Severely butchered old Lee Enfield

[kjohn]

I was at the Assiniboia Gun Show all weekend helping a dealer. This ..uh.... thing came to our table this morning. After much haggling, dickering, trading and wheeling/dealing, it came to me. I snatched it right out the dealer's hands, as he recognized the superior craftsmanship.... ahhh, that's enough BS.

The poor thing was .. WAS.. a nice rifle at one time. Here's what it looks like now:

Left side of the receiver has what remains of some sort of a sight (the part with the screw into the receiver; a safety; the rear volley sight doohinkey.

The right side of the wrist socket stamped: Crown with G.R. under it; ENFIELD with 1913 under it; SHT .22 with a funny looking I or triangle and an odd looking V and a *.

The left front of the receiver and barrel: E with 3672 under it; 62 with A under it on the barrel; the is a nice D.P. stamped on the flat spot on the top side of the barrel.

But wait, there's more: the receiver and barrel have marks that would indicate that it has been worked on with a Lee Enfield tool #23512834846y (pipe wrench); the stock is actually THREE separate pieces; the bottom of the butt, at the back has actually been cut off on an angle; the butt, center part, and the front part of the stock are all different wood.

Well, that's about all. All disgust and joking aside, anyone care to comment about the stampings, especially on the wrist socket. Oh, and the barrel is about 20". All in all, a nice little sporter.

Edit: I forgot to add that I think it is now chambered or barreled back to .303.

 

[Nabs]

Hmm, talk about a frankenfield.

Looks like the top of the barrel is D.P. stamped and the model is a 1913 SMLE converted to a .22 trainer. Did they use DP barrels for .22 conversions ?

The sight on the left side is the volley arm for the volley sights for a SMLE Mk III.

Looks like there is a C broad arrow just behind that arm too, could she have been a 22 trainer for the Canadian military after WW1 ?

 

[RangeRover]

Methinks the bit with the C-broad arrow is the base for a Cooey peep sight assembly used on Canadian .22 trainers. The second piece had the sight itself affixed to it.

The No. 2 Mk IV marking indicates the rifle was converted to a .22 at some point.

 

[maxinumarmor]

Someone changed the barrel and used a pipe wrench on the receiver that is too bad.

I was at the Assiniboia Gun Show all weekend helping a dealer. This ..uh.... thing came to our table this morning. After much haggling, dickering, trading and wheeling/dealing, it came to me. I snatched it right out the dealer's hands, as he recognized the superior craftsmanship.... ahhh, that's enough BS.

The poor thing was .. WAS.. a nice rifle at one time. Here's what it looks like now:

Left side of the receiver has what remains of some sort of a sight (the part with the screw into the receiver; a safety; the rear volley sight doohinkey.

The right side of the wrist socket stamped: Crown with G.R. under it; ENFIELD with 1913 under it; SHT .22 with a funny looking I or triangle and an odd looking V and a *.

The left front of the receiver and barrel: E with 3672 under it; 62 with A under it on the barrel; the is a nice D.P. stamped on the flat spot on the top side of the barrel.

But wait, there's more: the receiver and barrel have marks that would indicate that it has been worked on with a Lee Enfield tool #23512834846y (pipe wrench); the stock is actually THREE separate pieces; the bottom of the butt, at the back has actually been cut off on an angle; the butt, center part, and the front part of the stock are all different wood.

Well, that's about all. All disgust and joking aside, anyone care to comment about the stampings, especially on the wrist socket. Oh, and the barrel is about 20". All in all, a nice little sporter.

Edit: I forgot to add that I think it is now chambered or barreled back to .303.

 

[Mobular]

You have the rear portion of the original volley sight. Nice score! Is the front, stock mounted portion present?? It also looks like the mag cut off is also present. Again, good score!

 

[woodchopper]

so someone used a pipe wernch to take off the .22 barrel and screw on a 303 barrel, is that medford rifling ?? (an old 303 barrel I think)

 

[englishman_ca]

It'sa bitsa!

Nice score. Lots of good parts there.
Is the barrel 20-3/4 inches long?

Anything is fixable, even this one.

 

[kjohn]

Well, the poor old rifle, at least the barreled action will have a new home. m I'll be sending it off to the east in a day or so.

 

[englishman_ca]

UPDATE;

The barrel is identified as a Lee Metford rifled carbine barrel taken from a RIC carbine, complete with muzzle bushing. Probably DP marked due to the obscolete rifling form. Bubba tried to unscrew it, but luckily, he got discouraged and gave up. Only a few bench vise marks and one blurr on the nocks form from an adjustable wrench that slipped. I unscrewed it from the receiver using the right tools with very little effort.

The 22 Mk.IV receiver is C broad arrow marked on the receiver ring. It is still usable albeit pipe wrench marked and missing its charger bridge.

The barrel is uncut in length but the bore is pooched, it would need to be relined if it were to be ever used again for ball rounds. It will be going on non firing DP carbine, a project to find use for the dodgey parts in my junk drawer. I guess that it will now be a RIC carbine, which is actualy a little easier to produce as the nosecap is easier to find.

The cut up woodwork set is nice old light coloured walnut, perfect for patching.

So the story of this poor old gun will have a happy ending. All of its parts will be dispersed to find homes and be recycled on other projects.

 

[stevebc]

UPDATE;

So the story of this poor old gun will have a happy ending. All of its parts will be dispersed to find homes and be recycled on other projects.

Warms the cockles of me heart...