BritishEnfieldBook

British Enfield Rifles
3 Volume Set ~ Please Note,
Volume 3 was Never Written

The British Enfield No.1 Rifle (Mk I through lshapore 2A/2A1) is not only one of the world's finest battle
rifles, but also one of the longest serving from Africa's colonial wars through World Wars I and II and Korea
to the conflicts of the Middle East. The British Tommy and the troops of the former British Commonwealth counted on their Short Magazine Lee-Enfields for nearly 90 years, and many are still in use today. Skip
Stratton, who maintains the Enfield Rifle Research Internet web site and is a collector of long standing, has written a superb book that provides a well-organized, detailed look from the collector's perspective at this fine rifle series.
Dozens of charts and illustrations take you through seven manufacturers on three continents and seventy
years of production to identify each variation of every single part of the rifle. Stratton shows you how to determine which parts are correct for each manufacturer and each period of manufacture. Is that
Lee-Enfield pre-World War I, World War I, World War II, or post-World War II manufacture? British
or Commonwealth? Original or arsenal reconditioned? It takes more than the date on the action body
to determine that. And what do all of those codes and inspection marks and cyphers mean? Do they help
detemine the age of the rifle and its parts? Yes, they do, and all are listed in the books' 158 ( 5.5"x8.5") pages and shown in more than 90 illustrations and photographs. Also included are descriptions of accoutrements,
cleaning tools, and bayonets issued to the British and Commonwealth soldier with his Short Magazine
Lee-Enfield. Serial numbers, codes, markings, cyphers - this book has it all in an easy-to-use layout.

Volume One

- Since the publication of Volume 1 of "The British Enfield Rifles"series in 1997, collectors have loudly demanded the publication of Volume 2, covering the World War II-era "No. 4 and No. 5 Rifles."
Well, here it is at last. And Charles (Skip) Stratton, has done an outstanding job- again. He presents the
No. 4 and No. 5 rifle part-by-part. Every single model, including the sniper rifles, target and match rifles
and training rifles manufactured in the U.K., Canada, the U.S., Republic of South Africa and Pakistan
is thoroughly described.
He begins by presenting the historical background for the development of both rifles, the No. 4 in the dark,
early days of World War II and the No. 5 (better known as the Jungle Carbine) prompted by the ferocious
fighting in Malaya and Burma. He describes each variation of both rifles and explains what all the
"marks," "numbers," and codes found on most parts mean and shows how to relate them to the various manufacturing factories in England, Canada, the United States, South Africa and Pakistan. He also
provides a breakdown of serial numbers by year, factory and country.
Stratton then literally dissects both rifles, describing every single part and explaining the reasons
behind any changes and points out how to identify those changes.
For instance, there are eight different receivers - action bodies- used on the eleven variations of both rifles,
five variations of breech bolts, nine variations of rear sights, thirteen variations of barrels and two variations
of stocks. Stratton also discusses every single part of the rifle in the same detail so that the reader and
collector knows that there are three variations of the humble stock bolt, seven variations of the forend,
three variations of the buttplate, and so on, as well as how to identify each and relate it to a specific
range of serial numbers produced by a specific factory.
The book also translates the codes and markings that often pinpoint its original and subsequent military
units. Collectors are thrilled when the discover that their rifle served at El Alamein or during the Invasion
of Sicily, at Monte Cassino, Normandy or in the Far East in Malaya, or in Korea or Aden or anywhere else British forces were to be found between 1941 and the mid-1950s.
As with his first volume covering the Mk I and Mk III (No. 1) Rifles, this is a thorough and
well-organized book that will aid the collector in determining originality and restoring these historical
battle rifles to authenticity. 193 ( 5.5"x 8.5")Pages

NEW! British Enfield Rifles, Volume 4, The Pattern 1914 and U.S. Model of 1917 Rifles
by Charles R. Stratton
Charles R. Stratton continues his very successful series on collectible British military rifles with the
little understood, but widely available Pattern 1914 and U.S. Model of 1917 Rifles.
Often called the "American Enfield," the Pattern 1914 in .303 caliber was the only British military rifle
ever built wholly in the United States even though it was designed by the engineers at Enfield Arsenal.
The U.S. Model 1917 was the same rifle, but rechambered for the American .30-06 cartridge. Over 1.2
million Pattern 1914 rifles and 2.5 million Model 1917 rifles were built during World War I by three
American companies, Winchester, Remington and Eddystone. More American soldiers, including Sergeant
Alvin York, were armed with the Model 1917 Enfield than with the Model 1903 Springfield.
The Model 1917 Enfield has long been a favorite American collectible. Over the years, it has been sporterized
for hunting and restored for collecting by thousands of shooters. Parts are commonly available and many
P-14 parts are interchangeable with M1917 parts, making it quite easy to return a given rifle to original
condition.
As in the previous two volumes, Mr. Stratton has provided a detailed description of each rifle on a part by
part basis and noted whether or not the particular part is interchangeable between the two models. He
provides a series of charts and explanations for the markings, codes and inspection stamps that appear on
each part and tells how to determine which were originally manufactured for the P-14 or the M1917. He also provides a complete history of the rifle's development and use in both World War I and World War II.
Also a complete description of the two sniper rifle variations of the P-14 that were fielded in both wars, the Pedersen device developed for the M1917, and the accessories that were issued with the rifle to soldiers
of both countries, including ammunition belts, bayonets, tools and cleaning equipment. Separate
appendixes provide an exploded view and nomenclature, production statistics, ammunition descriptions
and sporting rifle derivations.
The demand for this book has been so great that the author and publisher decided to skip over Volume 3
in the series which will deal with the original "Long Lee" rifle for the time being. Volume 4, The Pattern
1914 and U.S. Model of 1917 Rifles is being published out of sequenc to meet this demand.
154 ( 5.5" x 8.5") Pages