Thread: Some Lee Enfield History

Greetings All,
Interesting that Lee and Ross, designers of two of the rifles most associated with the .303 cartridge, were born in Scotland and died in the US. The Lee and Ross rifles were chambered for other cartridges before the .303. The Martini Enfield was designed by the American Peabody and improved by the Swiss Martini. The P14 Enfield is a clear knock of of the Mauser and lastly the .303 (7.7mm) cartridge was developed by another Swiss, Rubin with the rim added by the Brits. Just where do the English fit into all of this?
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings All,
Interesting that Lee and Ross, designers of two of the rifles most associated with the .303 cartridge, were born in Scotland and died in the US. The Lee and Ross rifles were chambered for other cartridges before the .303. The Martini Enfield was designed by the American Peabody and improved by the Swiss Martini. The P14 Enfield is a clear knock of of the Mauser and lastly the .303 (7.7mm) cartridge was developed by another Swiss, Rubin with the rim added by the Brits. Just where do the English fit into all of this?
Regards Grandpamac.

Some of Britain's best exports were people and their ideas.

Scotland claims the Telephone,TV and Penicillin so why not the Lee action?

Greetings @caberslash,
I deliberately used the word "English" rather than "British" as you likely noticed. Even NZ's military first bolt action repeater was a Remington Lee in .43 Spanish. I believe there is one in Te Papa. Ross was not the first one with a straight pull military rifle either. That honour fell to Lee in 1895 with the 6mm Lee Navy.
Grandpamac.

That honour fell to Lee in 1895 with the 6mm Lee Navy.
@grandpamac Lee was ahead of his time... 6mm and also the parent case to the .220 Swift!

Wonder if he would shoot a Creedmoor?

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings All,
Interesting that Lee and Ross, designers of two of the rifles most associated with the .303 cartridge, were born in Scotland and died in the US. The Lee and Ross rifles were chambered for other cartridges before the .303. The Martini Enfield was designed by the American Peabody and improved by the Swiss Martini. The P14 Enfield is a clear knock of of the Mauser and lastly the .303 (7.7mm) cartridge was developed by another Swiss, Rubin with the rim added by the Brits. Just where do the English fit into all of this?
Regards Grandpamac.

Might as well add in the BREN and the lesser known BESA machine guns.