Good old SMLE still in service

[Joe Pugh]

Thought this was interesting the Canadian Rangers still using the Lee Enfield SMLE.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Rangers

[channel12]

Thought this was interesting the Canadian Rangers still using the Lee Enfield SMLE.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Rangers

Except they don't!
"Canadian Rangers are issued the .303 British calibre Lee Enfield No 4 rifle, with each user being provided with 200 rounds of ammunition every year.

While the bolt action Lee-Enfield has been out of general service in the Canadian military since the 1950s, it has proven to be reliable in the Arctic environment. Canadian Rangers carry the weapon primarily for subsistence and protection against predators rather than with the expectation of engaging an enemy force."

The Lee Enfield No.4 rifle is not a Short Magazine Lee Enfield

[DW58]

The Canadian Rangers use the No.4 Mk.1*, not the SMLE.

[Joe Pugh]

My bad thought it was interesting eather way. I am a newby mind :)

[Charlie Muggins]

With stocks of rifles and spares very low the Rangers have been seeking a replacement for years. Every now and then they announce such-and-such a commercial Mauser variant will take its place, only to be quietly dropped when they fall apart. Issued ammunition is a generous amount of commercial SP, and Rangers can obtain a new issue whenever they like; these rifles are for subsistence hunting and protection from predators.

The Indian police still issue SMLEs (for now). But they were still being made at Ishapore until 1975.

[dromia]

Those are No 4s in the picture not SMLEs. No4s were never made in India.

[Watcher]

Thank you for sharing that Joe - how good would that job be. Do you think they'd take a 50 something pen pusher. An Enfield is an Enfield whatever the mark (I have one of each) so still a good example of the types longevity and practical design.

[Les]

If it ain't broken, why change it?!

[DaveB]

If it ain't broken, why change it?!

Unfortunately, in the case of the Rangers, it is broken. In my days at Canadian Forces Base Toronto (formerly RCAF Station Downsview for those of a historical bent) there were cases of No 4 Mk 1* rifles in 1 Canadian Forces Supply Depot. When the CF went to the C7 (M16A1E8), thousands of C1A1 rifles, C2A1 LMGs and SMG C1A1 were placed there in long-term storage (war reserve).

Those days, sadly, are long gone - as is 1 CFSD ( which was once one of the largest buildings in Canada under a single roof, and which I understand is now largely abandoned except for occasional use as a movie set), and also CFB Toronto - which is now a park. As I understand it the SLRs and SMGs were all destroyed. Parts for the No 4s are non-existent. They ran out of replacement barrels in the late 1980s, and stocks of other parts have long since been exhausted. Cannibalisation can only go so far. They are BER (Beyond Economical Repair).

What I am utterly unable to fathom is why the CF can't get its ass out of dead low gear, and identify a replacement. Apparently the whole project management in the CF is a disaster - they have reportedly turned-back millions in funding to the government over the last few years because they are so short of personnel to manage projects that they simply don't get done. The Ranger rifle is just one example.

[Gaz]

The Indian police still issue SMLEs (for now). But they were still being made at Ishapore until 1975.

Except, as Dromia says, those are No.4s! I'm guessing those are Pakistani production and captured during the various Indo-Pak wars.

Incidentally, some people reckon they've seen Ishapore 2A1s (Indian SMLEs) dated as late as 1988 and chambered in 7.62mm.