Charlton automatic rifle
A Lee–Enfield converted to automatic fire for the Home Guard.
The Charlton automatic rifle was a New Zealand design from 1941, converting the Lee–Enfield rifle into a fully automatic weapon. Philip Charlton created it as a stopgap for the Bren and Lewis light machine guns, which were then critically scarce. The rifle was meant for the New Zealand Home Guard, not front-line combat.
The conversion used older Lee–Metford and magazine Lee–Enfield rifles, some dating to the Boer War. It was intended to function as a semi-automatic rifle, with full-automatic capability reserved for emergencies. It fed from standard ten-round Lee–Enfield magazines or modified thirty-round Bren magazines.
Two versions existed. One, built by Charlton Motor Workshops in Hastings, New Zealand, featured a forward pistol grip and bipod. The other, produced in Australia by Electrolux from the SMLE Mk III*, lacked these additions, giving it a lighter, cleaner look. Despite their different appearances, both shared the same operating mechanism.
Around 1,500 Charlton rifles were made in New Zealand. A common belief holds that most were lost in a fire at the Palmerston North Showgrounds ordnance depot on 31 December 1944. While the fire destroyed large amounts of clothing and stores, contemporary records do not support the claim that the majority of Charltons were lost there. The story appears to come from later secondary accounts.
Few Charlton automatic rifles survive today. Examples are held at the Imperial War Museum and the Royal Armouries Museum in the United Kingdom, the Waiouru Army Museum and Auckland War Memorial Museum in New Zealand, and the Army Museum at Bandiana in Australia.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- New Zealand
- Is Ranged
- yes
- Service
- 1942–1945
- Designer
- Philip Charlton
- Design Date
- 1941
- Number
- 1500
- Variants
- Electrolux SMLE Model
- Weight
- 16 lb (7.3 kg), unloaded
- Length
- 44.5 in (1150 mm)
- Cartridge
- .303 British
- Caliber
- 0.3125 inch (7.938 mm)
- Action
- Gas-operated semi-automatic
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The original Charlton automatic rifles were converted from obsolete Lee–Metford and magazine Lee–Enfield rifles dating from as early as the Boer War, and were intended for use as semi-automatic rifles with the full-automatic capabilities retained for emergency use. It used the 10-round Lee–Enfield magazines and modified 30-round Bren magazines. There were two versions of the Charlton: the New Zealand version, as designed and manufactured by Charlton Motor Workshops in Hastings, and a version produced in Australia by Electrolux, using the SMLE Mk III* for conversion. The two designs differed markedly in external appearance—the New Zealand Charlton had a forward pistol grip and bipod, whilst the Australian lacked this, making it lighter and cleaner in appearance—but shared the same operating mechanism.
Reader's Guide
Approximately 1,500 Charlton automatic rifles were manufactured in New Zealand, and nearly all of them were suspected as destroyed in an accidental fire at the ordnance depot located at the Palmerston North Showgrounds on 31 December 1944. Although substantial quantities of clothing and general stores were destroyed, the evidence does not support the assertion that the majority of Charlton rifles were lost in the fire. The enduring belief that most Charltons were destroyed at Palmerston North appears to stem from later secondary accounts rather than the contemporary record. As a result, very few Charlton automatic rifles are known to survive. Examples are found in the Imperial War Museum in London and the National Firearms Centre at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds in the United Kingdom; the Waiouru Army Museum and the Auckland War Memorial museum in New Zealand; and the Army Museum (Bandiana) in Australia. The weapon's significance lies in its role as an expedient substitute during a critical shortage of light machine guns, and in the unresolved question of how many were actually lost in the 1944 fire.
Did You Know?
- The Charlton automatic rifle was designed by New Zealander Philip Charlton in 1941.
- Two versions existed: one made in New Zealand by Charlton Motor Workshops and one in Australia by Electrolux.
- The belief that most Charltons were destroyed in a 1944 fire at Palmerston North is not supported by contemporary evidence.
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