The Lee–Speed

rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...

was a

bolt-action Bolt action is a type of manual Action (firearms), firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt (firearms), turn-bolt via a cocking handle, bolt handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the firearm (a ...

rifle based on James Paris Lee's rear-locking bolt system and detachable magazine. Early models were fitted with barrels using the radiused rifling designed by William Ellis Metford. while later models used the same square "Enfield" rifling as contemporary British military rifles. The weapon was a sporting variant of the well known

Lee–Metford The Lee–Metford (also known as the Magazine Lee–Metford) is a British bolt action rifle which combined James Paris Lee's rear-locking bolt system and detachable magazine with an innovative seven-groove rifled barrel designed by William Ell ...

and

Lee–Enfield The Lee–Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed repeating rifle that served as the main firearm of the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century, and was the standard service rifle of th ...

rifles, made for civilian shooters, though often purchased by Army officers who wanted a rifle made to a higher standard of fit and finish than the issued military rifle.

Variants

No.1

Officers pattern, with

bayonet A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...

mount.

No.2

Officers pattern, without bayonet mount.

No.3

Trade pattern.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee-Speed Bolt-action rifles of the United Kingdom History of the London Borough of Enfield World War I British infantry weapons World War II infantry weapons of the United Kingdom Victorian-era weapons of the United Kingdom