What SMLE would Canada have used?

rci2950

rci2950

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Talking the Number one now. What would the manufacture be? We were making the ross at the time. Were we officially using the Lee Enfield then? My SMLE is made by London Small Arms and is the III designation with no star. It has the magazine cut off but no windage adjustment on sight and no volly sight. Is it possible this is a Canadian used one? I was doing some reading on Wikipedia etc but i can't seem to find anywhere who was making them for us.

Picture just because threads are always disappointing without pics.

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Just like that yes. I've been told in WWI we didn't mark them with the C^ yet. If that's true yours could be one of them. I have a BSA and Sanderson bayonet both C^ marked. My rifle appears non refurbed, and is all matching.
 
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flying pig said:
The rifle appears non refurbed, and is all matching.
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Unfortunately it is all mismatched but looks well and i am happy with it. Like i said i bought it to enjoy and not to sell. The bolt is miss matched and the butt has a big "S" stamped in the top by the plate that i am assuming means its a savage butt stock. So bolt and butt are miss matched but the rest is good. What got me thinking about it thought was the interesting markings on it. The trigger guard and magazine have some marks someone scratched in that (if you were trying hard to believe) a Nova Scotia flag.
 
Here is the scratched in thing i was talking about. It is probably just someone did it as a way to keep track of their magazine. I hope it is something more interesting though. But probably nothing


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here is the "S" in the butt that is making me think it is a Savage Stock. Does this mean something different?

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It won't be a Savage stock. Savage made No.4 rifles, and as far as I know, didn't make any parts for the No.1 rifle.
 
kjohn said:
It won't be a Savage stock. Savage made No.4 rifles, and as far as I know, didn't make any parts for the No.1 rifle.
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Thats good to know. then the only thing miss matched is the bolt. Is say this because the stock is the exact same colour as the rest of the wood. It doesn't look different. I have seen other mixed up rifles and you could tell because of the different shades.
 
I think they stopped making them with volley sights in 1915 (my books are at home). Canadian SMLEs weren't made by any particular manufacturer, IIRC they wpuod just have been provided by the British War Office. In facf during WW2 most the remainder in Canada were actually given to Britain to be replaced by US M1917s. I have a 1918 SSA that's Canadian marked that was refurbed by Lithgow at some point.
 
During WW1 and to a lessor extent during WW2 it was common to have rifles discarded, battlefield pick up, swapped around among troops and armies or traded for better rifles. That is why some countries had rifles of other country origin among their inventory. I have seen examples of Indian made SMLE rifles that were arsenal overhauled or issued in Australia, England and South Africa, same thing with British made SMLE rifles in Australia and Indian service and Australian made SMLE rifles in British, Indian and South African service or arsenal refurbed by those countries.

These above militaries cared little about the maker as long as the rifle met their issue pattern and was serviceable for issue and use by their own troops.
 
mkrnel said:
During WW1 and to a lessor extent during WW2 it was common to have rifles discarded, battlefield pick up, swapped around among troops and armies or traded for better rifles. That is why some countries had rifles of other country origin among their inventory. I have seen examples of Indian made SMLE rifles that were arsenal overhauled or issued in Australia, England and South Africa, same thing with British made SMLE rifles in Australia and Indian service and Australian made SMLE rifles in British, Indian and South African service or arsenal refurbed by those countries.

These above militaries cared little about the maker as long as the rifle met their issue pattern and was serviceable for issue and use by their own troops.
Click to expand...

I concur.
 
production and, when the approved modifications were adopted on 2nd January, 1916, the rifle became the SHORT MAGAZINE LEE-ENFIELD, MARK III*. The modifications were: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Omission of long range dial and aperture sight. Lug on striker collar omitted. Swivel lugs on trigger-guard replaced by wire loop. Wind-gauge on backsight replaced by a fixed cap. Body not slotted and drilled for the cut-off, which was omitted. Later—butt marking discs were omitted.
 
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