Enforcer - "Happy Days"

[enforsore]

Just to shed a little light on information i have.
Home Office Circular 176/72 (Firearms for Police use in Peacetime)
dated 29th September 1972

Quote>>> The working party recommend the L39A1 rifle, fitted with the two piece telescope mounting and Pecar V2S telescope.
It will be manufactured by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield and sent to
Messrs Parker Hale Ltd. in Birmingham for a suitable stock to be attached, for the telescope and mounts to be fitted, and for other minor modifications.

So reading this i think they went to Parker Hale without the wood,....
But hey ! who knows what really happened.

when i was in the army i thought we would be fighting russians!!!!!!

I will try and locate a scanner and scan the document and post it

[Alan de Enfield]

The forend on the rifle is a converted No4 Mk1 item, so not original to the rifle.

The spare forend appears to be the correct L39-type Mk2 item, but is missing the steel insert that should be under the front of the trigger guard. The number on the underside looks quite fresh, so maybe it is is an L39 forend thats been numbered to match.

Two of the magazines are correct Enfield types; if the third hasn't any markings then its probably one of the Charnwood copies that were made up. All three mags have new engraved numbers in a slightly incorrect format and location, so they are evidently new additions.

You should find the rifle number pencilled on the unerside of the handguard, and also stamped on the front edge of the butt (inside the butt socket).

Looks like a nice rifle. How about some shots of the sidewall, scope and bolt markings?

I'll get some more pics when my camera battery is charged up.

[Alan de Enfield]

it seems that so far its 2:1 to Parker Hale fitting the woodwork.

Enforsore and his Home Office document = Parker Hale
Peter Laidler & major XXX = Parker Hale (or some contractor but not Enfield)

Thunderbox = Enfield.
Thunderbox - do you have any documentory evidence or first hand knowledge to support your proposition ?

AM Stevens website shows the "recently declassified" Home Office Specification (GSR ?) which states :

The nominated weapon is based on the Service L39A1 Target Rifle, produced by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield and modified by Parker-Hale Limited of Birmingham - who fit a suitable telescope sight target sights and alternative butt. (Figs 10-14)
Since the basic rifle. and its ammunition, are Service Stores, both are produced to MOD written detailed Specification, with full MOD Quality Assurance before acceptance.
As supply has to be arranged with MOD it is proving necessary to collate all orders through the Home Office to enable a single production order to be placed on RSAF through MOD Sales Supply Organisation.

Some of the factors leading to the choice made are given below:
a. No other calibre of rifle ammunition was available made in the UK.
Alternative calibre's would be of commercial quality obtained through the importers of the make selected with no guarantee of continuity of quality and supply.
b. Many police officers are already familiar with the No. 4 Rifle on the action of which the L39A1 is based.
c. No commercially supplied rifle in 7.62 mm or other calibre is available in quality so tightly controlled, while of the weapons examined, in 7.62 mm calibre none surpassed the selected rifle in performance.
d. As a Service weapon, Service assistance in relation to maintenance and spare parts is readily available for the L39A1 Rifle.
e. High Accuracy 7.62 mm ammunition, provided for the Service Sniper and as issued for the Bisley meetings will remain available, in consistent quality from MOD, for the foreseeable future.

History
The L39A1 Rifle is converted from the .303-in Rifle, No. 4 Mk 1/2 or Mk 2. It was introduced into the Services to meet the requirement for an accurate target rifle for competition purposes.

Description
The rifle is a magazine fed, hand operated, bolt action, single shot weapon. High accuracy is obtained by the careful selection of good actions, suitably modified to accept 7.62 mm ammunition, to each of which is breeched a heavy 7.62 mm target barrel. A magazine holding 10 rounds is fitted. The military fore-end is shortened, and a hand guard is provided. On test each rifle must make a satisfactory group of 10 rounds within an area 2.6" x 2.6" at 100 yards, or proportionately at other distances.

Adaptation for Police Use
To produce an effective weapon for police use - modification and additions include:
1. The substitution for the military butt of one of greater length, with a pistol grip and higher comb to suit the telescopic sight. (Fig 10)
2. The fitting of mounts for a telescope sight. (Fig 14)
3. The provision of a Pecar telescope sight, with "roll-off" mounts. (Fig 13) 4. The fitting of supplementary iron target sights comprising a model 5e Parker-Hale back sight. (Fig 11) The transverse arm to the latter may be inserted when the telescope is removed, so that iron sights may be used in an emergency, or the rifle can be used, for practice, as a target rifle under NRA rules.

Technical Data
Calibre 7.62 mm
Length overall 3 ft 11 and a half inches
Weight (without telescope) 10 and a half lbs.
Length of barrel 27.5 inches
Number of grooves 4
Pitch of rifling 1 turn in 12 inches
Twist of rifling right hand
Type of Sights back sight - adjustable aperture
foresight-tunnel, interchangeable elements
Sight range (iron sights) 200 - 1200 yds
Magazine Box type, 10 rounds in two columns
Muzzle velocity 2850 ft sec

The Pecar Scope (Description) :-
The Pecar Model V2 - S Telescope is designed as a rugged, high quality sight for hunting rifles. The technical specification is given below, but the tube is of steel, sealed against the ingress of moisture and with coated lenses. Magnification is adjusted by a ring, forward of the eyepiece, from 4X to a maximum of 1OX, the field of view and illumination reducing as the magnification increases. The high power is primarily of value in ensuring positive identification of the target. Covered drums for adjustment of elevation and deflection are Provided, movement being controlled in clicks of 1 minute of angle. The saddle which carries the drums and reticle is removable, and interchangeable units are provided, with sixteen alternative reticle designs.

Technical Data
Make Pecar
Model V2 - S
Length 355 mm
Weight 455 gm
Magnification Variable - 4X to 10X
Field of View at 100 metres 4x - 31 ft
6x - 24 ft
8x - 18 ft
10x - 16 ft
Object Glass diameter 50 mm
Eye relief 80 mm
Reticule Interchangeable - 16 patterns available.

7.62 mm Ammunition
Any 7.62 mm Service cartridge., Ball,, Tracer, or Blank, may be fired in the Police Rifle.
It is, however, the intention to use high accuracy Service Ball ammunition as issued for use by the Service Sniper. This is identical to the high accuracy ammunition supplied by the Ministry of Defence to the National Rifle Association for use at the 1970 and 1971 Imperial Meetings at Bisley, where many new records were set up, and which resulted in reductions in the size of target scoring areas for 1972.

Ancillaries and Cleaning Kit
Recommendations are given in Appendix A on ancillaries and cleaning kit to be provided for use with each type of weapon, The Police Rifle, with its telescope sight is a precision arm and must be treated as such. When not in use it should be kept in an appropriate gun case, preferably thickly lined with plastic foam, and containing enough space to accommodate not only the rifle with its sights, but also cleaning equipment and one or more cartons of ammunition. A rifle cover should be provided to protect the weapon when it is taken any distance from a vehicle in which it has been carried in its case. Good cleaning equipment is essential, and that recommended is of the type which has proved itself at Bisley and elsewhere all over the world.


I dont have any answers myself - just questions, I'd like answers and it seems almost as if the Enforcer is an unwritten, unknown story.
Hopefully "stirring the pot" and some healthy debate and discussion may go part way to writing that story.

Keep the information coming.

[enforsore]

I Originally started writing, more of an information pamphlet rather than a book on the Enforcer, after the latest incarnation of the book 'The Lee Enfield Story' only had one incorrect paragraph on the Enforcer.
But as is clear now, i came up with more questions than answers.
It is typical for large government organisations to 'lose' information in what ever way. and only by speaking to the 'grunts' on the ground can you ever gauge what really went on.
I have basic trials data on the scope and different rifles tested (that i have posted before)
a shed load of numbers and forces in reciept, and snap shots obtained under FOI of rifles held by different forces in the late 80's but no manufacturing data what so ever.

[Thunderbox]

it seems that so far its 2:1 to Parker Hale fitting the woodwork.

Enforsore and his Home Office document = Parker Hale
Peter Laidler & major XXX = Parker Hale (or some contractor but not Enfield)

Thunderbox = Enfield.
Thunderbox - do you have any documentory evidence or first hand knowledge to support your proposition ?

Alan,

You're leaping ahead a bit, and blurring the distinction between component manufacturing and component fitting.

You also cannot take a GSR as any sort of proof of proccess. I've been involved in many MoD procurements: GSR's, specifications and official requirements often bear little relation to what actually happens later in procurement and/or production.

As Peter confirms, the forends and handguards were mostly contracted out for production - but that is nothing to do with fitting and assembly.

Parker Hale appears never to have made "L39" spec forend conversions - their own 7.62mm target rifles used a variety of one-off cut No4 forends that usually extend for at least 1" in front of the mid band. Parker Hale also never made its own Monte Carlo butts; these - and most of their sporting rifle woodwork - were made by SILE in Italy, and were bog standard commercial items available from other sources by mail order.

The only newish evidence we have is that Enfieldlock's colleague asserts that the scopes were fitted at Enfield. That is a significant point.

[Alan de Enfield]

Alan,

You're leaping ahead a bit, and blurring the distinction between component manufacturing and component fitting.

You also cannot take a GSR as any sort of proof of proccess. I've been involved in many MoD procurements: GSR's, specifications and official requirements often bear little relation to what actually happens later in procurement and/or production.

As Peter confirms, the forends and handguards were mostly contracted out for production - but that is nothing to do with fitting and assembly.


The only newish evidence we have is that Enfieldlock's colleague asserts that the scopes were fitted at Enfield. That is a significant point.

When I had a 'real' job I worked for a company supplying parts to the MOD, the Company was DEF approved, but the components still had to be individually submitted and approved. Contracts for supply were closely monitored with random visits / inspections, no-way would we have considered changing / resourcing a part from that initially approved, neither would we have sub-contracted something for which we were supposed to manufacture. I'm sure skullduggery did happen but to have a specification saying PH were to fit the woodwork and then do it themselves - Hmmm ?

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Peter Laidler made mention about the screw holes for the scope mounts
"That's how they were delivered. A rifle similar to the L39. They had a telescopic sight facility. Whether this was simply the BLOCKS or just tapped holes is not known. What we do know is that there were many occasions where the tele sight block holes above the receiver/breeching-up were subsequently deepened, into the barrel, almost into the chamber. Indeed some eventually bulged fired cases INTO the weakened hole. Enfield got the blame of course but in all seriousness, Enfield have been in the game tooooo long to pull a stunt like that."

Who drilled the holes in the first place and then who 'subsequently deepened' them ?

Enfieldlock (who with his background is probably the closest to the people who know) says 100% that RSAF fitted the scopes.

Question - why would RSAF ship barreled actions (maybe / maybe not with the woodwork fitted) for PH (or an other contractor) to drill the holes / fit the scope mounts, for it to be then shipped back to RSAF to have the scopes mounted ?

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Who manufactured / fitted the special 'small' safety catch ?
Who manufactured / fitted the front and rear iron sights ?
Who manufactured the forend / handguard - Colin Moon ? Who then fitted it ?
Assuming SILE manufactured the Butt, who purchased / imported it ?, we are led to believe that C Moon modified the butts to suit the No4, who then fitted it to the action ?

Documentary evidence says Parker Hale -

For some reason Thunderbox thinks otherwise.

I'll ask again - do you have any docmentary evidence or even 1st or 2nd hand 'word of mouth' to support your proposition that the work was not carried out in accordance with :

a) The Home Office Specification (The nominated weapon is based on the Service L39A1 Target Rifle, produced by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield and modified by Parker-Hale Limited of Birmingham - who fit a suitable telescope sight target sights and alternative butt.) &

b) The Home Office Circular 176/72 (Firearms for Police use in Peacetime)
dated 29th September 1972 (It will be manufactured by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield and sent to Messrs Parker Hale Ltd. in Birmingham for a suitable stock to be attached, for the telescope and mounts to be fitted, and for other minor modifications).


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Thunderbox - you asked for pictures of the bolt ;
Sorry for the pood pictures my son has the 'good' camera. This one is hopeless with the flash.

Rear of Bolt handle showing rifle number 134 in the same font, colour and size as the rest of the rifle markings.



On the top of the bolt handle - crossed pennants and 19T with other very small indeciperable stampings



On the Bolt head - crossed pennants & 19T, on the other side of the bolt head is a very small 'crown' with what looks like a stylised G beneath it.

[Alan de Enfield]

Well - managed to get a hour at the range today, after a bit of 'playing' with the No4 and the No7 thought it was time to give the New Girl a try-out.

Fiddled about a bit with the scope to get on the 12" targets and warm the barrel up and then tried the smaller targets.

1st shot low and slightly right, moved left (too far) then up, shots 4, 5, and 6 not a bad group just need to move right a couple of clicks.

I'll get it better next time when the eyes are not tired. - I should have started with the Enforcer first I guess.

Considering the 'pass' requirements for the Enforcer :
"On test each rifle must make a satisfactory group of 10 rounds within an area 2.6" x 2.6" at 100 yards, or proportionately at other distances".
I'm not unhappy.