Stumped:

[Big ugly]

I was stumped when I got it and I am still stumped today. I only paid $50 for the thing and I have had it for almost 4 years now and never even fired it. So tell me folks, what is this bloody rifle and is it worth the $50 I paid for it?

[oscarmayer]

you have a "sporterized" smle (short magazine lee enfield) (enfield ) in 303 british. markings on it should tell you where it was made i.e. bsa,long branch, savage etc.... markings will also tell you if it's mk 3 ( after 1907 ) or a no 4 mk 1 or a mk 2stil. also the year it was made should be on the metal band around the front end of the stock just behind the trigger guard. a popular hunting rifle in canada and common to find sporterized from their normal military configuration.

[oscarmayer]

oh and though not worth as much as it would be in original condition 50 is a great price , as it the value would be around 150 ? these things have been around for a long time there are parts everywhere , it would be easy to bring it back to it's original form . check the bore to see if it's worth while 303 was highly corrosive and if not properly cared for the bore might be fubared making it not worth while to recondition

[Big ugly]

Only markings on it are in a diffrent language and that is what was throwing me off. I packed that thing in the attic at my grandfathers house 4 years ago and it never crossed my mind. I forgot it was up there till my brother went snoopin through some old things of my Grandma's. I will see if I can some better pics of what markings are on it, and trust me there aint much

Also the bore looks real good, No pitting, Nice smooth rifleing, I just never fired it

[Big ugly]

By the way guys, thanks.

[oscarmayer]

ok that has me confused too. but i do know after ww2 the no4mk2 had arabic numerals rather than roman numerals but even the ones made at the ishapore plant in india had english markings, does it say RFI anywhere on the gun ?

[Big ugly]

No it dont, the Only thing it has on it is NO4MK1* and that is on the left side. That and the Serial No that is on the band, everything else, all the marks and all are in I am Guessing Indian as you said.

[jack404]

pic's of the non english marks if ya can mate , some where sent to saudi and jordan and stamped thusly , the saudi one is easy (should be) it has the house of saud proof

[Jim K]

It is what it says it is, a Rifle No. 4, Mk 1*. The * indicates a modification in the way the bolt is removed, with the bolt head being positioned in the notch in the raceway and then lifted up.

It was made either in Canada at Longbranch, or in the U.S. by Savage. On the left side, the letter "S" in a square would indicate Savage manufacture, Longbranch would be spelled out. The No. 4 was never made in India. After WWII, many were sold in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and those often do have markings in another language.

It is a very fine hunting rifle, but because there were so many imported, the value is low, and the sporterizing lowers it even further. I have seen many at $150-200 on the used gun racks.

FWIW, it could be worth more in parts than as a rifle. That rear sight alone is worth a fair amount of money.

Jim

[jim brady]

Big Ugly - I love posts like this. Yup, looks like a No. 4 Mk 1 "Enfield". Those were produced in Canada, Austrailia, India and England by different makers, and sort of like we all call 1903's "Springfields", most everyone calls those "Enfields". You did really well for only $50 on that rifle. Lucky for you, too, is that the rifle was only lightly 'sporterized'. That's an easy fix. Just a few barrel bands, nose cap and forearm and hand guard replacement will restore it to original configuration.

Looks like a little surface rust in spots, and a bit of steel wool will get that off. The metal can be touched up with cold blue. Like I said, real easy fix. That rifle, put back together with the right parts, would sell here for $175 to $200 easy in these parts. No. 4 wood is much easier to find and cheaper than the older No.3 stuff. Numrich has everything you need. Have fun!!!

[Big ugly]

Alright, In front of the model number on the left side there is a block style S which I was takeing for a 5, I guess that would make since. So I am gonna guess this one is a Savage MFG but those odd stamps on it might indecate mismatched parts from other rifles. Which don't really make a diffrence to me, I will prolly use this one as a shooter.

[Jim K]

I erred in saying the Savage mark was an "S" in a square; it is a square "S" and that is the mark seen on the left side. No. 4 rifles were never made in India or Australia, though No. 1 Mk III rifles were. No. 4's were made only in England, Canada and the U.S. As I stated, the No. 4 Mk 1* version was never made in England, only in the U.S. and Canada.

That rifle was made by Savage, at Chicopee Falls, MA.

Jim

[Big ugly]

Alright, now with that beeing said then, I am gonna post some pics later tonight of the symbol on the Bolt then, Thanks again.

[Popgunner]

I got my No4MK1 last year for $169 from one of the big importers with all original parts in about the same condition as yours. The problem with the caliber is that milsurp ammo is next to impossible to find & is often click bang when you can find it. You can buy good ammo from S&B at Cabella's & re-load it. I bought 100 new loadable cases from Graff's & got a new set of dies from Midwayusa for $11. They're the LEE "RGB" type & they work great.

If you don't get the wood & pieces for it you could use it as-is. It'd make a heck of a kick-around-truck-gun. Enjoy!

[Big ugly]

That is what I was thinking, The wife and I are plannin a move to southern GA in the spring anywhoo and I bet this thing would do great on those Swamp Deer and small Ferral hogs they got runnin around. Not to mention all the C'yotes. I was lookin around and it seems I can buy Wolf Ammo for around 17 a box and they got good brass. Now if we can get all this financial crap outta the way so I can get to afford to shoot some more it would great.

[tim.sr]

good deer gun you hit it out of the park for $50.00 nice

[Oneida Steve]

Originally Posted by tim.sr

good deer gun you hit it out of the park for $50.00 nice

+1 to that. SMLE's are widely used in Canada for deer, moose, bear and whatever else you got. Walrus?

[grcsat]

Yep, we even use them on Walrus. Not to mention Polar Bears.