A Lee Enfield for Sale? Stop Right in!

The Lee-Enfield Rifle is to most English historians what the M1903 Springfield is to most Americans - one of the most influential rifles ever developed and an iconic symbol of military prowess. In many ways, it can be argued that the two had similar roles across the seas. Whereas many Americans are familiar with the M1903, the English have a similar fancy for the Lee-Enfield that went with them throughout most of the Twentieth Century. It would not be too far-fetched to call is the defining small arm of recent British history.

At the beginning of the 19th century, some of the most modern arms were still caplock muzzleloading arms. They did not contain magazines, were loaded and cleaned at the muzzle, and contained very simple internals compared to today’s repeaters and autoloaders. They also didn’t even contain what we would call an ‘action,’ containing instead a lock that actuated the firing of the device.

Rapid technological advancements throughout the 1800s resulted in a suite of more modern arms, converting the loose powder, wad and shoot of muzzleloaders into self contained cartridges complete with their own primers that were intended to be loaded at the breech of a firearm and cycled through an action.

As for the Lee-Enfield Rifle, it was modified from the designs of the Lee-Metford Service Rifle that was completed in 1888. The Lee-Metford was designed with a special bolt-action to fire black powder cartridges that fed from a box-magazine, and as such as a fairly advanced repeater, given the time frame.

The Lee-Enfield took from the design of the Lee-Metford and made it better and more capable to handle modern needs, with the most notable alteration that whereas the Lee-Metford fired black powder cartridges, the Lee-Enfield was intended to fire the .303 British cartridge that notably used smokeless cordite instead of black powder.

The resulting Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk 1 which was completed in 1902, would go on to become the defining service rifle of the British Commonwealth forces for the next fifty years or so. This variant, which had a 25” barrel (25.2 inches, to be exact) was more nimble than a longer barrel would allow but not quite as compact as a carbine. It also had a charger guide that made the action cycle more smoothly - and more quickly.

Combining a number of these features together - an internal magazine that could be removed, a short, fast, smooth cycling action, and the adequate power of the British .303 made for a miraculous effective platform. The British soldiers were able to fire at impressive rates despite the manual cycling and used the rifle to great effect through the First World War, which gave perhaps the largest measure of infamy to the Lee-Enfield.

That is far from the only engagement in which the Lee-Enfield saw itself put to work, and not the only one in which it was carried by Commonwealth forces. The Lee-Enfield Short Action mentioned here, as well as variants, was carried through the First World War and around the world in the Interwar period. It was also widely employed though the Second World War and into the 1950s. The Lee-Enfield was so effective and so popular that it was even widely used around the world by forces - formally and by insurgents - that were never part of the British Empire.

To make short of a lengthy history that could go on for pages, or days, depending on how you look at it, the Lee-Enfield is one of the most iconic and recognizable names in the annals of original military designs. For the reasons mentioned here, and certainly for many other reasons that vary by the individual, it is vastly popular as a collectible firearm.

If you’re looking for a Lee-Enfield for sale, then you’ve certainly come to the right place. At Sarco Inc., we’re proud providers of historical military arms and accessories from all around the world. If you’re looking for a Lee-Enfield for sale, we’ll point you in the right direction - but on that topic, you can come to us for an M1903, an SKS, a Lee-Enfield SMLE or some other popular historical design or action as well.

On that note, we don’t just sell the arms themselves. If you are already the proud owner of such a famous (or infamous) platform, then from time to time you are going to need gun parts and accessories to make repairs and replacements. We’ll help you out on that front as well.

In many ways, finding the parts to go with your aging platforms is harder than finding the actual firearm in the first place, but making those necessary repairs is not something that can be circumvented. Don’t be afraid to pull your favorite rifles out of the safe - with our help here, you can make sure everything is in working order, and stays that way.

Give us a call today and let us what you need for your Lee-Enfield or your other favorite historical arm. We’ll get you in touch with what you need. Whether your purpose is to find a Lee-Enfield for sale or just some Lee-Enfield parts, we’ll set you up. If you have questions, please call us at 610-250-3960.