What makes an Enfield so desirable?

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What makes a Lee Enfield so desirable? Is it the way the bolt-action feels when you cycle it? Accuracy? Is it the fact that Canada used them in the two world wars? Why have they downed so much large game when the ammo is so expensive and hard to reload? Why are they so sought after both by collectors and shooters alike? Why do people treat these as the ultimate rifle?

I guess my question comes down to why so much demand over a rifle that's over a hundred years old? And why do people both collect (all variants and makes) and actively use them for hunting?

Can someone clarify why this is the case?
 
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They're the Chevy of rifles ! There just a great gun you have touched on many of the reasons why they are So desirable the only thing to say is realy go out and find one and shoot it your self and then you can Decide if you need one or not. As for ammo its getting harder to find but is it any harder than any old caliber just look harder its out there . The mad minute give it a try you just might get the bug .:sniper::cheers:
 
There are many reasons for the interest in collecting/shooting Lee Enfields. They have one of the slickest bolt actions ever designed and are a joy to shoot. As you pointed out, they are an integral part of our nation's history as they've seen service from the Boer to the Korean wars. As to popularity, surplus rifles were very, very inexpensive to buy, the guys who bought them were often veterans who'd used them in various conflicts and were intimately familiar with them. Ammo was not hard to find back in the day and surplus ball was plentiful and cheap like today's SKS rifles and ammo. We were a largely agrarian society who hunted as a matter of normal food acquisition and you could buy a cheap rifle which would knock down almost anything in Canada.
With the renewed interest in our military and our military history, people want a representative type of the rifle that their father or grand father or even their great grandfather carried in the service of Canada. As a case in point, my best bud has gorgeous 1918 BSA Lee Enfield. His grandfather died at Vimy with one of those in his hand. He has a pristine Long Branch No.4 which is what his father and his uncles carried in Europe. He has educated his young son as to what his family and Canada did militarily. Those rifles are a tangible connection to his family history. As to collecting, collectors are collectors whether it's coins, stamps, buttons, etc. They'll seek to have one of each in their collection just to have it complete and the scarcer the better, if they can afford it. I used to collect Lee Enfields, but had neither the budget nor the connections to get my hands on some of the rarer models. Collectors here, in their own way, are keepers and protectors of Canadian military history.
 
Most collectors want a good example of a world war rifle. You know the old saying, "the Germans brought a hunting rifle, the Americans brought a target rifle, the British brought a battle rifle and the Russians... well they just brought a rifle".
 
M_User said:
What makes a Lee Enfield so desirable?
Is it the way the bolt-action feels when you cycle it? YES
Accuracy? YES
Is it the fact that Canada used them in the two world wars? YES
Why have they downed so much large game when the ammo is so expensive and hard to reload? Ammo was commonly available and not really any more difficult to reload than any other cartridge.
Why are they so sought after both by collectors and shooters alike? Why do people treat these as the ultimate rifle?

I guess my question comes down to why so much demand over a rifle that's over a hundred years old? And why do people both collect (all variants and makes) and actively use them for hunting?

Can someone clarify why this is the case?
Click to expand...

I didn't answer all your questions but inserted my opinion on a few.
 
They were, and arguably are, the most commonly available surplus rifle in Canada. There is a lot of scope for collecting, shooting a cheap sporter or just fooling around with Lee Enfields.
Ammunition is not particularly expensive. I saw a variety of factory loads at or around $26 a box this fall. Those who find that expensive can reload, though 0.312 bullet availability has been spotty this year.
Reloading is no big deal once you understand the tendency for cases to stretch in overly generous chamber dimensions.
What's not to like?
 
Personally I enjoy Enfields just not to the same extent as others (part of what makes me a generalist collector as opposed to a Lee Enfield collector). There is tons of variations of them, and tons of information out there. I would even argue there is too much information as you have to sort your way though the BS to find the actual good bits of information. Personally I prefer many alternative designs, not for any quality reason I just find the others more interesting.

Otherwise as mentioned the action is very fast, with a P14 I can do 22rds a minute on a 12" black bulleye target at 100m in a minute, with a Enfield and a bit of practice I am sure I could go faster. Not too many bolt actions you can maintain that rate of fire with (to put in perspective that is faster than the modern CF rapid rate with is 1rd every 6sec, we do that rate with modern AR-15s). They are also very available, at least in Canada, and many people like to think of it as 'Grandpas' rifle (though some of us forget that our ancestors may or may not have been even in Canada by that point).
 
