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The origins of the modern British military rifles are within its predecessor the Brown Bess musket. While a musket was largely inaccurate due to a lack of rifling and generous tolerance to allow for muzzle-loading it was cheaper to produce, loaded quickly, and the use in volley fire by massed troops meant accuracy was largely irrelevant. Ironically, a similar tactical preference would be a factor in considerations regarding rifle design in the late 19th century and early 20th century, when rate of fire would be a key design consideration for British bolt action rifles. Short Land Service musket Brown Bess is a nickname of unknown origin for the British Armys Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. ...
Beginning in the late 1830s, the superior characteristics of the rifle caused the British military to phase out the venerable .75 caliber Brown Bess musket in favour of muzzle loading rifles in smaller calibers. Early rifles were non-standard and frequently adaptations from components of the Brown Bess, including, locks, stocks and new rifled barrels. The armed forces of the United Kingdom are known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majestys Armed Forces, officially the Armed Forces of the Crown. ...
Short Land Service musket Brown Bess is a nickname of unknown origin for the British Armys Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. ...
The Baker Rifle
The Baker Rifle, produced by Ezekiel Baker, was the first standard issue rifle to be used by British Forces. The Baker Rifle was used by the British Army in the Napoleonic Wars, most notably by the 95th Rifle Regiment and the 60th American Rifles. The rifle was a very accurate weapon for its day with reported kills being taken at 800 yards away. The rifle was in service in the British Army until the 1840s.
Early Enfield rifles Throughout the evolution of the British rifle the name Enfield is prevalent; this refers to the Royal Small Arms Factory in the town of Enfield north of London, where the British Government produced Brown Bess muskets from components manufactured elsewhere beginning in 1804. The first rifles produced in whole to a set pattern at Enfield were Baker pattern flintlock rifles. Several percussion rifles, such as the Brunswick rifle, were also produced there. The Pattern 1853 Enfield was a muzzle-loading percussion firearm with a rifled bore. Several variations were made, including infantry, navy and artillery versions, along with shorter carbines for cavalry use. A UK government-owned rifle factory, which was to be later known as the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF), Enfield which has produced British military rifles and muskets since 1804. ...
Enfield Town is a town in the London Borough of Enfield. ...
The Baker rifle was the rifle used by the Rifle regiments of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. ...
Two flintlock pistols Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. ...
The Brunswick rifle was a . ...
The Enfield 1853 Rifled Musket (also known as the Pattern 1853 Enfield, P53 Enfield, and Enfield Rifled Musket) was a . ...
This rifle was popular with both sides of the American Civil War; both the Confederacy and the Union imported these through agents who contracted with private companies in Britain for production. Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total...
Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God, Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (traditional) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama (until May 29, 1861) Richmond, Virginia (May 29, 1861–April 2, 1865) Danville, Virginia (from April 3, 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Government Republic President...
In this map: Union states prohibiting slavery Union territories Border states on the Union side which allowed slavery Kansas, which entered and fought with the Union as a free state after the Bleeding Kansas crisis The Confederacy Confederate claimed and sometimes held territories During the American Civil War, the Union...
Snider-Enfield Rifles In 1866 the Snider-Enfield was produced as a conversion of Enfield Pattern 1853 with a hinged breech block and barrel designed for a .577 cartridge. Later Sniders were newly manufactured on the same design. 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...
SNIDER-ENFIELD BREECH LOADING RIFLE. The British . ...
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. Jacob Snider (???? - 1866) was an American mechanical genius. ...
The Snider-Enfield Infantry rifle was particularly long at over 54 inches. 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 favor of the Martini-Henry, in the mid-1870s. The design continued in use with colonial troops into the twentieth century. The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ...
The Martini-Henry (also known as the Peabody-Martini-Henry) was a breech-loading lever-actuated rifle adopted by the British, combining an action worked on by Friedrich von Martini (based on the Peabody rifle developed by Henry Peabody), with the rifled barrel designed by Scotsman Alexander Henry. ...
