Trials Rifle??

[Son]

OK, then! Now to figure out from where my wrong-headedness on this issue originated...I really think y'all are right, but sometime in the murky past, an argument was made the other way. Maybe if we just drop the "Trials" from the description of each...

BTW, RJW, my No.1 Mk.V shoots very well IF the ammo MV is consistant. Even a 50fps variation makes a huge differnce at 100yds. Probably a bedding issue, but I'm NOT gonna go tweaking things on an original, matching scarce rifle that won't be shot much anyway.

I'm all for dropping the "trials" from the title. I get the thought the term was used to allow a quantity of a different rifle be produced without being accepted first. Sort of a heading to put on a production order...

For a bit more study on the MkV, there has been a survey of serial numbers and some descriptions run by "ansleyj" over at gunboards, link below... The info is a bit fractured in format due to the board upgrade a while back.

POLL: SMLE V survivors

As for their fate, wasn't it rumoured the majority of the MkV's were given to South Africa in the thirties? I seem to remember something about this, or was it another myth that should be on my "Gems" thread.

[RJW NZ]

From Son, 'I see from reading P425 in the LES, the No4 was accepted in 1939. Trials batches totaling around 2,500 rifles were made at Enfield during the '30's. Production began in 1941 and Enfield did not make any more No4 MkI rifles.'

Thanks to Son, ...Now there's something I didn't understand before, enfield made no4's, so I think we're right, they really are three trials rifles, and wow, another whole new element to enfield scouting and collecting!
If Enfield didn't make the No4 during ww2, what were they doing instead? Were they R&D, or on other equipment like machine guns or ?

And , does anyone know, does the no1mkV have the same barrel profile as the no1mk3 or did they try out a heavier barrel on it?

cheers gents

[bigduke6]

Peter has hit the nail on the head with that one,
Son also mentioned its nearly as common as the No4T, I tend to disagree on this as i,ve seen plenty of No4T,s for sale but only one No1 Mk V in the last few years, the difference here is the No4T was issued, and the No1 MkV was not, with this in mind were did 20,000 rifles go?

Were 20,000 rifles produced or just ordered? and was the order ever completed?
I would say some of these must of been issued after Dunkirk, as a stop gap, due to the amout of equipment that was left behind.

As for the rifle on Gunbroker if i had the cash and was on the other side of the pond, i would buy it. At the end of the day the value is only going to go up, I started to save pics from the internet of the No1 Mk V since i bought a sporterized one so i can build up a photo album.
The sporterized rifle is now starting to take shape, if anybody is interested its in 4 parts on the Restorers corner, in the sticky,s.

Maybe we should do a roll call of No1 Mk V rifles in the future ?

[jmoore]

My No.1 Mk.V was likely in Egypt, going by the markings on the butt disc.

[enfield303t]

Thanks to all for the replies, this has been a real learning experience and yes more to look for now.