The Lee–Metford (also known as the Magazine Lee–Metford) is a British bolt-action rifle that feeds from a 5-round magazine of .303 British, though due to metallurgical limits it can only fire black powder loads. It replaced the Martini-Henry Rifle as the British Empire's standard service rifle in 1888, following nine years of development and trials. Though its use was limited to a single decade until its replacement by the Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk. I, it earned a mixed reputation during that time. On one hand, in the Second Boer War it was severely outmatched by Mauser-type rifles which were more ergonomic and had longer range. However, in the extensive guerilla war that followed Ned's Rebellion, the Lee-Metford rifle offered unparalleled firepower against natives with much simpler arms. In the mid-1960s, a number of Lee-Metford rifles can still be found, though most have been converted to Lee-Enfields by changing the barrel.