Martini-Henry Rifles The Martini-Henry rifle was adopted in 1871, featuring a falling-block single-shot breech-loading action, actuated by a lever beneath the wrist of the buttstock. The Martini-Henry evolved as the standard service rifle for almost 20 years, with variants including carbines. The Martini-Henry (also known as the Peabody-Martini-Henry) was a breech-loading lever-actuated rifle adopted by the British, combining an action worked on by Friedrich von Martini (based on the Peabody rifle developed by Henry Peabody), with the rifled barrel designed by Scotsman Alexander Henry. ...
A falling block rifle or a falling-block action rifle is a single-shot rifle with a particular type of the manual firearm action in which a solid metal breechblock slides vertically in grooves cut into the breech of the rifle and actuated by a lever. ...
Unlike the Snider it replaced, the Martini-Henry was designed from the ground up as a breech-loading metallic cartridge firearm. This robust weapon uses a falling block, with a self-cocking, lever operated, single-shot action designed by a Swiss, Friedrich von Martini, as modified from the Peabody design. The rifling system was designed by Scotsman, Alexander Henry. Later in production other rifling patterns such as the Metford system and an Enfield design were adopted; therefore it is common to hear these later versions also referred to as Martini-Enfields or Martini-Metfords.
The Mark I was adopted for service in 1871. There were four main variations of the Martini-Henry rifle including the Mark 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 caliber 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. Brass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses, each of which has unique properties[1]. Note that in comparison bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin. ...
Lee-Metford Rifles The first British repeating rifle incorporated a bolt-action and a box-magazine ; this was developed through trials beginning in 1879, and adopted as the Magazine Rifle Mark I in 1888. This rifle is commonly referred to as the Lee-Metford or MLM (Magazine Lee-Metford). A bolt-action firearm is one that is manually operated (i. ...
A 30-round STANAG magazine. ...
The Lee-Metford rifle was a breech-loading British army service rifle, combining James Paris Lees rear-locking bolt system and ten-round magazine with a seven groove rifled barrel designed by William Ellis Metford. ...
The "Lee" comes from James Paris Lee (1831-1904), a Scottish-born Canadian inventor who designed an easy to operate turnbolt and a high capacity box magazine to work with it. The box magazine, either Lee or Mannlicher designed, proved superior in combat to the Kropatschek style tube magazine used by the French in their Lebel rifle, or the Krag-Jørgensen rotary magazine used in the first US bolt action rifle (M1892). The initial Lee magazine was a straight stack, eight-round box, which was superseded by the staggered, ten round box in later versions, in each case more than were accommodated by Mannlicher box magazine designs. James Paris Lee (August 9th, 1831- February 24th, 1904) was a Scottish-Canadian inventor and arms designer, best known for inventing the Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield series of rifles. ...
A 30-round STANAG magazine. ...
Mannlicher may refer to: Ferdinand Mannlicher - a famous weapon designer various guns bearing his name: Rifle Mannlicher-Schönauer (arguably his most famous design) Pistol Steyr Mannlicher M1894 Pistol Steyr Mannlicher M1901 Rifle Mannlicher-Carcano M91 Rifle Steyr-Mannlicher M1895 This is a disambiguation page — a list of articles associated...
A Kropatschek is any variant of a rifle designed by Alfred von Kropatschek. ...
The Lebel Model 1886 rifle (French: Fusil dInfanterie Modèle 1886) is a repeating bolt action rifle, which was the first military rifle designed to use smokeless gunpowder. ...
The Krag-Jørgensen is a repeating bolt action rifle designed by the Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen in the late 19th century. ...
The “Metford” comes from William Ellis Metford (1824-1899), an English engineer who was instrumental in perfecting the .30 caliber jacketed bullet and rifling to accommodate the smaller diameter.
During the development of the Lee-Metford smokeless powder was invented. The French and the Germans were already implementing their second generation bolt action rifles, the 8 mm Lebel in 1886 and 7.92 mm Gewehr 88 in 1888 respectively, using smokeless powder to propel smaller diameter bullets. The British followed the trend of using smaller diameter bullets, but the Lee-Metford design process overlapped the invention of smokeless powder, and was not adapted for its use. However, in 1895 the design was modified to work with smokeless powder resulting in the Lee-Enfield. Smokeless powder Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of gunpowder-like propellants used in firearms which produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the older black powder which it replaced. ...
The Lebel Model 1886 rifle (French: Fusil dInfanterie Modèle 1886) is a repeating bolt action rifle, which was the first military rifle designed to use smokeless gunpowder. ...
The Model 1888 Commission Rifle (a. ...
Smokeless powder Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of gunpowder-like propellants used in firearms which produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the older black powder which it replaced. ...
A contrast between this design and other successful bolt actions of the time such as the Mausers and US Springfield is the rear locking lug. This puts the lug in close proximity to the bolt handle, where the pressure is applied by the operator, in essence the force is close to the fulcrum point. Without great explanation, this results in an easier and swifter operation versus the Mauser design, resulting in a greater rate of fire. However, the sacrifice is strength as the fulcrum point has moved away from the force of the explosion, thus making the length of the bolt a lever working against the holding power of the rear lug. This would always be a limiting factor in the ballistics capacity of this design, and in some minds a critical short coming as a weapons system. Mauser is the common name of a German arms manufacturer, maker of a line of bolt-action rifles from the 1870s to present. ...
M1903 M1903 with scant stock M1903A3 M1903A4 with M84 sight The Springfield M1903 (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber . ...
Look up Fulcrum in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Fulcrum may refer to one of the following. ...
The principle of the lever tells us that the above is in static equilibrium, with all forces balancing, if F1D1 = F2D2. ...
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, with the former persevering in the end. The basic Lee design with some tinkering was the basis for most British front-line rifles until post World War II. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
Lee-Enfield rifles - For more details on covering all makes and models of Lee-Enfield rifle, see Lee-Enfield.
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 due 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. Lee-Enfield No4 Mk1 with bayonet, scabbard attached The Lee-Enfield was the British armys standard bolt action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle from 1895 until 1956. ...
Lee-Enfield No4 Mk1 with bayonet, scabbard attached The Lee-Enfield was the British armys standard bolt action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle from 1895 until 1956. ...
The Martini-Henry, Lee-Metford, and Lee-Enfield rifles have an overall length just under 50 inches. In each case several variants of carbines were offered in the under 40 inch range for uses by cavalry, artillery, constabularies and special troops. Soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat are commonly known as cavalry (from French cavalerie). ...
Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ...
Constabulary may have several definitions. ...
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. A stripper clip or charger, not to be confused with the revolver clip or plain clip, is a speedloader that holds several cartridges together in a single unit for easier loading of a firearms magazine. ...
The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) – also known as Rifle, Number 1 Prior to World War I, the Rifle, Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield, or SMLE, was developed to provide a single rifle to offer a compromise length between rifles and carbines, and to incorporate improvements deemed necessary from experience in the Boer War. With a length of 44.5 inches, the new weapon was referred to as a "short rifle"; the word "short" refers to the length of the rifle, not the length of the magazine. From 1903 to 1909, many Metford and Enfield rifles were converted to the SMLE configuration with shorter barrels and modified furniture. Production of the improved SMLE Mk III began in 1907. Earlier Mk I and Mk II rifles were upgraded to include several of the improvements of the Mk III. The compromise length was consistent with military trends as the US Springfield M1903 was only produced in the compromise length and the Germans adopted the kurz (short) rifle concept between the world wars for the Mauser K98 (model 1898 short). Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert Henry Asquith Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Woodrow...
A rifle is any long gun which has a rifled barrel. ...
A carbine is a firearm, similar to but shorter than an ordinary rifle or musket in barrel and stock. ...
1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...
Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...
1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
M1903 M1903 with scant stock M1903A3 M1903A4 with M84 sight The Springfield M1903 (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber . ...
Mauser is the common name of German arms manufacturer Mauser-Werke Oberndorf Waffensysteme GmbH, as well as the line of bolt action rifles they built for the German armed forces. ...
