Sparkbrook No1 MK1 1902

History Of The Long Lee

Here are the types of long Lee.

1. Magazine Lee-Metford (MLM) mk. I: 1889-1892. Only a handful left, nearly all upgraded to mk. I*.

2. Magazine Lee-Metford mk. I*: 1889-1892 (upgrades from mk. I), 1893-c. 1906 (new made), the latter type being scarcer and more desirable (n=359,500 mk. I and mk. I* combined; the records do not differentiate).

3. Magazine Lee-Metford mk. II: 1892-1896. Moderately scarce (n=252,075).

4. Magazine Lee-Metford mk. II*: 1895-1896. Rare (n=13,479).

5. Magazine Lee-Enfield (MLE) mk. I: 1896-1899. Slightly scarce (n=317,196).

6. Magazine Lee-Enfield mk. I*: 1899-c. 1903. Slightly scarce, though most that exist are in Australia or NZ; uncommon in North America (n=590,841).

7. Charger-loading Lee-Metford (CLLM) mk. II: 1907-1909. Rare, nearly all upgraded to CLLE mk. I* (n=unknown but no fewer than 4,454).

8. Charger-loading Lee-Enfield (CLLE) mk. I: 1907?-1914? Rare and exact production dates unknown (n=unknown but no fewer than 778).

9. Charger-loading Lee-Enfield mk. I*: 1907-c. 1915. Moderately scarce (n=unknown but approx. 327,000 plus most of the CLLMs upgraded).

The history of the charger-loading series of rifles is confusing and is worth repeating here. In 1902, the List of Changes (LOC) declared that Lee-Metford carbines (§ 11078) and rifles (§ 11498) would, upon rebarrelling with Enfield barrels, be renamed Lee-Enfields. (The List of Changes was a military periodical that detailed the introduction of new weapons, accoutrements and equipment.) For rifles mks. II and II*, the latter marks of arm were to be struck and “L.E.” and “I*” added on the buttsocket. This was logical but made it impossible to verbally distinguish the safetyless former mk. IIs from the safety-fitted former mk. II*s and safety-fitted Lee-Enfields. Two years later, in March 1904, the rule was rescinded. Regardless of barrel type, all (safetyless) rifles that had started as MLM mk. IIs were to be called such (LOC § 12184), and the 1902-vintage “I*” retrostamps were to be crossed out and a new “II” retrostamp added. In July 1907, the conversion programme for the CLLM mk. II and CLLE mk. I* began, the former converted from MLM mk. IIs and the latter from MLE mk. Is and I*s and MLM mk. II*s (LOC §13992). There was no mention of a CLLE mk. I model. In February 1909, the CLLM mk. II conversion program was ended, and all existing CLLMs were to be altered to CLLE mk. I* by having new safety-type bolts fitted (§14758). (In 1910, its being assumed that all Metford barrels would by now have been replaced, the stamping of a distinguishing nocksform “E” for Enfield-rifling was desisted (§ 15000).) In September 1914, the LOC acknowledged its failure previously to mention the CLLE mk. I, going on to describe the alterations necessary to upgrade the model to accept mk. VII ammunition (§ 17041). A month later (§ 17011), the LOC described the same process for the CLLE mk. I*. There was no corresponding entry for the CLLM mk. II because by now all were supposed to have been converted to CLLE mk. I*.

There were also two Indian charger-loaders described in the Indian List of Changes (ILOC), the CLLE mk. I India Pattern and the CLLE mk. II India Pattern. The former had a charger guide, not bridge, while the latter was virtually identical to the regular British CLLE mk. I. The India Pattern CLLEs are virtually unknown today. I know of the existence of two of the mk. IIs and none of the mk. Is