SMLE MkV Cuttoff

[P-07ShortLee]

Hello gents,

I regret having to ask about value (I know it gets on peoples nerves), but I need to know what a Mk V cuttoff (no hole) is worth. I'm sorry that I have no photos right now. Typical used piece though.

No screw either, just the bare cuttoff.

Thank you for your time.

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[Patrick Chadwick]

Such an item is probably so rare that one cannot talk about a typical "market value" in a statistical sense.

Are you thinking of completing a MkV that is missing the cut-off?

In that case, the maximum notional value is the realistically achievable price for the completed rifle minus the realistically achievable price for the rifle without cut-off. And don't forget to factor in the screw as well. This has a domed filister head and an 0.114" x 49tpi Enfield thread. For a replacement, a 4-48 thread should be satisfactory. But the thread is only at the top (head) end, similar to the screw used for a Mauser bolt catch. So the thread will have to be partially turned down. A fiddly job. Evans Obsolete Screws may be able to help, but I did not see a cut-off screw on their online list.

Estimate it yourself with the "rose-tinted spectacles" removed. Anything else is so subjective that it reduces to a "what's it worth to you?" which nobody else can answer.

[P-07ShortLee]

Hello Patrick,

I actually have the opposite conundrum; I have a cuttoff and no rifle. I would like to establish a 'fair' price to ask if I decide to sell it. The very few I have seen sell/or heard of selling, were all over the place.

Thank you for your thoughts on a Mk V restoration. I actually considered it once, but ultimately decided it was missing too many parts and passed on it.

[Brit plumber]

There was one for sale in the UK a few years back for £20 and the seller knew it was from a Mk5. When I mentioned it in a post, it was gone the next day. It had been for sale for at least 12 months!

[P-07ShortLee]

There was one for sale in the UK a few years back for £20 and the seller knew it was from a Mk5. When I mentioned it in a post, it was gone the next day. It had been for sale for at least 12 months!

Interesting! I suspect it must have been overlooked by whomever needed one. I found one which sold recently for around $50 as a pre-set price; I suspect it was snapped up and might have sold for more had it been an auction.

[Patrick Chadwick]

"I actually have the opposite conundrum; I have a cuttoff and no rifle. I would like to establish a 'fair' price to ask if I decide to sell it."

Well, if I was in the same country, I would give you 20 on the "it might come in handy one day" basis (the cause of many overfilled drawers!).
If I had (or had in view) a MkV that lacked the cut-off, then I would be prepared to pay the 50.
In other words, to get a good price, you need to put it on the market at the same time that someone is desperate to complete a rifle. That is unplannable, so the best strategy would seem to be to have it on offer for as long as possible.


"There was one for sale in the UK a few years back for £20 and the seller knew it was from a Mk5. When I mentioned it in a post, it was gone the next day. It had been for sale for at least 12 months! "

And that is the answer! Quite a few people who know the difference between a Mk.V and a No.5 are lurking around these forums, because they are the best open source for know-how on Lee Enfields. So put it on the WTB/WTT forum and be patient. It will not take long before someone asks about your cut-off!

[Kiwi]

It is possible that one of the cheaper recent sales of such cut offs was to me, but can't find the price I purchased it for. Purchased for a fellow NZ enthusiast whom I knew had a mkV but missing the cut off. He was very pleased to receive the missing part out of the blue one day, completely unexpected and free of charge. Even as a amateur in the enfield game I knew what it was and knew it was a bargain. Had I been missing the said cut off myself, I'd happily pay upwards of 100 for it.

word of warning, just remember when you have sold it is gone. When you stumble across a mkV missing its cut off in a pawn shop in three weeks time, don't kick yourself for selling too soon or cheaply. I've sold or given away parts like long branch hinged front band etc only to find the perfect rifle missing the piece later on, and now struggle to source the missing part.

[P-07ShortLee]

Absolutely fine answers! Thanks to everyone, this was very helpful.

[therno]

I would recommend trying to find a screw to go with it. It will add about 20% to the value.

[Peter Laidler]

Just a quick question here but did ALL of the MK5 rifles have this hole-less cutoff (c/o)? I ask because there were TWO patterns of the Mk5 rifle according to the papers and reports from the old trials wing at Hythe held at the Small Arms School. The first was the Mk5 'new-build' using a new barrel and body. The second was a model based on converting the existing stocks of Mk3 rifles only using new components where necessary - such as the new backsights and handguards being a couple of parts I remember. The figures of 18/- against 22/- seems to spring to mind but please feel free to correct me........

The reason I ask is that on a converted Mk3, it'd use the existing components including the sightless barrel and plugged fore-end according to our example. So would the converted rifles, albeit in limited numbers, have a special c/o? Especially as the Small Arms School had already decided that the c/o served no useful purpose.