Aussie Enfield No. 1 MK III Marked SHT LE III

Isher2000

I've noticed some Australian No. 1 MK III Lee Enfields marked SHT LE III on the butt stock socket. I thought the English used the SHT designation for rifles converted into .410 ga. "forage" guns. The Aussie guns are all still .303 rifles. The ones I've seen are all marked Lithgow as well. Why were these rifles marked SHT LE III?

Thanks

Tflogger

SHorT Lee Enfield?

Isher2000

They have Lithgow in a shield stamped into the socket. I assumed this was the arsenal.

Isher2000

I did some more digging on the intenet today. Assuming that what I found was valid (two sourcs seemed to agree on all this) SHTLE was the early abbreviation used in England and in Australia for Short Magazine Lee Enfield. While the English changed this to SMLE at some point the Australians retained the SHTLE designation for as long as the made the No. 1 MK III* variants at the Lithgow arsenal in New South Wales. I hadn't realized that the Australians never adopted the No. 4 or No. 5 Enfields and continued to produce and use the No. 1 MK III* rifles into the Korean war. They then jumped straight to L1A1 FALs.

Isher2000

I almost forgot the connection of the SHTLE designation to rifles converted into .410 shotguns (single shot only) was an internet red herring. Many Enfields were converted to .410 by the military and commercialy. I'm guessing tha someone saw one built on a gun marked SHTLE and assumed that SHT was a reference to shotgun.