Enfield 303

[GOPHER SLAYER]

My friend has a British Enfield he wants to sell. I have not seen the rifle, but he tells me on the phone that it is in good condition. He says the rifle was made in in 1954 in the UK. I know very little about these rifles having always thought they were ugly. I looked on Gun Broker and the prices are all over the map. Any ideas what a ball-park price might be?

[eastbank]

sounds like a nice rifle and as a 1954 it should be in good condition, if it checks out with a good bore i,d say it would start at 400.00 usd and could go much higher. i bought many at 14.00 usd in 1959 and wish i had kept a few. my only 303 now is a 1943 long branch made in canada durning ww-2 that was rearsenaled after the war and shoots very well with ammo it likes.

[john.k]

Id never buy a 303 without examining the bore .....up till quite recently corrosive primed milsurp ammo was available cheaply ,and neglecting to clean for just a few days after firing this corrosive ammo and the bore is trashed.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Some truth to all of that. Made in 1954 it almost has to be a No.4 unless it was made in India. However, there was the No.4 Mk.1, No.4 Mk. 1/2, No. 4 Mk. 2. The essential difference is that the Mk.1 had the trigger pinned to the trigger guard, No.1/2 had the trigger modified to be attached to the bottom of the receiver, and Mk. 2 was made with the trigger modification. Which Mk. can effect the price. I've been selling off much of my personal collection. Last month I got $697 on Gunbroker.com for a Mk. 1/2, $855 for a Mk. 1, $530 for another Mk.1 So, there is a lot of leeway. Condition is very important. You think, or thought, them ugly but I can assure you that they are among the best rifles ever made. The bolt action is very fast and smooth, and cocks on closing rather than when opening like a Mauser. Once you are used to its operation it is much faster than a Mauser. They can be made into some very nice sporters. As originally made they use a 10 round magazine, but a diligent search might turn up some custom 5 rounders. I've seen them converted to having a flush floorplate like a Mauser, but that conversion rarely allows one to load more than 3 reserve rounds. Personally, I like the appearance of the 10 round magazine. It's slanted bottom seems to flow into the fore stock. If you're a deer hunter, and not limited as to magazine capacity, load up the 10 round magazine and there's really no need to carry extra ammo. Here's a couple I made for my own hunting use, however they're No.1 Mk. IIIs.



Even something more basic with less customization can be attractive. Here is a No.4 Mk.1

DG

[Adam Helmer]

My friend has a British Enfield he wants to sell. I have not seen the rifle, but he tells me on the phone that it is in good condition. He says the rifle was made in in 1954 in the UK. I know very little about these rifles having always thought they were ugly. I looked on Gun Broker and the prices are all over the map. Any ideas what a ball-park price might be?

Gopher,
I appraise guns weekly for estates and local attorneys. I would need a bit more information and a few pictures would help to give a "ball park" figure. If I could examine the gun, I could give a better appraisal range of value in this day and time.

I will gladly offer an opinion after I am better informed. Be well.

Adam

[john.k]

To be worth any kind of price,it must be milsurp original........even a varnished and /or sanded stock will halve value,and a sporter isnt worth buying,unless it has something like a steel tube K.Kahles scope in perfect condition.

[atr]

I saw one recently which I didn't think was in all that great shape and the pawn/gun shop was asking $700.00 which I think is way to high.

[compass will]

I think I have a Lee. 312 mold that might be for this gun, plus sizing die for a Lyman I don't need anymore.

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