What should I do with these Lee Enfields ?

Do you think that I should try to bring these back to a military configuration or should I just leave them as is?

Appreciate your thoughts.

Hopefully I haven't used up to much bandwidth, if I have hopefully the moderators would just nuke some of the pictures I would appreciate it.

KTK

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...lsurp002-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...lsurp009-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...lsurp005-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...lsurp004-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...lsurp003-1.jpg


https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...lsurp013-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...lsurp010-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...lsurp012-1.jpg

It is your call. Do you use them as shooters and do you want to carry the extra weight. It wont be hard to put another wood set on them. The Lithy will look ok but wont be original . ie the rifles history is stamped on the wood.
Like what you do do what you like:D

Looks like someone bobbed the barrel off on the Long Branch. Unless you're willing to get into a rebarreling project it would be best left in sporter configuration. The other two look restorable to me, as the pics show no molested metalwork. It is enjoyable returning them to military appearance.

Ditto, leave the longbranch alone, because the front sight is not original and requires wook, restore the other two. At the moment there's a set of no1mk3 australian wood on fleebay that'd be perfect for the lithgow as they often rewooded early lithgows with ww2 wood for that conflict. Aussie wood sets are not that common, but also springfield sporters and numrich will be able to help with standard non aussie sets and all other parts for a decent price. Per rifle you might get it done for less than $100.

If I was you, I'd put them all in a parcel and send them to me. If you twist my arm, I'll contribute a bit towards the postage

The SMLEs could certainly be restored as representative specimens.
As mentionned, the LB's muzzle has been trimmed back, and restoration would not be worthwhile given that it is a '43. Well, if you had a barrel on hand, and did the work yourself, it might make sense. I did restore the barrel on a low numbered '41 LB Mk. I once. I performed a barrel graft in order to retain the original breech markings, the transplanted portion being smoothbored so that the rifle could be fired. A muzzle from a scrapped barrel could be spliced onto yours, and would be unnoticable to other than very close inspection, but this rifle does not warrant the effort.

Your Mk3's are easily "refurbable". Fun projects. I finished one recently:
Here's a refurbed Lee Enfield 1939 Lithgow No1 Mk3* - Military Surplus Collectors Forums

Lou

Titiaq is dead right Ken. I did what he suggested on a .22" CNo7 at Warminster that had the barrel cut back just behind the bayonet lugs. Used a length of off-cut No4 barrel muzzle. Just stepped the original barrel under the block, band foresight and undercut the new section with a .23" smoothed muzzle. Soft soldered the two together and they alighed perfectly by means of the foresight block band lugs. The join is just like Elton Johns wig. Invisible

You could just wrap 'em up and send 'em to me................

Better yet Peter, join me on this side of the Atlantic for some undoubtedly well deserved vacation time. Ken could easily send the rifles (he's in Canada like me I think...), and you could then teach me tons more about the Enfield World in my humble garage. Warm weather will be here soon, after all... :D

Just keep them the way they are. They look reasonably well made, the wood looks nice. It´s not as if you´d be increasing the number of very rare specimens by restoringbthem to original spec. Unless you´re looking for a new passtime ...

If you decide to fix them up, there's a restoration forum here on the boards:

https://www.milsurps.com/forumdisplay.php?f=96

I'd put the No1 mk3's back to service wood and slings and the No4 go ahead and make a carbine out of it:) but they do look fine

Me 'ol Dad has an Ishapore No.1 Mk III with the same front site as the #4 above. On his it is just a shroud over the original site. I think if you look close the one pictured here has the same removable shroud. I'd still be tempted to return the Long Branch to military spec ... with the shortened barrel even.
You could talk about it here in 10 years and everybody will be discussing the odd variation you have. :lol:

I had one like this, i bought it in 1958 from a mail order place. if i remember correct it was about 20.00$$

i bought a stock from George L Herters, and a butt plate and re stocked it, also got a G H Herters blue kit and blued the thing in the basement, with a lot of hand polishing, for a 14 yr old kid, did not do half bad job and i shot deer with it for many years

I think if it was me I'd bring the BSA back to military configuration and leave the other two alone.