Training Rifle – Rifle, Number 2 To conserve resources in training, the British Army converted many .303 rifles to .22 caliber for target practice and training purposes after the First World War. In 1926, the British government changed the nomenclature of its rifles, designating the .303 caliber SMLE as No. 1 Rifles and the .22 caliber training rifles as No. 2 Rifles. For practical purposes "SMLE" and "No. 1 Rifle" are alternate names for the same weapon, but a purist would define a No. 1 as post-1926 production only.
Pattern 1914 – also known as Rifle, Number 3 Although not related to the Lee-Enfield, the Pattern 1914 rifle (also known as Rifle, No. 3) is considered an Enfield rifle since it was designed by the Enfield engineers, although it was never produced at Enfield or in the UK. It was a slower working action than the SMLE, due to stronger forward mounted lugs, despite being a compromise on cocking; the rifle half-cocks on opening, and fully cocks on close, which made it a bit easier to cycle than the Mauser, and more reliable during prolonged use. It also carried only 5 rounds in the magazine, half the capacity of a SMLE. History During the Boer War the British were faced with accurate long-range fire from the famous Mauser rifles, model 1895, in 7x57mm caliber. ...
In 1910, the British War Office considered replacing the SMLE based on its comparative performance with the Mauser rifles used by the enemy in the Boer War. The major short coming 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. Field experience had also indicated the desirability of a one-piece stock, loading via chargers, and a receiver-mounted aperture rear sight. 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...
Old War Office Building, Whitehall, London - the former location of the War Office The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence. ...
Combatants United Kingdom Australia New Zealand Canada Cape Colony Orange Free State South African Republic Commanders Redvers Buller Frederick Roberts Herbert Kitchener Paul Kruger Martinus Steyn Louis Botha Christiaan de Wet Casualties 22,000 6,500 Civilians killed [mainly Boers]: 24,000+ The Second Boer War, commonly referred to as...
The changes allowed for a high-velocity rimless cartridge, similar to the 7 mm Mauser ammunition used by the Boers. This new rifle was designated the .276 caliber Enfield Magazine Rifle, or as it is more commonly known, the Pattern 1913 Enfield rifle. A secondary benefit of a rimless cartridge is better operation in a machine gun while attaining the simplicity of a shared cartridge design for the machine guns and rifles. Mauser is the common name of a German arms manufacturer, maker of a line of bolt-action rifles from the 1870s to present. ...
The Pattern 1913 Enfield (P13) was an experimental rifle developed by the British Army ordance department in the early part of the 20th century to serve as a replacement for the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE). ...
With the outbreak of the First World War, the War Office decided to abandon the change of ammunition, and to continue production of the SMLE; however, to supplement SMLE production the new design was to be produced chambered for .303. In 1914, the Pattern 1914 Rifle (Pattern 13 chambered for .303) was approved for production by British companies, but production was superseded by other war priorities and none were produced.
The British War Office contracted with the US firms Winchester and Remington with production beginning in 1916 and ending in mid-1917 when SMLE production met British needs and US armament took priority. To minimize retooling, the US Army contracted with Winchester and Remington to continue producing a simplified Pattern 14 rifle chambered for US .30-06 ammunition. This weapon was known as the US .30 cal. Model of 1917 (M1917 Enfield rifle). Ironically more of these were produced and used by the US Army during the First World War than the official US battle rifle, the Springfield M1903. The M1917 continued in use during World War II as second line and training rifles as the semi-automatic M1 Garands and carbines were phased-in. The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating weapons during the late 19th Century and the early 20th Century. ...
Remington Arms is a major American manufacturer of rifles, shotguns, other firearms, revolvers and ammunition. ...
The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...
.303 in. ...
The M1917 Enfield, P17 Enfield, American Enfield, formally named United States Rifle, cal . ...
Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
The M1 (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber . ...
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. The SMLE continued in variants as the main battle arm through the Second World War and beyond.
Rifle, Number 4 Beginning shortly after the First World War the SMLE went through a series of experimental upgrades that eventually 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, a "free-floating barrel" to improve accuracy during extended use, and changed screw threads, making nearly all threaded components incompatible with those of the SMLE (No. 1) rifle. In addition, 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 nosecap. The latter was the most prominent visual change.
