My dad just picked up this rifle. I don't know much about it, and he was wanting to know, any info would be appreciated. Thanks.
http://imgur.com/a/0ebv2pa
http://imgur.com/a/0ebv2pa
Need info on this .303 for my dad.
- Thread starter Gmoney47
- Start date
Lee Enfield No.4 Mark 1. It's the service rifle of the British Empire and Commonwealth introduced at the beginning of WWII (though it didn't entirely replace the previous service rifle.) The condition of the stock makes me think the wood was refinished (quite well) or the stock is a replacement. The grooves on the front upper handguard are typically found on rifles manufactured by Long Branch in Canada and Savage in the U.S.A. but they can show up on any No.4 because in service replacement parts weren't matched to manufacturer.
As long as the bore is good, he has acquired a Very Good Thing.
As long as the bore is good, he has acquired a Very Good Thing.
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That's great thanks. Is there more than two serial numbers on it, I just wandering if it's matching or not. I only see a serial on the wrist and bolt, that both match. I also thought the wood was in amazing shape and wandered if it was refinished.
I don't know serial numbers well enough to identify the manufacturer, but there are members here who do, so I expect you will get that answered soon. My screen resolution isn't good enough to discern all the numbers (my old eyes may be contributing to that, too.)
- Location
- Western Manitoba
Some people use the phrase "all matching" fairly loosely. If a rifle has seen service, it is quite likely that some parts have been worn out or swapped out - armourer's did not care about originality or maker's marks - for example, if they needed to replace a sear, there was a bin with serviceable sears, and they grabbed one and installed it - could have been a Savage or a Long Branch or a Fazakerley or whatever - did not matter so long as it fit and worked properly. Has nothing to do with the authenticity of the rifle or its provenance. Some of us consider "all matching" to reflect the condition that it originally left its factory, so a Long Branch rifle with a Savage trigger and sear, although no serial numbers involved, would not be "all matching". Further research will show, for example, that a particular year or years of production by specific factories, resulted in one of three or four versions of the rear sight, to be "all matching". Again, no serial numbers on these parts, but an incorrect rear sight body for a particular rifle would make it "not matching", even though the "incorrect" sight was installed during a wartime repair. Some people not so fussy - often see ads that suggest an identical bolt number and receiver number "makes" the rifle all matching, despite wrong wood, wrong bands, wrong sight, etc...
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- Location
- Western Manitoba
"worth" - is what someone will pay for it. Based on what it is and what the buyer actually knows about it. No doubt can vary from less than $500 or so for a poorly fitted "put together" to north of $8,000 for a genuine No. 4 T with appropriate accessories. Like many collector topics, well worth to invest in a couple hundred dollars of reference books and study them to understand what is what. For some of us, for example, sanding of the stock, or varnishing it, would cut what we are willing to pay by half.
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I gotcha, so all matching doesn't necessarily mean all matching. He traded for it, and wants to sell, it's really mint condition, and bore looks new. I was thinking $800-$1000 am I out to lunch or?
PinkyPlinker
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kenora, ON
It’s a British made gun, Maltby I believe.
Definitely Maltby, looks like '42. Probably been overhauled and the matching number on the bolt appears to be stamped over an earlier one. "Original matching" is usually the most sought after condition. Numbered parts would have originally been receiver, barrel, bolt, and possibly forend (not all manufacturers stamped the serial on the wood on all years). The rifle in this thread would potentially make a nice, shootable example for someone looking to have a representative No. 4 rifle. I would think it would be worth $700-$800.
milsurpo
milsurpo
- Location
- Western Manitoba
"original matching" numbers would often include the magazine, as well. I would agree with milsurpo's valuation - just have to find only one buyer that agrees!! A very good assessment - "nice, shootable example for someone looking to have a representative No. 4 rifle". The "England" stamp on the front receiver ring, and the stampings near the muzzle were requirements for importing into USA for a number of years, so the rifle was there, at some point. Most of the British "sold out of service" rifles that are here, as well as a number of other British guns (BSA Model D in .270 Win, P14's, etc.) have those pressure testing stampings on the left side of the chamber area of the barrel. There may be markings of interest on the metal under the wood, and on the inside of the wood as well.
Mags were not numbered at the factory in Canada or US as they were in the later British factory rifles like the the later No5 and No 4 Mk 2 made post war ,the Canadian /US mags were stamped by an armourer at the depot when rifles arrived to be be serviced .thats why you see different stamp sizes/ placement/quality of the stamping on many war time enfields .late war British rifles and post war British rifles for the most part have the electric pantograph SN very neatly done
