No 1 mk 3 star desporterize

larcon

larcon

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London Ont.
Hello all

I had an old friend give me a 1917 no 1 mk 3* enfield that has been sporterized, it has original butt stock and forestock that has been cut back to the barrel band. Bore seems good, but bolt and barrel are not matching. I have all the parts to make this more original less the full wood stock... I’m wondering if i purchased a new reproduction walnut stock for this if I would be able to install this myself? I’ve read that the no 1 needs specific fittment of the stock but i would like to do this myself.

Any advice and guidance would be appreciated
 
I would not put the time/effort/money into restoring a non matching rifle. Buying a stock will not be cheap and some fitting will be required. You will end up with a mismatched desporterized rifle that will not reflect the value that you put in. Better to find a matching or rare donor.
 
I’m of the same opinion, it’s not worth investing the money in restoration, unless of course it is some obscure rare variants or has sentimental value.
 
The other reason to de-sporterize (as I am going to do) is because Winters are long and cold and I don't like leaving my house when it's minus 30 :p
If you want to de-sporterize, go for it! And sure, the value to others won't be as high as an original, but for you there will be a sense of pride that you can't put a price on
 
>go for it

+1 on that.

If you're looking to make money, sell the parts and buy index funds.

I inherited a sporterized 1923 No1MkIII* as my first rifle. I desporterized it to the best of my skill (at the time) and while it's resale value is less than what I paid for parts it'd be the last rifle I sell. It's also by far the best looking one I own (Sveta was even prettier, but way too many daddy issues. And you know what they say about sticking your ammo into crazy).

Have fun with it.

And, no matter what you do, it'll still better than a Mosin.
 
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Go for it, sometimes it’s not about the money you spend as much as it’s about the enjoyment you get out of putting it back into full wood. As to originality, we’ll that ship has sailed so have fun with it. You’re already dealing with a hacked up rifle, might as well see if you can bring it back to somewhat of it’s original esthetic.

I inherited a sporter no.1 and put it back into full wood, would do it again if in a heartbeat. Provided I could find the right bits at a decent price.
 
Rebuilding Lee Enfield’s can be fun. The hunt for the right parts. Meeting new people doing the same thing. My first rebuild was a scratched up number 4 Fazakerly which I had as a sporter for a few years and knew it shot excellent. I enjoyed rebuilding it and I still enjoy shooting it. Now I can’t stop rebuilding them. I must have about 12 sporters waiting to be rebuilt just waiting for the proper pieces and some time to put them together.
Go for it and have some fun.
 
Thx... im going to do this... but not with this one... i took a close look at bolt and tge under side lug on bolt dosent seem to be engaging on the reciever lug... also im not sure if this is normal but there is a good 1/32 to 1/16” play back and forth of the bolt when its in battery... so im not to sure about this rifle, let alone what the headspace might be like...I guess im in the market for a good sporter as a project
 
By all means go for it, I collected sported Lee Enfields for years when they were dirt cheap and some were given to me. Over the years I have put most of them back to their former glory and in fact I just finished fitting a stock (Queensland Maple) to a #1 Mk.111 Lithgow. Do they have matching numbers? A couple of the rare ones do, I say rare because anything that goes through an FTR (Factory Thorough Repair) and 90% of all Lee Enfields have, is completely stripped, wood goes in one pile, bolts into another, actions completely stripped and put into a pile, then they start measuring and checking for any parts that don't measure up, these they throw into the scrap pile and replace with new parts. Then they start assembling rifles from all the parts left over, and if you think they fiddle around trying to find all the matching parts you are very mistaken. Thus most have parts from several rifles. The only ones that have matching numbers are the ones that escaped an FTR or were to new to require one, and probably never saw real action before they were surplussed. So is it worth restoring them, you bet, depending on how or when you gathered the carcasses and what you paid for them. Keep in mind that since the early 60s their value has doubled every 10 years. Go to the equipment exchange section, Lee Enfields that last year were selling for $150.00 are now selling on average for $300.00. Depending on your shopping skills finding parts (this is the fun part) that rifle you restored will be worth more than the sporter you restored. Let the rest of the fuds out there hide in a dark corner of the basement giggling and fondling their matching numbered specimens, at least you have done justice to an old war horse that was in for the long haul and earned the respect it should be given. And by all means go out to the range and shoot them.
 
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I have been picking at them for several years off and on.
Cant say it's not fun bringing back that horribly chopped sporter back to her orginal trim,..go for it !
 
Restorations are all about the parts to do it.
If you see nice original parts for sale, buy them.
Sometimes , people selling restorable rifle, do a very good job of telling you what
is needed to do it.
Then you are just dealing with the price and any additional parts you may need
 
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