It was very effective. 10 round magizine, 5 rounds more then any other rifle of that period. and very accurate. Its effective range is up to 2000 yards.
At the Battle of the Somme, 1915 A German brigade (5000 strong) attacked a sectioin of the line, manned by a British regiment. (2500 strong). The Tommies, armed with S.M.L.E.'s, laid down such a volumn of fire, the Germans thought they were facing machine guns and broke off the attack !!!
1917 lee enfield
The Lee Enfield .303 bolt-action rifle
The SMLE. Short Magazine Lee Enfield rifle. Picture above.
Lee Enfield 303
For the British, it was the Lee Enfield Rifle, and in Germany it was the Gewehr 1888 and 1898.
The 'E.Y'. rifle was named after Sir Ernest Youlle who invented it, or more accurately, adapted it from the standard Lee-Enfield rifle
Many books have been written on the Lee-Enfield. Good luck.
1917 lee enfield
Can still be found in use around the world
See the link below to a good Wikipedia article on the Lee Enfield. There are several DIFFERENT .303 Enfield rifles.
A Lee Enfield rifle typically weighed around 8.8 pounds (4 kilograms) without any additional attachments or modifications.
Entire books have been written on Lee Enfield Rifles. You'll have to narrow it down a little. A Wikipedia search for SMLE will help you get started.
£275 at least
Seerial numbers are not unique to only one rifle. The year of manufacture is frequently stamped on the metal band at the wrist, or the left side of the receiver, depending on which MODEL Lee Enfield you have.
See the link below for a short treatise (with photos) on the various Lee Enfield oilers.
It will be marked on the weapon itself as to who made it.
$50-400 depending on condition and Mark.