You Will Shoot Your Eye Out

De Lisle Commando Carbine
De Lisle Carbine. Top, with wooden stock. Bottom, with folding stock from a Sterling submachine gun
Type	Carbine
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1943–1965
Used by	United Kingdom
Wars	World War II, Korean War, Malayan Emergency
Production history
Designer	William G. De Lisle
Designed	1942
Manufacturer	Ford Dagenham (17 prototypes) Sterling Armaments Company
Produced	1942–1945
No. built	129
Variants	Ford Dagenham Prototypes Folding stock Parachute Carbine, only one example produced
Specifications
Weight	7 lb 8 oz (3.74 kg), unloaded [1]
Length	35.3 in [2]
Barrel length	8.27 in (210 mm) [1]
Cartridge	.45 ACP (11.43×23mm)
Calibre	.45
Action	Bolt action
Rate of fire	20–30 rounds/minute
Muzzle velocity	about 830 ft/s (250 m/s)
Effective firing range	200 yd (185 m)
Maximum firing range	400 yd (365 m)
Feed system	7 or 11-round detachable magazine
Sights	Ford Dagenham: Winchester rifle sight at rear, simple ramp with modified P-14 front sight protector at front. Sterling models: Lanchester Mk I rear sight (later changed to Lanchester Mk I*), windage  adjustable front sight. Airborne model: Lanchester Mk I rear sight, windage adjustable front sight

The De Lisle carbine or De Lisle Commando carbine was a British firearm used during World War II that was designed with an integrated suppressor. That, combined with its use of subsonic ammunition, made it extremely quiet in action, possibly one of the quietest firearms ever made.^[3]
Few were manufactured as their use was limited to specialist military units.

History

The weapon was designed as a private venture by William Godfray de Lisle (known as Godfray), an engineer who worked for the Air Ministry.^[4]
He made the first prototype in .22 calibre; this he tested by shooting rabbits and other small game for the table, near his home on the Berkshire Downs.^[5]
In 1943, he approached Major Sir Malcolm Campbell of Combined Operations with his prototype; this was informally tested by firing the weapon into the River Thames from the roof of the New Adelphi building in London. This was chosen to discover if people in the street below heard it firing – they did not.^[5]
Combined Operations officials were impressed with the weapon and requested De Lisle produce a 9mm version.
However, this was a failure. A third prototype, using the .45 ACP cartridge that was favoured by de Lisle, was much more successful. Tests of this showed the weapon had acceptable accuracy, produced no visible muzzle flash and was inaudible at a distance of 50 yards (46 m).^[2]
Subsequent official firing tests recorded the De Lisle produced 85.5 dB of noise when fired.^[6] As a comparison, modern testing on a selection of handguns has shown that they produce 156 to 168 dB when firing without a suppressor, and 117 to 140 dB when firing with one fitted.^[7]
The de Lisle’s quietness was found to be comparable to the British Welrod pistol. However, the Welrod was useful only at very short range and used fabric and rubber components in the suppressor that required replacement after a few shots.
The de Lisle was able to fire hundreds of rounds before the suppressor required disassembly for cleaning.^[8]
Combined Operations requested a small production run of De Lisle carbines and an initial batch of 17 were hand–made by Ford Dagenham, with Godfray De Lisle himself released from his Air Ministry duties so he could work full-time on the project.
this initial batch was immediately put into combat use by the British Commandos.^[6] In 1944, the Sterling Armaments Company was given an order for 500 De Lisle carbines, but eventually only produced around 130.^[6]
The Sterling version differed in a number of details from the earlier, Ford Dagenham model. Two prototypes of a further version, for Airborne forces, were made. These had folding stocks, similar to those fitted to the Sterling submachine gun.^[9]
During the remainder of World War II, the De Lisle carbine was mainly used by the Commandos, although they also saw some use by the Special Operations Executive (SOE).^[10]
E. Michael Burke, the American former commander of a Jedburgh Team, stated that a De Lisle was used by them to assassinate two senior German officers in 1944.^[10]
A number of De Lisles were shipped to the Far East and used during the Burma Campaign. The De Lisle would also be used during the Korean War and the Malayan Emergency.^[10]
It has been claimed the weapon was also used by the Special Air Service during the Northern Irish Troubles.^[10]

Description

The initial wooden-stocked De Lisle with a fitted suppressor

 
The De Lisle was based on a Short Magazine, Lee–Enfield Mk III* converted to .45 ACP by modifying the receiver, altering the bolt/bolthead, replacing the barrel with a modified Thompson submachine gun barrel (6 grooves, RH twist), and using modified magazines from the M1911 pistol.
The primary feature of the De Lisle was its extremely effective suppressor, which made it very quiet in action. So quiet that working the bolt (to chamber the next round), makes a louder noise than firing a cartridge.^[11]
The .45 ACP cartridge was selected as its muzzle velocity is subsonic for typical barrel lengths. As such, it would both retain its full lethality and not require custom-loaded ammunition to use with a suppressor.
Most rifle rounds are supersonic, where the bullet generates a “sonic boom” like any other object traveling at supersonic velocities, making them unsuitable for covert purposes.
The Thompson gun barrel was ported (i.e. drilled with holes) to provide a controlled release of high pressure gas into the suppressor that surrounds it before the bullet leaves the barrel.
The suppressor, 2 inches (5.1 cm) in diameter, went all the way from the back of the barrel to well beyond the muzzle, making up half the overall length of the weapon.
The suppressor provided a very large volume to contain the gases produced by firing; this was one of the keys to its effectiveness.^[12]
The MP5SD and AS Val are among other modern firearms that use the same concept.
The Lee–Enfield bolt was shortened to feed the .45 ACP rounds; the Lee–Enfield’s magazine set-up was replaced with a new assembly that held a modified M1911 magazine.
The bolt operation offered an advantage in that the shooter could refrain from chambering the next round if absolute silence was required after firing.
A semi-automatic weapon would not have offered this option as the cycling of the bolt coupled with rearward escaping propellant gas and the clink of the empty case against any hard surface would produce a noise with each shot.^[13]
As silent as the carbine was, it was not very accurate.^[14]
De Lisle’s own .22 prototype was given to the National Army Museum in London, but it was subsequently lost and its present whereabouts are unknown.^[8]
A reproduction of the .45 calibre carbine is manufactured by the American company, Valkyrie Arms.^[15] Another company, Special Interest Arms, has announced limited production of a De Lisle replica which incorporates an improved magazine adapter system that allows the use of unmodified M1911 magazines and also fully supports the barrel chamber in the action.^[16]

