Lee Enfield Showcase: Ares Rifle No.4 MK.I (T) Sniper Rifle
Airsoft Lee Enfield Replicas - It's about time!
To get your juices flowing, let's watch Stu play with these gorgeous Lee Enfields, and try not to get jealous! These are only samples and they have since been returned, so count yourself lucky you haven't experienced the deep emotional pain of handling one of these breathtaking Airsoft Lee Enfields and then having to give it up 😥
These Lee Enfield rifles look amazing and are extremely well built, being as at home in a museum as they are on the skirmish field. Join us as we take a closer look at the Rifle No.4 MK.I (T) from Ares!
The Real Lee Enfield Rifle No.4 MK.I (T) - The Best Sniper Rifle of WWII
The Lee Enfield Rifle No.4 MK.I is the iconic British bolt action rifle issued during WWII and was a development of the earlier S.M.L.E (Short Magazine Lee Enfield) Rifle No.1 MK.III issued during WWI. Both rifles fired the same cartridge, the .303 British, and both used detachable 10 round magazines which were fed using stripper clips.
The Rifle No.4 was shorter, lighter and had far better iron sights than its grandaddy, replacing the tangent rear sight of the Rifle No.1 MK.III with an aperture battle sight which was able to be flipped up to provide accurate shooting out to 1000 yards and beyond.
The Rifle No.4 was also far simpler to produce than the S.M.L.E based on lessons learned during WWI, but the pre-WWII examples were still known for their fine quality wood furniture and immaculate finish. As the war pressed on, a simplified Lee Enfield variant was produced, known as the Rifle No.4 MK.I*.
The MK.I* variant was predominantly produced in Canadian and American munitions factories for both British and Commonwealth service and reportedly cost a mere £7.75 each to produce. More reasons to invent a time machine!
Known for its super fast bolt action mechanism which allowed for the famous "mad minute", the Lee Enfield rifle design is practically the pinnacle of bolt action infantry rifles, offering higher mag capacity, a faster and smoother action and better sights than the KAR98K.
We still love the KAR98K, no doubts there, but the Enfield is clearly the superior infantry rifle, and not just because it's British! The only area the Lee Enfield loses out to the KAR98K in is the strength of its action, which was a compromise reached to keep the Enfield super slick and fast.
The use of a "cock on closing" action with locking lugs at the rear of the bolt made the Enfield the drag racer of bolt actions when compared to the "cock on opening" style action with locking lugs at the front seen on the KAR98K, and a Tommy equipped with an Enfield was a rightly feared foe for anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves at the wrong end of the barrel.
The Mosin "Garbage Rod" Nagant is not even worth the comparison, and while this rifle did its job under difficult circumstances it was already an ancient design before WWII started, and was no match for a KAR98K, let alone a Lee Enfield. The Yanks' M1 Garand was definitely a league above the Lee Enfield in that it was semi-automatic, and also known for excellent accuracy and superb sights, though its clip ejection function made mounting a rifle scope a challenge.
When it came to supplementing the Rifle No.4 MK.I with a sniper rifle, the choice was clear, though this did not stop the British from experimenting with BREN guns with scopes and other funky contraptions in the classic British eccentric design style. Logic prevailed in the end, as it often does, and the No.4 MK.I was selected for service as a sniper rifle, and around 1400 rifles were selected to be upgraded to the new standard.
The Rifle No.4 MK.I (T) rifles were hand selected from stocks of standard No.4 MK.I rifles which had been found to have above average accuracy and were sent to famous prestige British firearms manufacturer Holland and Holland for conversion into sniper rifles. H&H added a wooden cheek riser to provide a comfortable and stable cheek weld for use with the No.32 scope, threaded scope mounting blocks on the left side of the receiver, and made modifications to the No.4 MK.I battle sight to allow for the scope to fit nice and low to the bore.
