Lee-Enfield

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The Lee-Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle that dominated the military landscape of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half-century of the 20th century. Adopted officially by the British Army in 1895, it remained their standard issue rifle until 1957. This iconic firearm is often referred to as the "SMLE," a shorthand for "Short Magazine Lee-Enfield." A groundbreaking redesign of the earlier Lee-Metford (adopted by the British Army in 1888), the Lee-Enfield surpassed its predecessors, including the Martini-Henry, Martini-Enfield, and Lee-Metford rifles. Its standout feature was a ten-round box magazine loaded with the .303 British cartridge from the top, either one round at a time or by means of five-round chargers.