Looking for Enfield info help

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Coveboy

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Ok I am a complete newbe and was hoping someone could point me in the right direction. I recently acquired a 303 British Enfield and I would like to find out more about the history of the gun and possible value. I am not looking to sell but was thinking about mounting a scope on it and a friend suggested not to as it may decrease the value of the gun. I am attaching some pics in the hopes that someone can provide some info on this model. I have been looking on line but there is so much info out there I would appreciate it the help in narrowing it down. Thanks in advance. CB
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You have a No1 MKIIII* rebarrelled in 1937 and sporterized by "Essex". Should be a good hunting rifle. I'd go ahead and install a scope and enjoy the rifle. It's beyond collector grade. Ron
 
Hit that link and found my ip address has been banned from a forum I was NEVER on!:D

anyhow, Collectors value on that rifle is nil at the present, BUT it is restorable as the barrel length has never been buggered.
 
John Sukey said:
Hit that link and found my ip address has been banned from a forum I was NEVER on!:D
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Hi John ... :)

Yup, you were banned from the site, which you've been a member since Nov 2006 ... :eek:

Well, technically your IP address was banned ... :D

It appears some spammer "spoofed" your address and decided to login, but only got as far as the door before it was slammed in his face and your fixed IP he co-opted got blocked .. :p

Fixed now.. you're good to go .. :cheers:

Regards,
Doug
 
Coveboy, you have the rifle which has a long and very varied history

Badger, like the good chap he is, has pointed you to what it looked like when it first was built. If you want to, there are people on here who would be willing to help you restore the old girl to what she was. Basically, you need only 2 pieces of wood (one of them expensive), a nosecap and a few small parts to restore this one.

In the meantime, if you really want to scope it, the easiest way to do this (and NOT permanently wreck your rifle while you're at it) is to put on an S&K Insta-Mount for the Lee-Enfield Number 1. I'm not sure what they call this exact mount, but most of the time they seem to be available from MilArm in Edmonton. You have to remove only a small amount of wood to make this mount work..... and you will be doing this to a stock which is wrecked, anyway. You DON'T damage the metal on the rifle at all. Get the mount as set-up for Weaver rings (they are available everywhere) put on your rings and scope and enjoy.

Later, when the antique-military-rifle bug bites you (as it will) you can restore it to as-new. And you still have the special mount and the altered stock.... for when you just want one darned fine moose rifle.

Have at it... and have fun!
 
One thing,Coveboy: do you think you could clean up that brass butt disc for us and then post another picture of it?

Reason I ask is that it is written in ARABIC. All I can read is "63", but maybe someone else can fill us in.

It comes out pretty easy; just take out the little screw and pry it up a bit and out she pops.

This could be something very interesting.
 
As a 1916 rifle, it would have been started as a Mark III and the receiver cuts made for the mag cut-off, then altered to Mark III* when the order was given to make the * model, put into Service that way. After the War, it would have been restored to Mark III status, which explains the * being barred out. New barrel in 1937, as mentioned, then service in War Two.

HOW the poor thing ended up with a disc, butt, marking blazoned in ARABIC is beyond me. Perhaps service in the Middle East or something? Arab Legion, or did they ever get rid of their Lees? Lost in the '67 war or what?

Whatever, it went to England and was processed into a low-priced sporter, at which time the barrel still would have been good; I haven't seen an ESSEX which actually hit the market with a bad barrel. Quite likely the barrel still is good; they would wear five-eighths of forever if you kept them clean. Likely it was sold in its current configuration in the late 1960s/early 1970s.

Looks like a Long butt on it, too.

Sure be nice to learn this one's story.
 
My thanks to everyone for for your help. I will look into smellie's suggestion for the S&K Insta-Mount as I'm sure at some point I will want to restore it. For now it will be my moose hunting rifle. The first chance I get in the next few days I will clean the brass butt disc and post a new picture of it who knows it could lead to a good story.
 
BadgerDog said:
Yes, I noticed that spammer had all of your login IP's, more than just the one ... :)

I hope I cleared them all now for you partner in case you ever change your mind .....:cheers:

Regards,
Doug
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Nope, still banned, just tried it again. I hope that scumbag's hard drive explodes and his keyboard electrocutes him:mad:

First time that has ever hapened to me.
 
John Sukey said:
Nope, still banned, just tried it again. I hope that scumbag's hard drive explodes and his keyboard electrocutes him:mad:

First time that has ever hapened to me.
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Sorry John ... :(

I checked every IP address you've ever used in the last four years and I can't find any reason it would be blocking you based upon that, except perhaps that you need to "clear" your cache on your own computer which may be carrying around outdated data.

