[Maximus1]

I'm thinking about getting one of these as a shooter, and a feral hog gun. Anyone have experience with this rifle? What do you think?

 

[Tranter45]

These have been described as the best bolt action battle rifles ever made. Ten shot mags and accurate - you will not go wrong with one of thes, provided you can get ammo there. I have owned dozens of Enfields in various configerations.

 

[dogface6]

Excellent rifles - good issue sights, smooth actions and accurate, to boot.

Make sure it's all-matching.

 

[ohiobuckeye]

Very tough, accurate, and one of the fastest operating bolt actions around. If you can get past the ugly, it will do the job for you.

 

[Chaffee]

I have had a No.1 mk 4, a No.4 mk 1, a Savage made No.4 sporter and a No.5 jungle carbine. Still have the carbine and wish like heck I'd have kept the others. They are very good rifles imo and I bought mine when they were $75. What are these going for now?

I really like the sights on the No.'s 4 and 5.

 

[Rio]

Great piece of kit and ammo is easily reloaded. Buy a British made one if possible.


Rio

 

[Rio]

Chaffee, a nice No. 4 goes for around $500+ over here. The SMLE a little more.

Rio

 

[Chaffee]

Chaffee, a nice No. 4 goes for around $500+ over here. The SMLE a little more.

Rio

Yeah I should have kept them. I sold the No.1 (1918 Lithgow) and the No.4 (1953? Long Branch) years ago and doubled my money ($150 ea. or so). The Savage had been sporterized and I never liked it that much. Still have the carbine and I plan on keeping it. Over here you used to see these all over the place and cheap. Now you almost never see them at shows. I really liked the action and the 10rd capacity. Good old rifles.....

 

[Rio]

A good genuine No. 5 is a bit more expensive but there are more than a few that were originally No. 4's and have been "modified".

Rio

 

[bmcgilvray]

I have some various WWI, WWII, and post-war .303s around here. Great rifles and a wonderful high-powered rifle cartridge.

Here's a non-import marked No. 4 Mk 2 I picked up around 1990 for 30 bucks. Twenty-something years later I finally gathered up up a stock set (with long butt no less) and assorted hardware to put it back. A sho' 'nuff shooter, it's been pleasing off the bench and for some informal long range (300-500 yard) fun.

Before

The stock set before the coats of raw linseed oil. No stain was utilized.

Notice the difference the oil finish makes. Flaxseed oil is raw linseed oil if you can't find it otherwise.

Finished rehab project

 

[bmcgilvray]

Hi Rio;

Have a friend who lives in West Yorkshire near Wakefield whon we go over to see on occasion. He had a pretty decent collection of guns until the '97 handgun ban. I'm even still mad about that and I didn't have to sustain the loss.

 

[Oyeboten]

The 'Lee' of the 'Lee Enfield' is of course the American ( Scottish immigrant ) inventor James Paris Lee, who invented/patented the detachable Box Magazine.


I have one of the Mk.III No. 1 Models, dating to 1914, and I am very happy with it, a very good Rifle in every way.

Image of the Mk III NO.1 ( which is my favorite pattern of them )


I like the Stock ending right at the Muzzle, with close to no overhang of the Barrel.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Lee-Enfield_Mk_III_(No_1_Mk_3)_-_AM.032056.jpg


Got mine out of 'Shotgun News' when they were $49.00 for a nice one ( and mine is pretty darned nice, too )...which was in the mid 1990s if memory serve. Came slathered in old, hard, dry Cosmolene, inside and out.

 

[Maximus1]

What do the sporterized weigh, and how much accuracy and range do you lose? Do you like the Santa Fe or the original jungle V better as a shooter?

 

[.455Eley]

I had a Lithgow (Aussie) No.1 Mk.III* for several years and loved it. It never let me down. The have an action second only to the Krag for smoothness and the Enfields are infinitely stronger. Plus the butt was designed to be able to be used as a club and the bayonet can double as a short sword, what's cooler than that. Being wrong handed, I sold mine after I got an M1. Much easier for me to use. With the rimmed ammo you just have to remember to load the cartridges toward the front of the magazine and slide them back, otherwise you can get rimlock that to those inexperienced with rimmed bolt actions (like myself) can make the rifle seem like it's completely locked up.

 

[Oyeboten]

I had a Lithgow (Aussie) No.1 Mk.III* for several years and loved it. It never let me down. The have an action second only to the Krag for smoothness and the Enfields are infinitely stronger. Plus the butt was designed to be able to be used as a club and the bayonet can double as a short sword, what's cooler than that. Being wrong handed, I sold mine after I got an M1. Much easier for me to use. With the rimmed ammo you just have to remember to load the cartridges toward the front of the magazine and slide them back, otherwise you can get rimlock that to those inexperienced with rimmed bolt actions (like myself) can make the rifle seem like it's completely locked up.

Good remind there about the Cartridge Rims!


Also nice about the Lee Enfields, is the detachable Magazine, so you can have additional charged Magazines in ready, if needed...no 'stipper clips' into a Magazine Well or other hassles.


A very fast and smooth Bolt action also, just as others are relaying.


I myself almost never care for 'Sporterized' ex-Military Rifles, unless they happen to have been done politely in the pre-War era with Mannlicher style Stock.

I have never liked a Barrel sticking out from the Stock! Lol...

 

[Rio]

Hi Rio;

Have a friend who lives in West Yorkshire near Wakefield whon we go over to see on occasion. He had a pretty decent collection of guns until the '97 handgun ban. I'm even still mad about that and I didn't have to sustain the loss.

Yes, it was a sad day and a pointless exercise. Cost the tax payer millions of pounds and gun crime was not affected in the slightest. Fortunately I disposed of my SAA Colts (at a profit) before it happened but I did have to hand in a very nice DS and a mint Diamondback (took the ivory grips off first) along with a couple of Scouts and two Armi San Marco SAA clones. Not to mention the CZ75.

Rio

 

[Tranter45]

After WW2 our pea-brained lawmakers decided we could not be trusted with military calibre rifles. Sporting rifles were difficult to obtain so tens of thousands of Lee Enfields were converted/sleeved to 303/270, 303/25 and 303/22. Most were "sporterised" by chopping the fore-end and dumping the topwood - still quite a few around but factory ammo is becoming scarce. After the calibre restriction was lifted the government decided all surplus Military Enfields must be sold overseas. A local dealer/importer bulk purchased them though a Canadian agent and they were exported then immediately re-imported and large numbers are still available in original military configeration. The Lithgow manufactured are the most prized by collectors.

 

[Rio]

Image of the Mk III NO.1 ( which is my favorite pattern of them )



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Lee-Enfield_Mk_III_(No_1_Mk_3)_-_AM.032056.jpg

That's a nice SMLE in the photograph. In that condition, if everything matches and it has a good bore, it could probably bring close to $1000 over here.

Rio

 

[bearcat6]

What would a complete No 4 MK 1 T go for over there? I have four of them including one of the 1931 trials rifles that was converted to a sniper when the war started.

 

[Rio]

To be honest, bearcat I really don't know. But if they are in the original cases then I would guess you are looking at anything from around $4000 (each) upwards depending on condition. You might want to Google "the Barbican Armoury" in Durham. He is an FFL who is into this sort of thing and will probably give you a better idea. You'll be able to contact him by email.

Rio