gunshow enfield followed me to the house.

[adrians]

hi folks i just got back from a gun show at the state fair grounds and a enfield #4-mk1 came with me, i know nothing about these rifles can anyone enlighten me?
sorry for the obvious lack of info to yall but i haven'''t really looked close at it myself yet.
it says england on the right side of the reciever (looking down the barrel) and some markings on the buttstock strap fixture one is 1943,that all i got for now ,will pics help?
duh ,,,i know this answer.
:evil:[smilie=w::evil:

[303Guy]

No4's are great rifles. I have three. Unfortunately, mine are not in original military dress. I would like one of them to be. I've only used my sporterized two-groove. The other two are waiting their turn. Mine are LongBranch Mk1's. The one that's closest to military has had the bayonet lug section of the barrel cut off. Actually, they all have but since the other two are sporters, that doesn't matter.

[adrians]

i'm not sure where in England it was made ,,, these marks really don't tell me anything .
can you or somebody give me any info on them, the ones on the muzzle arrear to be the cal and case length but what does the N.P mean,sorry for the bad pics they came from my i phone,anyway any info would be great,
thanks .adrians:twisted::coffeecom:twisted:

[adrians]

hey 303 shouldn't you be shooting lithgows :kidding: just :kidding:

[Multigunner]

A some point the country where a rifle was manufactured was stamped on rifles imported into some countries. Not sure if this was a UK law or not. Some rifles imported into the U S have these markings, but these were likely first sold off in the UK or Commonwealth first.

The marking could be of some importance since both the SMLE and No.4 were manufactured in countries outside the UK as well as those made in the UK. The No.4 was manufactured in Canada, the U S A, and by Pakistan. The SMLE was manufactured in India and Australia.

[Jack Stanley]

I think the N. P. means nitro proof , the rest of the stuff probably says tons and some numbers which may be the pressure it was proofed at . I'm sure one of the collectors here will clean this up for us . :wink:

Jack

[adrians]

im also curious as to the BA stamp on the buttstock ring ,,,bolt ,,and the magazine.

[Jack Stanley]

That I believe is a arsenal mark though I don't know which one it came from . I have a Lithgow number one that has MA in similar spots .

Jack

[303Guy]

hey 303 shouldn't you be shooting lithgows :kidding: just :kidding:I do have a Lithgow but it carries a 303-25 barrel and sporter stock. It's my only SMLE action Lee Enfield. I have a Sht L E Mk I plus a few other L E MkI's

[enfield]

8 #1's 7 #4's and 1 lee metford . there maybe more in the closet I missed ? 2 I turned into 22's one is 32-20 one is .357 mag and another is 50-70 or 45 colt depending on wich barrel I screw on. 8 are full wood. I think I have enough now though.

[adrians]

303, i think i'm gonna be on the lookout for a lithgow , thats next on my list.
for the longest time i only bought mausers (prolly got 30 or so ) and as far as i was concerned they were the only rifle ever made i blocked every other firearm out, but then i discovered the enfields and now the mausers are jealous , well they will get over it eventually.:evil:[smilie=w::evil:

[303Guy]

I'm keen on pitting the two in shooting competitions. Having a sample of both, you could have heaps of fun! Just be wary of the Lee Enfield safety features - they can be made to fire by simply inserting a cartridge, dropping the bolt forward with the trigger pulled then quickly snapping the bolt over the rim and locking it. Just don't ask me how I found out.[smilie=1: Luckily it was a very light test load.:roll:

Don't rely on the safety catch either. It might lock the firing pin good and solid but it bumps off so easily it's silly. Bolt open carry for me only! Mind you, the safety is handy for the final stalk stages but if the shot is not taken the bolt handle gets flipped up. Problem is, the safety must be taken off first. (My Lithgow has the little nub thing that locks the bolt on safe broken off so it can be unlocked with the safety on. The safety is quiet and can be pushed off with the sights on target).

Mmmm... being looking at those pics of your full battle dress rifle and it does cause stirrings!

[m.chalmers]

Nice find. England is the import mark from the old days, back when an Enfield cost me $25USD.
Go here and read:
http://forums.gunboards.com/forumdisplay.php?55-The-Lee-Enfield-Forum

[JeffinNZ]

hey 303 shouldn't you be shooting lithgows :kidding: just :kidding:

If he was Australian maybe.

[adrians]

If he was Australian maybe.

oh shoot i just noticed 303 is NZ my bad guy's no offence:veryconfu

[303Guy]

Nothing wrong with being Auzzie! Hey, the Auzzie's make some pretty good powders (Hodgdon would know, ADI make some of their powders) and they 'invented' the 303-25 which I think is a brilliant caliber!:Fire:

You know, every time a see a full dress No.4 I wish I had one. There is something about them. They are available at my local gunshop with near mint bores but they are a little pricey for someone who needs a new car and already has three No4's, two of which have never been taken on an outing! But I'm getting ideas of trading two of them for a full battle dress one.

[ricksplace]

Nice rifle. It appears to be all matching too! It's a keeper for sure.

I have rebarrelled more than a few no4's, in .223, .308, 444, 30-30, 357 mag, 44 mag, and probably a few I can't remember.

My favourite fun gun on that action I built for a friend. It is chambered in 32 H&R mag. It shoots 32 H&R mag, 32 S&W long, 32 S&W, and 32 ACP interchangeably. I used the take-off 303 barrel. I cut the chamber area off, sleeved the breech area of the barrel, and threaded it back on to the action. I cut the chamber with a boring bar. I'm sure the twist is not what is recommended for the caliber, but it works! The really strange thing about this rifle is that it shoots all the above-mentioned calibers in to about 1" at 25 meters. I guess the length of the barrel and the calibers are just right for the barrel time to allow for the same point of impact. Usually the faster (32 H&R mag) hit lower, and the slower (32 S&W) shoot higher (like a pistol). I haven't tried it at any longer ranges than 25 meters.

