Iqaluit Rangers have finally got their hands on the C-19 rifles that are replacing the .303 Lee Enfield from the First World War era.

Training will be ongoing in Iqaluit through June 20.

Canadian Rangers have been using the trusted Lee Enfield since 1947.

The new C-19 rifle is a higher calibre – seen here on bottom – is lighter and shorter than the Lee Enfield rifle, which Rangers have been using for more than 70 years.
photo courtesy of the Department of National Defence

The replacement, which began to roll out in some provinces last year, is a specially designed .308 calibre, bolt action rifle “that is more robust and can perform reliably in temperatures below freezing,” according to the First Canadian Ranger Patrol Group.

The new rifle is also shorter and lighter than its predecessor.

The federal government has purchased approximately 5,000 of the C-19 rifles for Canada’s Rangers, who are part-time reservists.

A Canadian Ranger fires a .303 Lee-Enfield rifle during Operation Nanook in Gjoa Haven. The Lee Enfields are being replaced across the country with C-19 rifles.
Sgt. Alain Martineau CRCAF photo

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