"Other" Enfields

[that was loud]

Since my introduction to "grooved" hand guards I have heard of another anomaly in the LE world, the "P" series. What is the background on these models? All I've found out so far is that they were of US manufacture and in 30-06 instead of 303 Brit. Obviously the barrel, receiver & bolt wouldn't interchange but were they made to the LE spec otherwise (i.e. is the furniture interchangeable)? Other parts? Were they of decent quality?

Any enlightenment out there?

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Beerhunter]

You may mean mean the P14 a .303 development of the P13 and later used by the US in 30-06 as the Model 1917. (These were used extensively by the British Home Guard during WWI.)

They are completely different from the Lee-Enfield being Mauser actioned as oppose to Lee.

The P14 was later reclassified as the Rifle, No3.

[dvcrsn]

The Model 1917 Enfield (in 30 06) is a variant on the p14 (303) which is basically a Mauser variant manufactured by Winchester and Remington (at plants in Ilion and Eddystone). Judging by my Winchester--nice rifle

[vz58kid]

bought a mint no1 m111* dated 1945 Lithgow, mint in 100% + cond. for $500. us out the door!( $450. before tax,back-ground check!) Serial no.
A 15xx had real lithgow tag on it! found out 2 weeks later its a John Jovino parts gun! was highly teed off and have done hours of research on net.
it has the coach-wood stock but no recoil plates, but can buy for $13. and put in. well believe it or not, they are highly desired here in U.S.and as long as they are pretty, sell for top $. one sold on Gunbroker for $730. one for
$972. just recently! so i really cant complain. there is another co. linked to Jovino named Sile, who put out parts guns also.
have you all up north encountered any of their Lithgow clones ?

[Claven2]

The only SILE I know if is the Italian stock maker that also made Garand and BM59 stock sets for european production of those guns. Never heard of a SILE related to JJCo NY,NY.

[vz58kid]

AA Auction 8405684 (Ended 01/06/2008, 16:53:16 PST) CAL.303 GORGEOUS WWII COLLECTOR PIECE 100% C&Rok



[quote="vz58kid"]the above rifle was just sold at auction, for $ 972. and had 55 bidders, it is a Sile, which is to whom John Jovino sold many of his fakes, and parts and Sile did exactly the same as Jovino! the above rifle has an A prefix denoting it as a fake! But the seller posted long story how it belonged to his gun-exp. friend who passed on suddenly! i wonder if he knew it was a parts gun. his gun collector expert friend could not have been much of an expert! a jovino listed parts gun also sold on GB. few weeks back for $ 730. just proving parts guns are as valuable as the real ones as long as they are beautiful! :mrgreen:[/quote



#14 05-30-2008, 07:29 AM
breakeyp
SPosts: 452



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For what it is worth, after Jovino had problems (insert your version of the story), the remaining parts went to Sile who had a satellite operation in Ossian near Fort Wayne Indiana. They repaired Sile returned imported Sharps and Rolling Blocks as well as assembling No.1 rifles from the Lithgow parts. They told me they had problems finding yellow paint to match up wood that had partial yellow sorting bands. So if your rifle has a different color partial band--it may have been to Indiana in its travels. Sile had unnumbered receivers which probably grew into those rifles with odd serial numbers. They also reworked cutaways by adding a longer barrel.



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[vz58kid]

Post subject: Re: what is the value of my john jovino Lithgow ?Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 4:00 pm


Mil-Surp Shooter


Joined: Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:20 pm
Posts: 115
Location: palm beach
Age: 46 in a way i feel really stupid! but as soon as i read the name Sile on the $972. parts gun something clicked! having to do with them and Jovino.
then after reading the reprint about Sile on another forum, it came back! i have only had my 3 enfields 6 months, but always liked them. some time in about 95 or so there was an art. in i think shot.news about enfields and jovino and sile. if i now remember correctly, jovino was having all types of bus. and legal prob. so he sold a lot of his parts to Sile! who did exactly what he did.
i am not sure, but believe it was owned by his son or someone in his family!
the thing that really has me totally pi--ed off, is that this so called God of Enfields, Stratten who has all types of info. available on fake Enfields has never mentioned ones about Sile, at least not from what i could find! so this dude is not very knowledgeable either!
neither had anybody else on any forum or net, i have been trying to find out all i could on Jovino since march when i found out, a few weeks after getting mine it was a parts gun.
the seller is a large dealer Willie TA. who is either an idiot or totally crooked,read his heart-break. descr. of the rifle and how there will be many more guns out of his gun-experts friend collection will come up for sale!
if my research about Sile and Jovino will help keep 1 person from buying a fake i will be happy! just really weird how you read something 15 yrs. ago about something you dont have and dont remember it, till after the fact!
the article i reprinted from another forum, was only posted in the last few weeks!
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I do hope that the info. of what happened to me as well as others, will make some of my new Canadians gun-buddies aware of a lot of Enfield (mainly Lithgow) parts guns, being sold as the real thing! Thank You!

But as long as in mint and pretty they will bring $1000. U.S. on Gunbr.