Some other interesting SMLE conversions
The Charlton Automatic Rifle was a fully automatic conversion of the Lee–Enfield rifle, designed by New Zealander Philip Charlton in 1941 to act as a substitute for the Bren and Lewis gun light machine guns which were in chronically short supply at the time.
The original Charlton Automatic Rifles were converted from obsolete Lee–Metford and Magazine Lee–Enfield rifles dating from as early as the Boer War,[1] and were intended for use as a semi-automatic rifle with the full-automatic capability retained for emergency use.[2] It used the 10-round Lee–Enfield magazines and modified 30-round Bren magazines.
There were two versions of the Charlton: the New Zealand version, as designed and manufactured by Charlton Motor Workshops in Hastings, and a version produced in Australia by Electrolux, using the SMLE Mk III* for conversion.[3] The two designs differed markedly in external appearance (amongst other things, the New Zealand Charlton had a forward pistol grip and bipod,[4] whilst the Australian lacked this making it lighter and cleaner in appearance,[5] but shared the same operating mechanism.
Approximately 1,500 Charlton Automatic Rifles were manufactured in New Zealand,[6] and nearly all of them were destroyed in an accidental fire at the Palmerston North service storage facility shortly after World War II.[3]
An example of the New Zealand-manufactured Charlton Automatic Rifle is known to survive in the Imperial War Museum in London, along with a handful elsewhere– one is on display in the Waiouru Army Museum in New Zealand, and another at the Army Museum (Bandiana) in Australia.
The Howell Automatic Rifle an automatic conversion for the Lee–Enfield rifle.[1] The weapon was reliable but unergonomic for the user as the force of the recoiling bolt interfered with handling. Similar conversions were the South African Rieder and Charlton of Australian/New Zealand origin which had full automatic capability.
The Rieder Automatic Rifle was a fully automatic Lee–Enfield SMLE rifle conversion of South African origin. The Rieder device could be installed quickly with the use of simple tools.[1] A similar weapon of New Zealand origin was the Charlton Automatic Rifle.
While the rifle had no select fire capability, single shots could be achieved by releasing the trigger quickly. Alternatively the bolt could be operated manually if the gas vein was closed. Prototype rifles fitted with the "Rieder Attachment" or device were tested on bipod and tripod mounts and proved reliable with little maintenance, although recommendations were made to change the sight system to take account of vibration during automatic fire.
Ekins Automatic Rifle[edit]
The Ekins Automatic Rifle was one of the numerous attempts to convert a Lee–Enfield SMLE to an automatic rifle.[69] Similar developments were the South African Rieder and Charlton of Australian/New Zealand origin.
The De Lisle carbine or De Lisle Commando carbine was a British firearm used during World War II that was designed with an integrated suppressor. That, combined with its use of subsonic ammunition, made it extremely quiet in action, possibly one of the quietest firearms ever made.[3]
Few were manufactured as their use was limited to specialist military units.
The De Lisle was based on a Short, Magazine, Lee–Enfield Mk III* converted to .45 ACP by modifying the receiver, altering the bolt/bolthead, replacing the barrel with a modified Thompson submachine gun barrel (6 grooves, RH twist), and using modified magazines from the M1911 pistol. The primary feature of the De Lisle was its extremely effective suppressor, which made it very quiet in action. So quiet, in fact, that working the bolt (to chamber the next round), makes a louder noise than firing a cartridge.[11]
The .45 ACP cartridge was selected as its muzzle velocity is subsonic for typical barrel lengths. As such, it would both retain its full lethality and not require custom-loaded ammunition to use with a suppressor. Most rifle rounds are supersonic, where the bullet generates a "sonic boom" like any other object traveling at supersonic velocities, making them unsuitable for covert purposes. The Thompson gun barrel was ported (i.e. drilled with holes) to provide a controlled release of high pressure gas into the suppressor that surrounds it before the bullet leaves the barrel. The suppressor, 2 inches (5.1 cm) in diameter, went all the way from the back of the barrel to well beyond the muzzle, making up half the overall length of the weapon. The suppressor provided a very large volume to contain the gases produced by firing; this was one of the keys to its effectiveness.[12] The MP5SD and AS Val are among other modern firearms that use the same concept.
The Lee–Enfield bolt was shortened to feed the .45 ACP rounds; the Lee–Enfield's magazine set-up was replaced with a new assembly that held a modified M1911 magazine. The single-shot, bolt operation offered an advantage in that the shooter could refrain from chambering the next round if absolute silence was required after firing. A semi-automatic weapon would not have offered this option as the cycling of the bolt coupled with rearward escaping propellant gas and the clink of the empty case against any hard surface would produce a noise with each shot.[13] As silent as the carbine was, it was not very accurate.[14]
De Lisle's own .22 prototype was given to the National Army Museum in London, but it was subsequently lost and its present whereabouts are unknown.[8] A reproduction of the carbine is manufactured by the American company, Valkyrie Arms.[15] Another company, Special Interest Arms, has announced limited production of a De Lisle replica which incorporates an improved magazine adapter system that allows the use of unmodified M1911 magazines and also fully supports the barrel chamber in the action.[16]
