Lee-Speed Sporter
Birmingham Small Arms Company · Rifle · Discontinued · 1892
Also known as: Lee-Speed Sporting Rifle, BSA Lee-Speed Sporter, Lee-Speed Patent Sporting Rifle
Overview
The Lee-Speed Sporter is a British bolt-action sporting rifle built on James Paris Lee's rear-locking bolt and detachable box magazine, the same action used by the Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield service rifles. Produced from the 1890s through the interwar years by the Birmingham Small Arms Company and the London Small Arms Company (and finished by noted gunmakers of the day), it pairs the rugged Lee military action with a slim half-stocked sporting profile, a checkered walnut pistol-grip stock, and open leaf-and-ladder sights. Most examples are chambered for .303 British, though specimens in 8mm and other proprietary calibres were also made.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3490 g (123.1 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1130 mm (44.49") |
| Barrel Length | 610 mm (24.02") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 744 m/s (2441 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3120 J (2301 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 550 m (601 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1600 m (1750 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 254 mm (10.00") |
| Number of Grooves | 7 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .303 British · primary — also known as .303 Mk VII, 7.7x56mmR, .303 Enfield
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Cocking Piece Safety
- Features: Rear Locking Bolt, Detachable Box Magazine, Half Stock Sporting Forend, Pistol Grip, Open Leaf And Ladder Sights, Cock On Closing Action
Service history
Operators
- Civilian sportsmen and big-game hunters
- Colonial and Commonwealth shooters
Production
Production years: c.1892-1939
Built by BSA and LSA alongside Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield service rifles; exact sporting-rifle production totals were never separately recorded.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Designer: James Paris Lee, Joseph Speed
Discontinued: 1939
Notes
The 'Lee-Speed' name derives from the patents of James Paris Lee (the bolt and magazine) and Joseph Speed, the Enfield Royal Small Arms Factory superintendent whose detail patents covered the cocking and safety arrangements. Sporting rifles were built concurrently with service arms at the same BSA and LSA factories and were often refined or completed by makers such as Westley Richards, Holland & Holland, W. J. Jeffery and Daniel Fraser. Early rifles used Metford rifling; later production switched to the deeper Enfield rifling.
Background
Marketed as a premium sporting arm, the Lee-Speed put the proven Lee service action into the hands of Edwardian-era hunters across Britain and the Empire. Its rear-locking bolt allowed fast, smooth cycling, and its detachable magazine and cock-on-closing action were prized by sportsmen long before such features became common on civilian rifles.