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I am new to the board and this is my first post, so I apologize if these questions have been asked and answered in the past.
I am seeking information on the quantity of Number 4 rifles converted to Mark 1/2 and Mark 1/3. Do any of you have this information or know of a source I can obtain this information?
Are the Mark 1/2 and 1/3's bringing a premium or should the price be in line with Mark 1 and 1*?
350,000-ish Mk 1/2 and 1/3's were converted per Skennerton's data. The rifles do not seem to have caught too many collector's eye's, myself I like them a whole lot more than the standard Mk 2. Value of these rifle's depends on condition but usually do not command a premium; they are slightly more costly than a standard Mk I or I*.
tlvaughn, If there is any premium, it'll be towards the Mk.1/3 which are much fewer in numbers than the Mk.1/2.
Brad
Thank you for the quick response.
I have been working on a No 4 collection and I came across a Long Branch Mk 1/3 for under $200 with a poor bore. I have not seen any at the shows I attend and did not know if I should jump on this one or if there are enough in the market to hold off until a better quality rifle comes along.
I am seeking the opinions of the more knowledgable collectors on this board. I have not been collecting Enfields for that long and just recently decided to concentrate on the No 4's.
Any and all opinions would be greatly appreciated.
I'm not an experienced collector, but ill tell yo that a seemingly bad bore can clean up quite nicely. I just picked up a sporterized SMLE for a buck and when I looked down the barrel i was a little nervous since it was rusty and dull. But an hour or two of cleaning and the bore looks 100 times better. So if you think its a good deal why not? If the bore turns out to be bad after all you can still use it for a display.
tlvaughn, If the bore is just dark, the rifle should shoot just fine. If it looks like a corroded sewer pipe then it's a problem as there's a shortage of good replacement barrels.
Brad
If you pay $1 for a rifle, that means you have $199 left over for cleaning solvents and bore brushes, and ammunition!
The modification improves the trigger pull. The fact that old rifles cycled through an inspection process, works two ways on 'collector value' to me. Any of the interesting old style parts would have been pulled off and replaced with the next whatever style part was at the assembler's fingertips. This removes any premise of arsenal originality. But an inspected rifle received all the little nudges, tweaks and quality controls that a wartime rifle may have missed due to delivery pressure. (The good old days weren't always so neat and tidy.) It therefore is a representative of what the designers really wanted it to be.
For a true 'gun lover' a never modified rifle would be better. For a 'shooter' the second is probably a much better gun than an original.