From their formation in 1891 until the outbreak of the First World War, the 48th Highlanders of Canada used a succession of rifles that mirrored the evolving standards of the Canadian Militia.
At the time of their establishment, the regiment was issued the Martini-Metford rifle, a transitional weapon combining the single-shot Martini-Henry action with Metford rifling and chambered in .303 calibre. Although an improvement over the black powder Martini-Henry, the Martini-Metford retained the limitation of being a single-shot rifle in an era when magazine-fed repeaters were becoming standard. Nonetheless, it remained common in Canadian militia units through the 1890s due to limited budgets and supply constraints.
In the late 1890s and early 1900s, the Canadian government began equipping militia regiments, including the 48th Highlanders, with the Lee-Enfield Magazine Rifle Mark I and Mark I*. This bolt-action rifle featured a ten-round magazine, charger loading, and robust construction. The Lee-Enfield greatly improved soldiers’ firepower, rate of fire, and reliability compared to earlier weapons. During the Boer War (1899–1902), Canadian contingents carried Lee-Enfields in South Africa, reinforcing its reputation as an effective service rifle.
After 1905, Canada adopted the Ross Rifle Mark I, followed by the Mark II. Designed and manufactured domestically, the Ross was a straight-pull bolt-action rifle initially praised for its accuracy. However, it soon developed a notorious reputation for poor reliability under field conditions. Dirt and mud could jam the action, and improper reassembly of the bolt sometimes caused catastrophic failures. Despite its problems, the Ross remained the official service rifle up to the early years of the First World War, and the 48th Highlanders trained extensively with it before embarking overseas.
This progression—from Martini-Metford to Lee-Enfield, and finally the Ross—highlights the challenges Canada faced in modernizing its militia with dependable, up-to-date small arms.