Pattern 1913 Enfield

Rifle, Pattern 1913
Pattern 1913 Enfield experimental rifle
Type	Service rifle
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
Used by	UK
Wars	Did not enter service
Production history
Designed	1912
No. built	1257
Variants	Pattern 1914, Model of 1917(US)
Specifications
Weight	8 lb 11 oz (3.94 kg) (Empty)
Length	3 ft 10.3 in (1,176 mm)
Barrel length	26 in (660 mm)
Cartridge	.276 Enfield
Caliber	.276 inch (7.0 mm)
Action	Modified Mauser bolt action
Rate of fire	Manual, as determined by skill of operator
Muzzle velocity	2,785 ft/s (849 m/s)
Feed system	5 round, clip-fed reloading

The Pattern 1913 Enfield (P'13) was an experimental rifle developed by the Royal Small Arms Factory for the British Army as a result of its combat experience in the Second Boer War from 1899 to 1902. The weapon was to serve as a replacement for the Short Magazine Lee–Enfield (SMLE). An advanced designed chamber allowed for a high-velocity .276 Enfield rimless round, which was more powerful than the service-issued .303 British cartridge. However, implementation of the P'13 was rendered impractical by the outbreak of the First World War.

During the Second Boer War, the British Army had been faced with expert Boer marksmen equipped with the Mauser Model 1895, in 7×57mm caliber. This experience prompted the War Office to develop its own "magnum" round in 1910, using a .276-calibre rimless cartridge. In August 1910, the Small Arms Committee, which had been responsible for the adoption of the Short Magazine Lee–Enfield, was asked by the Director of Artillery to produce a new specification for a service rifle. The main changes called for a Mauser-style action and a one-piece stock (a cheaper and more serviceable option). In response, Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) submitted a design chambered for a rimless high-velocity cartridge. In 1911, the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) at Enfield, the British Government's design and production facility, produced a modified Mauser-pattern rifle for a similar cartridge, the .276. This rifle was presented to the Small Arms Committee on 3 April 1911 by the Assistant Superintendent Carnegie, and the Chief Designer Reavill.