help tell me about this rifle

[totoinoz]

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Please help identify my rifle

Information

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[Badger]

Welcome to the site ...

You can probably get some good information and background watching the video and review these articles in the MKL...

Milsurps Knowledge Library - Lee Enfield Story (Wallaceburg Museum)

Milsurps Knowledge Library - 1896 Mk1 MLE (Magazine Lee-Enfield)

Regards,
Doug

[mtbikerwvu]

Very nice older than we are used to seeing MLE. Other than that, at least on my end the pics are rather dark and hard to see to positively identify your rifle. Are you missing the bolt or was it just fully open or removed for the pics? I did see the serial number and that should bring you a good bit of info on the rifle itself. As far as it's travels it looks to have a Canadian acceptance proof on the butt stock. More pics in better light with a full veiw of the rifle would be helpful. Congrats!

[Warren]

NICE Canadian markings and you do not often see two C broad arrow markings as well. The odd time on a M & D marked (Militia and Defense) marked you will find one C/I\ but seldom two and they appear to be different sizes as well.
A nice clean rifle. How about a picture of the rear sight as many in the condition as yours had a Ross Sunderland rear sight fitted for target shooting.
Not looked at the markings to determine the regiment but unless someone else jumps in I'll try later on. Time is very limited right now.

[totoinoz]

sorry im not real good with a camera. and i live in canada, probly why it has the marks.
you guys so far seem pretty smart, so whatever you can tell me would be good to know.
i found the volly sights pretty interesting for a rifle.
so, these are the real questions.
1-country or even factory of origin and actual year of production
2-what do i call it? mk1? number what?
3--how intact is it (im guessing front sight different and front wood cut down)
4-rarity is this an every day 303 or something of a gem?
5-aprox value incase i feel like trading up on it
you guys are awesome keep it up

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[totoinoz]

sorry, just check the link you offered to the mk1mle pretty informative

[totoinoz]

i guess mine is a fair bit earlier than the one in the arcticle as its serial nuber is 12942 and mine is 4897. or does that not mean much?

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Nice piece.

Looks like the "termites" have nibbled off the front of the fore end.

The good news is that all the goodies still appear to be present at the back end. Ditto the dial sight.

A GOOD stock maker could graft on a piece of matching wood to restore the fore end. The usual place to form a join is under the band around the fore end. (With any luck, nobody has trimmed the muzzle end of the barrel). The nose-cap / sword bar and associated screws MAY be found at one of the better Lee Enfield sources. See Brian Dick for starters.

As 1896 is the second year of manufacture. At manufacture, it would originally have had a clearing rod fitted. This was stored in the fore end and thus the original nose cap would have had a hole in the end of the bayonet standard and the fore end would have been machined to accommodate the rod. Inside the fore end, just forward of the dial sight, there should be a small, threaded plate inset into the wood. This is the securing nut for the male threaded end of the clearing rod.

Clearing rods were abolished in 1899 and the rods withdrawn from service. Factory-made Mk1* rifles had no allowance in the fore end timber for the rod. The nut in the fore end as well as the hole in the tip of the sword bar on the nose cap were also deleted. Rifles "upgraded" from Mk1 to Mk1* often show where things have been and sometimes the "*" marking after the "1" on the RHS of the butt socket is a bit "wonky".

[totoinoz]

Thanks for the good info, so is it worth adding wood? Cost benifit I mean, cuz I don't know if it's a poor mans hunting rifle, or belongs in someone's collection

[mtbikerwvu]

Your final question about a poor man's hunting rifle or a collector's piece is up to you. I would think this is a MkVI ammo rifle and may be rebarreled at some point to handle MkVII but I would determine that first. Metford 7 groove rifling or Enfield 5 groove is another determination. Gauge the muzzle may be a good sign for wear but I learned just the other day that some Mk1 barrels were reverse tapered after the first 10 inches of bullet travel down the barrel. So a gauging of the muzzle may produced false results. Myself, if I wanted a hunting rifle, there are many sportered No.4s out there which are better equipped for a hunting/truck rifle. I personally would want this for a collectors rifle and load up MkVI equivilent ammo to putz around with it at the range but that is just my opinion. Others will vary! Stock parts will be hard to find but not impossible. What you could do that seems to be fairly popular is to make up a Lee Speed copy of the same era BSA sporting rifle. You have all of the basic parts ready to go.