You should always look !

[buffdog]

When I first looked at this rifle, the thought was "another Bubba SMLE sporter." But then I noticed a windage adjustable rear sight.








Opened and removed the bolt....barrel shiny. In fact, compared to the receiver, the barrel had a great blue outside. Typical British commercial proof marks and a 1941 barrel replacement done in 1942. So then I looked at the right side of the butt socket for the maker and date. 1894 date on a No.1 Mark III?



And, on the left side, all was revealed:



A SMLE No.1 Mark IV Converted rifle. Not only that, but the "N" showed it to be a Navy rifle. An 1894 BSA Mark II converted and updated in 1908 by Enfield to No.1 Mark III specifications. About 1 out of 630 SMLE British made rifles was a Mark IV Converted, a bit of a scarce rifle.

But what a history if the old girl could only talk. Possibly the South-African Boer War, prettied up a bit to see the Kaiser for WWI, a facelift for Hitler for WWII, and a stint in the Navy somewhere in between.

Learn the lesson....ALWAYS LOOK. And I almost passed it up because I had become to accustomed to seeing Bubba's handiwork and expected another one.
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This rifle had been factory sporterized, with the typical cut down wood and sanded butt stock when I got it. My No.1 wood was getting low, but it just HAD to be put back into more or less original condition. Have to do a bit more staining on the butt stock, but in time it will be close.
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[smellie]

Friend Buffdog lives only 20 miles from me, made the terrible mistake of bringing this old beauty over for coffee the other day. After I got the heart going again, I drooled all OVER the poor thing. It is every bit as nice as he says.

But what a chunk of OUR history! It has seen parts of three centuries and all of one, been through at least three major wars, it has been a Lee-Metford and a Lee-Enfield, a Long rifle, a Short Rifle, a heavy-barreled rifle, a light-barreled rifle, an Army rifle, a Navy rifle (the position of the N gives the order of service; it went to the Navy after it was Converted), it has seen Mark II, Mark III, Mark IV, Mark V, Mark VI and Mark VII as the standard Service round, it has been a hunting rifle and now it is a treasured piece of history.

And there are people out there who would toss it into a shredder and smelt it for scrap for any variety of twisted 'reasons'. If it were in SOME countries, it would be an object of worship.

Thankfully, this one has been saved for posterity.
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[buffdog]

The orginal factory wood sporterized. It needs some more colour on the butt stock for a better match but that will happen.

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[Alan de Enfield]

But what a chunk of OUR history! It has seen parts of three centuries and all of one, been through at least three major wars, it has been a Lee-Metford and a Lee-Enfield, a Long rifle, a Short Rifle, a heavy-barreled rifle, a light-barreled rifle, an Army rifle, a Navy rifle (the position of the N gives the order of service; it went to the Navy after it was Converted), it has seen Mark II, Mark III, Mark IV, Mark V, Mark VI and Mark VII as the standard Service round, it has been a hunting rifle and now it is a treasured piece of history.
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Being such a 'Bitza' with no originalilty left the best thing for it is the gas axe - Made up rifles like this are the bain of the collectors life. Bubba at his best.
Send it to me for a decent burial.

[buffdog]

Being such a 'Bitza' with no originalilty left the best thing for it is the gas axe - Made up rifles like this are the bain of the collectors life. Bubba at his best.
Send it to me for a decent burial.

Sorry, Alan, but the Postage Rates that Canada Post charges for a package to England are horrendous. They wanted $33.00 Canadian for me to send a book to England. I think some of the specials on Airfares are cheaper than that. Therefore, it would be more economical if you were to come to Canada. We could have a range session, I'll buy you a pint or two of our local beer, and you can fight SMELLIE to see who will buy it, two out of three matches. But, I will warn you in advance that he is a viscious little bugger where Lee Enfields are involved.
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[Roger Payne]

Great find buffdog, & a nice sympathetic restoration by the looks of it!
ATB

[Devils Own]

Nice one. Absolutely terrific.

Steve

[tkarnes]

oh if that old warhorse could talk... I love just imagining what that rifle has seen, who held it, who bled on it, what happened to the people who used it. It just blows your mind.