Looking at a LEC Royal Irish Constabulary carbine

[englishman_ca]

The nose cap on your carbine has been modified. The whole purpose of the conversion to RIC form was to mount a bayonet for crowd control.

From the factory, your conversion would have had a bayonet bar.

The hole for the clearing rod is a clue. At the time of conversion, the carbine was fitted with the Rigby nose cap that was in current production on the Mk.I* MLE. The long rifle had no provision for a clearing rod. Seems that the nose cap with hole for clearing rod that is currently installed is a replacement from an older arm. Factory inspector markings and Govt acceptance stamp on the cap might provide more clues.

Many Australia long Lee range rifles produced in the 1930s onwards with cut 24 inch barrels had shortened fore wood and the nose cap refitted, often with the now redundant bayonet bar removed. So one of my thoughts is that the nose cap could be a take off from a range rifle. Your profile doesn't say in what country you reside.

Or simply Bubba might have touched it.