It's been almost 25 years since my last Short Magazine Lee Enfield, but a recent winning bid at an auction house corrected that. The description of "nice condition" was an understatement: A last-year production (1955) Fazakerley with all the good stuff I want on a Number 4; pristine bore and unmarked bolt face. It must have immediately gone into the greased paper wrap. They even included the tags from the wrap.



(Penny thinks that since I'm outside with a rifle there must be a squirrel in that tree.)

A gorgeous example of one of my favorite bolt rifles.

Is that call it a rollmark original on left side or a modern laser numbering that was added?
Thanks for removing some of my ignorance of these.

Condition looks amazing!

eta
I like how you color coordinate your pets with your rifles.

HK Ag

I remember seeing a similar auction last week or so; perhaps they found several. It also was ROF made, in '54 or '55. Alas, my beat-up Mk1*s from Savage in '42 will have to do.

ETA--believe it or not, the dealer I bought my two No.4s from back in bygone days has a new in wrap Mk2! I shall not divulge what he's asking for that one though.

Original markings.... Of course, now that I've got correctly-sized pictures figured out, Pissbucket decides to put their banner across the pics.

Beautiful. Love the Lee Enfields. I like the No.1 Mk.III’s the best though.

Thanks for showing.

I hate you.



I’ve been jonesing for one for a while, but can’t see dropping $550 for one...here in central Texas that’s the cost at local shows

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
I hate you.



I’ve been jonesing for one for a while, but can’t see dropping $550 for one...here in central Texas that’s the cost at local shows

I hear ‘ya. Gone are the days of $59.95 beat up SMLE’s at the local gun show. Or $200 refurbished in the mummy wrap No.4’s.

Or cheap surplus rifles period.

There are still deals to be had. You just have to work a littler harder for them.

I've slowed down my surplus rifle buying significantly in the last couple years, due to bigger financial priorities like renovating/repairing our house. But from 2008-2018ish, well after the "heyday" of the cheap surplus rifles, I had lots of success finding inexpensive Enfields and other surplus rifles through local gun shops, pawn shops, milsurp forums, and Armslist.

No, they're not as prevalent as they used to be. And long gone are the days of gun shops having a barrel full of dozens of rifles for $50 each, or distributors have a warehouse full of mail order rifles for $25 each. But with some patience, diligence, and luck, you can still find good deals out there.

Here are some shots of my British Enfield collection, all of which was purchased within the past 7 years, and none of which cost me more than $400.

Specifically, two of the four No. 1 Mk. IIIs (and related .308 2A1s) cost me $250-$300, and I got one in trade for a spam can of 7.62x54R (the equivalent of ~$40 to me), and another in trade for a Turkish M38 Mauser that I had $100 in. The newest and most expensive was the like new (though not new in wrap) Maltby No. 4 Mk. I that I bought off the Gunboards forum for $400. The P14 cost me $290 on Gunbroker. The No. 5 Jungle Carbine was a trade for a Polish Wz. 29 Mauser that I had $145 in.

And I used to have a couple more Enfields that I used as trade fodder during the same time period, which I had also acquired for under $300.

Nice deal on the P14!!! You are right. The deals are just there you have to look.

I am currently fixing up a 1907 No.1. For the most part left untouched through military refurbishing. Still has the adjustable windage rear sight and even the bone tabs on the elevation ladder. Lots of original parts on her. I will show you when finished.

As someone who got my first milsurps back in the 1980's, I understand where you're coming from on prices. But here's another way to look at it: If someone was producing an equivalent rifle today, made from forged and milled steel, with wood stocks, how much do you think it would cost? Just look at the machining on a rear sight like my Enfield or 1903 Springfield (along with the development work on matching markings and adjustments to cartridge projectile ballistics) and think about what that would cost today! If you find one in decent shape for a price you can afford, they might still be bargains.

It's beautiful. It looks brand new.

beautiful rifles to all who posted in this thread.

I was given a 1907 SMLE last year by a kindly gentleman I met once. He passed and he insisted his family give me the gun since they were all "liberal wussies." He passed the gun on to me. Its a great shooter and now i'm wanting a no 5 jungle.
red dawn video game

Nice. Like the color of that wood. Looks like an original or at least an earlier magazine. No charger “bridge” either. Very cool.

quote:

Originally posted by 357fuzz:
Nice. Like the color of that wood. Looks like an original or at least an earlier magazine. No charger “bridge” either. Very cool.

Yeah, gw3971's is not one of the much more common No. 1 Mk. III SMLEs.

It's one of the earlier No. 1 Mk. I SMLEs.

And considering the Mk III was introduced in January 1907, his 1907 dated Mk. I was likely one of the last Mk. Is produced before the changeover.

Rather than a bridge on the receiver for chargers (stripper clips), the Mk. I has half of the charger guide on the receiver and the other half built into the bolt face.

Ian demonstrates this starting at about 5:02 in this video:




Link to original video: https://youtu.be/7S2-ItCQC6o?t=303

Rogue....
I hate you too...

I was gonna start cruising the pawn shops when everything got shut down..

I might put a sign up at the gun club. (can’t believe they don’t have a swap shop on their website)

Rogue, the one on the left of the screen shot you posted is almost exactly the rear sight and “protective ears” I have in my ‘07.

I picked it up a couple years ago at a gun show. Extremely dirty and the wood is dinged up bad but, when I started looking it over and started to take inventory of all the original/early parts I couldn’t get my money out fast enough.

WD-40 will get rid on the musty smell and give it a sweet smell.

Awww, Enfield No. 4. Kills at one end maimes at the other. LoL

No, really. I love them. I have a special place in my heart for them. I think that they are the pinnacle of bolt action miliatry rifles.

I have a nice example of a No.4 Mk I* and it shoots well. I have won a couple of "miliatry bolt action rifle" matches with it.

I would love to have a example like that.


ARman