Rarity Question - Irish Contract Enfields

Devlin

Devlin

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
131   0   0
Location
Behind You
Evening All:

Given the day (Nov 11th) I've spent a lot of time researching old milsurps and there is one I keep coming back to because I had a chance at buying one and regretfully for me never went through with it. I am now looking into the old unissued Enfields as discussed here 1955 No.4 Mk2 Enfield Rifle (Still Wrapped)

How rare are these to find and what are they worth typically? Just trying to get a sense of how much of a pipe dream I may be chasing with looking into these again.
 
The "Irish Contract" is not an especially rare rifle, but examples still in their factory wrap are, and the price will reflect that. Expect asking prices well over $500, perhaps double that. It's actually a bit silly because you can find nice unwrapped examples in very good condition and they will shoot like new for many thousands of rounds, while if you get it in the wrap you'll throw away hundreds of dollars of "value" for the fun(?!) of taking the paper and cosmoline off. They are a large batch of No.4Mk.2 rifles made in the 1950s on the nicest factory tooling Royal Ordnance had, overall circumstances allowing the best production quality ever for British-built Enfields, and by a quirk of fate they went into War Stores for many years before being sold off surplus. So? Certainly very desirable as guns to shoot and use for a lifetime, but they don't have the historical significance of WWII rifles. The only reason I won't sell mine is that it was a gift from someone who was very dear to me and I got my first deer with it.
 
They are around in both wrapped and unwrapped form.

I have one which I bought wrapped and 1 which was unwrapped and cleaned.

I've sold 2 which were unwrapped but didn't have the cozmoline removed from the bore.

I bought them from the people who admitted that they were morons for unwrapping them. I had to agree. :-(

They make a nice rifle, but they only have cachet while wrapped.

If you want a shooter, one will show up from a guy who bought it, unwrapped it and decided it was no better than his other rifles and now wants to sell it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom