BSA-Adams
Notes: BSA tried
many times to get the British military to buy this rifle – first as the
BSA-Adams in 1921, then later that year, this time called the Browne Adams;
again in 1922 as the Fairfax-Adams, and finally in 1924 as the BSA New Model. As
it was designed by a British Army Ordnance officer, you’d think it might be a
good rifle; however, the BSA-Adams suffered from any defects: fouling, port and
chamber erosion, extraction failures, and violent case ejection, deforming the
spent cases. As a result, despite
the persistence of its designer and BSA, it was rejected.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
BSA-Adams |
.303 British |
4.67 kg |
5 |
$1174 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
BSA-Adams |
SA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
93 |
Enfield Rifle No 2 (Pattern ’14)
Notes:
This weapon was designed to replace the SMLE; the SMLE received harsh
criticism from everyone but the soldiers themselves.
Enfield began with a Mauser action and then chambered it for a
high-powered .276 caliber round that was packed with so much propellant that it
was practically a wildcat round.
The result was a weapon that wore out very fast and had massive muzzle flash and
recoil.
Enfield then
returned to the tried-and-true .303 British cartridge.
The rifles were then brought into service as the Pattern 1914, and
manufactured in the US under contract by Remington and Winchester.
The soldiers did not like the Pattern 1914; it was a target shooter’s
dream, but it was too long, cumbersome, and badly balanced for use by infantry.
Therefore, they were eventually placed into storage until World War 2,
when they were used to equip the Home Guard, then being called the Rifle No 3.
In 1947, they were declared obsolete for military use and sold off to
civilians.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Enfield Rifle No 2 |
.303 British |
4.14 kg |
5 Clip |
$1612 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Enfield Rifle No 2 |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
100 |
L-1A1
Notes: This is
the British version of the FN FAL; it was also used by Australia, India,
Barbados, Oman, Guyana, Gambia, Malaysia, and the Royal Ulster Constabulary in
Northern Ireland. The Canadians
also bought it, but quickly modified it into a much better weapon (the C-1 and
C-1A1). The L-1A1 is basically an
FN FAL with the automatic fire feature removed, a longer barrel fitted, and the
ability to mount a wider variety of sights and optics.
Original L-1A1s were made with hardwood stocks and handguards, but most
were made with plastic stocks and handguards.
The L-1A1 suffers from the same problem as early FALs: the firing pin is
very long and fragile, and tends to get bent or broken easily.
This often means that the L-1A1 will reliably fire two rounds, and then
jam when attempting to fire the third.
(This is often known as the “bang-bang-jam” problem.)
In addition, the L-1A1 is huge, nearly four feet long, and this became a
hindrance in the fighting in Northern Ireland’s streets (though the wall
penetration of the rounds was appreciated).
The L-1A1 was largely replaced in the British Army except for certain
specialist applications; but in other parts of the world, it is still widely
used. By 2002, the only place new
L-1A1s are made is in India, and they have their own problems (see Indian Battle
Rifles). It should also be noted
that while most FALs are built using metric measurements, the L-1A1 was built
using “English” measurements (such as the US still uses for most purposes,
though not most weapons manufacture).
This means that while FAL parts will
usually fit into an L-1A1, this is
not always true; in addition, a FAL magazine cannot be used in an L-1A1 and vice
versa. (Most weapons which were
originally based on the L-1A1 instead of the FAL can still use the British
magazines, but cannot use FAL magazines.)
Most British
Commonwealth nations, such as Australia, New Zealand, India, and Canada, amongst
others, used the L-1A1 at some point in the past.
(A few still use them.)
Canada’s C-1s have their own entry in Canadian Battle Rifles.
Twilight 2000
Notes: Like many such weapons, L-1A1s were again issued in Britain when supplies
of other weapons became scarce.
Towards the end of the war, it was also turned into a substitute sniper weapon,
after being modified with Picatinny Rails and bipods.
