What has this soldier got?

skirsons

skirsons

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Some kind of Enfield carbine?

LatvianSoldier.jpg
 
I'm going to say a Lee-Metford as well....but are you certain this chap is a soldier? He looks like a constable....granted I'm not familiar with turn of the century British uniform.
 
Looks like one of the Lee-Enfield carbines made in the Baltic states in the 20s by cutting down British surplus CLLEs. I suspect if you researched the uniform it's be interwar Estonian, Latvian or Lithuanian.
 
The Metfords also had dust covers over the bolts....which I don't clearly see. The hood on the front sight makes me wonder too.
It looks to have a charger bridge so...maybe a SMLE Mk111 based carbine/rifle. The Mk111* had no mag cut off.
 
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Nyles has nailed it. It is either an Estonian or Latvian cavalry carbine, HOWEVER they are not a cut down long rifle...they were purpose made carbine. A quantity of them were made in the UK around the early 20's for the Baltic states. The UK made good use of surplus parts in the 20's.
 
wheaty said:
Nyles has nailed it. It is either an Estonian or Latvian cavalry carbine, HOWEVER they are not a cut down long rifle...they were purpose made carbine. A quantity of them were made in the UK around the early 20's for the Baltic states. The UK made good use of surplus parts in the 20's.
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Sure its not a RIC? (Royal Irish Costabulary Carbine?)


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Lee-Enfield_1857.jpg/799px-Lee-Enfield_1857.jpg
 
Sure am, I've had an RIC for years. RICs have a collar at the muzzle for the P88 bayonet and don't have front sight ears.
 
Well I know he is a Latvian Private, enlisted. His helmet, an Adrian-type, is a Russian M15 I believe. If it was in color, the background of his collar patches would indicate artillery, infantry. In B&W pictures one must rely on the shoulder epaullettes to identify regiment but they are not always visible.
 
Well I just noticed the picture is labeled "Latvian Soldier jpg".....And the spurs give away the cavalry status of the soldier.

I suppose I should succeed to 'Nyles' deduction about this carbines origins.

I do think that the receiver looks as though it is a SMLE MK III in origin however.
 
skirsons said:
Well I know he is a Latvian Private, enlisted. His helmet, an Adrian-type, is a Russian M15 I believe. If it was in color, the background of his collar patches would indicate artillery, infantry. In B&W pictures one must rely on the shoulder epaullettes to identify regiment but they are not always visible.
Click to expand...

Why is a artillery/infantry soldier wearing spurs?
 
tjsudbury said:
Were these Latvian carbines in 303 British? Or were they chambered for some other cartridge
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All Latvian weapons in the interwar period were .303; the main infantry rifle was the P-14 and the Latvians had Lewis Guns, Maxim Guns, and the Vickers-Berthier all in .303.
 
Latvia also had quite a number of Mark III Ross Rifles, which they termed the "Ross-Enfield".

They also had Vickers Guns, Lewis Guns and Sopwith Camels to put under them.

VERY classy military!
.
 
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