Help In ID & Value of Lee Enfield

L

Lef T

Regular
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Location
Southern Ontario
I came into possession of this rifle and am going to put it up on the exchange,but have no idea
exactly what it is or the market value.
The bore looks good.
I wouldn,t hesitate in shooting it.
If you can help me out,I would be grateful.
If you need more info on markings,etc. ,let me know.

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This is a Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield rifle Mark III, built by London Small Arms in 1918.

London Small Arms was a consortium of the "best" London makers, built rifles only until the end of WWI. The Company was wrapped up in the 1920s. During the Great War, they built only 5% of British-made SMLE rifles. They built NO rifles during the Second War, although members of the consortium did build sniping equipments, etc.

Since then, this has been converted into rather a nice long-range Target rifle; the rear aperture sight is ample proof of that, as is the Comercial BSA barrel.

The marking "MARTIN ADJUSTED" tells us that it has been through the Glasgow shop of Alex Martin (inventor of the "Martin Ribless" Best Quality double shotgun), where the bedding and all fitments were thoroughly adjusted an the rifle "regulated".

When I started shooting, this was the preferred rifle for 1200-yard iron-sight Service Rifle competitions. The Number 4 worked very well out to 600 or so, even could beat out SMLEs, but the SMLEs ruled the roost from 800 to 1200 and there was no way around that fact.

It was (and may still be) a VERY good Lee-Enfield.

I shot with Alex Martin's nephew for 25 years. This is a rifle I would really like to own, but I am afraid that I don't have the money.

I would say 400 is on the cheap side, unless somebody just wants a wallhanger, but one THIS good deserves to be shot.
 
Wow!!!!
Smellie,thank you for that information.
I began this day wondering what this rifle was and your post was so educational.
My good friend passed away and his wife gave me some rifles to sell for her.
I knew my buddy had good taste in rifles,but I didn,t realize that this one was
this special.
Thank you again gentleman,for helping me out.
Smellie,you never told me what you think a fair market price would be.
 
Yeah, don't worry too much Win30-30, this one's a rare bird, for sure.

Serious collectors should be knocking on your door, LefT. Desporterizer probably is in a reasonable neighborhood as far as value goes, but we don't see this type of No1Mk3 often so it's more difficult to say.

Lou
 
As Smellie has stated, this was set up as a target rifle by one of the leading gunsmiths of the period. Note the extra band just behind the mosecap. In all likelihood, the barrel/forend bedding will have been "packed", with cork, etc, to stabilize the rather slender SMLE barrel.
Probably long forgotten, but it would be nice to know who used it in competition. The DCRA records are quite complete. Its value is not as a military service rifle, but rather as a target rifle. More limited number of collectors perhaps, but the rifle is a good one.
I would suggest its value would be somewhat more than a standard SMLE in comparable conditon would be worth.
 
I wouldn't buy it. You need to cut the wood down and the barrel cut down to 20" in order for it to be worth anything. Use a hacksaw. It will be worth $1200 easy. :nest:
 
These same photos have been posted by another individual who also says that it is in his possession. Strange.
 
OK guys,mystery solved.
I know jomarz.
I sent him the pics today to see if he knew anything about this rifle.
I didn,t know he would check here on Gunnutz.
joemarz knows his stuff.
He was doing me a favor.
He meant what he had in the pictures,not in his possession.
I will contact him right now.
He's probably going to want to kick my ass for getting our wires crossed.
 
I've never seen one of my threads go this far south.
It must be a full moon.
Maybe this is a dream.
Nope,I just walked over and touched the Lee Enfield.
No wonder I never got into milsurps.
Way too funny!!
Excellent plot twist too!!
Now I have to find out what a Main Battle Rifle is.
 
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