De Lisle Commando Carbine
- Category
- Carbine
- Barrel
- 210 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.74 kg
- Introduced
- 1942
About
What it is, and why it matters
The De Lisle Commando Carbine is a British integrally suppressed bolt-action carbine developed during the Second World War for clandestine and commando operations. Chambered in subsonic .45 ACP, it mated a modified Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk III bolt action to a Thompson submachine gun barrel and a large integral suppressor running the full length of the weapon. The suppressor was so effective that the bolt cycling was reportedly louder than the muzzle report, making it one of the quietest firearms ever issued. It fed from a modified M1911 magazine and was prized for silent elimination of sentries.
Designed by William Godfrey De Lisle, the carbine was reportedly tested before Winston Churchill and proved so quiet that the loudest sound was the click of the bolt. It claimed its share of sentries and officers in commando raids, and a folding-stock airborne version was developed for paratroopers though never widely issued.
The integral suppressor occupied nearly the full length of the weapon, so the apparent barrel is mostly suppressor with a comparatively short rifled section. Subsonic .45 ACP avoided the supersonic crack of conventional rifle rounds, and there was no visible muzzle flash. Most examples used a 7-round magazine; some references cite optional 11-round magazines.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Sterling Armaments Company
- Category
- Carbine
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1942 to 1945
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 210 mm
- Overall length
- 894 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.74 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 7
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 253 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 477 J
- Effective range
- 185 m
- Rate of fire
- 25 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Integral suppressor
Subsonic ammunition- No muzzle flash
Lee enfield action
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 409 carbines | 3.74 kg | 3.00 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 407 carbines | 894 mm | 895 mm | Near the median |
| Barrel lengthAmong 423 carbines | 210 mm | 406 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 423 carbines | 7 | 21 | Holds fewer rounds than about 80% |
Answers
Questions about the De Lisle Commando Carbine
How much does the De Lisle Commando Carbine weigh?
The De Lisle Commando Carbine weighs 3.74 kg (8.25 lb) empty.
What caliber is the De Lisle Commando Carbine?
The De Lisle Commando Carbine is chambered in .45 ACP.
How many rounds does the De Lisle Commando Carbine hold?
The De Lisle Commando Carbine holds 7 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the De Lisle Commando Carbine?
The De Lisle Commando Carbine is 894 mm (35.2 in) long overall, with a 210 mm (8.27 in) barrel.
Who makes the De Lisle Commando Carbine?
The De Lisle Commando Carbine is made by Sterling Armaments Company (United Kingdom). It was designed by William Godfrey De Lisle.
When was the De Lisle Commando Carbine introduced?
The De Lisle Commando Carbine was introduced in 1942 and discontinued in 1945.
How does the De Lisle Commando Carbine operate?
The De Lisle Commando Carbine uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- British Commandos
- 1942
- Special Operations Executive
- 1942
- Free French Forces
- France
Provenance
Confidence in this record
85%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/de-lisle-commando' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "de-lisle-commando", "name": "De Lisle Commando Carbine", "manufacturer": { "id": "sterling-armaments", "name": "Sterling Armaments Company", "countryCode": "GB", "foundedYear": 1900, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:40", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:48", "version": "34f9baced1950446f43ac14c70518da29b385f1386d27c8c1213e23b042e40bc" }, "category": { "id": "carbine", "name": "Carbine", "description": "Shortened rifles for close-quarters use" }, "country_of_origin": "GB", "year_introduced": 1942, "barrel_length_mm": 210, "weight_empty_g": 3740, "action_type": "bolt_action"}