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jlb300
04-13-2008, 08:16 AM
Hi guys. I was fooling around the other day with my brit and realized that I could not remember a bit of info that I used to know about her. I have a #1 mark III mfg 1914,and all the #'s match. This isnt that important to me cause she has been sporterized. I guess if I wanted I could restock her and it would be pretty cool. The question I have is , every other lee enfield I have ever seen is marked S.M.L.E. Short magizine lee enfield. Mine is marked S.H.T.L.E. the ht is small print and underlined. I once read what it meant but I cant recall the meaning.
To steal a quote 'my rememberer is broke and the parts are no longer available'.
Thanks for any info guys
Big Bore
04-13-2008, 10:55 AM
That would stand for Sht Lee Enfield where the Sht is an abbreviation of Short. I believe the ShtLE simply became SMLE at some later date. If I can find my NRA Publication on the Lee Enfield series and it is explained further in the publication I'll repost. Perhaps someone will beat me to the punch.
jlb300
04-13-2008, 01:24 PM
not to confuse anyone I shoulda said that the ht is not lower case letters just smaller print. If this makes a difference
Four Fingers of Death
04-13-2008, 04:58 PM
The SMLE means Short Magazine Lee Enfield I was always told, that is short rifle/with magazine/ designed by Lee / made by Enfield.
jlb300
04-16-2008, 10:09 AM
link to a pic of the band http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q298/butterbean568/303brit002.jpg
oops try this one http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q298/butterbean568/303brit001.jpg
JeffinNZ
04-16-2008, 06:17 PM
WARNING!!

Be extremely careful when shooting these rifles!!!! You will end up owing LOTS of them as they are addictive.

I swore I would never own such an ugly rifle. Yeah, right.
MtGun44
04-17-2008, 12:39 AM
4 Fingermick,

I think the Lee Enfield, is actually a Lee action and Enfield pattern rifling.

They had the Lee-Metford, which was the same basic gun for a compressed
BP load. The switch to cordite burned out the Metford pattern rifling too
fast so they switched to Enfield pattern rifling, which was more durable
in the hot flames of the high nitroglycerine cordite.

Bill
HABCAN
04-17-2008, 10:39 AM
MtGun44, +1.
Bigjohn
04-23-2008, 08:31 PM
MtGun44, +1.

MtGun44, +2

The 'E' denoted the change from Metford pattern rifling, which burned out too easily with cordite charges to the Enfield pattern rifling which could withstand the erosion better.

ShtLE was the marking which preceeded the S.M.L.E. marking.

The Sht denoted a shortened version of the original rifle.

Reference Ian SKENNERTON's "The Lee Enfield Story"

John.