Strange mk3

[Chainsaw311]

[ATTACH] [/ATTACH]what is this thing?

[Roger Payne]

Extremely rare & valuable if I'm not mistaken. It isn't really my niche but it looks like one of the Mk3 SMLE's that were converted to MkV configuration.......Hopefully someone else more into these will soon chip in.......

[Chainsaw311]

Have you seen any approximate numbers where value is concerned?

[Chainsaw311]

Heres another pic.what does the letter T indicate?

[Roger Payne]

Pretty sure they're in the Lee Enfield Story. Not many made I don't think, though the MkV's manufactured as such were produced to the total of 20,000. But if this rifle is what I think it may be, it is rather scarcer as it is a conversion from the MkIII to the MkV pattern. The T is the letter prefix letter of the serial number.

As mentioned above, these variants are not really my field, & so I could be totally wrong about this. Probably best to let someone more knowledgeable than I give their opinion.

[Terry Hawker]

Well, well, well. Congratulations on acquiring this scarce member of the Lee-Enfield family, Chainsaw. Other than the poor photos at the top of page 168 of The Lee-Enfield Story and page 188 of The Lee-Enfield, yours is the only other example I have ever seen since acquiring mine in December of 2002. It is nice to know that there are at least two survivors. I was going to refer you to the article I wrote on it that was posted on this very website some years ago, but for some reason unknown to me that article seem to have disappeared. Now I freely admit that I am still the complete Luddite and suffer from CRS, so perhaps it is just my lack of computer skills and diminished mental acuity that prevents me from finding it now. If Badger would be so kind as to pull that article out of the ether from hence it went, then re-post it in the Knowledge Library, I believe the many photos comparing it to a production Mk V, along with the text, might be of some value in answering a few of your questions.

At the time I referred to this particular SMLE model as a true, MK V Trials Rifle to differentiate it from the 20,000-odd standard production rifles that are still mislabeled "Trials Rifles" by so many collectors. Now I'm not about to rewrite that article, but thanks to correspondence since with Paul Breakey, there is one thing I would change if it does resurface. As Paul kindly suggested, "concept rifle", or "development rifle", may actually be a more correct nomenclature to apply to this piece than "Trials Rifle". Note that the example in the photos in Skennerton's works are missing the unique humped safety with rear volley sight arm formed with a bow to clear it, as present on both my example and Chainsaw's. One thing I will repeat for Chainsaw's benefit - Herb Woodend wanted mine for the Pattern Room, as that magnificent collection lacked one.

Cheers,

Terry

[Sapper740]

Lance Lysiuk dedicated an entire chapter to the No.1 Mk V in his excellent book: "A Collector's View - THE SMLE". The major differences between a MkIII and and MkV are as follows:

Rear sight moved from the barrel to behind the charger bridge with a resulting change in the handguards. Long range Volley sight system removed, striker cocking piece has vertical grooves, additional band at the nose cap, trigger guard swivel lug replaced by wire loop, no hole in the magazine cut-off, modified safety catch, and large head nosecap screw.

Post some good quality pictures of those areas and we can tell you exactly how correct your Mk V is..... if that's what it indeed is.

Regards, Derek

[Chainsaw311]

Well, well, well. Congratulations on acquiring this scarce member of the Lee-Enfield family, Chainsaw. Other than the poor photos at the top of page 168 of The Lee-Enfield Story and page 188 of The Lee-Enfield, yours is the only other example I have ever seen since acquiring mine in December of 2002. It is nice to know that there are at least two survivors. I was going to refer you to the article I wrote on it that was posted on this very website some years ago, but for some reason unknown to me that article seem to have disappeared. Now I freely admit that I am still the complete Luddite and suffer from CRS, so perhaps it is just my lack of computer skills and diminished mental acuity that prevents me from finding it now. If Badger would be so kind as to pull that article out of the ether from hence it went, then re-post it in the Knowledge Library, I believe the many photos comparing it to a production Mk V, along with the text, might be of some value in answering a few of your questions.

At the time I referred to this particular SMLE model as a true, MK V Trials Rifle to differentiate it from the 20,000-odd standard production rifles that are still mislabeled "Trials Rifles" by so many collectors. Now I'm not about to rewrite that article, but thanks to correspondence since with Paul Breakey, there is one thing I would change if it does resurface. As Paul kindly suggested, "concept rifle" may actually be a more correct nomenclature to apply to this piece than "Trials Rifle". Note that the example in the photos in Skennerton's works are missing the unique humped safety with rear volley sight arm formed with a bow to clear it, as present on both my example and Chainsaw's. One thing I will repeat for Chainsaw's benefit - Herb Woodend wanted mine for the Pattern Room, as that magnificent collection lacked one.

Cheers,

Terry

As soon as I can get an approximate value of it,I'll let it be known what I paid for it,lol.

[Bindi2]

Chainsaw311
There is no approximate value for that rifle. What ever you paid for that extremely rare rifle is the value for you and only you.

[Bindi2]

To find the value advertise it well pre auction then auction it.
$369 is a steal of a good pickup for you.
For insurance just pick a number because of its rarity.