To bed or not to bed a Lee Enfield No.1 Mk 3

[Seaspriter]

I'm in Canada, where No.4's seem to be more popular than SMLE's.

Wave the Maple Leaf and buy a Long Branch (either a No. Mk1/3 which has the trigger upgraded, or a 1949-50, many of which are in like-new condition)

In the US these can still be purchased for under $400. I'm not sure what the price/demand is in Canada, but we have a dozen Milsurp experts from Canada following this thread that can give you good leads or maybe have one in their closet collecting dust that needs a good home.

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[British Mandarin]

I just had a thought. Maybe I could save myself all the trouble by getting a Fulton regulated SMLE? Might cost a lot, but the Lee Enfield is the only rifle I intend to own.

[ssj]

I just had a thought. Maybe I could save myself all the trouble by getting a Fulton regulated SMLE? Might cost a lot, but the Lee Enfield is the only rifle I intend to own.

The regulated No4 rifles are honestly a handful to keep accurate needing constant attention, centre beded this and that doweled all over the place, each one different, just painful and frustrating. If you want an accurised target rifle buy a Pattern1914 done by Fultons or Parkerhale (did AJP do them?). Otherwise for a no4 start with a good condition standard nose bedded ie as issued rifle No4 mk2. Both the No4 and p14 have replacement match grade barrels available from Criterion and parts are not too bad. The SMLE is again a crankly rifle when not stock unless it has a H barrel in which case its free floated (though sometimes, not) LOL. Criterion are supposedly doing barrels are year end, maybe. So if you want to spend hours fiddling and going back and forth the range etc trying to make a "tuned" no4 work, well go ahead.