Help Identifying my Enfield

[thalomid]

Hey Everyone,

New to the site, I was military & civillian trained armorer & have been building, repairing, & perfecting the AR-Rifle Platform in all calibers, including the new gas piston operating systems in all calibers. I am also new to the Surplus Rifle scene although I have been collecting & storing them for years. I wanted to see if someone could help me identify one of my Enfields. It appears to be new, unfired, and numbers matching including the magazine. I would like to know as much about it as possible and know that this is the site to come to for knowledge.

Regards,

thalomid1

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.

[Amatikulu]

Your rifle was made at R.O.F. - Maltby (Royal Ordnance Factory - Maltby) in 1942. Maltby is in Yorkshire, England.

The model designation is No.4 Mark 1

The rifle rear sight was made by BSA (Birmingham Small Arms) and is the Mark 1. Probably fitted post WW2.

Your rifle has an early button cocking piece.

[jmoore]

It sems to have the metal parts covered in a paint-like coating, which could either be "paint" or a harder baked on finish known as Suncorite. (Which numeric "type" I forget!) This indicates it's seen post WWII rework of at least some degree. The rear sight is another indication of post WWII attention, as noted by Amatikulu above.

[smellie]

Pardon the intrusion, guys, but is that rear sight not Long Branch?

The coating almost looks like dried-on OIL of some kind, almost as if the poor thing was painted with boiled linseed oil..... or sunflower oil..... and left to stand. No matter, I am sure it will respond to Superfine steel wool and a mild solvent. Sure preserves things, though! Nice rifle under all that.

Big question: WHO is AD and why does he need 17,944 rifles? That sounds like the rack I'd like to have rather than the one I can afford!
.

[jmoore]

Pardon the intrusion, guys, but is that rear sight not Long Branch?

It looks like just a "B", not the intermingled "LB".

[thalomid]

Thanks for the responses so far and I just wanted to ask some more specific questions concerning the rifle. Since the receiver is not marked on the left side with model number & date, is there anyway to determine year it was manufactured? Could this have been a war or post war production rifle that was then put in storage? It appears to be unfired and everything is in excellent condition. Also, could anyone give me a rough estimate of the value of this rifle?
Ball Park is all I need for insurance reasons.

Regards,

thalomid1

[Amatikulu]

As I said earlier your rifle was made in 1942. This is based on where your serial number fits in the production range.

[Peter Laidler]

Just out of interest Thalomid, and beyond the obvious, what's with the helmet in the background?