De Lisle carbine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| De Lisle Commando Carbine | |
|---|---|
 Folding stock version of the De Lisle Commando Carbine |
|
| Type | Commando Rifle |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1943-1965 |
| Used by | United Kingdom, British Commonwealth |
| Wars | World War II, Korean War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | William G. De Lisle |
| Designed | 1942 |
| Produced | 1942-1945 |
| Number built | approx 200 |
| Variants | Folding stock Parachute Carbine |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 8 lb 8.5 oz (3.74 kg), unloaded |
| Length | 40.5 in (894 mm) |
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| Cartridge | .45 ACP |
| Calibre | .45 ACP |
| Action | Bolt-action |
| Rate of fire | 20-30 rounds/minute |
| Muzzle velocity | c.600 ft/s |
| Effective range | 200 yd (185 m) |
| Maximum range | 400 yd (365 m) |
| Feed system | 7 or 11-round detachable magazine |
| Sights | Sliding ramp rear sights, Fixed-post front sights |
The De Lisle carbine or De Lisle Commando carbine was a specialist British rifle used during World War II. The designer was William De Lisle. It was based on a Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III* converted to .45 ACP (a pistol cartridge), using magazines from the M1911 pistol. The primary feature of the De Lisle was its very effective suppressor which made it very quiet in action - indeed working the bolt to chamber the next round makes a louder noise than firing a round. The De Lisle carbine was used by British commandos and special forces, and was accurate to 250 metres.
The De Lisle was made in very limited numbers; about 130 were produced during the period of 1942 to 1945. Thompson submachine gun barrels were modified to provide the .45 calibre barrel, which was ported to provide a slow release of high pressure gas. The suppressor, over 2 inches in diameter, went all the way from the back of the barrel to well beyond the muzzle (the suppressor makes up half the overall length of the rifle), providing a very large volume of space to contain the gases of firing. This large volume was one of the keys to the effectiveness of the suppressor. The Lee-Enfield bolt was modified to feed the .45 ACP rounds, and the Lee-Enfield's magazine assembly was replaced with a new assembly that held a M1911 magazine in place.
The De Lisle is known to have seen service during the Malayan Emergency, and it is thought that there may still be small numbers in service for military situations requiring a silenced weapon.
[edit] References
Skennerton, Ian, SAIS No. 13: Special Service Lee-Enfields... Commando & Auto Models, Arms & Militaria Press, 2001, ISBN 0-949749-37-0
[edit] See also
| British & Commonwealth small arms of World War II |
|---|
| Side-arms |
| Webley Mk IV & Mk VI Revolvers | Enfield No. 2 Mk I Revolver | Browning GP-35 Pistol | Smith & Wesson "Victory" Revolver |
| Rifles & submachine guns |
| SMLE No.1 Mk III* & Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk.I | Lee-Enfield No.5 Mk.I "Jungle Carbine" | De Lisle Commando Carbine Sten SMG | Lanchester SMG | Austen SMG | Owen Gun |
| Machine-guns & other larger weapons |
| Bren gun | Lewis Gun | Vickers MG | PIAT | Rifle, Anti-Tank, .55 in, Boys | SBML 2inch Mortar | ML 3-inch Mortar | No.2 "Lifebuoy" Flamethrower |
| Grenades |
| British grenades of WWI and WW2 |
| Weapons of the British Empire 1722-1965 |
|---|
| Pistols |
| Beaumont-Adams Revolver | Webley Revolver Mk. I-VI | Enfield No. 1 & No. 2 Revolvers | Browning Hi-Power |
| Rifles and Carbines |
| Brown Bess Musket | Baker Rifled Musket | Enfield 1853 Rifled Musket Snider-Enfield | Martini-Henry | Martini-Enfield | Lee-Enfield | L1A1 SLR Lee-Enfield No.5 Mk.I "Jungle Carbine" | De Lisle Commando Carbine |
| Submachine guns |
| Lanchester | Sten | Sterling L2 |
| Machine-guns |
| Gatling gun | Maxim gun | QF 2 pdr "Pom-Pom" | Vickers Gun | Lewis gun | Bren gun |
| Anti-Tank Weapons |
| 2 pdr Anti-Tank Gun | 6 pdr Anti-Tank Gun | PIAT | Rifle, Anti-Tank, .55 in, Boys |
| Field Guns & Misc. Weapons |
| 25 pdr Field Gun | Congreve Rocket | SBML 2-inch Mortar | Ordnance ML 3 inch Mortar | No.2 "Lifebuoy" Flamethrower |
