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Lee-Metford
Magazine Lee-Metford Rifle
Type Placeoforigin
Service history
Inservice Usedby Wars 1888 1926 See Users Boer War, various Colonial conflicts, World War I
Production history
Designer Manufacturer Produced Variants James Paris Lee, RSAF Enfield RSAF Enfield 1884 1896 MLM Mk II MLM Carbine Charlton Automatic Rifle
Specifications
Length Barrellength Cartridge Calibre Action Rateoffire Muzzlevelocity Effectiverange 49.5 in (1,257 mm) 30.2 in (767mm) Cartridge .303 Mk I .303 inch (7.7 mm) Bolt-action 20 rounds/minute 2,040 ft/s c. 800 yards (730m)
Maximumrange 1,800 yards Feedsystem Sights 8 or 10-round magazine Sliding leaf rear sights, Fixed-post front sights, "Dial" long-range volley sights
The Lee-Metford rifle (a.k.a. Magazine Lee-Metford, abbreviated MLM) was a bolt action British army service rifle, combining James Paris Lee's rear-locking bolt system and ten-round magazine with a seven groove rifled barrel designed by William Ellis Metford. It replaced the Martini-Henry rifle in 1888, following nine years of development and trials, but remained in service for only a short time until replaced by the similar Lee-Enfield.
Lee-Metford
Design
Lee's bolt action mechanism was a great improvement over other designs of the day. The rear-mounted lugs placed the operating handle much closer to the rifleman, over the trigger. This made it much quicker to operate than other, forward-mounted lug designs which forced the rifleman to move his hand forward to operate the bolt; also, the bolt's distance of travel was identical with the length of the cartridge, and its rotation was only 60 degrees compared to the 90 degree rotation of some French and Mauser-style actions. In addition Lee introduced a superior detachable box magazine to replace the integral magazines in use with most repeaters, and this magazine offered greater capacity than the competing Mannlicher design. Metford's polygonal rifling was adopted to reduce fouling from powder residue building up in the barrel, and also made it easier to clean as well. In spite of its many advantageous features, the Lee-Metford was something of an anachronism, due to its use of a black powder-loaded cartridge. By the time of the rifle's introduction, rifle design had moved on to using small-calibre smokeless powder cartridges, which allowed bullets to be propelled at much higher velocities without as much smoke or residue. The .303 ammunition designed for the rifle was in fact, originally intended to be loaded with a new propellant (cordite). However, as a result of protracted development, production of cordite was delayed, forcing the British to use black powder instead. By the time cordite cartridges were available, it was found that they were wholly unsuited for use with the shallow Metford rifling, which would wear out and render barrels unusable after less than 5,000 rounds. Regardless of the shortfalls brought about by the use of black powder, the Lee-Metford went through several revisions during its short service life, with the principal changes being to the magazine (from eight-round single stack to ten-round staggered), sights, and safety. Starting in 1895, the Lee-Metford started to be phased out in favor of the Lee-Enfield, a virtually identical design adapted for use with smokeless powder. Changes included deeper square-cut rifling (designated Enfield pattern), and sights adjusted for the flatter trajectory enabled by the smokeless propellant.
Mad minute
Mad minute was a pre-World War I term used by British riflemen during training to describe firing a minimum of 15 aimed bullets into a target at 300yd within one minute using a bolt-action rifle (usually a Lee-Enfield or Lee-Metford rifle). The record of 38 hits in one minute was set by Sergeant Major Snoxhall, an instructor at the British Army's Small Arms School.
Replacement
Replacement of the Lee-Metford rifles took several years to achieve, and they were still in service in some units during the Second Boer War in 1899. Troops with the Lee-Metford and even the Lee-Enfield had a disadvantage to the Mauser-equipped Boer troops, when long range accuracy was a concern. Poor sighting-in and quality control at the factory level resulted in British rifles being woefully inaccurate at ranges greater than 400 yards (370m); upon
Schematic. Image#9 and #10
Lee-Metford correction they were essentially equal to the Mauser action in terms of accuracy, and superior in most other attributes. Even so, the British considered a whole new rifle, the Pattern 1913 Enfield, based upon a modified Mauser design, but its development was cut short by the First World War and the eminently adaptable Lee-Enfield served for another half century. In British service the Lee Metford was also upgraded to the standards of later rifle patterns (e.g. to charger loading and Short Rifle, the SMLE pattern), though the barrel was almost always switched to one with Enfield pattern rifling. The Lee-Metford was produced commercially and used by civilian target shooters until the outbreak of World War I, as it was considered to be inherently more accurate than the Enfield pattern of rifling. In this context, barrels and boltheads could be replaced as frequently as the owner wished, or could afford. The Lee-Metford is still in ceremonial use with the Atholl Highlanders.
Users
British Empire
References
[1] Skennerton (2001), p.33 [2] Skennerton (2007), p.203 [3] Special Service Lee Enfields: Commando and Auto Models by Ian Skennerton. Published by Ian D Skennerton, PO Box 80, Labrador 4215, Australia, 2001. ISBN 0-949749-37-0. Paperback, 48 pp, 50 plus b & w drawings and photos, 210 x 274 mm [4] Skennerton (2001), p.37 [5] Skennerton (2007), pp.3738 [6] Skennerton (2007), p.505 [7] Skennerton (2007), p.205
Skennerton, Ian: Small Arms Identification Series No. 7: .303 Magazine Lee-Metford and Magazine Lee-Enfield Arms & Militaria Press, Gold Coast QLD (Australia), 1997. ISBN 0-949749-25-7.
License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 //creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/