new LE need help to figure out

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bry-an

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ok so here are some pics as far as I can figure its pretty good. 1916 shtLE matching numbers on everything i can find with serial number on it. my question is the front sight has a prov. pat number .... is it original? also the stock has clearly been changed although the back seems original. any ideas? I dont know if you can read all the markings in the pics, there are tons of weird symbols and random numbers and letters so any help would be great. here it is

IMG_0149.jpg

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one more thing the front end of the bolt that unscrews is a little loose. I cant firgure out how to thread it in so it is tighter and doesnt make the bolt slightly wiggly while sliding through the action. Is this a common problem? oh and where can I get a pinned magazine? mine only has a 10 rounder

thanks for all the help.


bryan
 
bry-an said:
ok so here are some pics as far as I can figure its pretty good. 1916 shtLE matching numbers on everything i can find with serial number on it. my question is the front sight has a prov. pat number .... is it original? also the stock has clearly been changed although the back seems original. any ideas? I dont know if you can read all the markings in the pics, there are tons of weird symbols and random numbers and letters so any help would be great. here it is

IMG_0149.jpg

IMG_0148.jpg

IMG_0145.jpg

IMG_0147.jpg

IMG_0144.jpg



one more thing the front end of the bolt that unscrews is a little loose. I cant firgure out how to thread it in so it is tighter and doesnt make the bolt slightly wiggly while sliding through the action. Is this a common problem? oh and where can I get a pinned magazine? mine only has a 10 rounder

thanks for all the help.


bryan
Click to expand...
Your rifle was sporterized, the forearm has been shortened, both uppers handguards are missing and the rifle has been drilled for a scope mount,the front sight has been changed too, its not the original military one. The various marking are arsenal and/or inspector mark made during the manufacture. For the bolt head, screw in all the way and then just unscrew a very little bit so the bolt can be inserted in the receiver,will be alright. Your mag is ok, doesnt need to be pinned because its a bolt action rifle, only the semi auto rifle must have their mag pinned(except the M1 Garand)
Cheers, Jocelyn
 
stupid sporterized... I need to get the actual woods for it . do they fire nicer if they have all the woods or is just a preference thing? now that I know what it is, what kinda price range would you guys put on it? rifling looks really nice, no major pitting, and matching numbers on bolt, receiver,barrel, and rear sight. I havent shot it yet so I dont know how it shoots. its been sitting in a closet for 30 years and was given to me buy an old guy we are doing some work for.
 
here you go thanks for your help


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im pretty stoked its from 1916. cant wait to take her out for a shoot. I guess since it was drilled and tapped for a scope you cant really get it back to original which keeps any value from replacing missing parts from returning to it
 
bry-an said:
here you go thanks for your help


IMG_0154.jpg

IMG_0152.jpg



im pretty stoked its from 1916. cant wait to take her out for a shoot. I guess since it was drilled and tapped for a scope you cant really get it back to original which keeps any value from replacing missing parts from returning to it
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Front sight look original but look like something was added,not sure what..... The Lee Enfield experts will know more about, could still made a good project returning it to its original configuration,depending about the front sight. Ofc value will not increase a lot.
 
bry-an said:
stupid sporterized... I need to get the actual woods for it . do they fire nicer if they have all the woods or is just a preference thing? now that I know what it is, what kinda price range would you guys put on it? rifling looks really nice, no major pitting, and matching numbers on bolt, receiver,barrel, and rear sight. I havent shot it yet so I dont know how it shoots. its been sitting in a closet for 30 years and was given to me buy an old guy we are doing some work for.
Click to expand...

Assuming that the foresight can be returned to original spec (it looks like that ramp can be removed, and it's original underneath), it's not just the forend and handguards (the wooden bits) you'd need, you'd also need:
- rear sight protector, screw and nut
- nosecap and screws (front and rear)
- stacking swivel and screw
- forend stud and spring
- from the look of it, a buttstock wouldn't hurt either.
...and probably some other bits as well.

No.1 Mk. 3 wood is hard to come by, although Marstar is supposed to get some in from Greece. Nobody is holding their breath on that one.

Given that it's drilled and tapped, IMO it's not worth the $ or effort to restore, unless you're really bitten by the restoration bug. I have one in much the same shape, that's why I have that parts list.

That said, all is not lost. It may still be an accurate shooter even in it's present condition. I'd look to see if the forend is tight and sound where it joins the butt socket: are there cracks? Is it loose, ie, any flexing there? Any gaps there? If you've got issues there, it's not going to be accurate. Mine has several cracks (look up exploding coachwood just for grins) and groups like a shotgun; at 200 yards, groups about 10 inches! If all looks good there, you'll have to try it out and see.

Even if you've got serious issues there, you can always put on a synthetic stock. I've started a thread in the Hunting & Sporting Arms forum on this, and hope to have some answers soon. Here's what they look like:

http://www.atigunstocks.com/s-6-enfield.aspx

Since it's already drilled and tapped, you just need a scope base, rings, and a decent scope and you've got yourself a hunting/plinking rig.
 
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Well, because it's already drilled:

If the drilled and tapped holes are clean with good thread and properly aligned, and if they are for a Weaver T01 scope mount, I'd find nicer sporterized stock and turn it into a clean sporter... Because non drilled and tapped receivers are still very common.
 
Is that a C/l\ beside the /l\ under the serial number?
Rifle went through FTR, looks like a '44 date on the barrel.
The front sight ramp is just a stamped shell added to make the front sight assembly look like a sporting ramped front sight. Remove the front sight, and it will come off. Pretty common on some commercially sported rifles.
Too bad about the drilling and tapping, particularly if that is a C/l\.
 
C broadarrow is the Canadian property mark, plain broadarrow is British.
The view in the photo isn't quite clear.
If the Canadian mark is there, the rifle saw Canadian use.
 
It looks like a Canadian to me. If it is, I'd restore it if it were mine. Labour of love kinda thing.

You'd lose money on it because of the D&T, but it is a piece of Canadian history.
 
ya ok so I looked at it more, it has a plain broad arrow and beside it toward the barrel it has a broad arrow with a C kinda of over it. Also on the metal band around the stock under the date it has the FTR stamp. There are other marks i didnt take pics of like on the safety there is a lll and a few indistinguishable random things on the opposite side of the barrel from the .303 mark


Im working on getting some woods and the front sights and other stuff to make it back to original looking.


thanks for the help Im glad canada used it and hopefully it got some bad guys:D
how do I take off the front sight?
 
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bry-an said:
ya ok so I looked at it more, it has a plain broad arrow and beside it toward the barrel it has a broad arrow with a C kinda of over it. Also on the metal band around the stock under the date it has the FTR stamp. There are other marks i didnt take pics of like on the safety there is a lll and a few indistinguishable random things on the opposite side of the barrel from the .303 mark


Im working on getting some woods and the front sights and other stuff to make it back to original looking.


thanks for the help Im glad canada used it and hopefully it got some bad guys:D
how do I take off the front sight?
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Ideally,a small press to adjust sight work best but you can also drift it out with a brass punch so you wont damage it.
 
lol my only brass drift is the size of a pop can... hmm... I need to find some wood any ideas in bc to look? also going to need a nose cap. I think they used the sling swivels off the original , butt stock is original but kinda s**tty can you get milsurp ammo for these? I would get hunting rounds for hunting but can I get cheaper for just shooting?
 
Milsurp .303 is all but non-existent. If you want to have cheaper stuff than commercial hunting ammo, you'll have to reload. The good news is that reloading isn't all that expensive to get into, nor all that difficult to do. Plus it gives you another rewarding hobby to take up.
 
Regarding the wood, there is more involved than just dropping the barreled action into the stock. It needs to be properly fitted if you want it to be accurate. Louthepou and others save bubbas regularly and can probably give you some good advice on how to do this.
 
Sporter

Every number on your rifle means something....they are not weird.

Your rifle was sporterized in England, proof fired and marked, and sold as a sporter. The steel cover on the front sight was a typical addition to make it look better, more saleable, and possibly not catch on brush when you carried it because the front sights do stick up quite a bit.

Many of these were offered for sale during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It ususally cost $9.95 to $14.95 for a full military one, but between $19.95 and $24.95 for the sporterized one. Eatons and Simpson-Sears had lots of them.

Now for a small anecdote. I was in a Gun Shop here in Manitoba when three people walked in with a cardboard box. Inside was an unfired Lee Enfield that could have been the twin to your rifle. These people were going through an estate of a relative that had passed away, and found the box in a closet, and wanted to know what to do with it, and would the Gun Shop buy it?

It seems that during the early 1960's, the relative, (a woman,) had ordered a set of Window Blinds from Sears, for the sum of $16.95, and Sears had sent her the No.1 Mark III* Lee Enfield sporter instead. She did not know what to do with it, so she put it into the closet, and it had sat there for almost 50 years, tied up with the original cord on the box, and the bill of sale inside.
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