Number 17 in their 'Weapons' book series, Osprey has chosen the Lee-Enfield rifle. The Lee-Enfield was an early bolt action rifle that received a lot of criticism from British shooters. These were men who, as often happens, were used to things 'being the way they are', and not open to innovation or change. Sound familiar?

The Lee-Enfield was also able to handle a multi-round magazine, which seriously improved the soldier's ability to fire of a lot of rounds. Interestingly, there was some official resistance to this as it was felt that soldiers would simply waste ammunition. The development of this rifle also came when new propellants were available to replace the old black powder bullets. This meant a properly rifled bore was needed as well as a somewhat more hefty construction to take care of the higher rate of fire the gun could provide. It changed the way the British Army used infantry as no longer was the two or three deep firing line required so that earlier shooters could reload. To add to the lucky happenstance, this additional power of the propellant meant that a smaller round could be used, and this was the start of a long run of .303 ammunition, that was used in just about everything from rifles to machine guns.

Of course, as good as the Lee-Enfield was, it was not a superior long range rifle. This was in part because the barrel was almost entirely encased in the wood stock. Even then, gun experts knew that the heating and cooling of the wood would cause small 'warps' in the barrel, throwing off any previous sighting. There was more clamor when it was decided to build a short barrel version, the SMLE. This not only reduced weight, but further compromised range. Fortunately, it was a very good weapon for trench warfare, where the enemy was not a long distance away and it proved to be useful in the trenches, where the longer rifle would simply get hung up in things as it was wielded about.

So successful was the Lee-Enfield, that it was used throughout WWI, the interwar period, WWII, Korea and into the 1950s. Some uses of the gun were still relevant until the early 1980s when the last was retired from British Army use. Even today, it is not unusual to find the Lee-Enfield in use by not only armies, but by opposition groups around the world.

It is a rifle that, despite its peculiarities and difficulties, was to evolve as a real work-horse of a gun that found a lot of folks using it and using it well.

Author Martin Pegler tells us the story of the Lee-Enfield from its inception, through various modification, trials and tribulations until it was finally replaced by a more modern assault rifle. Like all books in this series, it is accompanied by period and modern photos of the different variations and of those who carried the gun into combat. I am pleased to notice that not much space has been taken on 'how to fire and maintain' the rifle as I have seen in some other books in this series. To me, this is of minimal interest and should be treated as a footnote rather than a full section.

It all makes for another fine book and if you are interested in weapons, then this book would make a fine addition to your library.

April 2012

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