Help me identify this Enfield
- Thread starter weasel1
- Start date
I agree. Easy to restore it with the Indian and English wood available but to bring it back to lithgow specs with coachwood stock, probably very difficult unless you get lucky or pay the high prices when they come up on eBay. We all have different views but I would get no pleasure from rebuilding it with anything but the correct parts. It's not really restoring in my view. On the other hand, if your patient and like a challenge go for it, coachwood is around, just more scarce.
Looks beautiful Steve! As an aside, I didn't know you had found a source of uncut stock ends: I know you couldn't buy the ones I had found for you at the time a year or two ago. I wish the wood on my ishapore 2a1 was as pretty...
PS. It's Thomas ~ my folks, the Hart(s), are the ones who live in Loon Lake: I was the young-ish son who was visiting them
. Cheers!
PS. It's Thomas ~ my folks, the Hart(s), are the ones who live in Loon Lake: I was the young-ish son who was visiting them
. Cheers!It's a sporterized Lithgow No. I Mk. III*, that has been drilled and tapped for a scope.
Approx value in that condition: about $100
The barrel wasn't cut, so it's restorable to original condition: the d&t holes can be filled in, replacement wood can be found. I just finished restoring a Lithgow SMLE, very similar to yours.
I paid $70 for mine at a Kamloops gun show a few years back, and mine had a crudely scratched "R" on the knox form- the flat area of the barrel just forward of the breech. The "R" meant that there was rust in the barrel- a couple of large patches about halfway down the bore.
Yours appears to have something on the knox- can you post a picture?
What does the muzzle look like? On mine, the last quarter inch or so was badly worn- you could barely make out where the lands and grooves used to be.
Here's mine- I'm going to do a write-up on it soon:
Hi Thomas- yes, I ended up ordering a forend from Numrich. What with shipping and handling and all it cost around $100. When I finally had some $, this was my best option.
Shoots very well,too. I'll post some pics soon, maybe this weekend if I get a spare moment.
Shoots very well,too. I'll post some pics soon, maybe this weekend if I get a spare moment.
Sporter conversion at one point.
On the very back vertical face of the bolt handle between the round bolt knob and the bolt body. It should have the same stamp style as the breech and barrel. If the flat surface has been ground and the numbers stamped with a different style of number punch it's said to be 'force matched'. Occasionally there is a second serial number stamped on the underside of the bolt handle but it is rare and an indication of some force matching by someone.
Does force matched suggest civilian replacement? Often bolts replaced legitimately in service will have varying style and font to the action serial number.
A second number on the under side if the bolt handle is very common on lithgow made rifles. This number was also stamped on the rear of the action adjacent to the bolt way when bolts were mated to the action during assembly and is called the proof action assembly number.
A second number on the under side if the bolt handle is very common on lithgow made rifles. This number was also stamped on the rear of the action adjacent to the bolt way when bolts were mated to the action during assembly and is called the proof action assembly number.
I've seen forced matches well done that I expect were military, but I've also see where someone has rough ground off the old one and stamped in numbers that look like they are from a modern punch set (not even an attempt to re-blue). These I expect are civilian but could be wrong. If they are civilian you have to ask yourself why all the bother?
My Lithgow with matching bolt has the second number stamped into it and rear of the action as you describe it.
