[52], During the Second World War, standard No. Long before the No. It was unsuitable for general issue and production ceased in 1947, due to an 'inherent fault in the design', often claimed to be a 'wandering zero' and accuracy problems.[47]. Rifle No 5 on display at the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum. The insurance guy I use has no clue on guns, I have asked before. Thanks for all you answers. De ransel op de rug deel 2. Rack number?, club inventory number? 1944present (produced 19441947) BSA-Shirley produced 81,329 rifles and ROF Fazakerley 169,807 rifles. So as to match critical parts, serial number was also stamped under the rear sight leaf (and fore-ends, nosecaps, bolts, of Lee-Enfields too). Over 1,500 conversions were made, including a handful by Electrolux using Lithgow SMLE Mk III* rifles.[79]. Both were located at Long Branch, Ontario. Thanks to inter-war development, an improved and simplified design was waiting in the wings, and the No. Just a ball park would work, I have seen some Enfield for $600 and some for $2500. 4 Mk I and No. bear - am i not seeing 1949 ? 4 Mk. for the rest of the story you need to post some really good photos , there is a question or two that jump to mind but ill leave those to the more knowledgeable among us . [22], A shorter and lighter version of the original MLEthe famous Rifle, Short, Magazine, LeeEnfield, or SMLE (sometimes spoken as 'Smelly', rather than S, M, L, E)[14]was introduced on 1 January 1904. 123 Main Street Anywhere City, USA 55555 Phone: (555) 555-5555 Email Map & Directions Hours of Operation Follow Us On Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ Pinterest RSS Feeds Blog Posts, Gallery Images, Forum Topics Login Email: Password: Remember Me Forgot Password? The rifle was also equipped with a detachable sheet-steel, 10-round, double-column magazine, a very modern development in its day. The No. The wood shows scuffs and bruises from handling - may clean up even nicer, metal is 90+ condition original finish. The rifle became known simply as the 'three-oh-three'. Volley Sights Arabic butt disc marked ( Ottoman Empire captured) This has come out of the 'Hans Gnter Collection' 890.00. I* (T) were the standard WWII sniper rifles for the British and for the Commonwealth, except for Australia. [14], During both World Wars and the Korean War, a number of LeeEnfield rifles were modified for use as sniper rifles. The receiver-mounted rear sights and magazine cutoff were also present and 1,025 units were produced in the 1930 period.[38]. 4 Mk II rifle, which they marketed as the AIA No. The main difference between the two conversions was in the cartridge ejection arrangement; the Enfield magazine carried a hardened steel projection that struck the rim of the extracted case to eject it, the Sterling system employed a spring-loaded plunger inserted into the receiver wall. 4 MK. 4 Mark I* was the primary rifle of the British and Canadian armed forces during WWII, and it served well into the 1950s. 2s Modified to Mk. 4 Mk 2 rifle, the British refurbished many of their existing stocks of No. Previous conversions to Drill Purpose (DP) of otherwise serviceable rifles were not considered to be sufficiently incapable of restoration to fireable state and were a potential source of reconversion spares. Your rifle,even with your 252 serial number does not mean it is pretty rare. 4 and No. "UF" is a Fazakerley serial number prefix found only on 1955 dated Mk2 rifles (page 26 of Charles Stratton's book, British Enfield Rifles Vol. I* (T) sniper rifles. These were known as .22 Pattern 1914 Short Rifles[59] during The First World War and Rifle, No. 303 Mk. The No. www.skennerton.com/NewBooks.htm MAGAZINE LEE RIFLES & CARBINES Lee-Metford Lee-Enfield Note: Charger loaders and conversions are family. Brunei: used by the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and Royal Brunei Police Force during the early days. First debuted in November 1895 as the .303 calibre, Rifle, Magazine, Lee-Enfield, the rifle has still found use today in military, sporting and ceremonial roles - over one hundred years since its inception in its original form. 4 action was similar to the Mk VI, but stronger and most importantly, easier to mass-produce. TonyE R.I.P. The LeeEnfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle that served as the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century. yah I dont have a clue ether. 4 Mk I/3. Perhaps this is how the 1950s serial got onto a 1942 rifle? [99], 'Khyber Pass Copies', as they are known, tend to be copied exactly from a 'master' rifle, which may itself be a Khyber Pass Copy, markings and all, which is why it's not uncommon to see Khyber Pass rifles with the 'N' in 'Enfield' reversed, amongst other things. Enfield Serial Number Discussion in '. The carbine subsequently was down graded to. Despite a rubber butt-pad, the .303 round produced excessive recoil due to the shorter barrel. Anschutz target rifles fall into this category, and their system is given on the page for these rifles. 