First thing is it depends on the type of competition you wish to do. If its service rifle then the spirit of the event should be followed, ie if the rules state as issued only no mods allowed then you should obey this. If like me however you shoot prone target style then the rifle has to be accurised to be allowed to shoot on the range. Since my rifles have been acurised by the likes of Parker Hale and then later by tinkerers there is no huge loss in value for me if I epoxy it further as they are not original. If you want a good, as stock shooter then the Pattern1914 is worth considering and the No4 mk2 as the two better choices to start with IMHO. If your competition rules allows the "H" barrels in the no1 mkIII then this would be the setup to find. So first thing is what competition(s) will you be shooting in? I do service rifle and target so have guns for each, "as issued" and modified.