The serial number and the year of manufacture were marked on the receiver ring of the weapon. Your rifle,even with your 252 serial number does not mean it is pretty rare. The Serial Number is located on the right side of the receiver ring. Lee Enfield rifles are used by the Jamaica Constabulary force for training recruits during field-craft exercises and drills. All he really wants to know when it was built. Design. It is highly collectable but not rare. Please record original details from right side of butt socket (left side for carbines) below the royal cypher (crown, V.R. 4's spike bayonetand subsequently the No. This means that final head space is not achieved until the bolt handle is turned down all the way. The main deficiency of the rounds at the time was that they used heavy, round-nosed bullets that had low muzzle velocities and poor ballistic performance. Such rifles would have 5-digit serial numbers with either an "E" or an "F" serial number prefix, and the serial number would be stamped on the rear of the bolt handle and on the bottom of the fore-end, as well as on the receiver ring. www.skennerton.com/NewBooks.htm If no one knows, then is there a place where I could go to figure out the manufacture date? 8 and Rifle, No. 3 standard) were later modified for use with the 7.6251mm NATO L42A1 Sniper Rifle. All serial numbers on Savage made No4s have a serial number format which includes a C in it, for. Japan: Captured from British Army during World War II. I (T). The Howell Automatic Rifle was the first attempt to convert the LeeEnfield SMLE into a semi-automatic rifle. 1930 (trials only; 1,025 produced and leftover parts assembled into rifles early in WWII), 1931present (2,500 trials examples produced in the 1930s, then mass production from mid-1941 onwards). The No. 4 MK. BSA Co. 1917 dated, mag cut-off, matched serial numbers. Enfield Serial Number Discussion in '. AN ENFIELD SMLE MARK 3 rifle is currently worth an average price of $625.64 used . 83L3414 1945, No4Mk1*,CDN MkIII sight, non-FTR, Steel Buttplate, Grooved, un-serialed stock, Lower 1945 serial number than currently listed in your survey. Remembered Today: Steward Augusto REBELO S.S. PERSIA (Greenock). The Royal Canadian Air Force also used these as a survival rifle in the remote parts of Canada. [52], During the Second World War, standard No. [14] The design of the handguards and the magazine were also improved, and the chamber was adapted to fire the new Mk VII High Velocity spitzer .303 ammunition. 1* is functionally the same as the Mk.1, but various changes were made in the design to make the manufacturing process faster. 4 MK. Several First World War accounts tell of British troops repelling German attackers who subsequently reported that they had encountered machine guns, when in fact it was simply a group of well-trained riflemen armed with SMLE Mk III rifles. Thanks I don't think the stock is original because I don't see a serial number. 4 variants, Katanga: bought for police force but also used by army. Canada converted about 1,588 rifles at Small Arms Limited (to the end of 1945) and, in 1946, at Canadian Arsenals Limited. LeeEnfields are also popular with competitors in service rifle competitions in many Commonwealth countries. What should I mark down for insurance value? The shorter length was controversial at the time: many Rifle Association members and gunsmiths were concerned that the shorter barrel would not be as accurate as the longer MLE barrels, that the recoil would be much greater, and the sighting radius would be too short. Nigeria: Used by the Nigeria Regiment and then by Nigerian Army. The next year, a shorter version was introduced as the LeeEnfield Cavalry Carbine Mk I, or LEC, with a 21.2-inch (540 mm) barrel as opposed to the 30.2-inch (770 mm) one in the 'long' version. [75][76] During the Second World War, the majority of New Zealand's land forces were deployed in North Africa. The Holland & Holland conversions usually have the contractor code 'S51' on the underside of the buttstock. When the number sequence reached 9999 the next letter assigned to the factory would be substituted in place of the former. ), of Toronto, Ontario, produced a run of several thousand survival rifles based on the No. [44] With the introduction of the No. 4 Mk. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force). 4 Mk I* [95], The Brisbane-based Australian International Arms also manufactured a modern reproduction of the No. Lee Enfield Serial Number Database The Number 4 Rifle had a peep sight at the rear of the receiver, and the barrel extends about 3 inches from the front of the forestock. The No. 2s Modified to Mk. Later on when Avrakotos asked Michael Vickers to revamp their strategy, he stopped the Enfield system and, with the large amounts of money available thanks to Charlie Wilson, replaced them with a mix of modern weapons like AK-47s and mortars. For example, BSA Shirley is denoted by M47C, ROF(M) is often simply stamped 'M', and BSA is simply stamped 'B'. Markings on Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk 1* Bryan Brown Dec 2, 1996, 12:00:00 AM to Among the markings on the No. Where are the serial numbers on a Lee Enfield? 6 Mk I never entered full production and examples are rare and valuable to collectors. The WWII British No.4 MK I* evolved from a long line of Lee-Enfield rifles that were first adopted by the British Army in . Go to. . In the late 1960s, RSAF Enfield entered the commercial market by producing No.4-based 7.6251mm rifles for sale. Sterling Armaments of Dagenham, Essex produced a conversion kit comprising a new 7.62mm barrel, magazine, extractor and ejector for commercial sale. 1 Mk. 5 rifles served in Korea (as did the No.1 Mk III* SMLE and sniper 'T' variants, mostly with Australian troops). Back to Blog Lee Enfield Serial Number Database Joseph Strickland During the First World War alone, 3.8 million SMLE rifles were produced in the UK by RSAF Enfield, BSA, and LSA.[94]. There were more than 317,000 Mk I MLE rifles produced and nearly 600,000 Mk I* MLE rifles. All we can go by is the serial number. In Iraq and Egypt, the LeeEnfield was replaced by the Kalashnikov as the standard issue rifle in the Armed Forces by the late 1950s, and in Police Forces by the late 1970s.In the UK, the single-shot .22 calibre Rifle No. CIA officer Gust Avrakotos later arranged for the Egyptian Ministry of Defence to set up production lines of Enfield .303 ammunition specifically for the conflict. Recording of serial numbers for Enfield muskets,.577 Sniders and.450 &.303 Martini rifles. Lee-Enfield No 4 Mk 2, .303 British. The SMLE Mk V (later Rifle No. 4 Mk 1* rifle I have are the following on the left side of the metal band holding the. [42] It was produced only in North America, by Small Arms Limited at Long Branch in Canada and Stevens-Savage Firearms in the USA. The action features helical locking surfaces (the technical term is interrupted threading). Brabantia Nostra. For official references, usually the finished and issued rifle was tracked by its rack number and of course these records have long since been destroyed or lost forever. [39] The No. [22], A shorter and lighter version of the original MLEthe famous Rifle, Short, Magazine, LeeEnfield, or SMLE (sometimes spoken as 'Smelly', rather than S, M, L, E)[14]was introduced on 1 January 1904. 4 Mk I, because the Lithgow Small Arms Factory was producing the SMLE Mk III. Attempts were made to find a cooler-burning propellant, but further trials were halted in 1914 by the onset of World War I. is there a site or data base of Enfield serial numbers where a person could track their rifle back to place of manufacture, deployment etc.? The wristguard markings on a 1918-dated Short Magazine LeeEnfield Mk III* rifle manufactured by the London Small Arms Co. Ltd. The Rieder device could be installed straight away without the use of tools. Odd that the left side has been scrubbed and no FTR marks. [43], In the years after the Second World War, the British produced the No. However, many 2A/2A1 owners shoot such ammunition in their rifles with no problems, although it should be noted that some factory loaded .308 Winchester cartridges may appear to generate higher pressures than 7.6251mm NATO, even though the rounds are otherwise interchangeable this is due to the different systems of pressure measurement used for NATO and commercial cartridges. Rather, they are newly manufactured firearms and are not technically chambered for commercial .308 Winchester ammunition. Initially, rifles were converted from obsolete Magazine LeeMetford and Magazine LeeEnfield rifles[57][58] but from the First World War onwards SMLE rifles were used instead. The bolt head is released by a spring catch on the No4 Mk1 and Mk2, but by a cut-out on the bolt track on No4 Mk1* made by Savage and Long Branch. 