I beleive there were a couple of attempts to make a semi-auto enfield and I think at least one version of them, the Charlton, used a bren mag. Not sure why anyone would want to, but it would seam then to be do-able.
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Lee Enfield 20 round Magazine?
- Thread starter masterkey
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I beleive there were a couple of attempts to make a semi-auto enfield and I think at least one version of them, the Charlton, used a bren mag. Not sure why anyone would want to, but it would seam then to be do-able.
The Bren mag. was extensively modified for use in the Charlton, and a small bracket was added to the rifle receiver at the front for the magazine well to secure the front of the modified Bren mag. The SMLE magazine would still fit, it was the Bren magazine that was modified, not the rifle's receiver. Look at a Bren magazine side by side with a SMLE magazine, and you will be able to see just how much modification was necessary. The magazine and its pouch are very rare indeed. Keep in mind that Lee Enfields were not intended to be reloaded by having a supply of magazines on hand.
The thought behind the WWI 20 round magazine was to reduce exposure to mud. The Germans had an extended magazine for the Mauser.
I suppose that two Lee Enfield magazines could be grafted together. But what would be the point? For sustained fire, it is hard to beat the chargers.
The thought behind the WWI 20 round magazine was to reduce exposure to mud. The Germans had an extended magazine for the Mauser.
I suppose that two Lee Enfield magazines could be grafted together. But what would be the point? For sustained fire, it is hard to beat the chargers.
http://www.e-gunparts.com/DisplayAd.asp?chrProductSKU=50230&chrSuperSKU=
US link, but these are those mauser mags I believe.
Other than historical curiosity,why would anyone want a 20 rd mag for a LE? If you can't come to a successful conclusion after depleting a standard 10 rd mag,the target probably deserves to win.This reminds me of a hunting episode in Sask back in the early '60s when one of the boys opened up on a buck with the old .303 as the deer broke cover and ran directly towards him. He emptied the mag without cutting a hair as the deer crossed the road about 20 ft in front of him and then went single shot trying for a "Texas heart shot" while the deer showed him his butt on the way to the next piece of bush-laughing as loud as the rest of us.
That is truly one ugly gun. I think they used the platypus as a design concept for that one. I would not want to own one, hell, I don't even want to see the pictures again. LOL
The image of that frankensteined LE is burned into the brain already, and requires immediate deletion. There should be a warning on this thread. LOL .
The image of that frankensteined LE is burned into the brain already, and requires immediate deletion. There should be a warning on this thread. LOL .
Note that the Mauser magazine, as in the repro. shown in the e-gunparts link above, replaces the floorplate with a magazine extension. It is akin to a magazine tube extension for a pump shotgun, rather than being a detachable magazine.
If you look at the photo of the Charlton reproduction, you can see the head of the screw which holds the front magazine bracket, just behind the plate to which the recoil spring housing and gas cylinder are mounted. You can also see that the rear rib of the Bren magazine is cut away, in order to fit the Lee Enfield receiver.
If you look at the photo of the Charlton reproduction, you can see the head of the screw which holds the front magazine bracket, just behind the plate to which the recoil spring housing and gas cylinder are mounted. You can also see that the rear rib of the Bren magazine is cut away, in order to fit the Lee Enfield receiver.
NavyShooter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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For what it is, an improvised machine gun using parts already onhand, plus a "little" bit of local machine shop time, it's an impressive piece.
Practical, for use in a war zone? Perhaps not with all the exposed metal bits, but an impressive piece of work nonetheless.
I'd love to see one in person.
NS
Practical, for use in a war zone? Perhaps not with all the exposed metal bits, but an impressive piece of work nonetheless.
I'd love to see one in person.
NS
That mag is a prohibited device AFAIK .... Yes, it was designed for a bolt-action rifle, but there were semiautomatic as well as automatic variants that were also produced with Lee-Enfield actions .... Which led to an OIC specifically excluding the 10 round LE magazine from pinning to 5 .... But it would still need to pinned to 10 
.
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I have been told that the 20 rounders were bought up by a British firm who was designing a rifle for the military that was not accepted, so the mags were scrapped. Closest I ever came was a pic of the leather case for one.
Now the reasoning behind it. In trench warfare there was one common thing encountered, MUD! The thinking was that you would have 20 rounds of clean ammunition available without having to worry about the MUD jamming your rifle. The Germans had the same idea. The problem was that once you moved out of the trench, then the 20 rd. magazine was a pain in the ARSE!
Now the reasoning behind it. In trench warfare there was one common thing encountered, MUD! The thinking was that you would have 20 rounds of clean ammunition available without having to worry about the MUD jamming your rifle. The Germans had the same idea. The problem was that once you moved out of the trench, then the 20 rd. magazine was a pain in the ARSE!
