Enfield Identification question |
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A square 10
Special Member Donating Member Joined: December 12 2006 Location: MN , USA Status: Offline Points: 14452 |
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Posted: March 12 2021 at 8:35pm |
as a sporter you wont want to pay high unless its what you are looking for , restoration will be costly and you need to access what you need to invest vs what you intend to have , ive bought such and returned to military but those were the days when cost was not the major concern , im no longer in that arena , it may well serve fine as a deer hunting rifle or a target option if you desire that - just my 2 cents that is worth far less than that these days ,
edit to add if this was a dispersal - 1940s mkIII* i might go a bit further in my investment only because ive had a fondness for them , thats just me and that would be my money , just sayin ,
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Travis
Groupie Joined: November 05 2019 Location: Burien, WA Status: Offline Points: 22 |
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This looks a lot like my 1941 Lithgow SMLE III* that I bought from a neighbor for $400. I haven't gotten out to the range due the Covid restrictions to see how it shoots yet.
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Travis98146
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lyman1903
Groupie Joined: August 12 2018 Location: Beach VA, Status: Offline Points: 93 |
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for your first Enfield,
If I may suggest, pass on this one unless it is dirt cheap, the cost of restoration is high now, and going up every day, save your cash and surf a bit, there are good solid examples available for the same or less than it would cost to restore that one, and once it was restored, it would still be a bitzer
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L8ergtg
Newbie Joined: March 08 2021 Location: Michigan Status: Offline Points: 3 |
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What I think I am going to do is try to purchase it for reasonable price and use it as my Target Enfield as, like I said, this, hopefully, is only the start of my collection and I am a shooter more then a collector. So this can be my shooting Enfield and when I have more I will only shoot those occasionally. Thanks for the help.
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A square 10
Special Member Donating Member Joined: December 12 2006 Location: MN , USA Status: Offline Points: 14452 |
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welcome to the site , as shamu stated , its been sported in post military use , it looks relatively there save the forestock and handguards with the metal bits , but they will add up in cost , if it shoots well ...perhaps enjoy as is ?
it started life as a mkIII* , but without a good look at the right wrist markings under the bolt or a serial number , we cannot identify the maker , the bolt number - receiver/bbl number - possibly rear sight ladder number - maybe the magazine box as well should all match , but not uncommon if they dont
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Shamu
Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 17603 |
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Its had the wood cut back & removed to make it a "Sporter". Hardware & nose cap are gone also. This is not a military thing, somebody did it in the garage I'm afraid. The good news is that its restorable, but stocks & parts have climbed in price & dived in availability it would be a labor of love at this point as the parts would probably be worth more than the rifle. There's also the matter of matching & fitting those parts, this was before "Plug 'n Play" there's a lot of hand fitting required. I'd not pay more than $150~$200 depending on the details. It may still be a good shooter despite that I'd price accordingly.
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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L8ergtg
Newbie Joined: March 08 2021 Location: Michigan Status: Offline Points: 3 |
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Everyone,
I am looking to bid on an Enfield SMLE MK III* and it looks in really good shape and everything but I was wondering why the Stock is in the form that it is. Why does it not have the typical wood encasing the entire gun. The gun is dated in 1917 and looks absolutely beautiful but I am wondering if this is a poor aftermarket restoration or a slight sportarization or if it is a "legitimate" variant of the Enfield. I am hopping that this could be my first Enfield (Hence why I know so little compared to you all) but while my main thing is good shoot ability it is one of the few rifles that I want to be authentic in form. Picture below Thank you for all your wisdom
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