4 Mk I* in 1942, with the bolt release catch replaced by a simpler notch on the bolt track of the rifle's receiver. MAGAZINE LEE RIFLES & CARBINES Lee-Metford Lee-Enfield Note: Charger loaders and conversions are family. 5 Mk I, designated Rifle, No. 4 Mk I was officially adopted in 1941. It has markings of a crown and GR Numrich Gun Parts Corporation 226 Williams Ln. 1 Mk VI also introduced a heavier 'floating barrel' that was independent of the forearm, allowing the barrel to expand and contract without contacting the forearm and interfering with the 'zero', the correlation between the alignment of the barrel and the sights. The No. The 2A/2A1 rifles are not conversions of .303 calibre SMLE Mk III* rifles. 4 Mk IV. [82] It fired in semi-automatic only and suffered some feeding and extraction problems and, despite meeting accuracy and soundness of design concept, never made it past the prototype stage. I* (T) sniper rifles. It was a simplified version of the Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield rifle that served the Empire so well in the first unpleasantness. Canadian sniperSergeant Harold Marshall carries a No. The Lee action cocked the striker on the closing stroke of the bolt, making the initial opening much faster and easier compared to the 'cock on opening' (i.e., the firing pin cocks upon opening the bolt) of the Mauser Gewehr 98 design. It is like detective work trying to figure out the clues. 5 Mk I). that serial is definetly a longbranch range , and not an early one , longbranch did make rifles from 48-56 , my records show 1944 production was 58L to 84L , 42 was 1L to 20L so that is out , i show 1950 production in the 91L to 95L range that looks to be correct . Sliding ramp rear sights, fixed-post front sights, 'dial' long-range volley; telescopic sights on sniper models. The British probably used helical locking lugs to allow for chambering imperfect or dirty ammunition and that the closing cam action is distributed over the entire mating faces of both bolt and receiver lugs. Many surplus LeeEnfield rifles were sold in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States after the Second World War, and a fair number have been 'sporterised', having had the front furniture reduced or removed and a scope fitted so that they resemble a bolt-action sporting rifle. Dated 1953 believed is 'Irish Contract Rifle' lot, but serial number was supplied to British Army. 4 Mk I, Britain had obviously settled on the rear aperture sight prior to WWI, with modifications to the SMLE being tested as early as 1911, as well as later on the No. The rest of the story is that this carbine was accepted into New Zealand service in 1899 and was assigned inventory number 1909. Matching serial numbers. I A (a transitional model), Mk. (HT standing for 'Heavy Barrel, Telescopic Sight),[14] which saw service in the Second World War, Korea, and Malaya and was used for Sniper Training through to the late 1970s. 4 Mk I* rifles are all stamped 'US PROPERTY'. I* (T) sniper rifles were converted to this new calibre and designated L42A1. During World War II, the British standardized their sniper equipment as the Lee-Enfield Number 4 Mark I (T). Insurance value would best be conducted by an insurance company that deals specifically with firearm relics such as a 124 year old Lee-Enfield rifle. 4 Mark I rifle was adopted on Nov. 15, 1939. Forum for discussion by serious collectors of Lee Enfield arms, accessories, ammunition, and accoutrements 4 Mk 2 with the ladder aperture sight flipped up and 5-round charger. 303 enfield rifle tha has a serial number of 42973 and ENGLAND. The 'G.R.' Rack number?, club inventory number? No. Dave91 Apr 25, 2010 The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast Member Benefits: No ad networks! The machinery from ROF Fazakerley was sold to Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) in Rawalpindi where production and repair of the No.4 rifle was continued from 1957. Note that not all FTR rifle were converted. 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