Serial Numbers Fact or Fiction?

[Alan de Enfield]

I have been told by a highly regarded local “expert” that magazines on LE rifles were not originally stamped with serial numbers. He suggests that was done by armourers during maintenance/repair. Fact or fiction?

A bit of both.

Prior to 1946 the No4 and No5 rifles did not have their magazines numbered, then an instruction to the factories was issued making the magazine numbering compulsory on all subsequent production.

At the same time an instruction went out to armourers that they should number the magazines on any 'un-numbered' rifles when they came into the armourers shop for their next check-up. It would appear that some armourers may not have acted on the instruction - or there are many Lee Enfields that have lost their original magazine and had it replaced in 'civilain use' with an un-numbered one.

The message obviously got thru to the armourer responsible for my 1942 Savage. It has both the forend and the magazine numbered.



The official notification ...............