enfield Rifles
In 1866, the Snider–Enfield was produced as a conversion of Enfield Pattern 1853 with a hinged breechblock and barrel designed for a .577 cartridge. Later Sniders were newly manufactured on the same design.
The action was invented by an American, Jacob Snider, and adopted by Britain as a conversion system for the 1853 Enfield. The conversions proved both more accurate than original muzzle-loading Enfields and much faster firing as well. Converted rifles retained the original iron barrel, furniture, locks and cap-style hammers. The rifles were converted in large numbers, or assembled new with surplus pattern 53 iron barrels and hardware. The Mark III rifles were made from all new parts with steel barrels, flat-nosed hammers and are the version equipped with a latch-locking breech block. The Snider was the subject of substantial imitation, approved and otherwise, including: Nepalese Sniders, the Dutch Sniders, Danish Naval Sniders, and the "unauthorized" adaptations resulting in the French Tabatiere and Russian Krnka rifles.
The Snider–Enfield Infantry rifle was particularly long at over 54 inches (1,400 mm). The breech block housed a diagonally downward-sloping firing pin which was struck with a front-action side-mounted hammer. The firer cocked the hammer, flipped the block out of the receiver with a breech block lever, and then pulled the block back to extract the spent case. There was no ejector, the case had to be pulled out, or more usually, the rifle rolled onto its back to allow the case to fall out. The Snider saw service throughout the British Empire, until it was gradually phased out of front line service in favour of the Martini–Henry, in the mid-1870s. The design continued in use with colonial troops into the 20th century.[2]
Martini–Henry Rifles
The
Unlike the Snider it replaced, the Martini–Henry was designed from the ground up as a
The Mark I was adopted for service in 1871. There were three further main variations of the Martini–Henry rifle, the Marks II, III and IV, with sub-variations of these, called patterns. In 1877, a carbine version entered service with five main variations including cavalry and artillery versions. Initially, Martinis used the short chamber Boxer-Henry .45 calibre black powder cartridge made of a thin sheet of brass rolled around a mandrel, which was then soldered to an iron base. Later, the rolled brass case was replaced by a solid brass version which remedied a myriad of problems.[3]
Martini–Metford and Martini–Enfield
Martini–Enfield rifles were mostly conversions of the
Lee–Metford rifles
The first British repeating rifle incorporated a
The "Lee" comes from
During the development of the Lee–Metford,
A contrast between this design and other successful bolt actions of the time, such as the
Another difference between the Lee and the Mauser designs was the use of "cock-on-closing", which also helped to speed cycling by making the initial opening of the breech very easy. The closing stroke, which is generally more forceful than the opening stroke, cocks the rifle, adding to the ease of use. The Lee design also featured a shorter bolt travel and a 60-degree rotation of the bolt; these attributes also led to faster cycle times.
Over the service life of the design, proponents and opponents would stress rate-of-fire versus ballistics respectively. The basic Lee design with some tinkering was the basis for most British front-line rifles until after World War II.[4]
Lee–Enfield rifles
In 1895, the Lee–Metford design was reinforced to accommodate the higher chamber pressures of smokeless powder; more critically, the barrel rifling was changed to one developed by the Enfield factory owing to the incompatibility of the Metford barrel design with smokeless powder (the barrels becoming unusable after less than 5,000 rounds). The designation was changed to Rifle, Magazine, Lee–Enfield Mark I or MLE (magazine Lee–Enfield). The sights also had to be changed to reflect the flatter trajectory and longer ranges of the improved cartridge.
The Martini–Henry, Lee–Metford, and Lee–Enfield rifles have an overall length just under 50 inches (1,300 mm). In each case, several variants of carbines were offered in the under 40-inch (1,000 mm) range for uses by cavalry, artillery, constabularies and special troops.
Starting in 1909, MLE and MLM rifles were converted to use charger loading, which was accomplished by modifying the bolt, modifying the front and rear sights, and adding a charger guide bridge to the action body, thereby allowing the use of chargers to more rapidly load the magazines. Upgraded to a more modern standard, these rifles served in combat in the First World War.
The Short Magazine Lee–Enfield (SMLE) – also known as Rifle, Number 1
Before
Training Rifle – Rifle, Number 2
To conserve resources in training, the British Army converted many
Pattern 1913 Enfield
The Pattern 1913 Enfield (P13) was an experimental rifle developed by the British Army ordnance department to serve as a replacement for the Short Magazine Lee–Enfield (SMLE). Although a completely different design from the Lee–Enfield, the Pattern 1913 rifle was designed by the Enfield engineers. In 1910, the British War Office considered replacing the SMLE based on its inferior performance compared to the Mauser rifles used by the enemy in the Boer War. The major shortcoming was long range performance and accuracy due to the ballistics of the .303 round, but the bolt system of the SMLE was not believed to have the strength to chamber more potent ammunition. A rimless .276 cartridge, which was comparable to the 7 mm Mauser, was developed.
