EAL 303 information, please

capercanuck

capercanuck

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I just picked this rifle up today, but I'm not sure why......guess 'cause it was in nice condition. I'm a leftie and will never use it!

Anyway, I picked up this EAL 303 rifle. It's a sporter looking rifle.

I know nothing about it.

I've done a quick google search but there's nothing like this site for accurate information.

I'd like the following information:

1. Is this a military issue rifle?

2. How old is it?

3. Is the rear site original, or installed later?

4. Since I'll probably be trading or selling it, what would a reasonable price be to ask?

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EAL took over from Long Branch and continued making rifles that were used by the Northern Rangers, a para-military unit with the Canadian armed forces made up mainly of native Canadians in the far north. As civilians, they are not permitted to use the select fire weapons now in use with the military and are still, to the best of my knowledge, using the Lee Enfield & EAL rifles. I understand the military are now looking for a replacement bolt action in .308. I believe the sight on the photo is one of the standard sights used on these rifles. I think they all had the red rubber recoil pad as well. I bought mine thinking it was a sporter and resold it before I learned what it was. There was one at the Irishtown Gun Show in NB this past spring. I think it was priced around $200.
 
The EAL(Essential Agencies Limited) was a Markham, Ontario company founded in 1945 to import/export sporting goods. From 1953 - 60 it had rifles assembled by a Toronto job shop. It purchased surplus receivers, barrels and other components from CA (Canadian Arsensals) who were on their last legs. Lots has been written lately about this little company and my info comes from the well know author Charles Stratton d. Warren Wheatfield (hope you don't mind Warren) has wriiten a technical paper as well..it's on one of the Enfield websites.

Approx 7000 rifles were assembled. "Commerical Model" serial number range from 0 to 5000 while the "Military Model" ranges from 5001 to 6999. The military model was also sold to the public as well as the Canadian Forces for the Rangers. CF serial number range 6000 to 6999. Some in the CF range were scoped with "Tasco" variables.

These were produced to compete with Parker hale, Churchill, Globco and a few others. These were sold by Hudson Bay, Simpson Sears, Eatons and many small sporting good stores mainly in Eastern Canada and Ontario.

I've studied and collected these for sometime. There's lots of variation from 2 to 5 groove barrels and wood profiles.

Ron
 
rgg_7 said:
The EAL(Essential Agencies Limited) was a Markham, Ontario company founded in 1945 to import/export sporting goods. From 1953 - 60 it had rifles assembled by a Toronto job shop. It purchased surplus receivers, barrels and other components from CA (Canadian Arsensals) who were on their last legs. Lots has been written lately about this little company and my info comes from the well know author Charles Stratton d. Warren Wheatfield (hope you don't mind Warren) has wriiten a technical paper as well..it's on one of the Enfield websites.

Approx 7000 rifles were assembled. "Commerical Model" serial number range from 0 to 5000 while the "Military Model" ranges from 5001 to 6999. The military model was also sold to the public as well as the Canadian Forces for the Rangers. CF serial number range 6000 to 6999. Some in the CF range were scoped with "Tasco" variables.

These were produced to compete with Parker hale, Churchill, Globco and a few others. These were sold by Hudson Bay, Simpson Sears, Eatons and many small sporting good stores mainly in Eastern Canada and Ontario.

I've studied and collected these for sometime. There's lots of variation from 2 to 5 groove barrels and wood profiles.

Ron
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Well, live and learn. All along I was led to believe that EAL stood for Eastern Arms Limited.

That's what an ex RCAF officer told me, he being knowledgeable about it because it was an

RCAF survival rifle.
 
Nice! Looks like the rifle we'd throw into the electronics bay of the CP121 Tracker when deploying on northern patrols back in the 70's and 80's.
 
You have an original Military contract purpose built for the RCAF Survival rifle. I have a minty one but mine is the Civilian EAL version. Strangely the mil version has civilian type rear sights and a five round mag, where as the civilian version has the military type two position 200 and 400yd peep sight and the ten round mag?? go figure. You would of thought that it would have been the other way around.

Are you interested in selling it or trading it... I have cash, guns, and pistols to barter with..

cheers
 
Congratulations SC. It`s going to a good home.

You are lucky I spent so much on Christmas, or you would have had some stiffer competition.
 
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I have had several of the civilian ones over the years, and they were just another sporter in my mind. Not really any different than some of the no4s that were changed into pseudo jungle carbines or various tanker adaptations back in the 90s by some of the US companies, with the exception that these were done in Canada with new components, specially made or adapted from Canadian arsenals stock.

The military one has some meaning, and is considerably rarer. There were up to 5000 of the civilian ones produced, the bulk of which would have been sold in Canada. Generally, the survival rate for civilian rifles is pretty high, so likely the bulk of them are still out there somewhere. I saw another one show up at the Brandon gunshow last weekend, where a board member id'd it and bought it.

The military ones however, do not have the same survival rate. Up to 2000 may have been made, and some seem to have been released. It is also possible that some of the design change that the military purchased overlapped into civilian sales as well. There were still some of these in DND stock a year or so ago, but other than what finds it way to museums, the remainder are destined to be smelted, as many previous DND ones likely were.
Many of the military examples found had the extra holes in the side for the scope mount. With the scope mount removed, the holes detract from the rifle. This rifle appears to be clean and never drilled, which was why I negotiated the deal with capercanuck for it.
 
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stencollector said:
It will likely never see the brush for the duration of my lifetime. In fact, if it's like 90% of my firearms, it may never see natural daylight again.
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yEAH.. Locked up for another few decades.. Alas we are but custodians of these rare birds, Not owners can't take them with us, just give them good temporary homes, then turn them over to other good homes. Be sure to have an estate plan just in case, so that when the time comes for these old girls to move on, that they will move on in an efficient manner. We don't like seeing a situation where the cops come in and steal these from an unprepared estate only to have them be destroyed. Hope you all catch my drift..

Bud Haynes for my collection if a sudden need arises in my home.
 
Funny how things work. i just got given a millitary style one that is mint mint. i doubt it has been fired. blueing is exceptional. it only has one small problem. ITS CUT IN HALF i almost cryed. so, if anyone has one that needs a good buttstock, bbl, sights i have a good doner. its been cut with a chopsaw 1" behind the chamber . i stripped it today for all its parts i could use, clean as can be inside. like i said, i almost cryed

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