.....or, perhaps you're using a "new" IP address that some spammer has "spoofed", so if you email me at badger@milsurps.com your current IP address, I'll check to see if it's a different one then we have recorded.

You can use this link to find out what your current IP address is:

http://www.whatismyip.com/

Regardless, , since you don't use the site any more it's probably doesn't matter at this point, but at least you have the consolation of knowing a spammer won't be misrepresenting you. :D

Regards,
Doug
 
HOW the poor thing ended up with a disc, butt, marking blazoned in ARABIC is beyond me. Perhaps service in the Middle East or something? Arab Legion, or did they ever get rid of their Lees? Lost in the '67 war or what?





Sure be nice to learn this one's story.[/QUOTE]


Is it true some had service in Iraq and Pakistan????...could that be the source or the disc?

Or the disc could have been screwed to the gun and not belong to that actual rifle in the first place.
 
John Sukey

Your Internet Explorer uses "cookies", you have BAD cookies and GOOD cookies. When you log on to a forum website a cookie is stored with your log on information, this is a GOOD cookie.

A BAD cookie or a data mining "bug" can get your log on information, IP address etc. and use it to harm the website you are trying to log on to.

Clearing your cache and cookies in your Internet Explorer will remove all information that is stored by your Internet Explorer browser or simply put wipes its memory clean of all good and bad information.

John, if you remember what happened at the old Jouster website and the problems they had please remember this. If you are still using the same computer that you were at the old Jouster website and never cleared your cache and cookies you are still infected with what infected the jouster website. You might also need to update your anti-virus and run other checks.

cookies.jpg
 
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Just about anything is possible ABCZAR. And you are quite right: they are still in Service in Pakistan and India (which doesn't use Arabic at all) but I do think the Iraqis got rid of theirs.

I have an Iraqi that I got while out in your neck of the woods (see; some folks know where Czar is!) but the disc was missing, space filled in with a bit of the forestock as were most of them. It is a 1938 BSA commercial Mark III (no star) and is fully Iraqi-marked on body and barrel. Apart from that, I have NO ideas.

That's why it could be important to be able to see that disc. Must be SOMEBODY on here can read Arabic! I sure can't, anyway.

HEY! You guys with Iraqis! Pile in here! Tell us what you know! Any more strange ones?

Let 'em ALL hang out!

Heck, we might even learn something!
 
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markings on the butt disk look very similar to some head stamps on Iraqi made 303 I have. I'll see if I can dig up my notes on it to help translate.

from the net ...... http://w w w.oldammo.com/may09.htm

.303 British cartridges made in Iraq......

With the coverage of the war in Iraq, all one typically sees in the news stories are automatic weapons being used by fighters on both sides, I can't help but wonder what happened to all of the old British Lee-Enfield bolt action rifles that were used by the Iraqi Army beginning with the British administration of that country shortly after World War, and continuing in use until well into the 1950s. Ammunition for these rifles was first produced in Iraq beginning in the mid 1930s, using equipment purchased from the British firm Greenwood and Batley. This would explain the very 'British' appearance of the Iraqi-made ammunition. Everything about them looks British, from the three neck stakes that hold the bullet in place to the finish and appearance of the metal, and the flat Berdan primer to the lengths of cordite that fill the case. The headstamps, however, make the Arabic connection to this ammuniton very obvious. Two examples of these cartridges are shown above, one produced in 1935 (on the left) and the other in 1957. The 1935 headstamp is probably the earliest headstamp, while the latest is thought to be 1959, as shown here. It should be noted that cupro-nickel jackets on the 1950's production cartridges was very un-British, as the Commonwealth was using gilding only metal jackets by around the end of World War 2. The two characters at the top of the headstamp are thought to indicate that the ammunition was property of the republic of Iraq.
 
I polished the disk so this is probable the best pic i can get of it.
Hopefully someone will be able to get some info from it.
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Disc

Pry it out with a hook from the centre and not with a blade from the edge. The odd thing is that the " * " after Mk.III on the wrist is struck out.

smellie said:
One thing,Coveboy: do you think you could clean up that brass butt disc for us and then post another picture of it?

Reason I ask is that it is written in ARABIC. All I can read is "63", but maybe someone else can fill us in.

It comes out pretty easy; just take out the little screw and pry it up a bit and out she pops.

This could be something very interesting.
Click to expand...
 
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