Hard to reload for? Just neck size and the brass lasts lots of relaods 7-10 full pwer reloads ir upwards of 50 relaods with a slightly reduced load (2000fps), Im going to assume your talking before the days of the internet(simple to buy projectiles) and or have never cast a bullet before. And ammo costs alot today. Ammo was cheap from the 20 to the 90's and the rifles were damn near free. So everyone owned one and hunted with it. Then over time ammo dryed up the guns aged and people realized the history behind them and people then started using them as collector rifles and still using sporters for hunting then over the last 10 years ammo went way to pricy so the sporters are being sold off for people to restore or they are sitting collecting dust

Same as a 67 mustang in 1974, it would have been an old clunker sent to the junk yard or demilasion durby but have even a rusty one today its worth money.
 
I started collecting Lees about thirty years ago. As an army cadet at age twelve, it was the first real firearm that I ever shot. It left a lifelong impression on me. Hooked ever since... Still to this day, I get the same little buzz of anticipation when chambering that 303 round as I did when I was a kid.

The first rifle that I bought in Canada was a Lee Metford sporter that was a trade in at a Canadian Tire. I needed a hunting rifle, it was a natural choice. Yup, Crappy Tire used to take trade-ins and had a large bargain rack of used firearms. Always a selection of Lee Enfields in that rack.

Introduced into Canadian service in 1896, it still soldiers on. There is a 303 version (no.4) Lee Enfield issued to the Canadian Rangers and a 22 rim fire target version (C No.7) on issue to the Army Cadets.

A lot of history behind them. Where they have been used. Different conflicts, yes. But the main selling point is that a Lee Enfield is solid, hard to hurt, accurate, reliable, and not too fussy about what you feed it, the rifle will eat it all. It can be depended upon to work in the arctic, the tropics, dessert, jungle.

In sub zero temperatures, due to the blueing, it is the only rifle where the metalwork tastes like peppermint!
 
For many people it was grand-dad's rifle or even great grand-daughter. The action is slick and they shoot well. Me I am inept at using a peep sight. So I shoot pretty much everything else. Still if it was more affordable I would have a Lee as well.
 
I can't speak to all the reasons (with me it's mostly their link to history and that they're beautiful) but you can't deny it's true. Enfield prices have more than doubled in the last few years and collectable ones are snapped up before you can say "I'll take it".
 
Learned a lot from this thread, especially the peppermint thing! Some of us dismissed the LE as just an old army rifle when we were young and now we
wish we had one that is in good shape - not sporterized or abused. I have been stockpiling .303 ammo but still haven't chosen my LE yet.:confused:
 
englishman_ca said:
I started collecting Lees about thirty years ago. As an army cadet at age twelve, it was the first real firearm that I ever shot. It left a lifelong impression on me. Hooked ever since... Still to this day, I get the same little buzz of anticipation when chambering that 303 round as I did when I was a kid.

The first rifle that I bought in Canada was a Lee Metford sporter that was a trade in at a Canadian Tire. I needed a hunting rifle, it was a natural choice. Yup, Crappy Tire used to take trade-ins and had a large bargain rack of used firearms. Always a selection of Lee Enfields in that rack.

Introduced into Canadian service in 1896, it still soldiers on. There is a 303 version (no.4) Lee Enfield issued to the Canadian Rangers and a 22 rim fire target version (C No.7) on issue to the Army Cadets.

A lot of history behind them. Where they have been used. Different conflicts, yes. But the main selling point is that a Lee Enfield is solid, hard to hurt, accurate, reliable, and not too fussy about what you feed it, the rifle will eat it all. It can be depended upon to work in the arctic, the tropics, dessert, jungle.

In sub zero temperatures, due to the blueing, it is the only rifle where the metalwork tastes like peppermint!
Click to expand...

Ok ! I`ll bite , please Elaborate taste like peppermint ? Why would you be tasting/ licking any thing metal in subzero temperatures let a lone a rifle ??? Enlighten us all please
 
The 303 was a favorite for so many reason.

Many people had them after the war because they brought them home.

Back in the day ammo was cheap.

They are not difficult to load anymore than any other ammo.

They are reliable and accurate enough for hunting.
 
In Labrador the lee enfield is a very common cheap hunting rifle. It can withstand harsh climates and rough handling, also fairly accurate and can drop just about any game animal in Canada. I grew up learning to hunt with a sporterized lee enfield with open sights and I still prefer my original No4 over any modern hunting rifle.
 
As a kid, I thought they were ugly junk. Everybody had them and they were a dime a dozen. Having said that, I had never used one. Now having the experience of knowing what is and isn't a quality rifle, I was shocked when I first started shooting them. Without even going into the historical significance, that slick bolt action, the accuracy and overall quality of manufacture is amazing. Even by todays standards, they are a very, very good rifle.
 
Nothing special about them. I have one collecting dust in the back of the safe because I read on here a few years ago " Every Canadian Gun owners should have one "
 
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