Lee Enfield no4 mkI or Lee enfield no1 mkIII

Personally I'm down with the originals. If the No.1 mkIII is in good condition i'd take a look. Also it depends on the price asked of course. Is the restored No4 matching as well, and how much work was done to restore it?
 
Thing is there are so many factors you haven't given it's hard to say. What kind of condition is the No.1? What are the prices of each? Year and manufacturer of the rifles would be a big factor to me. Is the No1 original to WW1 or WWII? How good was the restoration? (did they do it right or just slap on missing parts). And are you looking for a shooter or a collectible? Those are a few things to consider.
 
My favorite is the No.4, prettiest rifle in the world. But as mentioned before, you have to list some more facts, because one No.1 MkIII is not like another No.1 MkIII, same for the No.4. Make, year, condition, all these and more are what you should be looking for. Are you looking for a WWI or WWII vintage?, what country of origin do you prefer (Britain was not the only place that made and used the LE, Australia, India, Pakistan, Canada, and even the U.S. all made there own Lee Enfields.) What are you looking for, a basic shooter or something with a little more collectible value to it?
 
Last edited:
Yup, you will get both, sooner or later - then you'll get more.

But, which one will be your first?

Personal taste, really. My pick goes for the No1Mk3; I find it has more "character" than the No4Mk1.

Lou
 
Please get both! OK, seriously, personal preference will dictate but I would go with the all matching No 1 Mk III. Caution though these are addictive things you are playing with - I have 5 ( 4 x No 1 Mk III and 1 x No 4 ) and many on this board have lots more than that. You can collect by year, model, factory, etc etc ad nauseum. Then you get Skennerton's book and realise you haven't even scratched the surface, then you rebuild some then you start looking for anomalies - get the idea. Crazy habit. Since I am already addicted I will take them off your hands so you don't get infected.
 
"...all matching..." That does not guarantee the headspace is ok. Neither does a 'restoration'. If the headspace is bad, it's a bit easier and cheaper to fix it on a No. 4.
 
ah, buy 'em both and never look back. See if one grows on you more. If you don't love one or the other, you can sell the orphan.

Spoken like a true addict :)
 
Hey folks thanks for the info. I think I will go with the mk3 since the Bayonet is nicer :) Thanks Pblatzz for pointing that out to me.... :)

They are both for sale by a co-worker.

Addictive no way. I got my mosin 3 weeks ago ( Tula )and Now i have a SKS's ( Tula ) and I got myself a 99$ 9mm and Now im looking at a Lee Enfield and a shotty...

At this rate my wife will kill me... lol ( At least she dosent have the key to my Gun Locket )
 
Once you have one, you will be then trying to work out how many more you can get on a trade for your Mosin, SKS, 9mm and the shotgun.....welcome to the fold.
Reloading is the only way to truely enjoy the enfield experience whilst keeping the wallet (and more inportantly, the spouse) happy.
 
Back
Top Bottom