No 9 - Lee Enfield No1 Mk1
A shorter and lighter version of the original MLE—the Rifle, Short, Magazine, Lee–Enfield or SMLE (sometimes spoken as "Smelly", rather than S, M, L, E)[14]—was introduced on 1 January 1904. The barrel was now halfway in length between the original long rifle and the carbine, at 25.2 inches (640 mm).[23] The SMLE's visual trademark was its blunt nose, with only the bayonet boss protruding a small fraction of an inch beyond the nosecap, being modelled on the Swedish Model 1894 Cavalry Carbine. The new rifle also incorporated a charger loading system,[24] another innovation borrowed from the Mauser rifle and is notably different from the fixed "bridge" that later became the standard, being a charger clip (stripper clip) guide on the face of the bolt head.[25] The shorter length was controversial at the time; many Rifle Association members and gunsmiths were concerned that the shorter barrel would not be as accurate as the longer MLE barrels, that the recoil would be much greater and the sighting radius would be too short.[26]
In the early 1930s, Colombia bought FN Model 24 and 30 rifles in 7×57mm Mauser.[18] Many were later converted to .30-06 Springfield after 1950, serving alongside newly produced FN Model 50 short rifles.[19]
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