“The rifle is an old 7.62-caliber Lee Enfield L42A1 bolt action, equipped with straight-sighting, standard-issue telescopic L1A1 sights and is a proven piece of hardware” — Excerpt from KV 66: League of the Sacred Ankh
My assassin’s choice of weapon in League of the Sacred Ankh was an old Lee Enfield L42A1 bolt action sniper rifle.
This particular rifle came into service within the British Army from 1970 through to 1990 and saw action in several campaigns, including the Dhofar uprising in Oman, in which our fictional character had also been an active participant.
Later campaigns included the Falklands war and, more latterly, the Gulf War, after which it was eventually phased out and replaced.
Those of us who participated in the Combined Cadet Force (CCF), including myself, will have memories of all the square bashing and weapons training conducted one afternoon per week using cast-off WW2 Lee Enfield .303 bolt action rifles. These were ultimately the pre-cursor to the L42A1. Unlike older models, the newer versions were re-chambered to accommodate the next generation 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge adopted by the West during the Cold War era.
Approximately 1000 sniper versions of the L42A1 were reworked by the Royal Small Arms Factory of Enfield between 1970 and 1971, enhancing overall precision in improved rifling and also, the development of new optics.
Will our fictional assassin be able to keep a steady aim and complete his job? Check out League of the Sacred Ankh and find out what actually happens!