So the Canadian Rangers — the Arctic militia — are getting a new rifle to replace the iconic Lee-Enfield Mk4 that they've carried since they first stood up in 1947.
According to the army, the supply of parts to repair or replace damaged or lost weapons is completely exhausted.
Some will say it's about time. Others will lament the end of the Enfield era, which means saying goodbye to the century-old .303 British cartridge, too.
The defence department and the Rangers themselves have agreed the new cartridge will be the .308 Winchester, one of the most popular big-game hunting cartridges in North America. It is also the standard 7.62 NATO military round used by the Canadian Forces.
But first they must choose a replacement rifle for the venerable Lee-Enfield, which was designed in 1895, and that won't be easy.
"Old it may be, but it's durable, accurate, reliable, and fast handling," said famed gun scribe Terry Wieland, who served in the Canadian Forces reserves. "The Lee-Enfield is one of the very best rifles ever developed for the joint-use as a military and hunting rifle the way it was employed by the Canadian Rangers."
The government intends to buy 10,200 new Ranger rifles — whatever they may be — and has provided some details about what qualities the new Canadian Ranger Rifle must have, and the Rangers themselves weighed in during a series of workshops last summer.
(The first of the new guns will be delivered by late fall 2013 or early winter 2014.)
Among the requirements is that the gun have a "distinctive look" that instills pride in the Rangers and becomes a symbol of the Arctic militia. The government is also restricting the search to commercial-off-the-shelf offerings with only “minor customization."
One option would be for the government to contract
Colt Canada, the Canadian Forces' small arms manufacturer in Kitchener, Ont., to build a new generation of improved, modernized Lee-Enfields chambered in .308 Winchester, or buy
Enfield replicas currently produced by an Australian firm. But concerns about quality, and the need for an off-the-shelf product rule both of these out.
Another option still — proposed by this writer — would be the Ruger Gunsite Scout with a few notable modifications: a 20-inch barrel, and a light, durable fiberglass stock in army green with the Ranger emblem embedded in the buttstock.
Whatever gun the government decides to buy for the Canadian Rangers, one thing is certain, it should be the best firearm available to them for the self-defence, military, and hunting applications they need it for.
The Rangers are a proud symbol and integral part of a Canadian north strong and free. From search and rescue operations under the most hellish conditions, to patrolling and being a presence in the frozen Arctic and remote coastal regions, the Rangers deserve no less than the absolute best equipment money can buy … or build.
— Bryn Weese is an avid hunter and crazed gun nut who loads his own ammunition. He has worked in the Arctic and has seen the Rangers in action in northern Ontario.
Tee hee!