Merc 2000 Notes:
Due to the widespread issue in the world, mercenary organizations liked the
L-1A1. In addition, they often
turned up in the hands of rebel forces in various countries.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
L-1A1 |
7.62mm NATO |
4.3 kg |
20 |
$1055 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
L-1A1 |
SA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
71 |
Martini-Henry/Enfield
Notes:
Originally main line battle rifles of the British Army, these later became
sporting arms after sales to the public and hunting parties in Africa and Asia.
The original rifles were blackpowder weapons, but here, we will consider them in
their final form, smokeless powder conversions, as many were made. These final
conversions were quite solidly made and even today are capable of firing modern
variations of .577/400 and .303 rounds.
The Martini-Henty made its name in the African Zulu Wars; the
Martini-Enfield was a conversion to the then-new .303 British service round. The
Martini-Enfield and even to an extent the Martini-Henry remained in British
Military service until the end of World War 1; some were used by the Mujahedeen
as late as the Soviet Invasion, and in 2010, US Marines in Afghanistan captured
several of them from at least three locations, which had until a few minutes
before been fired at the Marines.
Another was captured by the 101st Air Assault in operations near
Urgan in Afghanistan. In addition,
Khyber Pass gunsmiths accurately copied the Martini-Henry, Martini-Enfield, and
ammunition, though it has been suggested that smokeless powder versions should
only be fired sub-loaded as the barrels may not be able to contain the high
pressures of a full-power round.
These copies are typically known as “Pass Copies.”
Genuine Martini-Enfields were used by Buckingham Palace guards until
1904.
An early concern
about smokeless powder conversions was their greater power and the rapid rate at
which the barrels wore out; this led to rebarreling with barrels designed for
smokeless powder rounds. Barrel lengths include a 30.22-inch rifle barrel and a
21.3-inch carbine length. The
rifles use a lever-action to eject a spent cartridge and lower the breech block
so a fresh round can be inserted. Standard bayonet is a socket-type spike.
Either converted from the older Enfield Pattern 1853
A sword-type bayonet was standard issue for NCOs.
Though most Martini-Henrys were chambered for .577/450, the
Enfield-Martini (not to be confused with the Martini-Enfield) chambered for .402
was issued out to use up some old stocks of ammunition.
Ammunition also had to be replaced – the .577/450 and .402 were made of
thin-rolled brass, and the violent extraction process would often jam the
rifles; a longer extraction lever was also installed to give the users more
torque when clearing out the chamber.
After Military
service, the rifles were popular with the British NRA and in civilian and
Service rifle matches, until the late 1920s, Hunters in Africa, India, and
Southeast Asia used the .577/450 version in service until the early 1930s. The
problem there was that the Martini-Henry threw a slow, heavy bullet; it had less
range, but satisfying results when it did hit.
A later
variation of the Martini-Enfield is the Small-Action Martini, also known as the
Martini Cadet, which fired .22 Long Rifle ammunition and was issued to cadet
forces and young shooters for target practice until 1965. Barrel length is 26
inches;
A
highly-modified version of the Martini-Henry was the Greener I/14 Police
shotgun. It was first produced to pacify natives in India and Egypt in 1918.
Their ammunition was made by using 16-gauge shells and wrapping them in paper to
allow them to fit into the Greener’s 14.5x2.875 bore; some were wrapped in
carboard cases down to 13 gauge. Later, Greener Police Shotguns were made which
took a standard 12-gauge x 2.75 shotshells. The 14.5 and 13 Gauge versions used
a three-prong firing pin which supposedly kept them out the hands of those not
authorized them. Barrel length is
24 inches.
