Description
The De Lisle was based on a Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield Mk III* converted to .45 ACP by modifying the receiver, altering the bolt/bolthead, replacing the barrel with a modified Thompson submachine gun barrel, and using modified magazines from the M1911 pistol. The primary feature of the De Lisle was its extremely effective suppressor, which made it very quiet in action. So quiet, in fact, that working the bolt to chamber the next round makes a louder noise than firing a round.
The .45 ACP was selected as its velocity was subsonic, it could therefore retain its full lethality when used with a suppressor (supersonic rounds fired with suppressors generally have their power reduced, to avoid the crack of the bullet breaking the sound barrier). The Thompson gun barrel was ported (i.e. drilled with holes) to provide a slow release of high pressure gas into the suppressor that surrounded it. The suppressor, 2 inches (5.1 cm) in diameter, went all the way from the back of the barrel to well beyond the muzzle, making up half the overall length of the rifle. The suppressor provided a very large volume to contain the gases produced by firing, this was one of the keys to its effectiveness.
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 modified M1911 magazine. The single-shot, bolt operation offered an advantage in that the shooter could refrain from chambering the next round if absolute silence was required after shooting. A Semi-automatic weapon would not have offered this option as the cycling of the bolt coupled with rearward escaping propellant gas would produce a noise with each shot. It was accurate to 250 metres (820 ft).
De Lislie's own .22 prototype rifle was given to the National Army Museum in London, by was subsequently lost and its present whereabouts are unknown. A reproduction of the carbine is manufactured by the American companies, Valkyrie Arms. Another company, Special Interest Arms, has announced limited production of a De Lisle replica which incorporates an improved magazine adapter system that allows the use of unmodified M1911 magazines and also fully supports the barrel chamber in the action.
Read more about this topic: De Lisle Carbine
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