yellow painte on lee enflield

Bazzoka_Joe said:
Hi I just got an SMLE. When i first removed the hand-guard I found some yellow paint on it. Just wondering what is the purpose of the paint?

thanks
Click to expand...

Quoted from Milsurps.

yellow paint, signifying “OK for occasional use with ball”. The yellow markings were usually due to a minor imperfection like a pitted bore, poor trigger, bad bedding, a superficial stock crack, etc. These paint bands would have included the nosecap and extended to midway between the nosecap and barrel band.
Click to expand...

http://www.milsurps.com/content.php?r=135-1944-ShtLE-(Short-Lee-Enfield)-No.1-MkIII*-Infantry-Rifle
 
Some LEs were painted under the wood as a rust preventer. Yellow paint was applied externally to indicate arm was meant for drill purpose (DP) only.
 
Up to the start of WWII Enfield rifles were inspected four times per year, three mini visual inspections and one yearly complete tear-down inspection by the armourers. (Source the 1931 Inspection for Armourers)

After Dunkirk it was decided to only inspect and repair the Enfield rifle as necessary, all areas below the wood line were painted instead of packing this area with mineral jelly (Vaseline petroleum jelly) once per year during the tear-down inspection. Also during the yearly tear-down inspections the stock would be hot dipped in a tank of raw linseed oil by the armourers. Below along with the painting you will see the raw linseed oil was issued to the troops and they were to oil the stock once per month. Bottom line, paint it and if it ain't broke don't fix it.



Page-10.jpg

Page-11.jpg
 
This is one of the rifles sold by Marstar about 20 plus years ago. He had a huge shipment of rifles from Ozz and all marked the same way. The only off spec item I could find on them, having purchased a number of them, was the bores were not shiny and apparently they were used for Cadet and blank firing. All other spec's were on, after checking them with my gauge sets...... I know a lot of the yellow paint was removed on many as they got sold off over the years but it was a bugger to get off some of the wood and the nosecap.
 
wheaty said:
This is one of the rifles sold by Marstar about 20 plus years ago. He had a huge shipment of rifles from Ozz and all marked the same way. The only off spec item I could find on them, having purchased a number of them, was the bores were not shiny and apparently they were used for Cadet and blank firing. All other spec's were on, after checking them with my gauge sets...... I know a lot of the yellow paint was removed on many as they got sold off over the years but it was a bugger to get off some of the wood and the nosecap.
Click to expand...

Yes, I had a Lithgow SMLE I bought at Lovett's in Kitchener. the last foot of it was dipped in yellow paint. The bore was dark...very sad as the rifle was otherwise gorgeous and FTR'd with new wood.

The paint was a bugger to get off, agreed.
 
i don't think that's a marstar rifle it is a no5 mk1 ROF(f) 10/44 , when i revived the rifle was in cosmoline well it is dry up and varnish like i have used acetone on the none paint surface and iso alcohol on the painted ones to removed it (the cosmoline) , the barrel is like a mirror and it shoot like a dream no wandering zero
 
Last edited:
green said:
Some LEs were painted under the wood as a rust preventer.
Click to expand...

Yep. Common during post war refurbishment. It means yours hasn't been dicked with since the 'forties. I have a no1mk3* that was the same way. I oiled everything and left the under paint on. After all, no sign of rust 70 years later, means it's working, why mess with it, it's unseen under the wood.

For those that don't know what I'm talking about, it's a dark mustard coloured rust preventative applied to the metal only, where it is covered by the wood of the stock. Externally, nothing is visible.
 
Bazzoka_Joe said:
what do yon mean by afaik? a fake ?

well i dont think this is a fake one everything on it is pretty antique I have compare to another no5 mk1 ROF(F) all the marking where the same expte the date en serial
Click to expand...

Afaik : As far as I know

Everything is good on your end, these guys are still talking about a group of Marstar rifles from years ago that had yellow paint on the outer surfaces, nothing to do with you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom