The De Lisle carbine was a British rifle used during World War II. It was based on a Lee-Enfield rifle converted to .45 ACP, using magazines from the M1911 pistol. The primary feature of the De Lisle was its very effective suppressor which made it very quiet in action - indeed working the bolt to chamber the next round makes a louder noise than firing a round. The De Lisle carbine was used by British commandos and special forces, and was accurate to 250 metres.

The De Lisle was made in very limited numbers; about 130 were during the period of 1942 to 1945. Thompson submachine gun barrels were modified to provide the .45 caliber barrel, which was ported to provide a slow release of high pressure gas. The silencer, over 2 inches in diameter, went all the way from the back of the barrel to well beyond the muzzle (the silencer makes up half the overall length of the rifle), providing a very large volume of space to contain the gasses of firing. This large volume was one of the keys to the effectiveness of the silencer. The Lee-Enfield bolt was modified to feed the .45 ACP rounds, and the Lee-Enfield's magazine assembly was replaced with a new assembly that held a M1911 magazine in place.

After the war, most of these weapons were destroyed for fear that they would fall into the wrong hands.

Characteristics

• Round: .45 ACP
• Weight: 3.74 kg
• Length: 894 mm
• Barrel length: 184 mm
• Muzzle velocity: 253 m/s
• Effective range: 250 m
• Used by: Britain