WWII Tech Pubs Briefing

Written by
Justin Riggir

[ Top of Page | Feedback ]

Overview

The Lee-Enfield No. 4 Rifle Mk I was a further development of the original 1895 Lee-Enfield (itself a refinement of the Lee-Metford Magazine Rifle Mk I introduced in 1888).  The No. 4 Mk I was introduced November 1939, and a refined version still serves today as a sniper rifle.

Lee-Enfield rifles were known for an excellent mechanism that allowed skilled soldiers to take over 40 aimed shots per minute.  It was also robust and reliable - essential qualities in any weapon but particularly important for infantry weapons that remain in the field without specialized maintenance for extended periods of time.

The No. 4 more directly evolved from the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) Rifle Mk III used in the First World War, often considered the best all-round combat bolt-action rifle ever made.  (Note that British rifle nomenclature changed in 1926 - the SMLE guns were renamed the No. 1 guns.)  The No. 4 employed a nine-inch (229-mm) spike bayonet instead of the traditional sword bayonet and exposed about three inches (7.6 cm) of barrel in front of the wooden stock onto which the hilt of the bayonet slid. 

The rear U-notch sight was replaced with an aperture sight to aid training. This sight was relocated to the rifle's receiver, which increased the distance between the sights. This change, together with the use of a heavier barrel, improved accuracy.

Many changes in the new version eased manufacturing and facilitated mass production.  While seasoned soldiers missed the excellent finish of the Mk III, the No. 4 became accepted as an improved and reliable weapon, although the spike bayonet was never liked.  Soldiers from almost every country in the Commonwealth used the No. 4, and production from 1939 to 1945 numbered over one million rifles in factories in the U.K., U.S., and Canada.  Starting in 1942, the North American factories produced the No. 4 Mk I*, which featured a modified bolt release mechanism.

[ Top of Page | Feedback ]

Specifications