The British and Commonwealth armies were equipped with the Lee Enfield rifle in .303 caliber. It had a effective range of 600 yards, and it could still kill you at one mile. The rifles had adjustable sights graduated in 200 yard increments. Soldiers were trained to fire at a steady pace, of about ten rounds per minute , which was termed " rapid fire ".

The Lewis Light Machine gun was the section ( ten infantry men form a section ) support automatic weapon. It also fired the .303 round. The Lewis was portable although by modern standards it was heavy at 26 pounds. It had a drum magazine which held 48 rounds. It was used both as a fixed M.G. and as a fire support weapon in the attack.

The Vickers heavy M.G. was the main rapid fire British weapon in WW1. It had a tripod that kept it more or less stable while being fired, and it was equipped with a primitive optical sight. It was belt fed ( 250 round canvas belts of ammunition could be linked together ) and it had a rate of fire of around 500 rounds per minute . It was heavy, the entire gun, tripod, and assorted gear, plus ammunition ( 5,000 rounds in belts ) required a 8 man crew to transport it .

AS you can see the whole British army small arms system was based on the .303 cartridge in the WW 1 era. The only exception was the Webley six shot pistol.

In WW 1 the average engagement range varied from a few yards ( during a trench raid ) to a couple of hundred yards from your trench line to the enemy trench system.

In WW 2 the battles were much more mobile, so accurate rifle or M. G. fire was more important. Open ground tactics are much different from fighting in a town or city, from building to building.

WW.2 infantry tactics also incorporated support weapons like mortars, and small light weight automatics like the 9 mm STEN and the BREN in .303. The STEN fired a 9mm pistol round, so it was a short range weapon, with an effective accurate range of less than 100 yards. The BREN was as effective as the Lee Enfield rifle, but it had the automatic fire capability , and a 30 round magazine. Each 10 man infantry section had two BRENS as the fire support group.

Most WW 2 fighting for infantry troops was relatively short range, under 400 yards.

If I had my choice, I would choose the Lee Enfield mark 4, the specially selected and modified sniper rifle model. It was fitted with a German made 4 power telescopic sight, and it fired special precision competition rounds. They were only issued to the Scouts and sniper platoon of each infantry Battalion.

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