The Rifle No.4 MK.I (T) served with distinction and is known in many circles as being the best sniper rifle of WWII. While the standards of accuracy for the No.4 MK.I (T) were low by modern standards, the rifle continued to serve far beyond the war, and was eventually re-barreled and rechambered to form the L42A1 sniper rifle.
The L42A1 equipped British forces throughout the cold war and went on to serve into the early 1990s; an impressive feat for rifles which began their careers 5 decades earlier. Waste not, want not, as the old saying goes!
The Ares Rifle No.4 MK.I (T) - The Airsoft Lee Enfield Sniper Rifle
Now we are brushed up on the real Lee Enfield sniper rifle, let's dive into the Ares offering! The Ares No.4 MK.I (T) is constructed entirely from real wood and metal; Ares knew nothing else would be appropriate for an old-school-cool sniper rifle like this one.
The metal is all beautifully finished, and a large proportion of the metal parts are stainless steel providing ample strength and a hefty, weighty feel to match the real deal. In fact, weighing 4.2 KG all in puts it at almost exactly the same weight as the real No.4 MK.I rifles. How's that for authenticity?
Ares has done a fantastic job replicating the No.4 MK.I (T), even down to the superb-looking No.32 scope and the thoughtfully designed and authentically styled hard case the package is supplied in. The hard case is constructed from high density polymer, similar to "footlocker" style cases from Parra and Pelican, but you would be forgiven for thinking it was wood at a glance.
The case has an authentic looking grain texture and is olive drab in colour, and is one of those aspects that Ares could have compromised on but chose not to, instead choosing to give us a little bit more, aiming for "outstanding" rather than "acceptable". What is even more remarkable is that the rifle arrives inside the case wrapped in grease-proof paper rather than a plastic bag, or polystyrene. Opening one of these up feels like you are unpackaging a real Rifle No.4 MK.I (T), and is a thrill in and of itself.
As far as the visual look goes, the Ares No.4 MK.I (T) is near perfect, with the only missing detail being the sniper specific sling swivel which is usually located just in front of the magwell. The cheek riser is the correct shape and height, the battle sight has been deleted as it should be, and the attention to detail paid to both the No.32 scope and its mount is simply incredible. The field of view through the No.32 scope replica is broad and it has superb eye relief, and while it may look like a retro scope it benefits from the clarity of modern glass and lens technology.
The bolt pull of the Ares Rifle No.4 MK.I (T) is exactly what an authentic replica Lee Enfield should have, requiring only a slight turn of the bolt and a short pull backwards to cock the rifle ready for the next shot. This makes it awesome for the authentic Lee Enfield experience, but also an asset on the field for when you need a fast follow-up shot to bag a jerry on the run.
One of the best aspects of the feel of the Ares No.4 MK.I (T) is its “cock on close” bolt action, requiring a slight bit of force to close the bolt while being fast to open and slick to operate. This not only makes the Ares Enfield appropriately swift to cock for when you need a quick follow-up shot in-game, but also gives it the authentic Lee Enfield feel, which cannot easily be replicated.
The bolt action has a completely different feel to a VSR or L96 style sniper rifle, pointing to an internal redesign by Ares to suit the Lee Enfield's reputation, and we think even those who have fired the real thing will be impressed by the way the bolt throw feels, and the speed at which it can be operated.
Hats off to Ares for going to this length to give us a perfect simulation of the real Lee Enfield, we love it! They could have just jammed a VSR-10 action into an Enfield-ish stock and called it a day, but they chose to go the whole hog, which we're sure you agree, is the only way to do a Lee Enfield rifle justice in Airsoft replica form!
How does that sound? If you are as bowled over by the Lee Enfield No.4 MK.I (T) from Ares as we are, get yourself over to the product page and sign up for an email stock alert! These rifles are going to be very popular, so if you don't want to risk missing out get your name on the list and we will email you as soon as we have these awesome museum-tier replica Lee Enfields in our hands!