Lee Enfield Stampings

[5thBatt]

I see the England stamp on a few rifles here in NZ most commonly on No5s, from my experience i would say a quarter to a third of the No5s have it, i have seen it on a few No1s & No4s but they are uncommon, US import markings such as Jovino etc seem to be fairly scarce in NZ.

I own 3 rifles with the ENGLAND stamp
Remington P14
Faz No5
MkV SMLE

[tlvaughn]

One source I found said that Stevens had contracted to build 200,000 rifles but my serial number (43C3XXX) indicates mine was in the 433,000 range. Or, am I reading the serial number wrong?

Savage made 1.2 million +/- No4 rifles from 1941 thru 1944. 43C3xxx would be rifle number 433,xxx and would have been made in early 1943 (I'm guessing February). Only approx. 25% of the rifles made in 1943 were stamped with the date - the majority on the butt socket, but some were stamped on the receiver. Based on info I have accumulated, it looks like Savage started to drop the date at the 50C block (although I have seen some dated as high as 84C block). Based on your serial number, I am assuming yours is dated on the butt socket.

[ickmann]

Could it be that the ENGLAND stamp found on some Longbranch and NZ rifles have something to do with each country being , at one time, a Commonwealth of Great Britain and thus all being thought (by ignorant importers) as being British rifles sourced from mother England?

Just a singe malt induced thought.

Speakin' of which...anyone ever seen a Lithgow or an Ishy with an ENGLAND stamp?

[tlvaughn]

Speakin' of which...anyone ever seen a Lithgow or an Ishy with an ENGLAND stamp?

I was not able to find "ENGLAND" on any of my Lithgow, Ishapore, or POF rifles; however, I happen to have a spike bayonet on my table and it was stamped "MADE IN ENGLAND".

[vintage hunter]

None of mine has the ''England'' stamp either and don't recall ever owning one that did. The only one to have the 303''- 2.22''- 18.5 tons is the No.5, and it's on the barrel just ahead of the handgard. My 86C Savage does'nt have any British markings at all so evidently it was never there.

[barbarossa]

Arms imported into the U.S. before 1968 were required to be marked with country of origin. Hence, you see Russian 91/30's surplused out by Franco's Spain from the Spanish Civil War marked 'MADE IN U.S.', French GRAS rifles marked "MADE IN FRANCE"--just tells you the weapon was imported as surplus in the 1950's or 1960's before the GCA 1968 took effect. Anything sold in the U.S. post 1980's Volkmer McClure Act will be marked with the importer's name. Interestingly, very few Enfield No.2 revolvers seem to have been marked with the "ENGLAND" stamp when imported into this country during the 1960's. On the other side of the coin, a vast number of the Webley .455 Government series revolvers were so stamped before commercial sale here in th U.S. I know for a certainty the country of origin marking was required AT LEAST as far back as the post WWI era here in the U.S. hence all the 1920 commercial 7.65m/m Lugers and Mauser 1910/14 pocket automatics you see for sale at gun shows which are marked "GERMANY".