In this small caliber, the extractor pulls the case out of the chamber, which then falls straight down as it is too small to reach the ejector. An empty magazine (remove the spring and follower) catches all the empties. When you are finished shooting, just remove the mag and dump the empties in your pocket.

If you have a lathe, or access to one, the net cost of this endeavour is $0 over and above the cost of the rifle. I look for bubba'd no4's for cheap and never butcher a beauty like you have.

[Char-Gar]

The BA mark is a manufacturer's mark, in this case Bathurst feeder factory in Australia.
The NP is Birmingham proof from 1912 to 19543
England is a pre-68 private export mark.

So it would appear that your rifle was made in Australia and proofed at Birminham England prior to it's export somewhere between the end of WWII and 1954. This is based on my memory that the British proofed non-British made firearms, before they exported them. Enfield rifles flooded into this country, in the 50's and early 60's. Some research could turn up other information about your rifle from the markings.

Here is a good link to Enfield markings of all kinds.

http://home.earthlink.net/~smithkaia8/index.html

I have a Longbranch (1944) in full military dress and enjoy it very much.

[303Guy]

An empty magazine (remove the spring and follower) catches all the empties.It works for 303 Brit too! (As long as the bolt is not opened too vigorously). Great for bench shooting!

[adrians]

The BA mark is a manufacturer's mark, in this case Bathurst feeder factory in Australia.
The NP is Birmingham proof from 1912 to 19543
England is a pre-68 private export mark.

So it would appear that your rifle was made in Australia and proofed at Birminham England prior to it's export somewhere between the end of WWII and 1954. This is based on my memory that the British proofed non-British made firearms, before they exported them. Enfield rifles flooded into this country, in the 50's and early 60's. Some research could turn up other information about your rifle from the markings.

Here is a good link to Enfield markings of all kinds.

http://home.earthlink.net/~smithkaia8/index.html

I have a Longbranch (1944) in full military dress and enjoy it very much.

thanks charger great info,it makes the rifle feel "alive" when you know a little background on it .
so it was exported for the civilian market ,huh, that might explain the front sight blades -015 marking, ( i quess the owner needed a smaller sight height and found his "sweet spot " with it) whatever that was.
thanks again .
adrian. :twisted: :coffee: :evil:

[Dead Dog Jack]

thanks charger great info,it makes the rifle feel "alive" when you know a little background on it .
so it was exported for the civilian market ,huh, that might explain the front sight blades -015 marking, ( i quess the owner needed a smaller sight height and found his "sweet spot " with it) whatever that was.
thanks again .
adrian.


This rifle was NOT manufactured in Australia. Australia and India did not manufacture the No. 4 as we know it. They continued to produce the SMLE (No. 1 Mk III*) throughout WWII.

This No. 4 was made in England at the Maltby factory, near Sheffield. The BA is part of the serial number. Maltbys were assigned five digit serial numbers beginning with the number 1 and prefixed with a letter, or two letters as time went on. As you can see by the stamp, it was made in 1943.

The front sight marking of -.015 is one of the nine different heights of front sites put on No. 4 rifles. This makes the blade about .975" above center of bore.

[adrians]

"This No. 4 was made in England at the Maltby factory, near Sheffield. The BA is part of the serial number. Maltbys were assigned five digit serial numbers beginning with the number 1 and prefixed with a letter, or two letters as time went on. As you can see by the stamp, it was made in 1943"
DEAD DOG JACK.





i'm over the moon about the rifle being made in Maltby in YORKSHIRE,ENGLAND.
i was born in HALIFAX,YORKSHIRE,ENGLAND and left the "mother country" to come overhere in 1987, lived in arkansas ever since.
MALTBY would only be about ,oh ,2-3 hr drive from my old home..
small world ain't it.?
oh and by the way i can't wait to shoot it .
:evil:[smilie=6::twisted:

[303Guy]

I have an idea that my Longbranch made No4 carries a Maltby barrel. That would make sense since it has ended up in New Zealand.

[ted60]

charger , can you tell me any info on mt NO4 MK1 ?serial no. F(FTR) serial number starts with AO
onthats on reciever, on the buttstock to trigger metal area is England beneath a AO and below barely visable 1943, another serial number that doesnt match recriver, I went to site you posted but find no letters that match?and its 4 or 5 groove rifling, bad eyes.

[Dead Dog Jack]

charger , can you tell me any info on mt NO4 MK1 ?serial no. F(FTR) serial number starts with AO
onthats on reciever, on the buttstock to trigger metal area is England beneath a AO and below barely visable 1943, another serial number that doesnt match recriver, I went to site you posted but find no letters that match?and its 4 or 5 groove rifling, bad eyes.


It's kind of hard without the actual serial number itself. AO would have been used by all three of the BRITISH manufacturers.

[TRX]

hi folks i just got back from a gun show at the state fair grounds and a enfield #4-mk1 came with me, i know nothing about these rifles can anyone enlighten me?

Sell it now, before it's too late. Or give it to a friend or relative.

SMLEs are the evil cousins of Mosins. Nobody has just ONE of either, for very long.

Since you probably won't take this warning seriously, you might as well start shopping for another gun cabinet. You'll need it sooner than you think. Pretty soon you'll have SMLEs that you don't even remember buying.

[adrians]

TRX too late , i have an ishy 2a1 also....