Just Gifted 2 Enfield Rifles. I Know Nothing About Enfields.

Please excuse me if this is not right place to ask, I am new here.

I acquired two Enfield rifles from my wife's grandfather. I know absolutely nothing about Enfields. From the research I have done, one rifle is a 1916 from the Birmingham Small Arms Company. It also has the British proof marks, the twin flags with the GR on top and the P on the bottom.

The other rifle I am having trouble with. It has:

(Crown)
GR
ENFIELD
1928
SMLE
V

I couldn't find any references to the 'V'. Also I believe it has the Indonesia proof mark. Not 100% because my phone couldn't zoom in on it.

These do not look like the pictures of Enfield rifles that I am finding online, but I also found that these rifles were altered as sporting rifles. So, does anyone know exactly what I have?Attachment 89931Attachment 89932Attachment 89933

The V marked rifle was a lee enfield no1 mk5 rifle. The date is more likely 1923. They made about 20 thousand of them.
Nice to have but $$$ to rebuild to original.

The stocks look nice on both of them. The BSA SHTLE looks like a typical sporter; the fore-end (stock) is cut off at the barrel band so I am assuming the inside of the fore-end has not been sanded down to float the barrel. The finishes, as in the black colour over the steel, looks really good in these pictures for rifles of this age.

The SHTLE looks like it has had the '*' crossed out or something, its not very clear. Also, on the 'V' rifle it looks to have a set of aperture sights mounted at the rear of the reciever; you can make out "WILLIAMS" in the photo of the wrist. More knowledgeable people will be along shortly, but I'll say they look pretty nice as sporting rifles, and its up to you whether you keep them like that or try and restore them with new wood and whatever else is needed.

Wonkythumb,
Welcome to the forum.
Nice couple of examples there, I am sure there will be a few more views for you as days pass.

The MkV is a great find, such a shame that the barrels been shortened, but a rifle well worthy of restoration to stock condition. Likewise your No1Mk3* looks to be in good state of material condition with its full original barrel. If the bores good on that example I would rebuild her to service standard.

All in all a nice pair of Enfields and a couple of great winter projects.

I would contact Brian Dick of this parish with regards parts and guidance, particularly with the MkV. Standard SMLE parts are still available and it should be quite straight forwards to rebuild the No1Mk3*

There is a good thread on here for inspiration on the mkV http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=22049

The charger bridge being chopped off isn't the best but you might be able to modify a no1 mk3 bridge hand have it rivited on. The biggest potential problem is if the sight mounting ears have been chopped off too as that would require welding to replace them. Welding on a reciever is way beyond my pay grade so if that is possible or feasable is a question for people with far more knowlege than I.

EFD offer some repro mkV only parts.

The 1923 comment above was as no1 mkV's were made from 1922-24.

The BSA rifle looks like a good base for rebuilding to military spec if that takes your fancy. (and good starter project before tackling the mk V)

Please keep us up to date and post lots of photos. :)

I was actually just thinking of leaving them as they are and perhaps using them for deer hunting. Is that obtuse of me? I don't have the knowledge to restore them.

I they were gifted to you by your wife's Grandfather; I'd say it's fine to leave them as they are. Keeping them as family hunting rifles.
As mentioned above however; the Mk5 (V) model is rare and valuable. It would be worth restoring if you are interested in originality; but you may have problems finding all the correct parts.

It's difficult to see from the photographs, but it looks to me that the back end of the receiver of the MkV may have been got at too. We know that the charger bridge has gone, & if the sight ears/bed has been butchered any restoration job is going to be Herculean. I know that the MkV is rather scarcer & more valuable than the MkIII*, but the latter is a much more viable restoration project. The receiver is good & the parts are much more readily available than for the MkV.

My phone is charging right now. I will get some better pictures of the MkV tomorrow. I guess if it more valuable restored, I may look into restoring it. I have no idea of the value of these rifles. I don't know if I have a $200 rifle or a $2000 rifle.

@3-4 years ago one of my friends paid $3.5K for a really mickey mouse Mk V 303 think he on sold it for $4.5K last year.
I think the one you have been gifted will have to stay as a sporter and the family connection be the link as to get all original parts to get it back to spec will be a long and expensive process and in the end it will only be a cobbled together MkV so I would say keep it as is and enjoy shooting it

Nice to see a link to my old thread .......... I really wouldn't spend too much on a restoration of the two rifles, when I did mine it was more what you can do on a budget, it wasn't worth anything really but to bring it back to a reasonable shooter, it was a nice project and learnt a lot regarding the Mk V.

The other one I had has since been traded, in fact most of my rifles will be heading for auction shortly...... only to finally fund another sought after Enfield.

I don't know if EFD still do the fore ends or other parts for the Mk V ?? the best fore-ends in my opinion were the very early No1 Mk 111 ones which had the sight protector slots filled in an screw hole plugged, you cold hardly notice and really had to look hard, I seen one of these fore-ends on another MkV I bought but returned it as it was all rebuilt parts, guy I bought it off said it wasn't........... it was about as straight as a corkscrew.

The problem with restoring a No1 Mk V is the genuine parts are as rare as hens teeth, compare this to restoring a No4 T or similar the parts are out there regarding woodwork etc, even the standard Fore-end for No1 Mk111's are hard to find.

I see now some enterprising person has started to do full repro sets, well we have been saying it for a while now that the original good cond stocks are in very short supply and those that do come up for sale (Full sets) range from $300-$450/Au+