Lee Enfield No. 7

Dantforth

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I have seen today a very nice .22 cal. rifle with the original wooden case. All is almost new or excellent. I haven't searched here but would like to have a ballpark figure on what the value might be. Thanks....Dave
 
No. 7

The value may differ between the British No. 7 .22 and the Canadian No. 7/C No. 7. If I remember correctly, the British No. 7 is actually a repeater with a .22 rifle magazine fitted inside the .303 mag body. Was it marked "Long Branch" on the reciever?
 
Yes...Long Branch....

It was marked to LB. It also had a funny looking mag in it...marked 22 cal. Almost looked like it was a mag inside a mag. I didn't ask a lot of questions ...yet! Should there be any accoutrements in the box besides the rifle?
 
Cleaning rod. Brass, with a swivel handle. The LB C No. 7 magazine has a conventional shell stamped .22 on the left side, with a follower that is a single shot loading ramp. Sometimes the follower/loading ramp was removed to allow the magazine shell to act as a dump for spent casings. If there is a magazine within a magazine that sounds like the setup used on the British No. 7, which was a repeater, not a single shot. Check the rifle over carefully to see if it has been modified in any way. If it is a Brit. magazine maybe someone tried to make the rifle into a repeater. I suppose there is the outside chance that LB experimented with a repeater (never heard of one), so a careful inspection would be in order.
 
The follower on the magazine doesnt move. It is a dished plate with a thumbnail sized hole. I forget if the hole is at the front or back. If you have a second magazine inside the normal box, that is unusual and probably one somebody made up for themselves. Like tiriaq's point, with Enfields anything is possible.

The bolts are quite different between the two.
 
Magazine....

Actually I think Tiriaq is correct as the shell is stamped 22 cal. on the side and there is a different looking follower than a regualr Lee mag. I think it's correct...but no cleaning rod. Dave
 
Dantforth said:
Actually I think Tiriaq is correct as the shell is stamped 22 cal. on the side and there is a different looking follower than a regualr Lee mag. I think it's correct...but no cleaning rod. Dave

It's a desirable rifle Dave. It's got to be worth $700-$800 minimum up to $1200, unless it's a piece of junk. Grab it if less.
 
Watch for aftermarket setups on the Cno7s. Not that many were released, and about 3 out of 4 that I see are made up out of parts. The Cdn forces stripped thousands of these rifles, and the parts were put into stock. The receivers had the serial number filed off and the area reblued or parked. Giveaways to these guns are serial numbers that are not correct for their year, or serial numbers that are plain noncorrect ofr a Cno7. All proper Cno7s of 44,45, and 46 vintage should be serialled in the 0L###X to 1L9999 range. 49 and 50 dated models if i recall, were serialled in sequence with the then production number 4s, somewhere in the 94L range.
Check for tooling marks in the area of the serial. If a gun is a put together, then it is worth a couple hundred less than the prices listed above, in my opinion. And not just because of origionality, but also for function. First and second line weapons shops, where many of these guns were liberated from, did not have the neccessary tooling to properely install the barrels, much less index them. If the indexing is out, you will not get the sights to maintain zero over different ranges.

By the way, please forgive any crappy spelling in this post. I am in the Dominican Republic right now, it's very hot, and the keyboard is set for spanish. :)
 
stencollector said:
Watch for aftermarket setups on the Cno7s. Not that many were released, and about 3 out of 4 that I see are made up out of parts. The Cdn forces stripped thousands of these rifles, and the parts were put into stock. The receivers had the serial number filed off and the area reblued or parked. Giveaways to these guns are serial numbers that are not correct for their year, or serial numbers that are plain noncorrect ofr a Cno7. All proper Cno7s of 44,45, and 46 vintage should be serialled in the 0L###X to 1L9999 range. 49 and 50 dated models if i recall, were serialled in sequence with the then production number 4s, somewhere in the 94L range.
Check for tooling marks in the area of the serial. If a gun is a put together, then it is worth a couple hundred less than the prices listed above, in my opinion. And not just because of origionality, but also for function. First and second line weapons shops, where many of these guns were liberated from, did not have the neccessary tooling to properely install the barrels, much less index them. If the indexing is out, you will not get the sights to maintain zero over different ranges.

By the way, please forgive any crappy spelling in this post. I am in the Dominican Republic right now, it's very hot, and the keyboard is set for spanish. :)


Why did Canada strip all those rifles? Were they converting them back to .303 because they needed them more than .22 trainers?
 
cantom said:
Why did Canada strip all those rifles? Were they converting them back to .303 because they needed them more than .22 trainers?
When you work for the Canadian forces you get used to reusing old items. You will get issued used boots, used clothing, we used to cannibalise damaged vehicles, and even the chili you get at the messhall is likely yesterdays spaghetti sauce.

While some of the parts were unique to the .22, many of the parts were interchangeable with the 303. Since both weapons were still in service, and firearms surplus to the CF need could not be sold, both 303s and 22s were stripped. So were FNC1s towards the end.
There was a stock number for 303 barrelled receivers in the supply system which were non accountable. A guy could have made up 303s out of parts if that were legal. I remember seeing a few of these barrelled receivers. They looked like brand new and were late production rifles...likely never out of war stores.
 
I have a CNo7 that was put together on a scrubbed serial number and restamped with an AB###xx number and 1950 date. It was done as a farewell gift for a retireing arms tech/machinist. Came in an original transit chest and was set up with a cheek piece, target swivels, target sling, cleaning rod, and a spare bolthead, extractor and fireing pin along with bolt take down tools, brushes and patches. It's a beautiful piece and other than the serial number range, it's totally correct. I may be a little hasty saying that, not many I've seen come with the cheekpiece or target swivels and sling. It is used for egg shoots at 100 yds. Usually outshoots most of the scoped 22s it competes against. I bought it from the recipient in as new condition 25 years ago for $125. It still looks as good as the day it was put together. bearhunter
 
bearhunter - your rifle is a genuine going away present made by guys who know just how much sheer strength there was in the rules.

I have seen elsewhere (maybe Clive Law's book on Canadian snipers) that cheekpieces were a common addition for better sight acquisition, especially in the prone position. The bigger swivels are just nice to haves, when the issue sling snags and binds going through the loops. Having the chest and bits and pieces makes it actually a gun to keep for a while.
 
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