Special service rifle

[Gil Boyd]

The Commando units of the British military requested a suppressed rifle for eliminating sentries, guard dogs and other clandestine operational uses during the Second World War. The resulting weapon, designed by W.G. De Lisle, was effectively an SMLE Mk III* receiver redesigned to take a .45 ACP cartridge and associated magazine, with a barrel from a Thompson submachine gun and an integral suppressor.

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

This weapon has gone into firearm folklore. Quite why is a bit of a mystery. But, alas, wasn't as quiet as the Mk2S and 6 Sten gun. In fact SO good was the Mk2S and 6, that the last weren't withdrawn until 1972 when fully replaced by the L34

[Gil Boyd]

Peter,
Are they rare?

[Simon P]

See here for more info, I hope to see the .22 version shortly:

http://www.rifleman.org.uk/The_DeLisle_carbine.htm

[Gil Boyd]

Simon,
Interesting read. Warminster even tried it with the Sterling butt, what those guys got up to hey??

[RobD]

The Welrod silence pistol, and others of SOE's contraptions like the remote control cable pistol and the sleeve gun, surely take first prize. Make the DeLisle carbine look very ordinary...
See TIMELAPSE.DK

[Beerhunter]

Are they rare?

Even rarer since 1997 when, due the barrel length, they went in to Section 5.

[Peter Laidler]

Rare as rocking horse droppings as I understand it.

We tested two of ours against a Mk2S Sten. Although we only used a basic noise level meter and the results weren't scientific but a tad like a classroom physics lesson, Dr Phil Dater said that they were truly indicative of his scientific trials. The little L34 was a gem. At 50m you could hear the 'thwack' as the bullet hit the target back-board above the noise of the gun!

[Colonel Enfield]

The Imperial War Museum in London has at least one on display, along with a Welrod.

One of Skennerton's SAIS books deals with the rifle in as much detail as I think anyone's going to find in a book.

Per his text, about 130 of the DeLisles are known to have been made, and there's stories a couple were floating around as late as Desert Storm (the first Gulf War) but I will defer to Mr Laidler's expertise on the subject regarding the service life of the gun.

[Peter Laidler]

No truth in that or that they were used in the Falklands. I made some reference to other matters on another now defunct site some years ago re. this and and another silimar 'thing' and persons but was told 'from above' that any discussion regarding certain equipment was 'not helpful'. But suffice it to say that these do not feature in the order of battle