No.8 rifle

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The No.8 rifle is a bolt-action .22 calibre rifle evolved from the Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) with target shooting in mind. Most examples are single shot and need to be reloaded after every shot. Currently, it is used by British cadet services as a basic target rifle; to be allowed to fire the rifle, a cadet must answer a fixed number of safety related questions and demonstrate to a qualified instructor that they can make safe the rifle and carry out the various range drills.

Typically fired at a range of 25 yards, the back-sight, or rear-sight, can be adjusted to allow fire to over 100 metres. The No.8 can also be fitted with two types of sight. The more common leaf sight, fitted to the shorter infantry model, is simpler to use and more robust, but the standard of accuracy that can be achieved with this sight is lower than can be achieved with the Parker Hale sight, which is fitted to the longer version of the No.8, the Match rifle. A higher standard of accuracy can be achieved with this sight, as it can be laterally adjusted as well as vertically. However it is not suitable for beginners and takes some getting used to. It is also more delicate than the leaf-sight.

Generally, the No.8 is a reliable rifle and can provide a good introduction to target shooting for newcomers to the sport, although, as a rimfire rifle, it can be prone to misfires. The cadet services favour it for ease of use and safe handling, as it is fitted with an easily identified safety catch located to the left of and just below the sight.

In the modern day this is the first rifle which British cadets use. Cadets move on to the L98A1 Cadet GP Rifle (an adaption of the SA80 IW series of weapons); corps marksmen may later be allowed to use the L85A1 however it is going to be phased out at the end of 2008.