In the inter-war
period, some of these shotguns, rechambered for 12GA 2.75” found their way into
police armories in US Police departments, often modified to be able to fire
nonlethal rounds.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Martini-Henry (30.22”
Barrel) |
.577/450 Martini |
3.83 kg |
1 Internal |
$1191 |
Martini-Henry (21.3”
Barrel) |
.577/450 Martini |
3.67 kg |
1 Internal |
$919 |
Martini-Henry (30.22”
Barrel) |
.402 Martini |
4.34 kg |
1 Internal |
$1140 |
Martini-Henry (21.3”
Barrel) |
.402 Martini |
4.16 kg |
1 Internal |
$868 |
Martini-Enfield (30.22”
Barrel) |
.303 British |
3.83 kg |
1 Internal |
$443 |
Martini-Enfield (21.3”
Barrel) |
.303 British |
3.67 kg |
1 Internal |
$352 |
Martini Cadet |
.22 Long Rifle |
3.83 kg |
1 Internal |
$293 |
Greener Police Shotgun |
14.5 Gauge (2.875” Shell) |
3.83 kg |
1 Internal |
$310 |
Greener Police Shotgun |
13 Gauge (2.875” Shell) |
3.83 kg |
1 Internal |
$227 |
Greener Police Shotgun |
12 Gauge (2.76” Shell) |
3.83 kg |
1 Internal |
$214 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Martini-Henry (30.22”, .577/450) |
SS |
8 |
1-2-3 |
8 |
9 |
Nil |
113 |
Martini-Henry (21.3”, .577/450) |
SS |
7 |
1-3-5 |
7 |
7 |
Nil |
69 |
Martini-Henry (30.22”, .402) |
SS |
7 |
1-3-5 |
8 |
6 |
Nil |
136 |
Martini-Henry (21.3”, .402) |
SS |
6 |
1-3-Nil |
6 |
6 |
Nil |
83 |
Martini-Enfield (30.22”, .303) |
SS |
5 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
5 |
Nil |
109 |
Martini-Enfield (21.3”, .303) |
SS |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
6 |
5 |
Nil |
67 |
Martini Cadet |
SS |
1 |
Nil |
6 |
1 |
Nil |
52 |
Greener Police Shotgun (14.5 Gauge) |
SS |
6/1d6x48 or 2x6x12 or 3d6x4 |
2-3-Nil/Nil or Nil, or 1-Nil |
7 |
6 |
Nil |
67 |
Greener Police Shotgun (13 Gauge) |
SS |
5/1d6x36 or 2d6x8 or 3d6x4 |
3-4-Nil/Nil or 1-Nil or 2-Nil |
7 |
5 |
Nil |
60 |
Greener Police Shotgun (12 Gauge) |
SS |
5/1d6x32 or 2d6x8 |
2-3-Nil/Nil or Nil or Nil |
7 |
5 |
Nil |
57 |
Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield (SMLE)
Notes:
When Great Britain switched to Cordite as a standard bullet propellant,
more efficient rifle designs were possible. One of these was the Mark I series.
The original such weapon, the Lee-Enfield Mark I was basically a
Lee-Metford Mark II* with a different barrel that had more efficient rifling.
It is sometimes known as the “Long Lee-Enfield.”
The Mark I* is the Mark I with the cleaning rod removed to improve
balance; the ramrod was no longer necessary since Cordite did not foul the
barrel as much as previous propellants. The barrel of the Lee-Enfield Mark I was
an astounding 30.2 inches. The year after first issue, a version was designed as
a Cavalry Carbine, with a greatly-shortened 21.2-inch barrel.
The next step
was to shorten the weapon, to make it more universal in issue.
The Lee-Enfield Mark I rifle was shortened, given the familiar snub-nose,
and the ability to load the magazine from the top by chargers as well as putting
a fresh magazine in the bottom. The barrel was shortened from the Mark 1 to 25
inches. This became the SMLE Mark I.
The SMLE Mark I* was a Mark I with butt-trap for cleaning supplies, and
the magazine was redesigned for more reliable feeding.
The “Converted SMLE Mark I” was an old Lee-Metford converted into an SMLE
Mark I. The Converted Mark II’s are
conversions of the Rifle Marks I and I* and old Lee-Metford Marks II and II* by
fitting new sights and shorter barrels, and modifying them for charger loading.
