So BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM PING occurred. It was sweetness and light.
So my Curmudgeon looks at the rifle as I present it to him. His wife has prepared standard issue coffee. This explains why you may get posts at 0400 hours tonight. Again, he snorts and makes a remark about kids these days thinking they have discovered something. He disappears into the basement and shows me this:
Sorry for the quality of the photo. Phone camera! A M1 Carbine! Looks to be around 1943. Woot! Lets go shoot! And we did.
As soon as we whipped out the M1 Garand and the M1 Carbine people noticed. Both weapons functioned well. Then as we are shooting the latest 9mm bullet hose pistol several people came to our lane and offered their pistols for us to shoot! Go figure. It was fun as we picked up the Glock something and the Springfield something up in .45ACP to shoot. We countered with the Smith and Wesson M&P VTAC. Hey, you gotta counter offer right? Range etiquette and all that.
So my Friend gives me this and wants to know more about it. I am stumped. Since there is a brain trust at the NRA Convention and others lurking around, can you help? You know the drill, click to enbiggen!
The muzzle mikes out to about 0.302.
Help! Please?
Oh, my friend whips out the photo of him graduating from his Army MOS school. I found him. It was 1955. I don't know why, but I seem to have a bunch of LEO and Military friends although I have done neither. Go figure. I'm in good company though!
Sporterized Enfield #1Mk3 in caliber .303. A most excellent rifle and I've got a set of Indian wood for it that'll restore it pretty decently, OR you can get the proper wood/metal from a few sources I can hook you up with.
ReplyDeleteThat's an Enfield that someone has bubba'd.
ReplyDeleteFor the identifying marks:
The G.R. means George Rex - the reign of King George V or King George VI, but...
The third line gives 1916 and since George V reigned from 1911 to 1936, it's the former.
The second line indicates that it was made by the B.S.A or Birmingham Small Arms Factory.
The SHT LE is Short Lee Enfield. Later rifles would say SMLE for Short Magazine Lee Enfield.
And the III* is the model.
Generally a SMLE has a full length stock and upper handguard so obviously someone has taken a saw to the wood.
It should look like this:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vm41U6YBvaA/Ty4K1fOE01I/AAAAAAAAAWE/p0zKrpcbkNI/s1600/800px-Lee-Enfield_Mk_III_(No_1_Mk_3)_-_AM.032056.jpg
That's a fairly early III* as it still has the volley sight.
It shoots a .303 British round which is ballisticly similar to the .30-06. Ammo is starting to get to be hard to come by. I've been stocking up on Prvi Partisan and Selliet & Bellot.
My SMLE No. 4 likes the 174 gr. best but 150 works okay.
I found this weird because I bought EXACTLY this, a sporterized Mk III SMLE from 1916. I wonder if other armories changed to SMLE from SHT LE at different times?
DeleteFWIW, Wolf still sells .303 that I've found reliable.
I agree, very Sporterized Enfield.
ReplyDeleteAs other's have stated a sporterized Short Lee Enfield although the scope mount is a bit unexpected. These made a very good hunting rifle and are found more often in northern wood's. If I ran across one in like condition for sale or trade I'd seriously consider it and leave it as is just for it's intended purpose.
ReplyDeleteEnfield as indicated, and sadly been Bubba'ed...
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone! I have a new project now to get this rifle back to fighting trim as much as I can!
ReplyDeleteDrat. I knew the answer for once, and I'm late to the party.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing pictures when it's done...
ReplyDeleteDann in Ohio