Lee Metford/Enfield carbine match making service

englishman_ca

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This exercise has been tried on this and other boards, so I thought it might be worth giving it another shot.

I collect Canadian marked Enfields, or at least that is what I tell myself. Many of my specimens are Canadian marked and are still here in Canada. Sadly, many of them have mismatched bolts.

As somebody suggested, the bolts are likely still here in Canada too. Seems that in the past dealers selling cheap surplus Lee Enfields often had a box of bolts and would just grab one and fit it into the rifle to sell to the customer without regard to matching the serial numbers.

Interstingly, the carbines that I found to have matching bolt and receiver, often were sourced from being long term with a family. This maybe due to some servicemen being allowed to keep there arm after South Africa and take it home as a momento.

So let’s give this one a try. Here is my list of mismatched Lee Metford and Lee Enfield cavalry, RIC and NZ carbines.

There is a good chance that I have your gun's bolt or you have mine. Ya just never know!

Doesn't matter as to what flavour of Lee that you have. Just list your bolt and/or mismatched receiver serial number carefully in your reply, then the search engine will be able find it using the search button at the top of the page.

Lee carbines looking for matching bolt;-
4
207
1562
2633
160A
477A
5817A
9609A
1093B
498D

Lee bolts looking for matching carbine.
642
9739
1080A
5079A
5453A
5726A
5733D
7180C
11473

I wish you luck!
 
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I think it's a excellent idea but not sure if having it in the blackpowder/antique section will get as many views as it
would in another area of cgn
 
Hmm, maybe you are right. Lots of people have looked. Just no contributions.

Where would you suggest as appropriate? Milsurp?

Other sites doing similar have had quite a few match ups.

Most of the LMC/LEC that I see in Canada are ex-Canadian service. 5300 purchased by the Canadian Govt between 1895 and 1899.
A good chance that the bolts are still in Canada mismatched. The chance of finding a match is good.
 
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Hello:
I will shortly take possession of an LE No 1 Mk 1 with the receiver/barrel number of 247
The bolt number is 34.
So I need a bolt with the number 247.
I've not yet seen these numbers in the string above.

On a bit of a tangent, in Phillips' and Klancher's book on "Arms and Accoutrements of the Mounted Police 1873 - 1973" I note that very few of the NWMP LE carbines had bolt and carbine numbers that matched.
 
Hello:
On a bit of a tangent, in Phillips' and Klancher's book on "Arms and Accoutrements of the Mounted Police 1873 - 1973" I note that very few of the NWMP LE carbines had bolt and carbine numbers that matched.

That is an interesting little fact.
 
no it doesnt seem to be going on anymore. i have a few bolts and receivers that would be neat to get matching aging.

what a wealth of knowledge we lost when we lost him. he's the reason I'm been into lee Enfield's, our nose cap adventures got me hooked on the old stuff
 
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