Appreciate help identifying my Enfield No4 with scope pads but not a real (T)

[smle addict]

Looking at the 5th picture real hard, saved and resized it a few times. It there a very faint "T" just above the ejector screw? Looks like it to me.

[repto]

Thanks so much to everyone, I am amazed at how much knowledge you were prepared to spend the time to share. These questions and everything else I will probably ask are all about my Dad really who was the original gun enthusiast of the family. I know very little about these or any other guns but he's the reason I am trying to learn. When I moved to America 20 years ago from UK I really wanted to surprise him by having an Enfield we could take shooting when he made his only trip out here to visit. We went up to Chabot range near Oakland and had a great time with the first Enfield I had bought, which I will probably also ask some questions about when I leave a safe gap so as not to exhaust the enthusiasm for replying to my queries. This crusty maybe-T is the last of the three that I bought and I thought it was time to get to know it again. Dad has been unwell for a long time and is on dialysis every other day so can't travel out here again, but my fifteen year old daughter has inherited the gene and is very into learning to shoot. We've already done the basic Pistol class, bought a cheap pistol to practice with. For sentimental reasons I would like her to have a go with something British so I am dusting off the Enfields. This T I never did get round to shooting because I wanted to spend some time restoring it, but having kids made it a project that just never got completed. So decided to haul it out, buy a scope with enough patina that might look like it belonged at least. I am surprised to find out it might actually be a T that's had an interesting and well-travelled life.

When I thought it wasn't a real T I was thinking of abandoning the stock, with the exception of the fluted rear hand guard which seems harder to replace. Is there any chance anyone can tell from the photographs whether it is beech or walnut? You can see in one of the pictures the wood is split and a great flake is about to break off near the butt socket, any suggestions on gluing or repairing that? My woodworking knowledge is almost as poor as my gun knowledge.

Now that I know it's story I am inclined to keep everything it came with and just clean it up as best I can, crusty black paint and all. As mentioned by several of you, it does have a story and is not the imposter I thought it was, so like anyone with a lot of life experience and baggage it deserves to be loved for who it is.

I have attached more photographs to answer some of the questions, the bolt number does match and I am grateful to know that is a U and not a partially stamped 0. I tried hard to get a photograph of the bore but I could not get it to focus at the right place. To my very untrained eye, I could see the rifling but it was certainly not as sharply defined as the one in my other 1949 Long Branch No4 that I shoot with. Is this a problem? Should I get it looked at before trying to shoot it?

I very much appreciate all of the comments but for reasons that don't make a lot of sense I am absolutely thrilled to see Alan De Enfields 297 removed Serial Number Cousin. For some reason it makes mine more "real" and it's great to know it has a family out there despite all its been through.

Thanks everybody.

Regards,

mark

[repto]

There's nothing on the other side that I can see.

[Surpmil]

That stock split in the first photo looks ripe for repair, while the wood within is still clean, if it is.

Curious what scope you're using there; I don't recognize it?

[Alan de Enfield]

I very much appreciate all of the comments but for reasons that don't make a lot of sense I am absolutely thrilled to see Alan De Enfields 297 removed Serial Number Cousin. For some reason it makes mine more "real" and it's great to know it has a family out there despite all its been through.

Thanks everybody.

Regards,

mark

A lot of things that 'Gun-Nuts' do doesnt make sense to the rest of the world.
We all need family to love !