Pattern 1914 – also known as Rifle, Number 3
With the outbreak of the First World War, the change to the ammunition for the Pattern 1913 was abandoned; however, to supplement SMLE production the new design was to be produced chambered for .303. In 1914, the
The Pattern 14 rifle did not gain widespread acceptance with the British since it was larger and heavier, held fewer rounds and was slower to cycle than the SMLE. The P14 was well regarded as a sniper rifle (with telescopic and fine adjustment iron sights), but largely disregarded outside of emergency use.
US M1917 "Enfield"
To minimise retooling, the
Rifle Magazine .256 inch Pattern 1900
Early in World War I Britain ordered around 150,000 Type 30, and Type 38 rifles and carbines from Japan as a stopgap until the manufacture of their own
Ross rifle
The Ross rifle was a straight-pull bolt-action .303 calibre rifle produced in Canada from 1903 until the middle of the First World War, when it was withdrawn from service in Europe due to its unreliability under wartime conditions, and its widespread unpopularity among the soldiers. Since the Ross .303 was a superior marksman's rifle, its components were machined to extremely fine tolerances which resulted in the weapon clogging too easily in the adverse environment imposed by trench warfare in the First World War. Additionally, British ammunition was too variable in its manufacturing tolerances to be used without careful selection, which was not possible in trench conditions. It was also possible for a careless user to disassemble the bolt for cleaning and then reassemble it with the bolt-head on back to front, resulting in a highly dangerous and sometimes fatal failure of the bolt to lock in the forward position on firing. Snipers, who were able to maintain their weapons carefully, and hand select and measure every round with which they were equipped, were able to use them to maximum effect and retained a considerable fondness for the weapon.
Ross rifles were also used by Training units, 2nd and 3rd line units and Home Guard units in the Second World War and many weapons were shipped to Britain after Dunkirk in the face of serious shortages of small arms.
Remington Model 1901
During World War I, the Royal Navy purchased 4,500
Winchester Model 1894
To release Lee–Enfield rifles for infantry use, the Royal Navy purchased approximately 5,000 .30-30 caliber Model 94 rifles in 1914 for shipboard guard duty and mine-clearing. Winchester '94s were also provided to the British Home Guard in the early years of WWII.
Remington Model 14
4,000 Remington Model 14 1/2 pump action rifles in .44 Winchester calibre were bought for the Royal Naval Air Service.[6]
Rifle, Number 4 aka the Lee Enfield rifle
Beginning shortly after the First World War, the SMLE went through a series of experimental changes that resulted in the Rifle, No. 4 Mk I, which was adopted in 1939 just after the beginning of the Second World War. The changes included receiver-mounted aperture rear sights, similar to that of the Pattern 1914 rifle and changed screw threads, making nearly all threaded components incompatible with those of the SMLE (No. 1) rifle. The No. 4 rifle had a heavier barrel, stronger steel in the action body and bolt body and a short "grip-less" (or "spike") bayonet that mounted directly to the barrel, rather than to a separate nose cap. The latter was the most prominent visual change. Later several models of bladed bayonets were created.
During the Second World War, the British government also contracted with Canadian and US manufacturers (notably Small Arms Limited and Savage) to produce the No. 4 Mk I* rifle.[7][8] US-manufactured rifles supplied under the Lend Lease program were marked US PROPERTY on the left side of the receiver. Canada's Small Arms Limited at Long Branch made over 900,000. Many of these equipped the Canadian Army and many were supplied to the UK and New Zealand. Over a million No. 4 rifles were built by Stevens-Savage in the United States for the UK between 1941 and 1944 and all were originally marked "U.S. PROPERTY". Canada and the United States manufactured both the No. 4 MK. I and the simplified No. 4 MK. I*. The UK and Canada converted about 26,000 No. 4 rifles to sniper equipment.
The No. 4 rifle has remained on issue until at least 2016 with the Canadian Rangers, still in .303. Some rifles were converted to the NATO 7.62mm calibre for sniping (L42A1) and several versions for target use. L42A1 sniper rifles were used in the 1982 Falklands War.
Rifle, Number 5 and further variants
In 1943, trials began on a shortened and lightened No. 4 rifle, leading to the adoption in 1944 of the No. 5 Mk I Rifle, or "Jungle Carbine", as it is commonly known. The No. 5 rifle was manufactured from 1944 until 1947.
The end of the Second World War saw the production of the Rifle, No. 6, an experimental Australian version of the No. 5, and later the Rifle, No. 7, Rifle, No. 8, and Rifle, No. 9, all of which were .22 rimfire trainers.
