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I received this rifle from my wife's grandmother yesterday and would like some more information about it.
It has the 1918 SMLE III stamp on it and several other markings. It does not look like the normal Enfiled rifle and I have seen some other info on a similar looking rifle called the .303 EAL. Is this the military version of that rifle?
I am not a collector and I have very little knowledge of the Enfield. Any help would be appreciated!
Hi, Newbie68! Welcome aboard!
Your rifle is a Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mark III* (pronounced "Mark Three Star"). This was the standard late-World-War-One British and Commonwealth rifle. It handles 10 rounds of .303 British ammunition and the magazine may be reloaded from the top of the rifle with "chargers" (which the rest of the world incorrectly calls "clips"... which are actually something entirely different). It is much faster to reload the magazine in this way than it is to change magazines.
In a combat situation, this rifle would have had an effective range of about 500 yards, but that would have been much farther in the hands of a really good shot. The rifle produces 2300 ft/lbs of muzzle kinetic energy per shot, throwing out a 174-grain bullet at 2440 ft/sec velocity.
The Mark III* Lee-Enfield likely was the best battlefield rifle in use during the First World War. It would tolerate abuse, dirt and mud better than any other rifle of the period.... and quite likely anything made since. That's the good part.
The bad part is that your rifle has been attacked by a fellow called "Bubba" who has decided that the British Army didn't know very much about rifles. Bubba has removed the original upper handguard, he has chopped the fore-end of the rifle mercilesly and he has removed and (likely) tossed away the nose cap of the rifle, which is combined with the bayonet boss, front sight protectors (which can be used as rangefinders also) and a little spring-and-plunger assembly which is necessary for this rifle to do its most accurate shooting.
Bubba has created his own version of a Lee-Enfield hunting rifle, is what has happened. I have several of its brothers and sisters here, created by our own local Bubbas; I rescue them whenever my pension cheque allows me to and rebuild them slowly into something like what they once were. They all (yours included) bear a superficial resemblance to the EAL rifle, but the EAL was very limited production, Canadian-made, and it was built on a Number 4 action. Your action properly is termed a Number 1 action. The two actions operate exactly the same and appear very similar (and they are) but NO parts interchange betwen them.
That's the bad part, and I'm sorry I had to tell you that.
But there IS hope. For rather a minimal outay in cash, you can source the parts you need from Springfield Sporters and you can rebuild this into what once it was: the finest battlefield rifle ever built. You will need:
nosecap (1) and screws (2, of which 1 is transverse)
fore-end stud and spring (1 each)
forward handguard (1)
fore-end (1)
barrelband with sling swivel and screw
None of these parts are especially expensive. I know that they even have nosecaps which have never been serial-numbered (brand-new, even though 65 years old) for about 15 bucks. Most of the other parts are considerably cheaper.
Get the parts and then come back on here. There are people on this forum who work on these rifles every day and who will be happy to help you with your restoration of this fine old rifle. Once you have that under way, we'll talk about loading your own shells for this rifle so you can shoot it for half the cost of buying shells, and your own ammo will be much more accurate than factory stuff.
I have a dozen of these rifles, including two - a 1918 English rifle and an Australian rifle, also 1918 - which will shoot 1 MOA using exactly the sights which are already on your rifle. They can be VERY good. They can also be a LOT of fun.
And just wait 'til you find a bayonet for it: there is NOTHING quite so awe-inspiring as a Short Lee-Enfield with an extra 17 inches of cold steel at the muzzle! Finest crowd-control device ever invented: NOBODY would face it.
I would say that Grandma gave you one heck of a FINE Christmas present!
Find a seat and buckle up: it's gonna be a FINE ride!
.
Brilliantly written answer smellie............. 10/10
Yes it is! Thank you very much smellie. I did not expect such an extensive and very informative answer. I will get the parts and take you up on the invite back. Oh and maybe eventually change the name!
Hey Newbie68. Nice looking rifle. My first SMLE was about the same one You have there. I used it for years in a Bubbad codition to hunt all over North America. She was a shooter in that condition. I re-militarized her, and she was an even better shooter. She is now in the loving hands of my father, who detested her, until he spent some range time with her, and now won't let her come back home to me...LOL...Nice gift. It could open up a new world for You..Welcome aboard...
I was givin an effield a while back as well. I came here, new to enfeilds as well, and smellie helped me just as much as you. He wrote a huge an informative article and answered mutiple questions that I had. Smellie, you are a great sorce of info and I would reccomend anyone in doubt ask you anything about enfield rifles. Thank you againQuote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler