Accuracy Specification for the Lee Enfield

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Don't have the specs on the early L-E rifles to hand, but I do have the SMLE stuff.

In the 1938 Acceptance Specs, para 42 says:

....Every rifle will be fired at a paper target.......at a range of 100 FEET, (not yards), from a mechanical rest.


Blah, blah, adjustment, blah etc.

Then five rounds will be fired from the magazine; if the rifle fails to put four shots out of the five into a rectangle 1 inch broad and 1 1/2 inch high, or if the blade, foresight requires to be set more than .03 inch to one side of its normal position, the rifle will be returned to the manufacturer.

(Mk Vll ball is the standard in 1938).

Back in July 1903, with Mk6 ammo, the spec reads:

Every rifle will be fired ......at a range of 100 feet, from a mechanical rest. on the paper target will be a rectangle 1 1/2 inches broad and 2 inches high, bottom of rectangle to be 1 inch immediately above the point aimed at.

Some adjustments later..................

.......................If the rifle fails to put four shots out of the five into the rectangle, or if the foresight requires to be set more than .03 inch to one side of its normal position, the rifle will be returned to the manufacturer.

Basically we are looking at group requirement of 3MOA wide and 4.5MOA high.

Good enough for government work.

Interestingly, both specs call for the ammo used in testing to be itself specially selected for a good "figure of merit" (small groups, no fliers).

A marginal rifle with sub-standard (or NON-standard) ammo is likely to be a real dog.