Lee-Enfield Rifle RF Short Mks.I and II (II)http://rifleman.org.uk/Enfield_Rifle_RF_Short_Mks_1_and_2.htm[10/13/2018 1:20:46 PM]
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The RF Short Rifle Mk.I and Mk.II
Above, the Rifle, RF Short. (Mk.I)
,
which was approved for service in December 1907 - without the fitment of any magazine.The two main differences between the Mk.I and the Mk.I*, introduced in October 1911, were in the rear-sight, updated to represent that of theS.M.L.E. service rifle re-calibrated for the Mk.VII .303 ammunition, and in the vertical straightening of the curved fore-sight protector wings of the Lee-Metford Mk.I rifles to which the latter conversion was applied.
The RF Short Rifle was a conversion of various marks of the "Long" Lee-Enfield or Lee-Metford to a .22" training rifle. Issue of the Mark Icommenced late in 1907, whilst the Mark I* arrived on the scene in 1912 after approval the previous year. The intention of these conversions was to provide a miniature rifle with similar weight and balance characteristics to the then issued Short Magazine Lee-Enfield, which was superceding the"Long Lee". As the replacement service rifle, the "S.M.L.E" was in short supply, and it was neither practical, nor economical, to convert large numbersof these for training purposes. Outgoing "Long" models, or those showing signs of wear from long service, were therefore either shortened in barrellength, then sleeved, by such as the Parkerifling system, or fitted with a solid .22" barrel. The fore-end furniture was then cut back to suit. The resultingarm then offered handling close to that of the S.M.L.E. with the economy of the miniature cartridge, which at that time was the Mk.1 cartridge hithertoused with the .22 rimfire Aiming Tube. Usually the cut-off was removed, and the rifle fitted with a magazine which had the spring and platformdiscarded, to receive the empty cases.
Rifle, RF Short. Mk.II
,
approved for service in January 1912
This practice continued right up to the close of production of the last of the line, the Parker-Hale conversion of the No.4, issued as the .22" Enfield Rifle No.9. The example shown hereis a Mk.II, approved in 1912 for use by the Royal Navy. This particular rifle is shown fitted with the Hiscock-Parker magazine designed to offer five round magazine fire. This magazineis a retro-fit of those originally introduced for use with the R.F. Short Rifle Mk.III in 1915.The design was exceedingly clever, but could not cope with hard use by recruits. It proved unreliable, difficult to maintain and required constant attention. With care, and in the handsof an experienced handler, it can be made to perform quite adequately. Between 4,000 to
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Lee-Enfield Rifle RF Short Mks.I and II (II)http://rifleman.org.uk/Enfield_Rifle_RF_Short_Mks_1_and_2.htm[10/13/2018 1:20:46 PM]
5,000 were manufactured before its impracticality resulted in withdrawal. Nowadays scarce,a good example may well exceed the value of the rifle to which it is fitted.Versions were produced both for the 'Long' Lee-Metford and Enfield, and the S.M.L.E. The very rare earlyMetford example can be identified by the radiused nose of the case.
The Hiscock-Parker Magazine
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E.J. Hiscock's original design for this device had his patent application granted on 2nd. January 1912.
189. Hiscock, E. J
. Jan. 2.
Adapting for miniature-ammunition practice.
-Consists in a magazine for use with converted Lee-action rifles. Themagazine, shown detached in Fig. 1, comprises a casing 2 for the miniaturecartridges and a rearward extension 1 carrying a spring-pressed plunger 3 and having an inclined upper edge. When attached to the gun by means of a plate13, the magazine has a limited vertical movement and is pressed upwards by aspring 5. The breech -block, during its forward movement, first engages the plunger 3, which pushes a cartridge into the chamber, and then engages theinclined top edge of the part 1 and depresses the magazine, as shown in Fig. 5,whereon the plunger 3 is released and retracted by its spring 4.
Messrs., Parker and the Company , as it then was, had become involved with the final design and production of the magazine. They were granted the patent, shown below, for the finalised design, on November the 7th., 1913.
25,533. Parker & Co., A. G., and Parker, A. E.
Nov. 7.