See also

• Sten—there were also suppressed versions of the Sten, used for similar work.
• Welrod pistol

Notes

References

• Rome, Robert (June 1984). “WWII Silent Killer Still Lives” (PDF). Gung Ho: 26–32.
• Skennerton, Ian, SAIS No. 13: Special Service Lee-Enfields… Commando & Auto Models, Arms & Militaria Press, 2001, ISBN 0-949749-37-0

There is nothing more American than more horsepower. Not mom, not apple pie, not a bald eagle clutching a baseball whilst curb stomping a commie and humming Yankee Doodle Dandy. While the Euro-weenies ( and our current FBI) are enamored with 9mm, us red-blooded John Wayne disciples developed the 45 ACP, 44 Magnum, and 10mm. While they made lighter sports cars with 2 and 3 liter engines, we created things like the Super Sport and Shelby Cobra. So it is with giddy anticipation this week that I present a gun that sounds like it came off the set of “ The Expendables 7: Everyone Gets Shot in the Face.”

The NEMO Omen has been around for a while, but this is the first time I got my grubby mitts on one. When I heard semi-auto and 300 Winchester Magnum, I assumed the gun had to be gigantic. It is large, but not Micheal Bay oversized. At first glance, you can see the DNA shared with an AR-15. There are a few changes to accommodate the caliber, but it keeps the things I find important.
First off, the caliber choice is uber-manly. 300 Win Mag might not be the best in class for efficiency, but it does bring the pain. You can tell the thought process of the cartridge designers back in 1963. What if we took the 30 caliber bullets Americans are so fond of and made them go ludicrously fast? Good idea Jim! How are we going to do that? Simple. We put a metric ton more powder behind it.

What a 300 Win Mag lacks in ballistic coefficient, it makes up for in anger. Pushing a 190-grain bullet, it will kill anything in North America, and most things in Africa. And for putting Jihadi’s in the ground, accept no substitute. If you want to see a tango cartwheel out of his flip flops, this is the one for you.
So on to the rifle. I have shot a lot of 300 Win Mag out of a bolt action, and I find it to my liking. But for most combat situations, semi-auto is better. Much better. So this is like finding a unicorn for me. The rifle shares all the ergonomic greatness of an SR-25, to include a Magpul PRS stock. The controls are in the same place, with the Omen also sporting an ambi mag release and safety. For the massive round it shoots, the rifle is surprisingly well balanced and light. I tested the Omen Match 3.0, which has a 22-inch barrel. It weighs in at a svelte 11.2 pounds and is perfectly balanced. Small details like a titanium muzzle break and take down pins for example make the difference. Carrying this gun around, it could easily be mistaken for a 308.

The real magic of the NEMO system is the bolt. The Omen was a nexus for the creation of the collapsing bolt system, a patented recoil reducing technology. It sounds like hype, but it really does work. The felt recoil of the Omen was less than most 308 rifles, by a margin. Not only does this give you a longer training day, but it allows you to spot your own impacts at range. That is a massive advantage on the battlefield, where spotters are usually in short supply. To test this, I actually did a mag dump at CQB range. Now granted, I spent 9 dollars. But not only was it fun, I was easily able to keep the gun on target at speed. Not that you would need a double tap with a 300 Win Mag, but you could.

The Omen is a side charger, with a reciprocating bolt handle. That is something I normally dislike in assault rifles, such as the FNH SCAR. But given the role of the Omen, I don’t count it as a negative. The handle is well thought out and secure and stayed put even during the aforementioned stupidity testing.
Reliability wise, the Omen ate everything I threw at it. It features a 4 position gas block, 2 for suppressed, 2 for unsuppressed. Even at the lighter setting of 3, I had no problems with a mountain of Gold Medal Match.

Besides being a side charger, the Omen has an obvious change to the magazine well. Since there is nothing else like it, NEMO had to craft magazines from whole cloth. The outer shell is polymer, with a Nickel Boron coated steel follower. Currently the gun ships with a 14 round magazine, which is P for plenty on most things.

The Omen Match has a barrel cut from a Bartlein blank, though a Proof Carbon Fiber is also offered in the Omen Watchman. Accuracy wise, it performed as you would expect for the price. It easily shot ¾ MOA groups, though, given the single shot that kept it from ½ MOA, it may be capable of more. To be fair, my break in period consisted of eating a sandwich on the way to the range.

The Omen is like nothing else, and it is going to be hard to give back. If our military had any sense, a couple pallets of these would be on the way to our boys in Afghanistan.
MSRP $4900
Visit Nemo Arms by clicking Here

 Pity that this rifle has seen some hard service. But with a little TLC. It could easily come back to be a holder of Best in show in the Gun Safe!