Lee Metford

[take-down]

I picked up a Lee Metford Mk 1 recently unfortunantly it has been sporterised
the rifle is NZ marked the barrel & reciever are numbered and both have the sold out of service strike and it is 22 cal. I would like to find the wood to refurbish. I tried a Long Tom Butt but found the profile to fit in the reciever was different
Any body know anything about the history of these
Cheers

[n64atlas]

According to Ian Skennerton:"Obsolete and downgraded Lee-Metford, Lee-Enfield and short Lee-Enfield rifles the primary source for service small-bore traing conversions were after the Morris and Aiming tubes became obsolete. From 1907, a series of long and short Magazine Lee-Enfield rifles was adopted for training which utilized soldered-in barrel tubes and chambered the 22 rimfire cartridge. Some such conversions by the trade may be found marked 'Parkerfield' around the crown of the re-crowned muzzle."
More can be found in "British Empire Cadet & Training Rifles" by Ian Slennerton
found at www.skennerton.com