Enfield interest

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lyktohunt

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So lately I have been wanting to get an Enfield most likely WW2 era and I think I would like a full military version.
I have a couple of questions ,first is there a Canadian dealer that has good inventory and one of the things I am looking for is a model that has good apperature sights.
I do want something to shoot not just collect,so am also looking for any suggestions as to what make,era, barrel type Etc.
I do see sporters available pretty cheap but from what I see they often do not have apperature sights, I would not be against a sporter version as long has it has the sights I want.
I have been doing some reading about these old guns and have come to the realization that there is alot of variables in makes, models, manufactures, etc so am hoping someone might have some words of wisdom in hopes of narrowing the search as well as warning me of pitfalls.
Thanks
 
Canadian made and/or marked military rifles from either war seem to be at a premium. To fill the demand, some unscrupulous folks are buying Long Branch receivers and building "parts" guns out of them and flogging them as the real deal. If you are in the market for one, read the Enfield sticky in the Milsurp section and learn as much as you can retain. if you have a good buddy who's very knowledgeable, enlist his help. Deals can still be found out there, but they're few and far between. Keep and eye on auctions, gun shows, estate sales and (of course) the equipment exchange here. Almost without exception, you will find a lot of CGNer's who are more than willing to share knowledge and help you out. I've seen a few nice looking No.4 Lee Enfields in the Equipment Exchange, but mostly English made. Lots of luck mate, and if there's anything I can do to help, let me know.
 
woodchopper said:
oh no you have no idea what can or worms your about to open
once you do a little research........ bet you can't just buy one :D
Click to expand...

I am kind of concerned about that but it should be fun. I have one military rifle now ,its a bit different but is a military rifle from WW2 ,a Winchester 1894 PCMR 3030, so I guess I have started a collection and its high time I added to it. On CDB18 advise I checked out Ellwood Epps site where they had a few Enfields refurbished in India, is there any concern over these Indian refurbed rifles over another country?
 
The Indians are still using these rifles in their own military, replacing them in storage with FALs as newr-yet rifles are manufactured for front-line use.

Many people do not LIKE Indian-refurbed rifles as the standards of FINISH are not up to ours, but they ARE eminently serviceable.

GOOD thing to do is scoot over to milsurps dot com, take out a (free) membership and download your own (free) copy of SHOOT TO LIVE!: The Johnson Method of Musketry Coaching. This is the 1944 CANADIAN training manual for the Number 4 Rifle. It is lavishly illustrated and is still the BEST manual EVER on shooting a military bolt rifle with aperture sights.

There are about 7 different rear sights for the Number 4 Rifle. Likely the Mark 2 is the one you DON'T want: a little 300 - 600 flip sight. The Mark 1 has the micrometr-screw-thread adjustmnt, is the one capable of the finest adjustment..... and it was also the bottleneck in production, which is why all the others. There are also half-a-dozen different BUTT lengths for the Numbr 4 Rifle, in order that the Rifle may be fitted to the MEN. They are Bantam, Short Normal Long, Extra-Long, Extra-Extra-Long, the XL and XXL being Canadian issue only.

The biggest DRAWBACK with Lee-Enfield rifles has already been mentioned: they BREED. Like RODENTS they breed. I locked three into a closet once and now my whole place is over-run with them! Big ones, little ones, sportered ones, full-wood ones, scoped ones, iron-sight ones, Enfields and Beezas and Sparkys and Londons and Long Branches and Lithgows and Ishapores and Nationals and Standards, Siamese and Indonesian and I think there is a Pakistani POF trying to get in through the basement window!

The simple old Lee-Enfield Rifle can easily become a lifetime study.... and an addiction...... and a madness..... and you don't even notice because you're having too damned much FUN!

Welcome to the club!
 
Your best bet for a good shooting No4 at reasonable cost is one of the post war Fazakerly rifles made in the '50s. These rifles don't have the collector appeal of the earlier LE's but they're probably the best built No4 rifles available, and since the vast majority didn't see combat, they're in great shape.
 
Friend ENEFGEE has a very good point there; a post-war rifle is MUCH less likely to have been knocked-about.

If you like Canadian-built rifles, Long Branch built them slowly until after Korea.

But there ar just so many different factories. In War Two, the superbly upgraded Number 4 was built in 5 different plants, only one of which even EXISTED prior to the War. And they are all still out there.

Few days ago, Janice had to go to the powder room, something which ladies have a tendency to do. She went in and was surprised to find it occupied by a Savage, a Maltby, a little Faz and a pretty blonde Shirley, having an orgy! NOW WE KNOW!!!!

Turned out they were most apologetic. They were looking for the Powder Room, got the "powder room" by misteak!
 
Yep milsurps seem to breed like rabbits!!

I all started for me with an old enfield Sporter bought for almost nothing from a guy from work!! I shot the he'll out of it and then cleaned it and put it in the safe, then I opened the safe door one day and a Ross mkIII fell out then , an Sks, turk Mauser, no4 longbranch, a m38 carcano, Finn captured Mosin......I think that's it? Oh and a snider!!!

I swear every time I open the safe an extra gun is in there!!
 
I regret not picking up a few more when they where sold at all the department stores. A buddy bought a sniper rifle with the box and accessories for $75.00 at Sears back in 69. Brought it home and sporterized it, what a shame.
I have a nice Parker Hale conversion that was only $39.00 at Eatons.
 
Smellie is referring to this MKL entry scanned (thanks to Ian Robertson), in the Knowledge Library section Technical Articles for Milsurp Collectors and Re-loaders (click here)http://www.milsurps.com/content.php...esearch-for-milsurp-collectors-and-re-loaders

If you're going to do a lot of Enfield collecting or shooting them at the range, one of the best books I've ever read (and trained with) on shooting the Enfield rifle .

"Shoot-to-Live" - 1945 (click here)

Presenting the Johnson Method of Musketry Coaching As Adopted By the Canadian Army, Ottawa, Chief of the General Staff.

This is an excellent Canadian Government issued training manual. If you are specifically a collector and shooter of Lee Enfield rifles, you'll find this to be an outstanding reference work and it contains a wealth of information on how to properly shoot the No.4 Mk1 Enfield, although much of the content is applicable to any bolt action rifle. I remember being issued this manual as part of our regimental rifle team, when I was a little younger back in the early 60's. ;)

Hope this helps... :)

Regards,
Doug
 
Nice ones are still out there. Picked up a nearly unissued 1943 BSA Shirlkey with the Mki sight last year - it shoots like a laser beam.
 
My hand shakes as I type this.:rey2 It is difficult to put to words, the ever increasing desire to possess Lee Enfields. My first was a nice Churchill No.1 MkIII*, back in 1965. Oh boy! You should see the pile now!

As smellie says, they get in to the house and stay. BSAs, Maltbys, Ishapores, Lithgows, Indonesians, Longbranches, jeez, it never ends. Just having one of a certain type no longer satisfies you. Better have this one or that one, to go with such-and-such rifle.

Take up an nice old Lee Enfield, hold it, let your imagination go...... Was this rifle in Holland? Greece? Italy? Was she part of the D-Day?

Thank heavens the "sporterizing" has stopped, or nearly so. Even though millions were manufactured, you can't just walk into a hardware and take your pick anymore. Old guys told me you could buy them for $5 apiece at Farmer's Supply in Winnipeg. My buddy and I went to the old Army & Navy store in Regina in 1965. He bought a Jungle Carbine for about $35. I bought a CZ 98 for $35, both were unbubba'd. They had dozens of both, DOZENS!

You are done for, my friend. There is no help. I treasure each of my Lee Enfields. My cousin Gordon Irvine told me he "carried one all across Europe" in WWII. Rifles have spirit. You can sense the presence if you are settled enough. Take up a Lee Enfield, listen for the bagpipes, the shouted orders......
 
kjohn well written and said, I sure kick my self for kind of scorning some of the opportunitys I had to pick up some of these old gals in both sporters and full military dress.
I have a question for anyone, I see alot of sporters that do not have appeature sights, is that because they were removed or is it that the particular model they used for sporterizing did not come with them.
If it is because they have been removed then I assume it would be a simple fix to put the better apperature sights back on assuming one could find them or some other after market sight that would be fine to stick on a sporter
 
I have several that give me 'that' feeling. Only one is a sporter, and only one is not a Lee-Enfield. My new Mosin has that veteran feel, my '42 Longbranch definitely does, and my Grandad's No1 MkIII definitely does, even though it is sportered. Those ones really make you want to keep collecting!
 
"...Indians are still using these rifles..." Indian Police are using purpose built No. 1 Mk III's in 7.62NATO. Not No. 4's.
"...one of the post war Fazakerly rifles..." A post war Long Branch, also made in the 50's, is the best Lee-Enfield ever made. Some of 'em with 6 groove rifling in close to match grade barrels. Of course, you pay for that. In any case, there are only a very few milsurp dealers left. The days of cheap(relatively speaking), high quality, milsurps are long gone. You have to hunt for decent W.W. II milsurps these days.
"...some unscrupulous folks are buying Long Branch receivers..." Nothing new about that. Century Arms built a whole thriving business on assembling rifles out of parts bins, with zero QC.
 
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