Brass stock disk

[Foxbrook]

Someone will translate the marks for you shortly, congrats on the nice catch. It shows that they are still out there and doing well. Maybe some day I'll be so lucky as to have that happen. Now, how about a full set of pics???

Here are a few more photo of the old girl. She cleaned up real good. Ready to put on the market.









Foxbrook

Information

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[smellie]

RIFLE markings are pretty much self-explanatory: it is a Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield rfle Mark III*, built by the Birmingham Small Arms Company in 1918 and it is the property of His Majesty George V, the King-Emperor, who likely has given up looking for it. He had a few spares, anyway.

Thi rifle looks in awfuly nice condition, friend. It is very unusal to find one this well preserved. I have a 1918 National Rifle Facory job, all matching, which continued in Service for some time; the woodwork is BLACK from old oil soaking in for years and years. Yours is MUCH prettier.

Without doubt someone will be on here shortly to decipher the formation markings on the butt disc for you; we have a few guys here who are real whizzes at this sort of thing. I`m not one of them!

A rifle which has been preserved in a state such as this one should be examined very carefully and photographed every step of the way. Right now, the Great War is very nearly a century in the past. That is a LOT of time for FTRs and that sort of thing and the very greatest part of the rifles in collections have gone through FTR at least once SINCE the Great War.... and many more have been Bubba`d and the lucky ones restored. But yours should be original, exactly as built, and that is worth studying.

BTW, BSA built about 30% of the total British-made rifle production of the Great War. The rest were built by RSAF Enfield Lock (about 60%) and the remaining 10% were by London Small Arms (5%), Standard Small Arms (2%) and National Rifle Factories 1 and 2 (3%). The Australians built them also, of course, but you know these Colonials: just not up to standards (mine shoots beautifully!) and India also had a factory at Ishapore, but these were not British production.

You have a Very Nice Toy, friend.

Congratulations on the fine find.
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[Bindi2]

The colonials rifles were that good we were not allowed to use them at Bisley. Some thing about the H barrel i believe.

[Mk VII]

The colonials rifles were that good we were not allowed to use them at Bisley. Some thing about the H barrel i believe.

And quite right too. It's supposed to be service configuration. Not tricked up 'National Match' or 'sniper grade' rifles made up for the purpose.

[Bindi2]

They were service rifles

[smellie]

Yes, very much. An H barrel is something I have lusted after since first I learned of their existence, but no such luck so far.

At least your "Colonial" rifles didn't go the way of our Rosses!

As for myself, I have a 1918 Lithgow which needed a bit of TLC. Off the sandbags, right now, it will do half an inch with the right ammo, given that you can hold it. I am NOT complaining about "Colonial" rifles, believe me!
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