Production of SMLE variants continued until circa 1956 and in small quantities for speciality use until circa 1974. In the mid-1960s, a version was produced for the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge by installing new barrels and new extractors, enlarging the magazine wells slightly, and installing new magazines. This was also done by the Indian rifle factory at Ishapore, which produced a strengthened SMLE in 7.62 mm NATO, as well as .303 SMLEs into the 1980s.
Although Mausers and Springfields were being replaced by semi-automatic rifles during the Second World War, the British did not feel the need to replace the faster firing SMLE weapons with the new technology.
The No. 5 rifle was a favorite among troops serving in the jungles of Malaysia during the Malayan Emergency (1948–1960) due to its handy size, short length and powerful cartridge that was well suited for penetrating barriers and foliage in jungle warfare. The No. 5's extensive use in the Malayan Emergency is where the rifle gained its "jungle carbine" title.
M1 carbine
During
Rifle, Number 8
A .22 subcalibred No. 8 used for cadet training and match shooting. It used a
Rifle, Number 9 (Enfield EM2)
The
A somewhat similar Australian concept was the
L1A1 SLR
The L1A1 SLR (Self Loading Rifle) is the British version of the
The history of the FAL began circa 1946, when FN began to develop a new assault rifle, chambered for German 7.92×33mm Kurz intermediate cartridge. In the late 1940s, the Belgians joined with Britain and selected a British .280 (7×43mm) intermediate cartridge for further development. In 1950, both the Belgian FAL prototype and the British EM-2 bullpup assault rifles were tested by the US Army against other rifle designs. The EM-2 performed well and the FAL prototype greatly impressed the Americans, but the idea of the intermediate cartridge was at that moment incomprehensible to them, and the United States insisted on a "reduced full-size" cartridge, the 7.62 NATO, as a standard in 1953–1954. Despite the British Defence minister announcing the intention to adopt the EM-2 and the intermediate cartridge, Winston Churchill personally opposed the EM-2 and .280 cartridge in the belief that a split in NATO should be avoided, and that the US would adopt the FAL in 7.62 as the T48. The first 7.62 mm FALs were ready in 1953. Britain adopted the FAL in 1957 designating it the L1A1 SLR, and produced their own rifles at the RSAF Enfield and BSA factories.
Canada also used the FN, designated the FN C1 and FN C1A1, and like Britain, retained the semi-automatic-only battle rifle well after other countries forces turned to full automatic assault rifles such as the M16 and AK-47. Australia still uses the L1A1 for ceremonial use.
L64/65
During the 1970s, Enfield engineers designed an assault rifle to replace the L1A1 in the Bullpup configuration but chambered in the .190 calibre (4.85 mm). This rifle had better range and ballistics than the 5.56×45mm NATO although it retained the same cartridge, necked-down for the new calibre. Like the previous EM-2, It was a bullpup and also cancelled due to NATO standardisation. However, the L64 was later chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO as the XL70 and is the main rifle that formed the basis of the SA80.
Rifle 5.56mm L85 (SA80)
Bullpup design creatively decreases total weapon length compared with standard assault rifles. It is easy to use not only on the battlefield, but also in areas with limited space, such as armoured personnel carriers. In 1951, the British officially adopted the EM-2 bullpup design as the "Rifle, Automatic, No.9 Mk.1". However, American insistence on the use of 7.62×51 NATO cartridges as the NATO standard meant that the rifle, which used 7 mm rounds, was shelved and the Belgian FN FAL rifle adopted. It was expected that the US would also adopt the FAL then under trial as the T48 but they selected the M14. Another Enfield attempt in the 1970s was the L64/65.
Britain started a programme to find a family of related weapons to replace the L1A1 battle rifle and the
The L85A1 was improved in 1997 after constant complaints from the troops. The main problems were difficult maintenance and low reliability. These problems led British troops to nickname the weapon the "civil servant", as, in their estimation, you could not make it work and could not fire it. Improvements were made during 2000–2002 when 200,000 of the existing 320,000 L85A1 Automatic Rifles were upgraded. Improvements were made to the working parts (cocking handle, firing pin etc.), gas parts and magazines.
