SMLE trade rifle (need some guru help)

[RJW NZ]

Nice project, good find. I've got an AGP Parker Hale almost like this, in full wood. The right wrist markings are only BSA Co, there's no cipher. Its estimated to be early 1920's. It has the cut off, and no volley sights. It has the PH5a sight, which I think is more correct than the plus 5. The 5a's seem to be the commercial choice after the 1920's, and in my opinion others like the Plus 5 would have been an individual owners choice after buying the rifle. The Plus 5 was a design that was superceded with something better, so its reign for serious shooters was not too long.
The screw head reminds me of a Central with its squarish look but the diameter looks smaller, more like the PH5a one I have on the rifle here, narrower screw heads that are a bit taller in the head are what I find on earlier sights like the plus 5..
There are more shooters here with these kind of rifles, not many but some, they're an appreciating collectible and I'm very happy to have found mine. If you continue your restoration I'll post pics for you and I'd bet others will too.
FYI the parker hale forend set up on these rifles is not very modified, and look like stock bedding, which I would bet is very carefully set up. You can see these sometimes at JoeSalter.com, an always interesting website and shop.

A couple of useful website sites are Enfield Resource.com, a links site to the (whole) world of Enfield, and there's links there to my other site, enfield accurizing at youtube.
Dating these rifles has not been straightforward for anyone asking the question, its too bad.
cheers Roger.

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