Lee-Metford Mk I .303 inch Magazine rifle, converted to Lee-Enfield Rifle Mk I, 1900 (c)

The Lee-Metford Rifle was approved in 1888 as the Army's first magazine-loading weapon. The Lee-Metford rifling of seven shallow grooves was found to wear quickly when the new cordite ammunition was used and the Enfield five-groove system was introduced in 1895. Many Lee-Metfords were converted to later Marks at the end of the century to utilise the exisiting stock of rifles. This led to many variations and this conversion still has the old cleaning rod which was abolished on the introduction of the Lee-Enfield Mk I. Many of these rifles were used by colonial units up to and during the First World War (1914-1918).