Milsurp After Hours

I was 8 years old when I got my first Enfield, a number 4 Mk1 from my dad along with a sack of stained ammo.

I could hardly lift it to my shoulder so I had to jam it into a dike, cope stone on top and tattie bags for shoulder padding before I could shoot the damn thing.

I now dread to think of the damage I did to that rifle over the years and its long since gone but from that day when I was 8 I knew I would collect and shoot guns.

They have been a big part of my life ever since and given so much pleasure and enjoyment.

Any Enfield the best one your shooting is the one you have in your hand

I'll play ... I have noticed with mirth there is some partisanship going on with choices here - the Brits tend to like a No4 of local manufacture, the Aussies like their No1 MKIII's, the Canucks ALWAYS mention the Longbranch as the bees knees and the Yanks tend to go in for the M17's because there is an American 30-06 kinship to that specification.

I'm going to throw caution out the window and say without hesitation that I'm a Carbine guy ... I love my No5's. If I'm honest though an equal first with the No5 is the No1 Lithgow followed by a tie with every other Enfield model out there.

I reported for National Service in August 1952. After the usual Basic training at Caterrick in Yorkshire I was interviewed for allocation to the job I was to do in the Army. Because of my background I was sent to the Sniper Training School at Warminster and "trained" for six weeks. By a sheer stroke of Luck or Military incompetence I was posted to the Royal Miltary College of Science at Shriveham, Berkshire to work on the new (then) Lee Enfield project

The Project was for a new version of the Lee Enfield Mark 4 to be called X8E1. The 'X' was for 'Experimental' the '8' was the number of versions to be tried, the 'E' was, of course, for Enfield and the '1' the first version (This I was Told)

The Object was to convert the Enfield 303 mark 4 to a standard round for NATO use. My time at Shrivenham was quite pleasant (apart from the being at the Beck and Call of the Officers on the Project) I got to go on the Colleges range every day (when not being used by the New SAS) and test the accuracy of the versions produced by the Boffins on the project.

The blow came when I realized the purpose of their choice of me. The Malayan Campaign was at it's height. It was known as "the War of the Running Dogs" because that is what the Chinese/Malayan Communists called the British Forces. I had been destined to take the X8E1 to Malaya for it's service trials. For the next two years I walked 2000 miles up and down the Malayan Peninsula with a 'Long Range Reconaisance Group' testing my X8E1 under Service conditions. The Trials were successful and apart from the first two rounds shot "Right and high" when the barrel was cold it was the most accurate rifle I have ever used. It was commissed as a British army weapon and also accepted by the Home Office for Police use. The Police refused to call the Rifle a "Sniper" rifle as it implied deliberate killing and with a few adaptions it became known as "The Enforcer" and a Civilian version was produced called "The Envoy" and is still made in Ishapore, India.

When the Home Office changed the Police weapon to their current automatic 9mm Hechler and Koch I made an application to the Home Office to purchase what was then called the L1A1. The Army went on to produce the L1A1 SLR which was a version of the FN (Fabrique National of Belgium). For me the Enfield is still the best rifle ever produced.

Welcome to the forum Dullahan a interesting post thanks for that.

G'day and welcome to the forum mate. I've sent you a PM on the picture issues.

I am an American, but my favorite SMLE happens to be my most recent acquisition, the 2A.

I have it fitted to a nice wood carry case that carries a few accessories and ammo.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... 0_1304.jpg[/pic]

Dullahan succeeded in sending a few pictures to post. They are a bit small and I couldn't really enlarge them any more without loss of detail. But...Dullahan thanks. Keep at it and you'll be posting pictures with the best of us before long....it's just another learning experience none of us were born knowing how to do.

Niner wrote:Dullahan succeeded in sending a few pictures to post. They are a bit small and I couldn't really enlarge them any more without loss of detail. But...Dullahan thanks. Keep at it and you'll be posting pictures with the best of us before long....it's just another learning experience none of us were born knowing how to do.

Actually the pictures shown are the 'Approved' model of the X8E1 called the "Enforcer" which had had a few modifications for the Home Office for Police Use. (the Police refused to call the rifle a 'Sniper' rifle because they claim it denoted "Deliberate Killing". Which is what they did with this rifle )

The experimental model I tested out in Malaya for it's field trials looked like a standard Mark 4 with full furniture, a varied bolt action and a scope rail.

Dullahan.

Do you have any photos from Malaya Dullahan? I would be extremely interested in seing the experimental rifle in theatre.

Many thanks for the photos already posted.

Joe