During the Second World War, the British government also contracted with the US and Canadian manufacturers (notably Long Branch and Savage) to produce the No. 4 Mk I* rifle. US-manufactured rifles supplied under the Lend Lease program were marked U.S. PROPERTY on the left side of the receiver.
Rifle, Number 5 & 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 specialty use until circa 1974. In the mid-1960s, a version was produced for the 7.62 mm 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. NATO 7. ...
It is interesting to note that while the 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.
Of all British military rifles ever produced, the No. 5 had the shortest actual service life, only being issued for 5 years or so. The weapon gained a reputation for a "wandering zero" and violent recoil.
British L1A1 SLR The L1A1 SLR (Self Loading Rifle) is the British version of the FN FAL (Fusil Automatique Leger) - Light Automatic Rifle, one of the most famous and widespread military rifle designs of the late 20th century. Developed by the Belgian Fabrique Nationale Company (FN), it was used by some 70 or more countries, and was manufactured in at least 10 countries. The FAL type rifle is no longer in front line service in the developed world, but is still in use in less advanced parts of the world. The Fusil Automatique Leger, or Light Automatic Rifle (LAR). ...
The history of the FAL began circa 1946, when FN began to develop a new assault rifle, chambered for German 7.92x33 mm kurz intermediate cartridge. In the late 1940s the Belgians joined with Britain and selected a British .280 (7x43 mm) intermediate cartridge for further development. In 1950 both the Belgian FAL prototype and the British EM-2 bullpup assault rifles were tested against other rifle designs by the US Army. 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 for them, and USA insisted on a 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. The . ...
The EM-2 rifle or Janson rifle was an early experimental British assault rifle. ...
Steyr AUG is one of the most successful bullpup rifles Bullpup is a firearm configuration in which the action (or mechanism) and magazine are located behind the trigger. ...
The Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) was a British manufacturer of vehicles, firearms, and military equipment, and still exists as an airgun sport manufacturer and distributor. ...
Canada also used the FN, designated the FNC1 and FNC1A1, and like Britain, retained the semi-automatic-only rifle well after other armies (notably the US, USSR, and their client states) turned to automatic assault rifles such as the M16 and AK47.
SA80 - L85A1/L85A2 -
Bullpup design creatively decreases total weapon length compared with standard assault rifles. It is comfortable to use not only on the battlefield, but also in a limited space areas such as armoured personnel carriers. L85A1 in use by C Company, 1 STAFFS, in a live firing exercise, during Operation GRANBY, 6 January 1991 As above SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a family of related arms that include the British Armed Forcess standard combat rifle. ...
Steyr AUG is one of the most successful bullpup rifles Bullpup is a firearm configuration in which the action (or mechanism) and magazine are located behind the trigger. ...
Armoured personnel carriers (APCs) are armoured fighting vehicles developed to transport infantry on the battlefield. ...
The Bullpup concept appeared as early as the 1900s, and 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 7.62x51 mm 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 slected the M14. Another Enfield attempt in the 1970s was the L64/65 The EM-2 rifle or Janson rifle was an early experimental British assault rifle. ...
The L64 was a British assault rifle developed in the 1970s. ...
Britain started a programme to find a family of related weapons to replace the L1A1 battle rifle and the Bren gun titled "Small Arms for the 1980s" or SA80. The L85 is designed for the 5.56 x 45 mm NATO cartridge. The gas operated action has a short stroke gas piston, located above the barrel with its own return spring. The gas system has a three position gas regulator, one position for a normal firing, second for a firing in adverse conditions, and the third for launching rifle grenades (gas port is shut off).
The L85A1 was improved in 1997 after constant complaints from the troops. The main problems were difficult maintenance and low reliability. 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. It is regarded by many as the most reliable and accurate standard rifle in service. During the 2003 International shooting meet at Bisley, the British Army team won after firing over 62,000 rounds with no stoppages. During active service, the A2 can be fitted with a 40 mm grenade launcher, a light attachment and a laser red-dot sighting device.
It is anticipated that the SA80 will remain in front-line service well into the second decade of the 21st Century.
