.303 Enfield Question.

[C A Plater]

A local gun shop has a pair of .303 Enfields on the wall that look brand new. They are high up on the wall so I didn't get a close look and them and if I hand them take one down to examine it I would probably end up $500 poorer. The stocks are a honey blond color and there is a colorful medallion in the buttstock and appear to be a Number 4 Mark 2 pattern. I can't seem to find any information on the net about these particular variants so does anybody know where these come from?

[jsm02f]

It is most likely some kind of unit identification disk. It would be best to inspect it close up, but I can say that unless the medallion is made up of $350 worth of pure gold I would have to say that $500 is a little overpriced. If it is a really good condition mark 2, a slightly more desirable variant, I would throw out an offer of $200 and walk if he does not meet it. If you just want a Lee enfield as a shooter, you can do much better.

[Hip's Ax]

Could be brand new No4Mk2's, if they were still in the wrap they might get $500 on a good day. Unwrapped and unfired $350 I'd say. Fired a little maybe $250, fired a lot its just another Enfield, maybe $200. If the serial number starts with PF it may be one of the Irish Contract rifles, if it starts with UF might be English war reserve. I bought one of the UF's a few years ago still in the wrap for $450. Could be something totally different as mine has no disc in the stock. Take a good look at it and see what it is.

[C A Plater]

This has got to be some commemorative issue or re-work. The finish is way to good for a field issue rifle and the disk looks like it has an eagle on it and I think the trigger is gold plated. I'll have to get a closer look at it tomorrow and find out just what it is. $500 is more than I want to spend for a rifle I don't already reload for and haven't got the time to shoot it anyway. I've got a Yugo Mauser and a couple of Swiss K-31s that need attention first. It is such a nice looking rifle and I just wondered where they came from.

[PAT303]

I know what it could be,at Bisley in England they used to have lee's as the winners prize and they had a medalion inletted into the butt and the general finnish was second to none. I would take a good look.If it is one the poms would pay well for it. Pat

[Four Fingers of Death]

I had a 1907 SMLE which was reworked in the 60s to present to a retiring colonel. The quality of the finish was like a new Browning, very pretty. It had the same finish applied to the cut off plate and long range sights and it had a windage adjustable rear sight. I got sick of SMLE lovers humping my leg and pestering me, so I eventually let it go. I offended a lot of people by choosing a younger shooter / collector to be it's new owner. They were not impressed. Bad luck. Mick

[C A Plater]

I went to the shop and had them take one down from the wall to look at. A close up look showed them to be MK3s refinished and made up as 1945 WWII commemoratives. Fresh stocks, re-blued and with gold plating on the trigger and bolt. They are supposed to be 1 of 100 with some gold lettering on the action. Basically a non-shooter wall hanger. The blue was purple on some parts and up close they do not look presentation quality to me. Easy to pass these by.

[6GUNSONLY]

CAP - what shop had them? I live in Florence. Were they in fact $500 and are they shootable? I like .303s and am always looking for a good one.

[Rick N Bama]

CAP - what shop had them? I live in Florence. Were they in fact $500 and are they shootable? I like .303s and am always looking for a good one.

I'm in Cullman so I would like to know where they are as well, not that I'm interested in buying, but I sure would like to see them.

Rick

[robertbank]

Could it be one of the Vietnam makes sold as Australian rifles?

Up here NIB or minty #4's go for around $600Cdn now. Guys here pay more for the Longbranch (National Pride methinks is in play). There is a LE Sniper Rifle with all original listed on canadiangunutz for $3,800. Has't sold yet but will.

Take Care

Bob

[C A Plater]

There is still 2 on the wall behind the counter at Larry's Pistol & Pawn in Huntsville and still have the $495 price tag. A closer look showed these are MkIII's which would be in line with the WWII commemorative theme. These were reworked and reblued with blond stocks and look to me to be meant for decoration but are probably shootable. With the gold plated bolt, the actions were zip tied shut and I did not check the bores.

[Rick N Bama]

There is still 2 on the wall behind the counter at Larry's Pistol & Pawn in Huntsville and still have the $495 price tag. A closer look showed these are MkIII's which would be in line with the WWII commemorative theme. These were reworked and reblued with blond stocks and look to me to be meant for decoration but are probably shootable. With the gold plated bolt, the actions were zip tied shut and I did not check the bores.

Thanks for posting the location. The wife & I may be in H'ville Tuesday or Wednesday, and if we are, I want to stop by and take a look.

Rick

[JeffinNZ]

I had a 1907 SMLE which was reworked in the 60s to present to a retiring colonel. The quality of the finish was like a new Browning, very pretty. It had the same finish applied to the cut off plate and long range sights and it had a windage adjustable rear sight. I got sick of SMLE lovers humping my leg and pestering me, so I eventually let it go. I offended a lot of people by choosing a younger shooter / collector to be it's new owner. They were not impressed. Bad luck. Mick

Yes, SHAME on you for encouraging a new/young shooter into collecting. It should have gone to an 80 year old who would have 'pegged' out and his family would have sold up all his precious collection to the vultures that circle the death notices in the newspapers........[smilie=1: ........ (tongue in cheek of course).

Good on you I say for being forward thinking.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Jeff, I notice that citizens of English speaking countries other than the US, use the expression "pegging out" for what we call "passing over the great divide," or other colorful metaphors. "Pegging out" is also used in the card game cribbage, my favorite. Cribbage is a very popular game here among sailors and firefighters. Is cribbage popular in your hemisphere?

[JeffinNZ]

Cribbage : Not so much anymore. A long lost art I would say.

[carpetman]

Real men play Pinochle

[MT Gianni]

Work has a long standing cribbage game. My old workplace has a pitch game with cribbage for those too late to get in. Anybody still play pitch? Gianni.

[carpetman]

I am not familar with Pitch. I have found games to be localized to a large degree. For example in Texas there is a domino game called 42 and seldom will you find someone that plays it that is either not Texan or they learned it from a Texan. When I joined the Air Force,salaries were such that games were the entertainment. Pinochle was very popular all branches. As salaries increased a little,other forms of entertainment became affordable and playing cards declined. I started finding it rare that the younger members knew pinochle. I do play pinochle online and a vast majority of the players learned online and have never played it with real cards.

[JSH]

I still play pitch, but the players are few and far between any more. I first learned to play 10 and 13 point when I was about maybe 8 or 9. My folks used to play at some of the old country churches and schools aroud the country, used to call them penny dinners I believe.
Where I used to work there would be some pretty good games of 3 and 4 point, played that for money.
I have played and still play this Texas holdem. I see that game as a bunch of BS IMHO, best bluffer can win and no real challenge. I guess that is why they call it gambling.
Jeff

[robertbank]

Cribbage is played still up here but not as much as before. Nice pastime for a quiet evening with my wife and or sons when they come home to visit. My grand-dad taught me the game as I will to mine.

Take Care

Bob

[Four Fingers of Death]

Apart from the backyard cricket matches in australia, games like cribbage are not common. Draughts, chess, monopoly and scrabble, etc are popular, but lately this is a lot of boules played. This is the chrome pairs of throwing/bowling balls, where you try and get closest tpo the jack (a small white ball) comes from France I believe, but I may be wrong.)

[robertbank]

boules is that what we would call lawn bowling? If so I thought the only way you could get into playing a match of that was that you had to be over 80 and hard of hearing?:mrgreen:

A lot of that is played around Vancouver and Victoria, more of a gentile sport I would say. You play that just before you pass so when you get to the gates of heaven you have your "sports" badge on your sleeve.

Take Care

Bob

[waksupi]

I thought that was bocche?

[robertbank]

No bocche is an italian game similar to Lawn bowling but not quite the same. My N.A. impression of bocche players is one of middle age Italians in sweat shirts drinking wine and playing bocche. Lawn bowling involves grey haired men dressed in whites and ties and blue haired ladies in white dresses and blue jackets politely applauding each good bowl.

I know, probably have now insulted half the upper crust of England....oh well.:mrgreen:

Take Care

Bob

[carpetman]

Maybe Canadians can explain curling,that's the one that makes no sense to me. I'd like to see someone get disqualified for using a Dust Buster instead of a broom.

[robertbank]

Well first you either have to be hungover or working on one. Just skid a 40 lb piece of granite some 90 odd feet down a sheet of ice into a one foot cricle while your Skip yells at you "Hard, hard , or whoa" and Bobs your uncle. Never could figure out why we had to do all thsi 10 times just to get back to drinking Molsons. More popular on T.V. then ice hockey except for the World Juniors Tournament and Game 7 of the Stanley Cup.

Ah the Scots, invented golf for the summer, curling for the winter and Scotch for all seasons. Yea gotta love um.

Take Care

Bob

[NVcurmudgeon]

Bob has lawn bowling figured out perfectly. I grew up in Berkeley, CA back when it was a very stodgy town, with pretensions of being an upscale suburb of London, England. There was a lawn bowling club. I remember watching lawn bowling through the fence and very profusely planted trees bordering the field. It was the most perfect lawn I ever saw, right to this day. Lawn bowling is very slow to watch. Not only are the players all geezers, but they never seem to roll the ball, it's much like watching paint dry.

[Four Fingers of Death]

In Australia. all things european and remotely related to the trendy latte' coffe shop set are tremendously popular (in most circles anyway), the popularity of boules is a flow on from this I suppose. You can buy sets virtually anywhere now and this has also added to their popularity. You would not have been able to buy a set for love nor money in normal shops, maybe in the Italian suburbs, but not elsewhere.

Sudoku is a big hit at the moment.