C&R · IV · 018
Boys anti-tank rifle Mk I
Section IV: still an NFA firearm, also a curio or relic
Official wording
ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IV · VERBATIM · PDF P. 82 ↗
Boys, MK1, cal. .55 in., anti-tank rifle.
What this entry requires
- INFOATF states no date; production was about 1937–1943.
- INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).
Editorial facts · Our research
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 82 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “Boys anti-tank rifle” ↗, country: infobox origin United Kingdom; the Mark I was 'built primarily at BSA in England'.
- 2. Wikipedia, “Boys anti-tank rifle” ↗, action: infobox action bolt-action rifle; 'A bolt action rifle fed from a five-shot magazine'.
- 3. Wikipedia, “Boys anti-tank rifle” ↗, years: approved for service in November 1937; infobox production date 1937–1940.
- 4. tanks-encyclopedia.com ↗, years: Tanks Encyclopedia: 'By the end of 1943, when the weapon ceased production, a total of 114,081 Boys of all marks had been produced'. Sources disagree on the end (1940 vs 1943); y keeps 1943 to cover both.
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- None
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “ARMY TRAINING 001 013-0.55 inch Boys Anti-tank rifle.jpg” by War Office official photographer, Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “Boys anti-tank rifle”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The Boys anti-tank rifle is a British anti-tank rifle used during the Second World War. It was often nicknamed the "elephant gun" by its users due to its size and large 0.55 in (14 mm) bore.