L96 Sniper Rifle The L96 is a precision rifle or sniper rifle produced by the British firm Accuracy International, which was designed by Olympic marksman Malcolm Cooper. This weapon was adopted in British Service in the early 1980s as a replacement for the ageing Lee-Enfield-derived L42, after a close competion with an entry from Parker-Hale. L96 is the army's designation, it was known as, and derived from, the Accuracy International PM rifle. The L96 is a precision rifle or sniper rifle produced by the British firm Accuracy International. ...
It has since been adopted by a number of countries with derivatives chambered for various calibres including the .338 Lapua Magnum. The Swedish PSG-90, L96A1, and very successful Accuracy International Arctic Warfare series were developed from this line.
Canadian weapons in British service Units of the Special Air Service serving in Afghanistan briefly adopted the Canadian C7A1 in 2002, citing the SA-80 as unreliable. The Canadian C7 family are license built versions of the M16A2 incorporating over 100 modifications to the US design and manufactured by Diemaco in Canada. Canadian weapons were also used by Home Guard units in the Second World War, notably the notorious Ross rifle, and many weapons were shipped to Britain after Dunkirk in the face of serious shortages of small arms. Ross rifle in Royal Canadian Regiment Military Museum in London, Ontario Ross rifle in Royal Canadian Regiment Military Museum in London, Ontario The Ross rifle was a straight-pull bolt-action . ...
See also Short Land Pattern The Brown Bess in History Brown Bess is a nickname of unknown provenance for the British Long Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. ...
SNIDER-ENFIELD BREECH LOADING RIFLE. The British . ...
The Martini-Henry (also known as the Peabody-Martini-Henry) was a breech-loading lever-actuated rifle adopted by the British, combining an action worked on by Friedrich von Martini (based on the Peabody rifle developed by Henry Peabody), with the rifled barrel designed by Scotsman Alexander Henry. ...
The Martini-Enfield was a conversion of the Zulu War era . ...
The Lee-Metford rifle was a breech-loading British army service rifle, combining James Paris Lees rear-locking bolt system and ten-round magazine with a seven groove rifled barrel designed by William Ellis Metford. ...
Lee-Enfield No4 Mk1 with bayonet, scabbard attached The Lee-Enfield was the British armys standard bolt action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle from 1895 until 1956. ...
The Pattern 1913 Enfield (P13) was an experimental rifle developed by the British Army ordance department in the early part of the 20th century to serve as a replacement for the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE). ...
History During the Boer War the British were faced with accurate long-range fire from the famous Mauser rifles, model 1895, in 7x57mm caliber. ...
The Fusil Automatique Leger, or Light Automatic Rifle (LAR). ...
L85A1 in use by C Company, 1 STAFFS, in a live firing exercise, during Operation GRANBY, 6 January 1991 As above SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a family of related arms that include the British Armed Forcess standard combat rifle. ...
Enfield Town is a town in the London Borough of Enfield. ...
Alexander Henry was a Scottish gunsmith, and designer of the Henry rifling used in the Martini-Henry rifle. ...
Muskets and bayonets aboard the frigate Grand Turk. ...
It has been suggested that Break action be merged into this article or section. ...
Rifling of a Canon de 75 modèle 1897 A 35 caliber Remington, with a microgrove rifled barrel with a right hand twist. ...
M1903 M1903 with scant stock M1903A3 M1903A4 with M84 sight The Springfield M1903 (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber . ...
The M1917 Enfield, P17 Enfield, American Enfield, formally named United States Rifle, cal . ...
Mauser is the common name of a German arms manufacturer, maker of a line of bolt-action rifles from the 1870s to present. ...
A bolt-action firearm is one that is manually operated (i. ...
A UK government-owned rifle factory, which was to be later known as the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF), Enfield which has produced British military rifles and muskets since 1804. ...
A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that, each time the trigger is pulled, fires a single bullet without the need to operate a bolt or other firing or loading mechanism other than the trigger, until the firearms supply of cartridges is depleted. ...
This article does not cite its references or sources. ...
Smokeless powder Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of gunpowder-like propellants used in firearms which produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the older black powder which it replaced. ...
External links - Loading and Firing British Muskets in the Crimean War 1854-1856
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