.303 Lee Enfield Replica Rifle

Replica .303 Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) Rifle

 

This classic battle rifle is strongly associated with the ANZAC legend as well as the military heritage of all British Commonwealth nations from WW1 and WW2 through to the Korean War.

 

The Lee Enfield is a bolt action repeating rifle fed by a 10-round magazine. It was the standard issue military rifle for British Commonwealth Forces from 1895 until 1957, this high quality Denix Replica .303 Lee Enfield being of the most famous MKIII Model.

 

The Lee Enfield evolved from the earlier Lee Metford Rifle and was popular due to its fast bolt action mechanism and the fact that it had a higher magazine capacity than enemy Mauser 98 rifles that only had a 5 -round magazine capacity.

 

During the First World War units armed with .303 rifles were able to generate such high rates of accurate and sustained fire that German units would often report that they were under machine gun fire when in fact it was well-trained rifleman they were facing.

 

One British Army weapons instructor in 1914 (A SGT Snoxall) was able to place 38 rounds into a 30 cm hole at 300 metres range in one minute. 

 

The classic MKIII .303 Short Magazine Lee Enfield Rifle was the rifle that stormed the shores at ANZAC Cove in 1915, was used on the Western Front and in the deserts of the Middle east by the Light Horse.  It then served reliably in North Africa and again in the Middle East with Australian Forces at battles such as El Alamein and Tobruk as well as in the Jungles of the Pacific War.  Finally in the Korean War including famous battles such as Kapyong.

 

The Denix replica .303 Lee Enfield has a timber stock and metal working action to bring this piece of military history safely to life for display or use in re-enactment or film and television productions.