5 rifles served in Korea (as did the No.1 Mk III* SMLE and sniper 'T' variants, mostly with Australian troops). Work on a long-range replacement cartridge began in 1910 and resulted in the .276 Enfield in 1912. The used value of an ENFIELD SMLE MARK 3 rifle has risen $89.20 dollars over the past 12 months to a price of $625.64 . [36] Many Mk III and III* rifles were converted to .22 rimfire calibre training rifles, and designated Rifle No. This means that final head space is not achieved until the bolt handle is turned down all the way. Initial production was 1,403 conversions of 19311933 troop trials No. 2 Mk. 4 rifles, except for the new barrel (which still retained the original No.4 rifle bayonet lugs) and magazine. No4 serial numbers too. III, largely due to its heavier barrel. such a low number. I rifles made at Enfield. [68] Production of this model was 19441946 and a few in 1950 to 1953.[69]. In the stowed position, a fixed distance aperture battle sight calibrated for 300 yd (274 m) protruded saving further precious seconds when laying the sight to a target. I cant seem to find his posting right now, but it might help explain things. There were more than 317,000 Mk I MLE rifles produced and nearly 600,000 Mk I* MLE rifles. These conversions were prompted by firearms legislation that made possession of a rifle chambered in a military cartridge both difficult and expensive. What does Smle stand for? 4 Mk 2. These were converted in late 1941 and into the later part of 1942. Khyber Pass Copy rifles cannot generally stand up to the pressures generated by modern commercial ammunition,[100] and are generally considered unsafe to fire under any circumstances.[14]. The magazine cutoff was also reintroduced and an additional band was added near the muzzle for additional strength during bayonet use. 2 Fazakeley Rifle. thats what I thought. 4 variant, a 'battle sight' was developed that allowed for two set distances of 300 yards and 600 yards to be quickly deployed and was cheaper to produce than the 'ladder sight'. The 'G.R.' I have no clue. [98], A number of British Service Rifles, predominantly the MartiniHenry and MartiniEnfield, but also the various LeeEnfield rifles, have been produced by small manufacturers in the Khyber Pass region of the Pakistani/Afghan border. The No. 1 Mk VI also introduced a heavier 'floating barrel' that was independent of the forearm, allowing the barrel to expand and contract without contacting the forearm and interfering with the 'zero', the correlation between the alignment of the barrel and the sights. I introduced in 1942, the Mk. 5 was shorter and 2 lb (0.9 kg) lighter. The British military switched over to the 7.6251mm NATO round in the 1950s; starting in 1970, over 1,000 of the No. Rifle Factory Ishapore of India still manufactures an sporting/hunting rifle chambered in .315 with a LeeEnfield action.[114]. I rifle as many collectors believe. During the recent civil war in Nepal, the government troops were issued LeeEnfield rifles to fight the Maoist rebels, and the Maoists were also armed with SMLE rifles, amongst other weapons. For example, BSA Shirley is denoted by M47C, ROF(M) is often simply stamped 'M', and BSA is simply stamped 'B'. III* (HT). [91][92] Also contributing to the total was the Rifle Factory Ishapore (RFI) at Ishapore in India, which continued to produce the SMLE in both .303 and 7.6251mm NATO until the 1980s, and is still manufacturing a sporting rifle based on the SMLE Mk III action, chambered for a .315 calibre cartridge[93] the Birmingham Small Arms Company factory at Shirley near Birmingham, and SAF Lithgow in Australia, who finally discontinued production of the SMLE Mk III* with a final 'machinery proving' batch of 1000 rifles in early 1956, using 1953-dated receivers. Externally the new rifle is very similar to the classic Mk III*, with the exception of the buttplate (the buttplate from the 1A SLR is fitted) and magazine, which is more 'square' than the SMLE magazine, and usually carries twelve rounds instead of ten,[88] although a number of 2A1s have been noted with 10-round magazines. 5 Mk I, designated Rifle, No. These design features facilitate rapid cycling and fire compared to other bolt-action designs like the Mauser. The Australian Army modified 1,612[51] Lithgow SMLE No. He sent me the serial number but I can't make heads or tails of it. Small numbers of LeeEnfield rifles were built as, or converted to, experimental automatic loading systems, such as the British Howell and South African Rieder and the best-known of which was the Charlton Automatic Rifle, designed by a New Zealander, Philip Charlton in 1941 to act as a substitute for the Bren and Lewis gun light machine guns which were in chronically short supply at the time. ISBN0-949749-37-0. 1 Mark III and No. BSA Co. 1917 dated, mag cut-off, matched serial numbers. Cannot find any broad arrows. [50], The term 'Jungle Carbine' was popularised in the 1950s by the Santa Fe Arms Corporation, a U.S. importer who refurbished many surplus rifles, converting many of the No. BOLT HEAD good idea, I will have. 5 Mk. The left side of the receiver is marked "No.4 Mk2 / UF 55 A17380". the British Army The Lee-Enfield . Police forces in both the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu continue to operate and maintain stocks of No.4 rifles. [21] Some of the MLEs (and MLMs) were converted to load from chargers, and designated Charger Loading LeeEnfields, or CLLEs. The charger bridge was no longer rounded for easier machining.The iron sight line was redesigned and featured a rear receiver aperture battle sight calibrated for 300 yd (274 m) with an additional ladder aperture sight that could be flipped up and was calibrated for 2001,300 yd (1831,189 m) in 100 yd (91 m) increments. with lettered prefixes. [29], The inability of the