What did I loose in value?

FNC1

FNC1

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Here is the tragic tale

I find a new in the grease No 4 Mk2 Enfield at my local gun shop.

Action still covered in untouched cosmoline. I tell the owner I will take it and to put it aside till today. He instructs his employees not to touch it.

Today I go to pick it up. The bolt is back, the cosmoline that had been unbroken over the bolt is gone...half the cosmoline has been wiped off of the mag.

I explain that I am upset.

I still took it as it was now a good deal instead of a great deal but I am still upset.

Am I overreacting? I figure I have lost $50 to $100 in value. Two days ago it was clearly new in the grease now..there is grease in the barrel but its not the same.

What do you think?
 
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Win some, loose some. Life is always a #####.

Be happy you found one of the last few greased No 4 Mk2 LEs still out there
 
Well, I think you might be worrying a little too much ........ :D

Just my opinion, as I know they're are folks on here who say they buy Enfields like this for $200 and not a penny more (BTW, I'll take from them all they have at $250), I would have guessed it was worth $400-$500 in the grease. Out of the grease and cleaned up for service, I still think it's worth $400-$500, but without seeing pics and hearing about who made it, any FTR markings (if it is FTR'd) etc., it's difficult to give a fair opinion of pricing.

There are a lot of collectors who actually want them "out of the grease" and serviceable. ~Angel~ is one of those, as she doesn't want just wall hangers, or pieces sitting wrapped in brown paper bags, but rather she likes to shoot at least a few rounds through anything she collects. I suspect there's a lot more folks like that out there, so I don't think it's a crisis unless you personally want to collect just grease packs.

I'd really like to see pics if you can take them. If you can't host them for everyone, I'd be happy to do that for you.

Sounds like a really nice old girl who should have a "coming out of the grease" party. :D

Regards,
Doug
 
First mistake...when you had it in your hands the first time you should have taken it then. Leave nothing to chance. I saw a Shilo Sharps at a dealer not too long ago which was tagged as sold. The bums behing the counter were handing it to everyone to operate and to look at...disaster in the making!
 
It's now totally worthless. Give me your details and I'll come by to pick it up and dispose of it accordingly...

I'm not sure I understand the "in the grease" allure, but can't you just smear more on if it's that important?
 
I'm starting to think maybe the original poster was being facecious. Probably just a way of bragging about his new unissued Lee Enfield...?
 
You didn't lose anything, the new ones came in a sealed paper wrap with the accessories wrapped in brown (outside), green (inside) paper. Did you get the bayonet or the sling that was wrapped with the rifle? As for new ones for $200, thos days are long gone, unless you can find someone that doesn't know what they have. even $450-$500 is stretchoing it, in the wrap, in my neck of the woods, they go for $600+(in the wrap complete). bearhunter
 
"In the grease" means that it is an attractive bookend, shaped rather like a rifle.

Should u wish to turn it into a serviceable firearm, then many hours of fun-filled cosmoline removal are in your future.

As much as any fellow is appealed to by the ideal of the "virgin" bore.... You must also remember that all service rifles WERE TEST FIRED FOR ACCEPTANCE prior to being cosmo'd and placed into war stocks.

My No4Mk2, which my darling wife bought me as a birthday gift about 5 years ago, was out of the grease (well - mostly), with several "dings" in the beech, but a mirror bore, and $185 with matching mag and bayo. I shoot it regularly, and know that it will outlive me!

Everyone does realize that of the post WW2 Enfields, No4 Mk2's are the most common, right? Even if one were to be lucky and find one of the fabled "Irish Contract" (which never got delivered - s/n PF309348 to PF359347) of 50,000 rifles, there were still slightly MORE of those made than there were Post War Longbranch No4MkI*s.

Unless, I guess, you managed to track down one of the ten No4Mk2's that was sold to Hong Kong - I guess that would really have some rarity! (PF411462-PF411471, if u care).

(Source: Lee-Enfield No. 4 and No. 5 Rifles, p. 172, Charles R. Stratton, Northcape Publications, USA, 1999).

Heck, I love Enfields too.... But to shoot 'em!

:)

Neal
 
I think claven2 might be right.... our leg has been pulled....... :D

In any event, I was just being facetious myself about $200..... ;)

It was just some fun sarcasm poked at a few folks who always answer posts on here asking "What's it worth?", replying with values they buy the same rifle at today, that are right out of the 1970's. Kind of like those posts that talk about claims of half inch groups with iron sights at 100 meters. Your jaw drops, you reach to type something, then you decide to move on. ;)

$600.... I know that Police Ordnance was selling them for about that and I see at least one advert running for $1100, but there was one sitting in its brown bag on a dealer table at the last gun show I attended for $500, albeit it had a slight paper tear. We passed as it's darn hard to sight and shoot a brown paper bag. :D :D

Regards,
Badger
 
nelly said:
Unless, I guess, you managed to track down one of the ten No4Mk2's that was sold to Hong Kong - I guess that would really have some rarity! (PF411462-PF411471, if u care).

(Source: Lee-Enfield No. 4 and No. 5 Rifles, p. 172, Charles R. Stratton, Northcape Publications, USA, 1999).

Neal
Click to expand...

Interesting you say that. Hong Kong police still uses LE#4 as ceremonial rifle in police school. I wonder if those are the ones you referred to.
 
Are you buying a rifle or something "mummified" to hang on the wall?

Just slop on some more cosmo if you want it to be like a King Tut mummy.

OR

Unwrap the bandages from the artifact and appreciate that rifle for what it was made for! Unwrapped or Wrapped, it's still a new rifle.
 
1) Why didn't you take when you first saw it?
2) If you put $$ on it why didn't you leave instructiopns that it was to be UNTOUCHED by human hands?
3)If it's Spoiled leave it alone
4)Grow up You're actin like a spoiled child
 
I have some extra cosmoline sitting on a Yugo if you want... or, I need a project rifle to cut off the stock and rebarrel to 45ACP and that sounds like it would be a good candidate. I can give you 150 for it... and I will even send you step by step photos of the conversion! :eek:
 
DAR 701 said:
I have some extra cosmoline sitting on a Yugo if you want... or, I need a project rifle to cut off the stock and rebarrel to 45ACP and that sounds like it would be a good candidate. I can give you 150 for it... and I will even send you step by step photos of the conversion! :eek:
Click to expand...

MAKE THE BAD MAN STOP!:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:





.
 
Ok, let's take the beancounter approach:
Say it takes about two ounces of Cosmoline to cover the offending area. Now, how much are 2 ounces worth? Ok, are you talking of vintage Cosmoline or common run-of-the-mill one? This is where calculus falls short...
Has the metal been exposed to irremediable damage because of that cleaning? No? well, then ask the price reduced for about $5.00 and DON'T YOU EVER MENTION the Varsol you'll save cleaning the remaining Cosmoline...
IT's a win-win situation!;)
PP.
 
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