Three Lee Enfield Carbines

[coggansfield]

Thanks for getting back to me, Promo. Your photography skills a great — way higher than mine. I got your PM. I’ll respond via e-mail later today.

I did want briefly to add one thing here, in response to something I missed earlier. The answer to why cavalry carbine s/n 2090A has an issue date (1896) earlier than its manufacture date (1899) may be one of two:

First (the less likely to the two explanations), this issue disc may not original to the carbine. Someone may have installed it in recent years.

Second (and more likely), the explanation due to an anomaly of late 19th and early 20th century issuing protocols. At the time in British and imperial service, substitute firearms inherited the issue number and date of the firearm they were replacing. I don't know why they did it this way, but the fact is that that did. So I suspect that there was an earlier carbine with these exact unit/date/number specs that had to be withdrawn for some reason, and then this newer one was issued in its place.

You see this phenomenon most obviously on the NZ carbines, including the one of yours that is a conversion from a Lee-Metford carbine. To clear up a common misconception, let me first say that the overwhelming majority of NZ carbines are not converted from anything. They were just about all new made in four batches, as follows:

• Batch 1: An initial 1,000 made in 1901. There were made on new receivers just marked “L.E.C” (with no mark number). These suffered from the same lousy sighting as the Boer War cavalry carbines. They were virtually all retrofitted later with new backsight ladders (no serial number and marked “EC/88”). These carbines were issue numbered 1 to 1000. The issue dates are all 1901. There are a handful of these Batch 1 carbines that still have their original sights, which are serial numbered and marked “E/C” (without “88”). These are very rare and are all in New Zealand that I know of.

• Batch 2: Another 500 made in 1902. These too were made on new receivers, though for some reason these were marked “L.E.C I*”. However, these are not conversions from Mk I* LEC, as is commonly supposed. They were brand new, continuing the serial number sequence of the first batch. These came with corrected sights, serial numbered and marked “EC/88”. These carbines were issue numbered 1001 to 1500. The issue dates are all 1903.

• Batch 3: A consignment of 175 barrelled actions made in 1903 or early 1904. These are all marked 1903 on the receiver. In all respects, these are identical to Batch 2. They carry on the serial number sequence from Batch 2. These carbines seem largely to have been used to replace withdrawn Batch 1 carbines, in which instances they were clad in the wood taken from the withdrawn carbines. The got marked with the issue number and date of the withdrawn carbine. The results in carbines with a manufacture date of 1903 and an issue date of 1901. In such cases, usually, though not always, the issue date is rendered in two digits (“01”), whereas on the original carbines it was always four digits (“1901”). The issue number is always under 1500, so we know that it must have been replacing something from one of the first two batches.

• Batch 4: Another consignment of 250 barrelled actions, made a bit later in 1904. These were converted from Lee-Metford carbines, mostly dating back to 1894 (there were a few dated 1895). These are the only converted NZ carbines. They retain their original LMC serial numbers with their Enfield-rifled barrels being made to match the receiver serial number. These conversions were done in 1904, though I assume still early 1904 because the receivers all have a 1903 retro-date on them. These carbines seem mostly to have replaced withdrawn Batch 2 carbines, being clad in the wood taken from these. So on these, what you will often see is the 1903 conversion date on the left of the receiver and a “03” issue date on the right, under the bolt handle—but some have “1901” or “01”. Again, the issue number is always under 1500.

• Last, the Kiwis also bought 2,000 spare barrels over the course of 8 years. These all have serial numbers in the D and E range. Loads of the carbines have had these spare barrels added, including your Metford-converted carbine. Its barrel was installed in 1913. I can’t quite make out its old serial number, but plainly it ended in D.

Hope all this may be of interest — Coggo