Buying a Lee Enfield - what to look for or avoid

[Simon J]

Matching numbers it a plus but the lack doesn't eftect it's shootability. I have many Lee Enfields and I prefer the #1's. My 1914 LSA is probably one of the best shooting Lee's I own. I'm guessing my minty #1, MkVI will outshoot it but that particular rifle is too valuable to shoot. I recently bought a 1906 #1, Mk I by Sparkbrook that has a few bits mismatched tho the major ones (bolt, action, barrel, sights...) do match. It is a superb shooter

 

My best shooting #4's are a pair of #4 MkII's and a No4 Mk1 made at the Longbranch Arsenal in Canada. It has a 2 groove barrel and shoots cast bullets like a match rifle.~Andrew

any chance of some photos of your LSA No.1? I am researching the LSA and currently posting info and photos onto a Facebook page.

 

Simon

[Andrew]

any chance of some photos of your LSA No.1? I am researching the LSA and currently posting info and photos onto a Facebook page.

 

Simon

Sure. I can dig it out after the weekend and e-mail the pics to you. LSA and Sparkbrook are the two scarcest i've encountered over the years. You hardly ever saw them in the surplus racks and now they carry a big price tag. I like my Enfield No1, MkV but my pride and joy is the No1, MkVI Trials Rifle I bought 10 years ago or so. They are painfully rare here. A gun shop had just gotten it in from a LOT purchase at an estate liquidation and they didn't think it was anything special. They were more intrigued that it was previously owned by an instructor at Sandhurst than the fact that it was a MkVI. I paid the $250 they were asking and ran out of the place before someone came to their senses. It is all matching and pristine so I leave it in the safe. I am dying to shoot it to see how that heavy barrel compares to the later #4's. I just can't make myself do it. I have a #4 MkII target rifle with an AJ Parker rear sight that satisfies my non-No1 MkIII shooting urges. ~Andrew

[little jon]

check throat, rifling & head space is correct, matching number sis good ,, there are new unused models there in the market, see Dan @ Valmont firearms ,he gets some gems .

[dRb]

Anyone got experience with the Armalon re-barrled options?

 

As a 'shooter', a gun with a new barrel seems like it could be a good option?

 

Not sure on the exact economics of it, but it seems they'll do a nice looking (from pictures) #4 with a brand new barrel for about £750, vs about £350-450 for a similar looking gun condition wise without the new tube. My guess is that the new barreled gun will be better for regular shooting, and that you'd be hard pressed to get a re-barrel for £300ish.

 

I know nada about Enfields though, just got a slot on my ticket to fill at some point!

[Davy]

As an alternative to Armalon you can still buy original LE barrels, I have a couple unfitted and original, still wrapped SMLE barrels that date back to the early 1920's that I am saving for the right rifle. Using such a barrel means originality is retained.

 

Alternatively you can buy new Lothar Walther barrels machined to the original profile, if you chamber them to .303 SAAMI specification things get better however for absolute accuracy a Pattern 1914 (P14) with a new LW barrel and .303 chamber is going to be very hard to beat and finally you can always go to a .303 improved such as the .303 Epps which gets you close to .308 performance.

 

Off all the .303's I have shot including the 4(T) I owned for a couple of years my absolute favourite and undoubtedly the most accurate is a very ratty looking Remington built P14 with fine vernier rear sight and Brindle trigger.