Adapting for miniature-ammunition practice: -
Relates to magazines adapted to fit the full¬sized magazine opening and to receive miniatureammunition, especially to the kind in which the whole magazine is upwardly spring pressed and isautomatically pushed down by the advancing breech-bolt, as described in Specification 189/12. Theinvention consists in loading the magazine through a side opening, the top of the magazine beingclosed, and in providing means for holding the cartridge-lifter depressed during the loadingoperation. In the construction shown in Fig. 2, the miniaturemagazine 2 is formed at the front part of a frame which loosely fits into the full-sized service magazine casing 1. The frame is mounted sothat it can move up and down, and is pushed upwards by a spring 4. When the breech- bolt is moved forwards, it first engages a plunger 17, which presses the top cartridgeinto the chamber, and then engages theinclined top of the magazine and depressesthe magazine and frame against the action of the spring `4Y; -&tis releasing the plunger 17, which is then returned by a spring. Themagazine 2 is permanently enclosed at the top and is charged through a side opening. Thecartridge-lifter 3 is con¬trolled by a lever 8 which is actuated by the spring 9. The lever 8 can be positively turned to bring the lifter 3 to its lowered position by means of a plunger 12 and acam 13 which is turned by an external thumb-lever.
Further images of the magazine in actioning sequence can be found on the page for the
Lee-Enfield Rifle RF Short Mks.I and II (II)http://rifleman.org.uk/Enfield_Rifle_RF_Short_Mks_1_and_2.htm[10/13/2018 1:20:46 PM]
The unit was approved for service in December 1917 as the "
Magazine, .22" Rifle, Mk.I
"
Images of magazine assembled
, .............................................
and disassembled
and cutaway sketches
We are pleased to receive feedback and discussion on items shown on this site, and have already received many suchenquiries.
One correspondent has suggested that thewithdrawal of the Hiscock-Parker magazine fromservice was more likely to have been because itheld only five rounds than because it wasunreliable. We are by no means certain that thiswas not the case, but experience would suggestotherwise. It has to be said that the unit is a mostingenious piece of design, but it has a degree of complication inherent which was no doubtnecessary to make it work at all.The magazine is an exceedingly "fiddly" device tooperate. The camming and lever action used tolower the loading platform is very stiff to rotate.The mechanical advantage here is poor. Whencharging, inserting the rounds correctly is difficult.It is imperative that rims do not come behind oneanother or jamming can occur. The main springsuffers repetitive shock loading in use and could
Lee-Enfield Rifle RF Short Mks.I and II (II)http://rifleman.org.uk/Enfield_Rifle_RF_Short_Mks_1_and_2.htm[10/13/2018 1:20:46 PM]
be prone to early fracture. Careful and frequentmaintenance of internal moving parts wasnecessary to ensure continuing successfuloperation. The action of the chamfer under thebolt head on the ramp of the magazine platformand the feeding rod is nothing short of brutal, andwear on the ramp is significant. If a round is notfully chambered, and the action cycled again, a jam is almost inevitable. We have heard of no reports that a cartridge may have been fired by the action of the feedingrod, but observation of wear and varied shaping of its leading end suggests that a premature ex-chamber firing in theevent of a jam might not be impossible, particularly in view of the force which is required to operate the systemsatisfactorily. It does not work well for the faint-hearted! This is a feature which gives a semblance of the full-boreaction, but whether this was more by design than necessity could be open to conjecture.Considering that the system was intended for recruit and training use, yet virtually required an armourer to be inattendance, it was not surprising that it was withdrawn after barely two years in service, with only a comparativelysmall number of the various marks manufactured. This was hardly an indication of reliability. The proof of the puddingis most certainly in the eating, and any one who has had a good taste will well appreciate its shortcomings, which havebeen noted in more than one of the publications mentioning the unit.That the magazine only held five rounds was less likely to be a factor in its demise, since subsequent magazines fittedto other British models of .22" trainer almost all still held only five rounds: e.g. No's 5 and 7 as did the earlier WarOffice Pattern miniature rifle. Around that time, only the Pattern'18 ".303" cum .22" conversion by Parkers enabled
realistic operation with a full magazine equivalent. That suffered a similar fate when attempts were made to put it intopractical service use, even though it was considerably more robust. The conveyors, not having the pointed nose of abullet, did not always feed reliably into the breech, and loading them and removing the spent cases, on behalf of anumber of shooters, required additional pairs of hands on the firing point.
Further images of the magazine in actioning sequence can be found on the page for the
WARNING:
if considering purchase of one of these now rather rare and valuable magazines, bear in mind that we have seen modern reproductions,on which modern milling marks may be evidence of recent manufacture. These replicas would have been time consuming and expensive to make inthemselves, and are a fascinating way of investigating and experiencing the use of this magazine, but .......................
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