principal manufacturers (RSAF Enfield, The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited and London Small Arms Co. Ltd) to meet military production demands, led to the development of the 'peddled scheme', which contracted out the production of whole rifles and rifle components to several shell companies. It is possible to obtain a 10-round (the maximum allowed by law) M14 magazines for the M10-B2 match rifles in particular, provided an import permit from the appropriate Licensing Services Division can be obtained in some States, yet Australian Federal Customs may still refuse importation on no valid grounds. III (Mk. The shorter length was controversial at the time: many Rifle Association members and gunsmiths were concerned that the shorter barrel would not be as accurate as the longer MLE barrels, that the recoil would be much greater, and the sighting radius would be too short. The stock and fore end was marked with broad white painted bands and the letters 'DP' for easy identification. It is essentially an updated N0. Ive just purchased a 1942 stamped Lee Enfield rifle which has a number 93L8939. Truth be known about Enfield serial numbers is simply, the serial number was used more for production counting than any other reason. Please record original details from right side of butt socket (left side for carbines) below the royal cypher (crown, V.R. [15] Total production of all LeeEnfields is estimated at over 17 million rifles.[8]. Please record original details from right side of butt socket (left side for carbines) below the royal cypher (crown, V.R. I rifles were made for Trials. Note 2: Savage-made LeeEnfield No. Serial numbers are found on the inside right, front of the body while.303 conversion numbers used the left side. The Rieder device could be installed straight away without the use of tools. I (T). 32 telescope progressed through three marks with the Mk. Fixed and adjustable aperture sights incorporated onto later variants. Khyber Pass Copies can be recognised by a number of factors, notably: British company Armalon Ltd[101] developed a number of rifles based on the Lee Enfield No 4. I have a lee Enfield no1 mark3. The serial number on this rifle is M / 25105 (by convention, the slash is used to indicate a different line). Visits: 75. Turkey: converted Ottoman-captured rifles to 7.9257mm Mauser. Lee Enfield Rifle Lookup Upgrade T Later 8 is in regular use with UK Cadet Forces as a light target rifle. For the quarter ending April 30th 1960, numbers were UB60 A63625 . 4 Mark I rifle was adopted on Nov. 15, 1939. British India: In service with British Indian Army throughout First and Second World Wars. Sterling Armaments of Dagenham, Essex produced a conversion kit comprising a new 7.62mm barrel, magazine, extractor and ejector for commercial sale. An Afghan mujahid carries a LeeEnfield in August 1985, Canadian Rangers, photographed in Nunavut, June 2011. 4 rifle as well. Unmodified muskets require handloading of ammunition, as the .410 Indian Musket cartridge was not commercially distributed and does not appear to have been manufactured since the 1950s. 5 Mk I as a 'Jungle Carbine'. I (T) and No. The Holland & Holland conversions usually have the contractor code 'S51' on the underside of the buttstock. 6, Mk I[49] was also developed, using an SMLE MK III* as a starting point (as opposed to the No. [107] LeeEnfield rifles have also been seen in the hands of both the Naxalites and the Indian police in the ongoing Maoist insurgency in rural India. 32 and its bracket (mount) were matched and serial numbered to a specific rifle.[54]. RFI, in India, converted a large number of MkIII rifles to single shot muskets, chambered for the .410 Indian Musket cartridge. I and converted to sniper equipment by Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield early in 1942. Sliding ramp rear sights, fixed-post front sights, 'dial' long-range volley; telescopic sights on sniper models. The products were marketed under alliterative names e.g. Peek! I do remember reading something by Peter Laidler, so forgive me if I dont recall it correctly. [12] Although officially replaced in the UK with the L1A1 SLR in 1957, it remained in widespread British service until the early/mid-1960s and the 7.62 mmL42A1 sniper variant remained in service until the 1990s. Matching serial numbers. http://www.enfieldcollector.com/serials.html. [26], The iconic LeeEnfield rifle, the SMLE Mk III, was introduced on 26 January 1907, along with a Pattern 1907 bayonet and featured a simplified rear sight arrangement and a fixed, rather than a bolt-head-mounted sliding, charger guide. 4 Mk. that serial is definetly a longbranch range , and not an early one , longbranch did make rifles from 48-56 , my records show 1944 production was 58L to 84L , 42 was 1L to 20L so that is out , i show 1950 production in the 91L to 95L range that looks to be correct . 2 3 rd Edition, Lee-Enfield No.4 and No. 1 Mk V), adopted a new receiver-mounted aperture sighting system, which moved the rear sight from its former position on the barrel. ), Rhineland Arms produces .45 ACP conversion kits for the LeeEnfield action using M1911 pistol magazines.[113]. Two crossed swords pointing down with the letters M and O on either side. Lee Enfield No.4 Mk. No5 rifles (Jungle Carbines) serial numbers consisted of a sequential 4 digit number starting with 0001 running through to 9999, the numbers were preceded by a letter prefix.