I bought a No. 4 Mk 1 T Sniper (My First Post)

[Peter-Paul]

Hello all, and thank you for welcoming me to the forum. This is my first post. I was in my Local Gun Shop yesterday, and I saw what looked to be an Enfield Sniper Rifle. It was simply labeled "Sniper Rifle" on the tag (you can see in the pics). I went back today with my son and I bought it. The LGS owner wasnt sure of the value of the rifle. It was put on consignment on Thursday by a local gentleman in his 80s who said he bought it from a gun store in the 60s. He said he put it to the side, and hasnt shot it since.

The mounting bracket (which looks to be chewed up by a Beaver), doesnt match the rifle. I was reading this forum in the store about what may or may not be real and debating on whether to get the rifle.

The scope matches the scope case that comes with the rifle, but not the number on the comb of the butt. It is a few hundred off. The rifle has an S51 on the bottom, and M47C, ENGLAND, and TR on the side of the socket. (?)

The bore is absolutely mint and the scope is super bright and clear. The knobs turned freely.

The gun also came with this really need brass oiler? in the butt.

Finally, what was really cool, is it also came with an old leather bandolier full of stripper clips and rounds. The rounds are FN and dated 65.

The LGS owner said that when the guy brought the gun in, the magazine was loaded. The rifle was basically ready to shoot!

I got it for 1899 and no tax due to consignment status. I know that there are a lot of fakes out there, but based on what I could tell from this forum, this one seems to be legit. So the rifle should be worth at least that much?

Please tell me I didn't take a loss on this purchase! Is this a fake? If so, its a very well done looking fake!

P.S. I put the rifle on my son's shoulder to get a picture of the optics. The scope is actually much clearer than what I could manage to take with my phone. The leather scope cap was very hard to remove from the front aperture.

Thank you all for all comments, questions, and constructive criticism! I am nervous regarding the verdict on this rifle's authenticity and value. At least with such a good bore, it should be a good shooter if that's all it turns out to be.

I couldn't get the pictures to upload, so here is a link to my Google Drive. Thank you again!

No 4 Mk 1 - Google Drive

Information

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[Roger Payne]

Don't fret yourself. It's a lovely original rifle with an honest mis-matched scope & bracket. As you can see the scope number is not too far away from the one that was originally fitted. In fact the scope on your rifle is one of the lowest serial numbers that you will find on a Mk3 scope.

And you got a real bargain, at least by UK standards; the scope & bracket alone are worth more than you paid for the whole lot.

You did well. Enjoy it!

[Peter-Paul]

Thank you! I felt that this had to be legitimate. I am not going to worry about the mismatch, I was more worried about fakes. This rifle has a lot of character, and I feel fortunate to have gotten it. What was amazing is that the rifle was brought in fully loaded and apparently it has been this way for about 50 years while sitting in the previous owner's closet!

[smle addict]

I saw the price you paid for it... You stole it! Very beautiful rifle at an unheard of price. As Roger already said, all legitimate and correct.

I hope you enjoy it for many years to come!

[Peter-Paul]

Thank you! I feel a lot better about putting down so much money now. Many thanks!

[speckles]

I just swallowed my tongue when reading the price paid..... fantastic...goes to show you, keeping your eyes open, knowing what you are looking at, and being in the right place at the right time is key Lucky and Good, hard to get much better than that....
One note... I am surprised that the gunstore allowed the magazine to be loaded in the store.. just seems a bit odd. Reminds me of the original movie Terminator, when Arnold loaded the weapon, and the last words the owner said was, you can't do that..

[Peter-Paul]

Thank You! And... I know those guys pretty well. They didn't insert the magazine into the rifle, but did pull everything out the way that they had gotten it in the store. Regarding the price, I found out more information about the owner. Apparently he feels that his adult kids, who are anti-gun, would just get rid of the guns he brought in, including this one...so he simply asked it to be sold at a "fair price". The LGS owner told me he also brought in a period 1944 Colt 1911 which was snapped up by one of the workers at the shop.

The mismatch doesn't bother me, as the scope is very clear.

[harry mac]

. The LGS owner told me he also brought in a period 1944 Colt 1911 which was snapped up by one of the workers at the shop..

His short-sightedness is your gain!! A Colt, produced by the hundreds of thousands, or a No4(T)? I know which one I'd have picked.

[Daan Kemp]

Go back to the LGS and ask them to find out from the previous owner if he still has the chest the rifle came in, and any other accessories the rifle may have.

[Seaforth72]

As well, you now want to find an original U.S. M1907 sling. Ideally one dated 1918 with brass claws, but a WWII one with steel claws will also be fine.