The improved rifle is named L85A2. During active service, the A2 can be fitted with a 40 mm grenade launcher, a light attachment and a
In light of operational experience gained during Operation Herrick in Afghanistan and Operation Telic in Iraq, a number of additions to the L85A2 entered service as Urgent Operational Requirements, which ultimately became standard fit. The most noticeable addition has been that of a Picatinny Rail Interface System designed and manufactured by US company Daniel Defense, which replaces the original green plastic front furniture. The RIS system often sports rubber rail covers in coyote brown colour and a GripPod vertical down grip/bipod unit. The Oerlikon Contraves LLM-01 laser and sight combo has been standard for some time but a new laser/light unit by Rheinmetall has been recently cleared for service. Two ×4 optical infantry sights have seen service in addition to the SUSAT. The Trijicon TA-31 ACoG with a red dot CQB sight was purchased as a UOR and latterly a replacement for the SUSAT has entered service namely the Elcan Specter OS4X (pictured) also with a red dot CQB sight mounted on it. An alternative flash eliminator can be fitted, an open ended four pronged design by Surefire. The Surefire flash eliminator gives improved flash elimination, can accept the standard bayonet and also accommodate a Surefire sound suppressor. The Surefire flash eliminator is only for operational use, being incompatible with the standard L85A2 Blank Firing Attachment. Polymer magazines manufactured by Magpul called the EMAG have also been purchased to replace steel magazines in operational environments slightly easing the infantryman's weight burden. It is anticipated that the SA80 will remain in front-line service well into the 2020s.
Rifle, 5.56mm L119A1 and L119A2
The
Rifle, 7.62mm L129A1
Rifle, 5.56mm L403A1
In 2021 the MoD put out a requirement for an
L96 and L115 Sniper Rifles
The
See also
- Bolt action
- Cartridge (firearms)
- Musket
- German military rifles
- List of assault rifles
- List of battle rifles
References
- ISBN 9780876096888– via Google Books.
- ^ "Snider". www.militaryrifles.com.
- ^ "British Martini-Henry". www.militaryrifles.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
- ^ "Lee–Metford Mark I, Mark I* (1888) and Mark II (1890)". Archived from the original on 9 November 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
- ^ Allan; White; Zielinski. p. 90-95
- ^ "British Military Small Arms Ammo - .44 inch Winchester".
- ^ Liwen Chen (11 March 2011). "Small Arms, Ltd. 1940-1946" (PDF). Heritage Mississauga. Mississauga Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "Small Arms Limited - The Long Branch Story 1939-1945 (Part 1)". Calibre. Calibre Magazine. 24 May 2022. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ Moran, Jack William Grace, Sir (1959). Spearhead in Malaya (1st ed.). London: Peter Davies. p. 239.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Crawford, Oliver (1958). The Door Marked Malaya (1st ed.). London: Rupert Hart-Davis. p. 88.
- ^ "The Jungle Beat – Roy Follows, of Fort Brooke and Cameron Highlands". Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ Central Office of Information British Information Services Survey of Current Affairs 1977 H.M Stationery Office
- ^ "Royal Military Police train for close protection". gov.uk (Press release). Ministry of Defence. 7 August 2012.
- ^ Lye, Harry (7 November 2019). "Royal Navy limits commitment to Littoral Strike Ship development". Naval Technology. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
Under plans being drawn up by the MOD, the Royal Marines are set to receive an operational and equipment shakeup, replacing their SA80 rifles with a variant of the Colt C8.
- ^ "In the Wild: UKSF L119A2 Overview". 12 May 2016.
- ^ @nicholadrummond (16 January 2019). "@CalibreObscura @thomas_embleton..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Fleet Upgrades Licensed Programs & Custom Builds - Colt Canada".
- ^ "Taking Back The Infantry Half-km: Britain's L129A1". 8 June 2010.
- ^ "L129A1 Sharpshooter rifle". www.army.mod.uk.
- ^ "701577419 - Army Special Operations Brigade Rifle Procurement and Support of an Armalite Rifle (AR) platform Alternative Individual Weapon (AIW) System. - Find a Tender". www.find-tender.service.gov.uk.
- ^ Moss, Matthew (7 September 2023). "BREAKING: UK Selects New Assault Rifle". The Firearm Blog. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Britain's Commandos to get new assault rifles". Royal Navy (Press release). 7 September 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "New advanced rifle for Ranger Regiment". British Army (Press release). 7 September 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- TheRiflesShoppe.com
- MilitaryRifles.com allows attributed use of his photography
- AdamsGuns.com allows attributed use of his photography
- Baker Rifle – 2/95th Rifles
- 16th Light Dragoons site
- 17th Light Dragoons site Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- British Military Flintlock Rifles 1740–1840 by De Witt Bailey PhD
- Percussion guns & rifles;: An illustrated reference guide by De Witt Bailey
- British Enfield Rifles, Vol. 1, SMLE (No.1) Mk I and Mk III, by Charles R. Stratton
- British Enfield Rifles Vol II 2nd Ed. by Charles Stratton
- British Enfield Rifles, Vol. 4, Pattern 1914 and US Model of 1917 by Charles R. Stratton
- .577 Snider-Enfield Rifles & Carbines; British Service Longarms, 1866 – c. 1880
- Martini-Henry .450 Rifles & Carbines by Dennis Lewis
- British Enfield Rifles, by E.G.B. Reynolds
- British Infantry Equipments (1), 1808–1908 by Mike Chappell
- British Military Rifles: 1800 – 2000 by Peter Duckers