Royal Small Arms Factory - Weapons Designed / Built at RSAF Enfield

Weapons Designed / Built At RSAF Enfield

Almost all the weapons in which the Royal Small Arms Factory had a hand in design or production carry either the word Enfield or the letters EN in their name;

• Enfield Pattern 1853 Rifle-Musket which used the Minié ball ammunition.
• Snider-Enfield Rifle: an 1866 breech-loading version of the 1853 Enfield.
• Martini-Henry Rifle: breech-loading lever activated rifle, manufactured from 1871-1891.
• Enfield revolver: standard issue sidearms, two main versions from 1880 to 1957.
• Martini-Enfield: a conversion of the Martini-Henry rifle to .303 calibre, from 1895.
• Lee-Enfield rifles - using the Lee bolt action. There were 13 variants from 1894 to 1957.
• Pattern 1914 Enfield Rifle: intended as a Lee-Enfield replacement, mainly used by snipers in WWI.
• Bren (Brno + Enfield), .303 Light machine gun from 1935 onwards.
• Sten (Shepherd, Turpin + Enfield) 9mm Sub-machine gun from 1941 to 1953
• Polsten low cost version of 20 mm Oerlikon (acknowledging two Polish designers + Sten (= Shepherd, Turpin + Enfield)), from 1944.
• Taden gun: .280 calibre experimental machine gun, 1951.
• EM-1: .280 calibre bullpup design experimental assault rifle, 1951.
• EM-2: .280 calibre bullpup design experimental assault rifle, 1951.
• ADEN cannon (Armament Development Establishment + Enfield): 30mm revolver cannon for aircraft use, entered service in 1954.
• L1A1 SLR, a British FN FAL derivative 7.62mm Self Loading Rifle, from 1954.
• L42A1, a rebuilt and re-chambered conversion of the Lee-Enfield Rifle No 4 into a 7.62mm sniper rifle; entered service in 1970.
• RARDEN cannon, (Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment + Enfield): 30mm autocannon for light armoured vehicles, entered service in 1971.
• SA80 (L85) assault rifle, from 1987.

For weapons manufactured at Enfield before 1853, see British military rifles#Early Enfield rifles

The RSAF, Enfield, was famous for its Pattern Room which was a collection, or master set, of every weapon made at RSAF Enfield. After closure this collection was moved to ROF Nottingham; which has since closed. The collection is now held at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds.