ANYONE KNOW SMLE?

[johncaz44]

Hello everyone, thanks for viewing my thread!! This is admittedly a bit of a stab in the dark. I am planning on purchasing my cousin's Lee-Enfield. Beyond the general name of the rifle I really don't know anything about his rifle. I have five pictures of the rifle which I will be sharing in this thread. I WILL BE UPLOADING PICTURES AND INFO AS I GET THEM. I asked for more but do not know when I will recieve them.

I've done a few hours of research on these historic rifles. Without the further info that I need to specify where, when and who made this rifle, I WILL NOT be making the purchase. I want to make sure I'm not getting a SPORTERIZED POS. (call me picky) Thankfully, I've been able to determine that this rifle is likely NOT sporterized. THANK GOD. However that is only one of my concerns. If the bore, bluing, or bolt are worn, ugly, or sticky I may consider rejecting this one. It's not exactly cheap, and I like my rifles to be firing, EVEN the C&Rs. After all, my 91/30 made in 1938 still fires; incredibly accurately at that.

He says he wants $250.00. One of my questions is regarding this price. I have seen these rifles listed at $250-$3,000 on GB. I'm assuming this one will be in the range of (equal to or lesser than) $250.00. However, if its priced at much less that'd be one more thing I'll have a problem with. Since this rifle will require that I buy a whole new type of caliber (.303), I'd like a great price for high quality.

Thanks for checking out my post; I realize there's a huge lack of info here. I promise you it's already in the process of being resolved. We don't see eachother in person, and he's not a big 'gun guy' so the pictures and info he has on the rifle are likely dated back to around when he got it, as a gift from his dad about 15 years ago. I posted this early in case anyone sees anything 'major' either bad or good, about the rifle just in the few short paragraphs and pictures I'm currently able to provide. Bare with me here. Have a great day.


***Hey everyone, due to some (BULLSH*T) changes to how Imgur photos are shared, the only link I can provide is a redirect page to their website. I know, this is COMPLETE CRAP. SORRY ABOUT THAT. If there was a way I could simply embed these pics, I WOULD. However there is no apperant way to do so. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE, and hope this won't deter any of your expert advice from making it my way. Stupid Imgur!

[millman]

A non bubba Enfield for $250 is a buy almost any day.

[bunkysdad]

[bunkysdad]

Seems easy enough to post the pics. This is a good buy. Go for it. Or offer him more money. It is worth more then 250.00 in my opinion. Good luck with your friend.

[Mosinhope]

Looks to be a No4 MkI Enfield. So far looks all correct as issued. Not exactly minty but well worth $250.00USD. Mint No4 MkI's are going these days for $395-$495.00USD. Bore condition is important. IMO the British No4 MkI is the best battle bolt action rifle ever made. Mosin-Nagant 91/30 IMO 2nd best. (please don't hate me)

[Junk Yard Dog]

I see what looks like an aluminum buttplate on there, you see a S in a square stamp anyplace on that rifle? That would be US Savage manufacture, and positively worth the asking price. It is anyway as it looks intact and in good condition. Even with a less than perfect bore a No4 mK1 or MKII is still worth the $250, your buying it from family, unless you lack faith in this particular family member then he shouldn't be screwing you over.

[TheMaineEvent]

Agreed, this is worth the price all day long.

[Homer2]

Nice no4. No Brainerd provided it is not a drill rifle or has a buggered barrel.

[don90]

Yep, no4 mk1, can tell by the milled out slot on the bolt and the look of reciever. probably Longbranch Canadian made. Can tell by the aperture rear sight instead of ladder. Buy it

[don90]

Lol just opened pics properly, obviously no4 by the protruding muzzle

[don90]

Looks to be a No4 MkI Enfield. So far looks all correct as issued. Not exactly minty but well worth $250.00USD. Mint No4 MkI's are going these days for $395-$495.00USD. Bore condition is important. IMO the British No4 MkI is the best battle bolt action rifle ever made. Mosin-Nagant 91/30 IMO 2nd best. (please don't hate me)

No k98? What's wrong with you!

[Junk Yard Dog]

The US M1903 is the best military bolt action rifle ever made

[johncaz44]

I made the mistake of putting the pics into an "album". I couldn't figure out how to embed the album, and then realized I didn't even see a way to embed the photos one by one, which is what I usually do. Thanks for posting those bunkys.

Thanks to everyone who replied; I'm definitely more excited about this purchase now. Now another question for you guys; are many of these rifles in shooting condition, or does the old age simply deem them too fragile to fire without damaging them? I only ask because I was checking out an Italian Carcano (I'm pretty sure that's what it was called, bare with me) rifle a few weeks ago and in the description it stated that the rifle should not be fired due to the age. Though I don't mind the idea of having a few "wall-hangers" around in the future, for now I'd really like another milsurp that I can fire. Hopefully this question doesn't cause anyone to roll their eyes at me.. Just curious!

Still awaiting some further info on this particular Lee-Enfield. I really appreciate those of you who posted, it helps a lot just to know the type of Lee-Enfield I'm looking at. Like Mosin-Nagant, it seems the SMLE has quite a history; with several countries manufacturing them dating throughout several decades. Pretty interesting stuff if you ask me. The world of milsurp is amazing, isn't it?

[bunkysdad]

The idea of not suggesting shooting old milsurps is probably more than anything a result of these sue happy times we live in. Liabilities, nobody wants to be responsible, however all they really usually say is that it should be checked by a qualified gunsmith before firing. That is not necessary if you have just basic mechanical skills, and a few basic proper fitting tools. Like screwdriver bits that fit the screw slots properly so you don't damage them. The Enfield rifles that I own have really skinny slots in the smaller screws and I even had to file a screwdriver to became thin enough to fit properly. I since bought a fairly nice screwdriver set from Grafs, who in my opinion has a smoking hot deal on a nice set.
Anyway, you want to disassemble everything and inspect for loose, damaged, or missing parts and it is recommend to contact Okie Headspace Guages for a no-go or field guage to check your headspace.
As for the best battle rifle ever made? I thought it was the Brown Bess Musket!

[TheMaineEvent]

As long as the rifle has good head spacing you'll be fine to shoot it. In fact, I think you'll find that Enfields are some of the best shooting rifles out there. I enjoy shooting mine almost more than any other model bolt action.

[kjohn]

$250????? I would burn the hair off my hand getting my money out. It isn't actually an SMLE. It will be a British manufacture No.4 Mk1 (originally anyway). The Canadian Longbranch and the Savage built No.4's used a bit different method to release the bolt for removal. Grand old rifles. Up here in Kanuckistan, No4's that are full wood and in at least decent shape go now for $400-$500-$600. A nice one will easily bring $600. The old SMLE's are going up too.

I see a whole new batch of younger, more aware buyers at gun shows, hauling out the Lee Enfields, Mausers, etc. By "more aware", I mean more easily and quickly made aware of the history and $$ value of these old rifles. The internet has made a huge difference in the availability to learn about the myriad of variations, etc..