Intersting Lee Enfield

[Emdawg]

This is a London Small Arms No.1 Mk. III ShtLE made in 1916. It was supposed to be converted to .22LR for a trainer, by the A.G. Parker Company, but the gun is still in .303 British. I guess it was sent to the front before it was converted. 1916 was a bad year for the Allied powers.


Still has volley sights and a unit disk.


Anyone have an idea for the unit? I believe that it was a machine gun unit.

[Enfield47]

That's a cool find. Is it possible the band belonged to a different rifle and was later placed on this one?

[Emdawg]

The disk or the band?

Not too sure about the band. It is in the same shape as the rest of the reciever and other metal in way of shape, so I am guessing no.



It is mismatching, but it doesn't seem to be a put together.

[highpower]

The "band" is part of the receiver and cannot be removed.

[Father Ted]

Interesting. What are the markings on barrel? Commercial barrel or military? As stated above, wrist and receiver are one. Would think if it was converted back to 303 by armory that the info on wrist would've been scrubbed and restruck or at least lined out and struck on other side, so maybe civilian reconstruct. Peter Laidler wrote a little ditty on unit discs, I've just never seen it anywhere except BDL, and he has a minimum order. Good luck with that mystery.
Cheers

[Father Ted]

More pics...c'mon!

[Emdawg]

Here are some more.


Full length on my window.





Volley sights.












Here are two of the magazine. Looks to be the older early war/pre-war variation.

[mj1]

#2 take down magazine I would say but show the back to be sure. What the heck is the finish on the stock?

[Emdawg]

Interesting. What are the markings on barrel? Commercial barrel or military? As stated above, wrist and receiver are one. Would think if it was converted back to 303 by armory that the info on wrist would've been scrubbed and restruck or at least lined out and struck on other side, so maybe civilian reconstruct. Peter Laidler wrote a little ditty on unit discs, I've just never seen it anywhere except BDL, and he has a minimum order. Good luck with that mystery.
Cheers

I haven't seen very many SMLE or ShtLE's with their wrists scrubbed and then restamped, so I am not too sure about that. I can check the barrel when I get back from work today.

#2 take down magazine I would say but show the back to be sure. What the heck is the finish on the stock?

I will put up a picure when I get home.

As for the stock, I think it has been refinished. Then again the edges are still "sharp", and a stock that has been played with, normally, has rounded edges, in my experience.

The metal doesn't appear to have been reblued.

[smle-man]

I think it has been 'restored' back to .303. The wood has been sanded and re-stained and the magazine as pointed out is a pre-war pattern. It wouldn't have been issued with the rifle nor used as a replacement. If the barrel matches the receiver and isn't a fresh stamping then I'm wrong and it is yet another new SMLE anomaly that I can file away in my memory bank! The barrel should have the serial number of the rifle and a date.

SLI could be Somerset Light Infantry

[5th Batt]

It is mismatching, but it doesn't seem to be a put together.

Thats your answer, your rifle has been returned to a .303 which is a shame as a Patt'14 No2 is not a common .22 trainer.
The magazine is a type 3 mag which is a conversion of the earlier SMLE magazines for use with both the MkVI & MkVII ammo & probably one of the most common mags found in early (original) WW1 SMLEs especially Lithgows as Australia was still manufacturing the MkVI round well into WW1 so many were made set up for the MkVI round with a type 2 mag which were then later converted to a type 3.
As for whether or not it was a replacement mag, this could well be the original mag or a replacement mag, as all SMLEs were made with the clearance in the mag well & trigger guard to allow for the rotating Rh feed lip, if you tried putting that mag in a Long Lee or No4 it will get jammed in & you will not be able to remove it without causing some damage to either the mag or the rifle.

[Emdawg]

I checked the barrel and all I found were a few proofmarks, two arrowhead stamps (army issue proofs) and a big "42".


No year or serial number.