My new and first Milsurp help with ID please.

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monzab

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The story goes this Enfield was my grandfathers from the war, who I unfortunately never meet and it was passed down to my Dad. Thirty or so years ago when I was a kid I always bugged my Dad to take it with us shooting. We never did, he told me it was to old...
It's now been passed down to me, the only thing I have from my Grandfather. Needless to say I'll never sell it and my goal is to restore it as original as possibe.

Obviousy from reading the Milsurp forum you guys know whats up. I'm guessing it at some point it was turned into a 'sporter,' is that correct? To me that is surprising but my Grandfather was a hunter and maybe he sporterized it as the thing to do in the day. So please let me know what I really have and what I should do to make period correct as possible, so I can go shoot the thing!

Thanks
Dave



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No1 Mk3 Lee Enfield rifle that has been sporterized. Likely still in .303 Brit. Does the bolt match the receiver? If the bore and metal are in good shape it is definitely not too old to shoot! I'm quite sure hundreds if not thousands of Lee Enfields that are of that vintage or older get shot every day in this country without incident.
 
100% not to old to shoot, thats just what my Dad told me to keep my hand off it way back in the day.
Still a .303Brit I'm pretty sure.
 
Are you sure you don't want to sell it for a $100 and buy a new pair of shoes or a camo jacket or something?

OK, I'm just kidding because I'm so tired of mercenary morons selling off their family heirlooms for a few bucks.

So what I'm saying is three cheers for you: someone who actually has some regard for his forefathers and their stuff.:cheers:

Your photos are too small to see much, but it looks like you have a 1945 dated No.1 MkIII* by BSA Co (Birmingham Small Arms) I don't believe any MkIIIs were actually being made from new receivers in 1945, so the rifle was probably built on a refurbished receiver or one left over from earlier production. You'll notice that the "45" is stamped more deeply than the "19", suggesting it was done later.

If I'm not mistaken, that is actually the latest date you will find on a British made SMLE (same rifle, different designation), so interesting from that angle as well.

Your GF may have sporterized it, or he may have bought it that way. These were the most common and one of the cheapest rifles for hunters on a budget. When they say it was his rifle from the war, that usually means it was the type of rifle he carried in the war, not the exact one he carried. Bringing a rifle home after the war was not easy, few wanted to do it anyway, and if he was in the Canadian Army he would have had a No.4 Lee Enfield, not a No.1 like yours.

You could restore it if you want to, but if that's how your GF left it, I'd say you might as well do the same. Have it checked over and enjoy shooting it. Just make sure you pour boiling water down the barrel with a small funnel after shooting old ammunition; it often has corrosive primers which will cause a lot of rust if you don't clean it that way.
 
Thanks RRCo
The date stamp on it is actually 1943, it's clear in the larger pics. After I posted I also thought maybe I should keep it the same? Thanks for the advice. For now, I'll strip it down clean it up and go from there.
 
They shoot really well with factory loads, but you can do better if you reload. I have a No.4 and I can get 1" groups out to 150m. Havent really tried past 150 but I'm sure it will do well.
 
BSA made No 1 Mk III. Being made in 1943, she would be one of the last of the SMLEs to be made before the switch to No4 Mk I production.

Exported from the U.K. in the 1960s (BNP and 18.5 tonnes per sq " marking on the receiver), sporterized probably around the same time frame along with many of her sister and cousins, and sold at your local gun shops and Canadian tire. I believe some forum members have page ads from the day when these rifles were being sold.

She has been sporterized but quite lightly so she could be restored to her former glory should you wish.

You are right about the caliber, it is 303 British.
 
Grandpa's rifle: treasure and NEVER sell! Look after it carefully, shoot it when you wish, keep it clean..... and pass it on to your own Grandson when the time comes. Yes, it CAN be restored, but the mportance of THIS ONE is in WHOSE rifle it was: your Grandpa's. Keep it the way he had it. An idea might be to get the parts for a restoration and keep them in the safe with the rifle. If you get seriously into Milsurps, you can always display this one as your FIRST..... with the tale.

MY Grandfather was a Fur Grader/Trader with the Hudson's Bay Company at a tiny place, 'way out in the boonies, far from any civilsation, called Fort Edmonton. You might have heard of it; it has grown a bit since he worked there. He had a shotgun, a .22 and two hunting rifles. In 1920, Grandma made him get them out of the house (because of kids) and he sold them. Right now, I would give my Armaguerra (less than 100 made) for my Grandpa's .22. You HAVE your Grandpa's rifle, which makes YOUR collection better than MINE because your collection MEANS MORE!

Yes, it's a 1943 BSA SMLE Number 1 Mark III*, still in manufacture as a first-line combat rifle after 37 years of non-stop production. I don't think ANY other rifle can make that boast. It is one of the very LAST English-made SMLEs, although Australia and India both kept them in production for many years afterwards, India for almost another THREE DECADES and STILL being produced as a Factory Sporter in .315" calibre and using the Austrian 8x50R cartridge. Yours, of course, is a .303".

Feed it, treasure it, fill your freezer with it. Do it right and it will handle anything in North America with 1 round.

You have an IRREPLACEABLE Toy!
 
Smellie, I was hoping you'd chime in with your words of wisdom on the subject. Great read and a perfect plan.
Cheers!
 
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