Lee-Enfield serial numbers

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smokenk9

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Help needed for a friend of a friend. A buddy emailed me today with a question about registering an old ww1 Lee-Enfield rifle, apparently the cfc is holding up registering this firearm they claim he is missing one number on the serial number they claim it has to have six numbers his rifle has five, I've seen a picture of the serial number its very clear it only has five digits. This number appears to be on the bolt housing and possibly on the bolt itself. Any ideas out there?
 
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Is there a letter anywhere near the number on the receiver ring? Not unusual for a letter to be part of the serial.
 
No such luck, there's some proof markings that are hard to make out but that's it.Sorry no photo or more info but that's all I've got right now. The pic I saw of it leaves no doubt it only has five digits nothing else near these marks which are stamped very clearly.
 
L.E. serial numbers

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I have WW1 Lee-enfields with a Letter and a four number serial numbers.

It's serial number is A ###X.

Has the rifle been previously registered, and if so, was the old registration correctly recorded. The CFC had a error rate of over 40% at one time.

You might find an approved firearms verifier, and have him look at it.

On most Lee-Enfields the serial number is on the back of the bolt handle, and on the right side of the front receiver ring.

In any case, get a picture, and post it. Someone will help you out, but they need full information, specific, not general.

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I'll dig a little deeper and see were my friends friend wants to go with this. I don't know if he wants the serial number posted online or not so I'll pass this info onto him and maybe let him get signed up to this site himself. Thanks all for your help.
 
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Thank's Bryan I will suggest that also. I shoot at a registered club but I'll have to see if we have a verifier. Again this is a friend of a friend so I'm not sure of all the history. Thanks.
 
The rifle is not unique, and I doubt you're missing anything, as I have seen a 1916 Lithgow with only five numbers and no letter. Also upon purchasing an older SMLE in a private transaction the originally recorded SN was only 5 numbers and they needed me to verify what the letter was (it does have one however), because apparently they can't grasp the concept that they weren't all a letter and five numbers. In short their system is screwed, but then we're talking about the gun registry afterall.
 
Well that helps to know but I think he may have a battle on his hands, I wonder if he could send a photo of the serial number to the cfc, anyway he will probably have to get it verified. Thanks.
 
The CFC is full of crap! I have some registered with a 4 digit serial number. They are full of sh_t, Call them up and tell them that this is what the number is. They are fully aware that Lee Enfield are the one of the most over serialized rifles in the world. They have several with the same serial numbers form different manufactures and years on the books. Talk to a different rep or ask to talk to a tech to clarify the issue.

God help the CPC to get in to cancel this mess!

Pete
 
I have one with a letter and 2 numbers

the CFC is just going by a check list that some 'expert' made up

give them another call and just tell them it only got 5 numbers,

but it should start with a letter, letters normally are stamped above the serial number

like this

...D
12345
 
I have a 1916 with only 3 digits and a letter, a Long branch Number 4 with no serial number at all.

Somebody should tell these experts that serial numbers very often began at 1 and went through to the end of the series. And that many plants recycled serials, especially at the beginnings of years. Then, when rifles went in for FTR, often they were serialed yet again, which explains a 1907 low-production rifle with a post-World-War-One serial number: 4 digits and a letter. I know it exists: had it out just the other day. It's registered, too.

Ask them politely to read their manual carefully. If that doesn't work, send them a picture.
 
I am trying to register an Ishapore re-work no.5 right now and the CFC is totally baffled by its 4 digit sn.I explained to them all about how it is a scrubbed British made gun with new parts,etc. and this only made things worse.I am always polite and helpful to the CFC and they are always pleasant in return but it seems like thier reaction to any gun that does'nt jive with thier database is to put it on the back-burner for a long time.
 
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I am not looking forward to the performance I know I will get trying to register this puppy!

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englishman_ca said:
I am not looking forward to the performance I know I will get trying to register this puppy!

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Click to expand...

I can just imagine the conversation on the phone...

Clerk: "So, what's the serial number, sir?"

englishman_ca: "4"

C: "For registering the rifle sir"

e: "it's 4"

C: "I just told you, for the rifle, to register it"

e: "No mam, the number, it's the number 4"

C: "..."

e: "Mam?"

C: "Are you trying to make fun of me sir?"
 
Actually with regard to the letter/no letter thing all Lithgows before the 1918 financial year had no letter in the serial number. Let's face it, there are some experts at the CFC, but we shouldn't assume they're firearm experts.
 
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