item details
NameCharlton Automatic Rifle.
ProductionCharlton Motor Workshops; manufacturer(s); 1941; New Zealand
Classificationfirearms, machine guns
Materialssteel, wood, brass
DimensionsOverall: 210mm (width), 340mm (height), 1140mm (length)
Registration NumberDM000451/1-3
Credit lineGift of Mr Philip Charlton, 1965
Overview
Charlton automatic rifle, calibre .303.
The Charlton Automatic Rifle was a fully automatic conversion of the Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle, designed in 1941 by a New Zealander, Philip Charlton. They were intended as substitutes for Bren and Lewis light machine guns which were in very short supply at the time.About 1,500 Lee-Enfields were converted to Charlton Automatic Rifles in New Zealand during World War II. Most were destroyed soon after the war ended, and very few survive today.