De Lisle carbine
| De Lisle Commando Carbine | |
|---|---|
 A De Lisle Commando Carbine on display in the Queensland Military Memorial Museum | |
| Type | Commando Rifle |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1943-1965 |
| Used by | United Kingdom, British Commonwealth |
| Wars | World War II, Korean War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | William G. De Lisle |
| Designed | 1942 |
| Produced | 1942-1945 |
| No. built | approx 200 |
| Variants | Folding stock Parachute Carbine |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 8 lb 8.5 oz (3.74 kg), unloaded |
| Length | 40.5 in (894 mm) |
| Cartridge | .45 ACP |
| Calibre | .45 ACP |
| Action | Bolt-action |
| Rate of fire | 20-30 rounds/minute |
| Muzzle velocity | c.600 ft/s |
| Effective firing range | 200 yd (185 m) |
| Maximum firing range | 400 yd (365 m) |
| Feed system | 7 or 11-round detachable magazine |
| Sights | Sliding ramp rear sights, Fixed-post front sights |
The De Lisle carbine or De Lisle Commando carbine was a specialist British carbine used during World War II. The designer was William De Lisle. It was based on a Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield Mk III* converted to .45 ACP by changing the bolthead and replacing the barrel with a modified Thompson submachine gun barrel, and using magazines from the M1911 pistol. The primary feature of the De Lisle was its very effective suppressor which made it very quiet in action - indeed working the bolt to chamber the next round makes a louder noise than firing a round.[1] The De Lisle carbine was used by British commandos and special forces, and was accurate to 250 metres.
The De Lisle was made in very limited numbers; about 130 were produced during the period of 1942 to 1945. Thompson submachine gun barrels were modified to provide the .45 calibre barrel, which was ported to provide a slow release of high pressure gas. The suppressor, over 2 inches in diameter, went all the way from the back of the barrel to well beyond the muzzle (the suppressor makes up half the overall length of the rifle), providing a very large volume of space to contain the gases produced by firing. This large volume was one of the keys to the effectiveness of the suppressor. The Lee-Enfield bolt was modified to feed the .45 ACP rounds, and the Lee-Enfield's magazine assembly was replaced with a new assembly that held a M1911 magazine.
The De Lisle is known to have seen service during the Malayan Emergency, and it is thought that there may still be small numbers in service for military situations requiring a silenced weapon.
References
Works Cited
Skennerton, Ian, SAIS No. 13: Special Service Lee-Enfields... Commando & Auto Models, Arms & Militaria Press, 2001, ISBN 0-949749-37-0
See also
External links
- Photo of modern copy of the De Lisle
- Another photo of a De Lisle copy
- Video of a De Lisle carbine being fired
- High resolution photos of a reproduction De Lisle - 1 2 3 4 5
