Enfield/Savage Mk 4

[mdi]

Well, when skimming through the site I happened upon the Military section and remembered I have a US made (Savage) Mk4 #1, dated 1942, stashed in a closet somewhere. Dug it up and took it to the shed where I disassembled it and started cleaning. Bought it in '86 and can't remember why I put it up and forgot it. I was imagining that the grease/oil I was cleaning off was original 1942 issue (70 years since rifle was disassembled?), and was wondering if my rifle was original. Markings on stock are "S" and "X" on inside and I'm still looking for a site that shows the other markings.

I'm off on a new quest, as I want to shoot her, as I'm reasonably sure it has no collector's value. Dark bore but sharp looking rifling, no rust anywhere and even the bluing that was under the wood is still there. More fun to come...
BTW wrong designation in title...

[Multigunner]

The Savage is a No.4 MkI rather than Mk4.
If the bolt head release is in the from of a plunger at the rear of the bolt track its a MkI , if the release is by means of a opening in the bolt head track then its a MkI*.
If a MkI its not as common as the MkI*.

Other things to look for are the number of grooves in the bore. Two groove bores are common, the six groove bore is very rare and the most sought after.

[Outpost75]

My experience has been that the 2-groove Savage and Long Branch are the best lead shooters. The 5 and 6-groove mores tend to run large and require .315-.316" whereas the 2-groove barrels with wide lands displace metal to fill the oversized grooves.

#314299 water dropped wheelweights, sized .314" with 30 grs. of RL7 for 2050 fps is my recipe. Shoots on at 100 yds. using the 300 yd. battlesight setting.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Got my Savage No 4 Mk1* back in the `50`s thru the mail from J C PENNY, INC in Chicago for the outlandish cost of $12.95 + shipping. I also got 100 FMJ rounds with it for another $7.99. Couldn`t hit much with the flip rear sight on it so had a Williams Peep sight put on. Still miltary otherwise and is 1 of my favorite fun guns.Robert

[mdi]

870278702687025

Thanks for the info. I have just re-discovered it and am learning! I got it at a sporting goods store for around $40.00and the receipt calls it a Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk II, so I'll keep looking to find out exactly what I have. And I'll get the correct terminology down soon...;)

Originally I was just sharing my "new-old" rifle, but there seems to be some real knowledgable folks here, I'll try and share some photos of my No. 4 Mk I...

[gew98]

Just got to love those enfields !.

[mdi]

8702887029

More pix. Stamps (cartouche?) on inside of handguards aren't too clear.

[gew98]

870278702687025

Thanks for the info. I have just re-discovered it and am learning! I got it at a sporting goods store for around $40.00and the receipt calls it a Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk II, so I'll keep looking to find out exactly what I have. And I'll get the correct terminology down soon...;)

Originally I was just sharing my "new-old" rifle, but there seems to be some real knowledgable folks here, I'll try and share some photos of my No. 4 Mk I...

Looking at your pics... the 'U' with arrow inside is a South African property mark.... not terribly common.

[Multigunner]

Looks like the barrel may be over clocked, check to see if the front sight base seems to lean to the left.
The front sight base is normally offset to the left anyway but should not lean to either side.

[Artful]

Interarms out of Alexandria Virginia import - No 4 Mark 1* of course made in 1942 - looks to be in very good condition - slug the barrel and let us know.

check your markings here
http://home.earthlink.net/~smithkaia8/index.html

http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=120&t=127021

http://forums.gunboards.com/forumdisplay.php?55-The-Lee-Enfield-Forum

http://www.milsurps.com/forumdisplay.php?f=72&order=desc

[mdi]

Wow! Thanks gents. The bbl. is straight, but the property mark is off center to the right...

[higgins]

If it's been put away for a long time, that dark bore may just be old grease and dirt. Scrub it out with brushes and some sort of grease-cutting solvent like Kroil, Ed's Red, mineral spirits, or plain old Kerosene. the exterior metal in your photos looks good, so you may get a pleasant surprise.

Milsurp bores can be unbelievable dirty, and may have never been cleaned (outside of an ordnance shop) with a good copper solvent. Don't plan on it coming clean quickly. Looks like a good rifle.

[303Guy]

Has that gun ever been fired? Could it be that the bore is still factory blued? Were bores ever blued?