I need help identifying an old .303 I got recently.

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NoBark

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I got something cool today thay I want to show you guys. I also need some help with finding out some new things about it. We will get to the pictures first, then on to the questions. :cool:

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So there we have it. Its an old Lee Enfield .303. I really wish this gun could talk because the dog tags last name matches the last name on the hunting license. Just the first names are different. I got it today (10/05/2012) from my favorite outdoor sporting goods store, Gone Fishing. It was for sale by consignment. If someone doesn't know what that means, it means someone brought the rifle in and wanted Gone Fishing to sell it for them. It says 1917 on it, I don't know anything else about it, If anyone knows some ways I can identify this rifle then please tell me. Oh yea, the box of ammo in the metal box was almost full plus an extra rack with 10 more rounds. Two shots were fired from it and its one of them boxes where you got 24 rounds instead of 20.
 
Good 'ol Lee Enfield No1 MkIII. made in 1917. Sporterized of course.

Looks like you got 2 magazines with it. Nice.

As long as it shoots straight, you have a great truck gun/hunting rifle!

Probably worth no more than $200 all said and done, but still, every Canadian should own a Lee Enfield. Great rifle. Legal 10 round magazine, as it's a bolt action.

Enjoy!
 
Looks like a nice old rifle. There is absolutely nothing wrong with an already sportered Lee Enfield. The animal lovers would all faint on the spot if they could comprehend the huge, huge number of bambis and other game that have fallen to the Lee Enfields! Long live the .303's!! Hurrah!
 
Well, it looks like a BSA made in 1917. It started off as a Mark III*, meaning that it never had a Magazine Cutoff or long-range Volley Sights.

The barrel is full-length so it can be restored if desired.

Best bolt-action combat rifle ever built.

It looks to have been sportered commercially in England after the Second World War and the job was done nicely. Since then, it has been preserved well.

The actual Serial Number will be on the RIGHT UPPER FORWARD part of the Body (the frame) and that Number will be repeated immediately forward of that, on the back end of the Barrel. The number of the Bolt should match; you have the early model Bolt which goes with this early rifle.

With this model, you can tell if it has been rebuilt by the Barrel Date. You find the Barrel Date on the UPPER LEFT side of the barrel, just forward of the Body of the rifle. It will be something like '17 (original to this rifle) or '24 or '41 or something, which would be rebuild dates.

BTW, you can make a quick few bucks by selling one of those Magazines. This rifle actually reloads MUCH faster by stripping the cartridges into it from CHARGERS, than by changing-out the (relatively-damageable) Magazines. Lots of guys looking for Magazines for rifles which have been sold without them. The correct CHARGERS are worth about a buck each; each holds 5 shells.

A very nice find.

Hope this helps.
 
Hey cool. Thanks a lot. Just checked out the date on the barrel and it says 44 with an arrow underneath it. Oviously not original. I also just noticed that its already drilled for a scope mount.
 
Can you post a photo of the area where it is drilled for a scope?

This model of Lee-Enfield rifle does have at least one place which looks like it would fit a scope..... and doesn't!

We might be able to tell what kind of mount from the hole spacing, too.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that a .303 is obsolete. It is almost EXACTLY the same power as a .308 and there are a lot less things that go wrong with it. They are TOUGH.

Yes, the '44 on our barrel is the date it was rebuilt. Te arrow with it is the Broad Arrow, the old-time British Government ownership marking. It goes back hundreds of years.

With a 1944 barrel on the critter, chances are that you have an EXCELLENT rifle. These were not used a lot after that date, being that a new rifle had come into use. They were rebuilt for another war which never came. Then they were sold off and turned into sporters.

A rifle such as this, back in the late 1950s, would have sold for about $25. Doesn't sound like much, but the money was Silver and only a few people made a dollar an hour. In other words, somebody paid half a week's work..... to a sold wek's work..... for this rifle. That's not a small investment. In terms of what they will DO, they are horridly underpriced today.

Nice rifle.
 
BTW, when that new barrel was installed in 1944, it was carefully FITTED to your rifle and hen numbered to match it.

It BECAME the proper barrel for your rifle.

If the Bolt, Body and Barrel match in serial numbers, you have a definite winner.
 
If you are going to keep just one of the mags, make sure its the one fitted to the rifle in the photo, the loose one looks to be a No4 mag & is incorrect for your MkIII*.
 
So I took it out to try it today and Its not shooting well at all. The rear sight moves around from left to right and the adjuster moves on its own as well. Anyways I fired 9 shots and just packed it up and brought it home. The only thing good to say is that it hit a 8" metal plate at 100 yards 3 times in a row. As for the groups it got, 6" at 100 yards after the second try. I'll post a picture of the drillings in a moment. Can't find my damn camera. Its my damn phone camera i'm using and I have to send the photo via email and its not working right now for some reason. I'll post a picture as soon as possible.
 
""""The rear sight moves around from left to right and the adjuster moves on its own as well.""" Not a big problem if you want to put original sights on it,,,, they can be found easily.
 
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I don't know if this actually scope mount drillings but it sure looks like it. If I can't get this gun to shoot stright, the only considerations I have to do with it is deactivate it and use it as a display only gun or sell it as is to someone who wants it. I understand that deactivated guns can sell for quite a bit. I also understand that getting a gun deactivated isen't cheap at all. It may be better to just keep it as an active display gun.
 
Good trade. $150-$200 sporter that didn't shoot straight for a $300-$400 M44 carbine! Win for you!! If you're Polish Mosin still has the bayo attached, try shooting it folded, then extend the bayo and shoot it. don't make sight adjustments at first. Then report your findings here 'K? :D
 
The loose mag in front of the rifle is for a No.4, not a No.1 ("SMLE").

That would be the one to sell, if you sell one. Or you might like to keep it, as they are getting harder to find these days and you may end up with a No.4 some day.
 
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