Markings on 1919 BSA SMLE

[Brian Dick]

It looks pretty honest to me. Is that a Century Arms import mark on the right side of the body? That means it was imported post 1986. Curio and Relic military surplus rifles were banned from importation from 1968 until 1986 so it certainly came from someone's reserve stores. Some might say that it was cobbled up by the importer but I seriously doubt that's the case. It's more likely to have seen service in post war Europe, the Middle East or possibly India. It looks a lot like SMLE rifles I've had here that came from Greek reserve stores. You bet it's been worked on by Armourers too during it's 100 year service career. Replacement parts of any manufacture might be found. The "Z" stamp signifies that it was culled as beyond local repair at some point. Possibly for excessive body wear and/or many other reasons. The gauges don't lie.