Charlton Automatic Rifle
Charlton Motor Workshops · Machine Gun · Out Of Production · 1942
Also known as: Charlton Self-Loading Rifle, Charlton-Bren
Overview
The Charlton Automatic Rifle was a New Zealand wartime conversion that turned obsolete bolt-action Lee-Metford and Long Lee rifles into select-fire light machine guns, designed by Philip Charlton in 1941 to fill a desperate shortage of Bren and Lewis guns. A muzzle-area gas port drove a side-mounted piston and scroll cam that automatically worked the original Lee turnbolt, feeding from 10-round box or modified 30-round Bren magazines at roughly 600 rpm. About 1,500 were built and stockpiled for home defense against a feared Japanese invasion.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 7300 g (257.5 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1150 mm (45.28") |
| Barrel Length | 640 mm (25.20") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 10 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 744 m/s (2441 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2420 J (1785 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 910 m (995 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1830 m (2001 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 600 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Left Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
Calibers
- .303 British · primary — also known as 7.7x56mmR, .303 Mk VII
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Fire Selector
- Features: Bipod, Forward Pistol Grip, Finned Cooling Barrel, Bren Magazine Compatible, Wooden Shoulder Stock, Select Fire
Variants
- Charlton (Australian Electrolux variant) — Improved
Service history
Operators
- New Zealand Home Guard · adopted 1942 · as A9
Conflicts
- World War II (1939-1945)
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,500 · Production years: 1942-1943
About 1,500 built in New Zealand; the Australian Electrolux version reached only 2 prototypes. Nearly the entire run was destroyed in a postwar warehouse fire at Palmerston North, leaving fewer than about 10 surviving worldwide.
Origin
Country of origin: New Zealand
Designer: Philip Charlton
Discontinued: 1945
Notes
Rate of fire cited 600 rpm (militaryfactory/Wikipedia) to 700-800 rpm (Forgotten Weapons). The semi-auto position was reportedly unreliable, so guns were used full-auto in practice. Weight ~7.3 kg (consensus unloaded). Barrel rifling assumed standard .303 left-hand pattern; not separately confirmed for the finned barrel.
Background
The Charlton is one of history's most successful improvised full-auto rifle conversions, built in a car body shop yet genuinely functional. Its tragic footnote is that nearly the entire production run was wiped out in a single postwar warehouse fire at Palmerston North, leaving fewer than a dozen examples surviving today and making the gun far rarer now than its 1,500-unit production would suggest.