I've found a sporterized lee carbine I'm interested in but I can't tell what it was originally before it was cut down and I suspect the stock disc was just added to spice things up a bit. Unfortunately it is missing the nosecap, handguard, 2/3rds of the forend, the cutoff, the magazine and link and maybe the band if it had one. I know it was originally a Lee Enfield Carbine Mk1*, made at Enfield of course but I don't know if it stayed in that configuration or if was converted into an Irish Constabulary (RIC) carbine. It certainly has no New Zealand
markings. As an aside though, why on earth would bubba need to sporterize something that is short and light already? Ridiculous.
Firstly, it is in the U.S. and I don't know if many Lee or Metford carbines made it here that were not later sales of RIC carbines (versus Canada). The numbers are all matching on what is left at least, but it displays no upgrade or additional arsenal markings anywhere or on either wrist. Wouldn't the RIC carbines have some kind of stamp added to the wrist when they went through Enfield/Birmingham again? The butt does not help in that regard either since it has the remnants of a roundel but it is illegible unless it could be enhanced.
The muzzle shows no discernible wear in the blueing that would hint towards which type of nosecap was on it or whether both were and it shows no sign of the bushing for the bayonet for the RIC carbines having been sweated or brazed on. This could be a sign since I would think this would have been a little hard to remove or at least too much work to bother with. Another contradictory sign is that the screw holes for the original carbine leather rear sight protector are filled in with rather old looking walnut. It has the wrong rear sight from a rifle apparently also, as I swear the sight leaf was only marked to 1800 yards rather than the 2000 yarder for the carbine.
The butt stock was cut out for a rear sling swivel on the bottom (not a Metford Bar) but I am a little suspicious of it not being from a legitimate RIC conversion. Firstly there is a matching longitudinal cut out in the butchered forend from the sporterization for a forward sling swivel and secondly the hole in the butt is cut very shallowly and milled very roughly in comparison to the many well made SMLE butts I have seen. Finally, the stock disc does not help in determining what the carbine was since it does not have marks for either a typical cavalry carbine or an RIC carbine and is dated very late for any Lee carbine. My guess is it is Indian and added when those got imported in because the original was missing. It is marked:
RP
3.17
(The Screw)
KL 105
I am pretty sure it was marked "RP" and not "RF", the rest was clear anyway.
Unfortunately I can't get any pictures again unless you all egg me into buying it...
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