The SMLE Mark
III was a Mark I or 1* with long-range sights and a bridge charger guide.
It was also heavier due to the use of better metal.
The Converted Mark IV was a Converted Mark II* with the sights and bridge
charger guide of the Mark III. The
Converted Marks I**, II**, and II*** were made for the Royal Navy.
The Mark I*** was optimized for the Mark 7 pointed bullet.
The Mark III* was a modification of earlier rifles to facilitate
production. Some 20000 Mk Vs were
produced; this was essentially a Mk III with a receiver-mounted aperture rear
sight, graduated from 200 to 1400 yards.
For game purposes, the Mk V is identical to the Mk III.
One of the
countries to which the Mark III* was issued was to India, during the time that
India was still a British colony.
After India gained its independence in 1947, they continued to manufacture the
Mark III*, until the late 1950s.
(Before this, they also manufactured the Mark III* from 1940-45.) This version
was called the Ishapore 2A.
Differences included deletion of the piling sling swivel, and the rounded front
sight ears were replaced with easier-to-manufacture square ears.
The ears of the rear sight also have a similar squared profile.
The cocking piece is rounded, and the poor quality of wood used in the
construction made necessary a recoil screw through the fore-end in front of the
trigger guard. The Indians finished
the metalwork of their rifles in baked-on black enamel.
The barrel of the SMLE is 25 inches; the Ishapore 2A has a slightly
longer barrel at 25.2 inches. The
Ishapore 2A is considerably heavier than the SMLE Mark III*, due to cruder
construction methods. Initially, the Ishapore 2A was chambered for the .303
British cartridge, but in 1963, virtually all were rechambered for 7.62mm NATO.
The 7.62mm version can be distinguished by its longer, square magazine, the rear
tangent sight, adjustable only to 800 meters, a charger guide which is modified
from the FAL charger guide, an aluminum alloy buttplate, and a butt with a
slightly higher comb. The receiver
is also made from better-quality EN steel to cope with the higher-pressure
7.62mm NATO cartridge. Though this
iteration of the Ishapore 2A is the same size as the earlier version, it is
slightly heavier due to the stronger receiver and stock design change.
The conversions continued until 1970; in the mid-1970s, production of the
Rifle 1A reached the point where the Ishapore 2A could be handed down to
training depots, police units, and the reserves.
Navy Arms currently sells surplus Ishapore 2As on the civilian market,
mostly in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
One of the odder
variations of the SMLE was the Indian Lee-Enfield .410 Musket.
It was used primarily by civilian security guards on guard duty in the
first half of the 20th century.
It was built around No 1 Mk III action, but modified to use it’s new
ammunition – essentially a .303 British case that was not necked down, and
filled and loaded as a brass shotgun shell instead of rifle round.
These shells will not fit in any other .410 Shotgun, as their dimensions
do not fit in any other such shotgun.
Likewise, it cannot take standard .410 shotgun shells, whether 2.5,2.75,
3, or 3.5-inch shells. Original .410 Muskets are very rare, but many that were
exported to the US have been altered to chamber .410 2.75 and 3-inch shells.
Either way, the .410 Musket is a single-shot weapon, though it can be
readily reloaded one at a time.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Lee-Enfield Mark I |
.303 British |
4.31 kg |
10 |
$1537 |
Lee-Enfield Cavalry
Carbine Mark I |
.303 British |
4.01 kg |
10 |
$1445 |
SMLE Marks I, II Series |
.303 British |
3.71 kg |
10 |
$1484 |
SMLE Mark III Series |
.303 British |
3.94 kg |
10 |
$1484 |
Ishapore 2A |
.303 British |
4.22 kg |
10 |
$1486 |
Ishapore 2A |
7.62mm NATO |
4.33 kg |
10 |
$1458 |
Lee-Enfield .410 Musket |
.410 British Shotgun |
4.31 kg |
1 Internal |
$240 |
Lee-Enfield .410 Musket |
.410 Gauge 2.75” and 3” |
4.31 kg |
1 Internal |
$270 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Lee-Enfield Mark I |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
9 |
4 |
Nil |
116 |
Lee-Enfield Cavalry Carbine Mark I |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
75 |
SMLE Marks I, II |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
95 |
SMLE Mark III |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
95 |
Ishapore 2A (.303) |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
96 |
Ishapore 2A (7.62mm) |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
96 |
Lee-Enfield .410 Musket (.410 British) |
BA |
1d6x8 |
Nil |
6 |
2 |
Nil |
39 |
Lee-Enfield .410 Musket |
SS |
3/1d6x8 |
1-Nil/Nil |
6 |
2 |
Nil |
34 |
Lee-Enfield .410 Musket |
SS |
3/1d6x8 |
1-Nil/Nil |
6 |
2 |
Nil |
39 |
No. 4 Rifle Series
Notes:
The No. 4 series was the result of a need to simplify the SMLE series of
rifles for wartime production (World War 2, in this case).
The No. 4 Mk 1 and 1* were SMLE Mk IIIs that had the nosecap removed from
the muzzle, the sight base increased somewhat, and the rear sight, and an
aperture rear sight. The No. 4 Mk
1* had some machining omitted to reduce manufacturing time; they were built
mostly in Canada and the US to increase the number of production facilities
available.
The No. 4 Mk
1(T) was a sniper’s model of the Mk 1; it has a tangent rear sight and a base
for a telescopic sight. It is found
in British Sniper Rifles.
The Mk 2 has a
modified trigger mechanism that was easier to build and reduces the trigger
pull. The Mk 1/2 is a Mk 1 with the
same trigger; the Mk 1/3 is the Mk 1* with that trigger.
The No. 5 Mk 1
is a carbine version of the No 4, also known as the “Jungle Carbine” or “Gibbs
Carbine.” It is a No 4 with a
chopped 20.5-inch barrel and a bell-shaped flash hider.
The problem with this weapon was that the combination of short barrel and
.303 British cartridge was not a good one.
Muzzle flash and recoil were excessive, and the sights refused to hold
their zero, so that after even a short firefight, aimed fire from the carbine
was extremely inaccurate. Though
they were widely issued to British and Indian troops in the Far East, the troops
hated them, and did all they could to beg/borrow/steal M-1 Carbines from the
Americans. They were declared
obsolete in 1947, and few exist today.
The Australians
built a similar short rifle version called the No 6 Mk I (AUST). The rear sight
is open and graduated to 2000 yards; on a variant, the No 6 Mk I/I, had an
aperture rear sight graduated from 200-800 yards.
The buttplate was padded and had a lever at the toe to allow an access
panel to swing up, used primarily for cleaning gear.
These rifles are unlikely to be encountered outside of museums today. For
game purposes, it and the No 5 Mk 1 are identical.
The No 7 .22 Mk
I is a Canadian training member of the No 4 series.
It has a 25.3-inch barrel and is otherwise designed to mimic the weight
and balance of a No 4. They have an
insert in their magazine to allow the loading of the small cartridges, and have
been rebarreled and their actions modified.
The Canadians
used the No 4 Mk 1 and No 4 Mk 1* until replaced by the C-1 series; the only
differences are that while British No 4s usually have a stock of beech or other
hardwood, Canadian No 4s have stocks of fine-quality walnut.
This puts them in high demand on today’s civilian market.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
No 4 Series |
.303 British |
4.11 kg |
10 |
$1602 |
No 5 Mk I |
.303 British |
3.24 kg |
10 |
$1549 |
No 7 Mk I |
.22 Long Rifle |
4.11 kg |
10 |
$322 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
No 4 Series |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
95 |
No 5 Mk I |
BA |
4 |
2-3-Nil |
6 |
5 |
Nil |
62 |
No 7 Mk I |
BA |
1 |
Nil |
7 |
1 |
Nil |
56 |