B

y 1887, two major recommendations had been made concerning future firearms for the services by the committee on small arms. The new rifle to replace the Martini should have the Lee bolt action and the lee vertical box magazine. The calibre of the new arm be reduced from .577”/.450” to .303” based on tests using the Swiss Rubin Cartridge. William Ellis Metford developed the rifling, having seven shallow segmental groove rifling , left hand twist and a pitch of one turn in ten inches. Left hand twist gave far more accurate results in the Northern Hemisphere than right, this was to have serious consequences when the rifle was later used in the South African War when these rifles were often used at extreme ranges up to 4,000 yards.

The Lee bolt with its rear locking lugs and very smooth action was and still is to day, the fastest bolt action ever developed. These early magazines held eight cartridges which had black powder propellant, giving off clouds of white smoke and severe bore fouling. The back sight was graduated to 2,000 yards and for the first time on British service arms, the Metford was also fitted with a long range dial and aperture sight on its left side graduated from 1,800 yards up to 3,500 yards. Before setting off for the Boer War, riflemen were taken to artillery ranges to zero their rifles at these extreme ranges, the targets were fastened to 30 foot square canvas screens needed at ranges of 3,500 yards.

No provision for filling magazines by charges which were developed later. The rounds were filled singly into magazine; two were issued per rifle, the parent magazine being attached to the trigger guard by a chain link, the idea being that when the magazine was empty, the mag could be dropped out where it would be retained by the link, while the spare mag could be fed into place. This way 16 rounds could be fired quickly.

A rear handguard was fitted between the action body and the backsight. The barrel became very hot during rapid firing causing heat “shimmy”. The handguard allowed the hand to hold this area without burning fingers.

A 12” double sided bayonet was developed for this rifle, (Bayonet, Pattern 1888). No safety catch was deemed to be needed for the Lee-Metford, and none was fitted. The Regimental Sergeant Major told the soldiers when to fire and when to stop. No doubt the thought of his pace stick down their ears would be enough to start and stop when told without the complicated components being fitted!! . A dust cover was a permanent fitting to these rifles to prevent foreign matter from entering the action.

This Metford was the historic first to the series of Lee rifles that proved without doubt to be the finest bolt action rifle ever put into the hands of fighting soldiers. They earned the deep affection of all that used them. The Lee rifle was still widely used by the British in the 1960’s and still in widespread use throughout the world.