Puzzling to me Enfield Marks

DaveM

DaveM

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
136   0   0
Location
Manisnowba
This is probably pretty straight forward for most of you better informed members here but it is a bit of a puzzle to me, one of the lesser informed. I picked up several No1's this past weekend. All of them are interesting in their markings but one really stands out to me. None of the books I have can explain what is marked on it or why the marks are there. The stamps on the right side wrist area G.R. 1918 ShT LE III with a struck out star. Top of the wrist is SSA. So far I can follow but when I examined the rest of the rifle it left me puzzled. I let some pics explain what I mean.



The puzzle for me starts here.



Refurbed in 1925?

Then I found a slot for a cutoff plate with the screw installed. This pic only shows part of the slot but it is all there.





Ok. Here's my questions. I know they did away with the cutoff with the war time manufactured No1's. This rifle I assume is one. Is it possible that when it was refurbed in 1925 they would cut the slot for the cutoff? Would an SSA rifle of 1918 possibly been manufactured with a cutoff slot? And why strike out the star?

One last pic that I can't find an answer to. I know I gotta' get some better books. Thanks

 
* on the barrel knox was to indicate rust/damage inside barrel
left side socket is Ishpor mark (rebuild?)
Right side shows peddled shceme, English make.
THis data from Skennerton book
 
It is a 1918 Standard Small Arms rifle, likely built on an older Body from their earlier production. In very early 1918, Standard was pushing everything they could out the door; nationalization was coming and they could see it. It is not surprising that they would have used an older Body which had not been completed.

I believe that it was completed as a Mark III* and entered Service in that guise, even though the Body was slotted. It would not have been slotted later.

It was rebuilt at Ishapore in India in 1925, but it was rebuilt as a Mark III because it had the slotted Body. The standard for manufacture reverted to the Mark III once wartime pressure had come off. At that time the * was cancelled by the two horizontal bars through it; these rifles are referred to as "Mark Three Star Bar" rifles and are not common. At that time it would have been fitted with a Magazine Cutoff.

Magazine Cutoffs were removed again just prior to the Second World War. NO rifles were being produced at that time, the Long Room at Enfield being in the midst of transition from Number 1 to Number 4 production, a process which had not been completed when the War arrived. At the beginning of the Second World War, Britain had NO source of rifles at all: the Government plant was in the middle of conversion and BSA, the only manufacturer still set-up for the Number 1, had been told that their services would NOT be required.

The PANIC then hit in late Spring of 1940 when the British Army pulled out of Dunkirk, leaving Uncle Adolf at least 130,000 rifles for which there were no replacements and none even POSSIBLE. BSA once again mentioned that they still had an entire factory to produce the Number 1 Rifle and, very suddenly, production of the Number 1 Mark III* became Absolute Top Priority-Why-Didn't-You-Make-Them-Last-Week while new factories were being built and equipped and contracts for the Number 4 were being signed with Savage.

Your rifle received yet another rebuild of some kind during which it was restocked (again) as a Mark III*. So, technically, it now became a Mark Three Star Bar Star!

I do wish we could see the Barrel Date; that would give us a much better idea as to exactly when the old girl was rebuilt for the last time.... and what she was rebuilt AS. The final restocking may have been done at Regimental level, bringing her up to full Mark III * specs once again.

If only these old things could talk...... but then, they do bring their histories with them. WE just have to be sharp enough to READ it.

Definitely a Fine Toy with a VERY real past. She is one to be proud to own!
 
Wow. Now thats what I'm talking about when I mentioned "better informed members". Smellie you truly are da milsurp man. Since this rifle is being restored from a sporter I am replacing the wood that needs it. Where would the barrel date be located? Should it be restored to a Mark Three Star Bar or the Mark Three Star Bar Star?
 
DaveM said:
This is probably pretty straight forward for most of you better informed members here but it is a bit of a puzzle to me, one of the lesser informed. I picked up several No1's this past weekend. All of them are interesting in their markings but one really stands out to me. None of the books I have can explain what is marked on it or why the marks are there. The stamps on the right side wrist area G.R. 1918 ShT LE III with a struck out star. Top of the wrist is SSA. So far I can follow but when I examined the rest of the rifle it left me puzzled. I let some pics explain what I mean.



The puzzle for me starts here.



Refurbed in 1925?

Then I found a slot for a cutoff plate with the screw installed. This pic only shows part of the slot but it is all there.





Ok. Here's my questions. I know they did away with the cutoff with the war time manufactured No1's. This rifle I assume is one. Is it possible that when it was refurbed in 1925 they would cut the slot for the cutoff? Would an SSA rifle of 1918 possibly been manufactured with a cutoff slot? And why strike out the star?

One last pic that I can't find an answer to. I know I gotta' get some better books. Thanks

Click to expand...

Is your last name moore by any chance, because we would have the same name haha
 
This arm is an SSA MkIII* rebuilt in India (RIF 1925) to MkIII. This was an Indian program 1923-32 which converted 140000 rifles to the MkIII w/cut off which was the Indian Army standard. At a later date it has been fitted with a III* fore end.
"India's Enfields" Edwards
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom