No 4 7.62 conversion

[XL39E1]

L39,s Conv.s and con.s

1968- No.1-19 marked 7.62mm CON

1969- No.20- 115 marked 7.62mm CONV

1969 No.116-165 marked XL39E1

1969 No.167-466 marked L39A1

1970 No. 467-499 marked 7.62mm CONV

1970 No. 500-999 marked L39A1

1970 No. 1000-1008 marked 7.62mm CONV

1972 No1009-1241 marked L39A1

All the 1968 Rifles were used for different evaluation trials of one form or another, some ending up being used by the Enfield Factory shooting club.

All 7.62mm Conv rifles had Factory numbered 7.62mm Magazines and fitted with Target Sights. 1969 batch were dispatched to the Army Rifle Association on the 11/04/1969. 1970 batch were dispatched to the Army Rifle Association on the 16/05/1970. The later 1970 batch of 9 rifes were dispatched to the City of London Police on the 06/07/1970

All XL39E1 rifles had Factory numbered 7.62mm Magazines and were fitted with Target Sights. These rifles were sent to either Donnington, R.A.F. Uxbridge or R.N. Gosport, except two that were sent to the Trials Officer R.S.A.F.

All L39A1 rifles had no magazine or sights fitted and were all sent to Donnington.

All Rifles after no 10 were machined out for the 7.62mm Magazine as per the Enfield Instructions for modification drawings and notes.

All this information is taken from official Enfield documents and drawings now held by the Royal Armouries.

[PrinzEugen]

Blimey the 1000-1008 is a short run!

[Peter Laidler]

So the CONV rifles were a commercial variant of the L39 in effect?
Yep, that's right about the .303" magazine Newbie BUT I would imagine that was to allow the rifle to be used in comps where the rule book states clearly that the rounds will be loaded from a platform and not a magazine. And the Army could, quite rightly say that they WERE being loaded from a platform - albeit a platform from an otherwise useless .303" magazine. On the other hand, where you might be using an L39 in a, say, practical rifle competition, when you COULD use a magazine, then you could fit the 7.62mm mag.

Luckily for me and many others to whom I freely dished them out to, a lot of units DID fit 7.62mm magazines and left them behind in the Armouries and Armourers shops and on my office table when they RTO'd the rifles.

[XL39E1]

It is funny though that these "commercial" rifles all ended up with the A.R.A.

There is one batch of 7.62mm conv rifles that also appears, but these might be duplicates with L39! Still working on theses numbers though.

[limpetmine]

L39,s Conv.s and con.s

1968- No.1-19 marked 7.62mm CON

1969- No.20- 115 marked 7.62mm CONV

1969 No.116-165 marked XL39E1

1969 No.167-466 marked L39A1

1970 No. 467-499 marked 7.62mm CONV

1970 No. 500-999 marked L39A1

1970 No. 1000-1008 marked 7.62mm CONV

1972 No1009-1241 marked L39A1

All the 1968 Rifles were used for different evaluation trials of one form or another, some ending up being used by the Enfield Factory shooting club.

All 7.62mm Conv rifles had Factory numbered 7.62mm Magazines and fitted with Target Sights. 1969 batch were dispatched to the Army Rifle Association on the 11/04/1969. 1970 batch were dispatched to the Army Rifle Association on the 16/05/1970. The later 1970 batch of 9 rifes were dispatched to the City of London Police on the 06/07/1970

All XL39E1 rifles had Factory numbered 7.62mm Magazines and were fitted with Target Sights. These rifles were sent to either Donnington, R.A.F. Uxbridge or R.N. Gosport, except two that were sent to the Trials Officer R.S.A.F.

All L39A1 rifles had no magazine or sights fitted and were all sent to Donnington.

All Rifles after no 10 were machined out for the 7.62mm Magazine as per the Enfield Instructions for modification drawings and notes.

All this information is taken from official Enfield documents and drawings now held by the Royal Armouries.

I own E over D 69, A90.
It is marked 7.62 CONV.
Regulated by Fulton

It has all appearance of a L39A1. It was imported by Brian. It has target sights. It has been well used, but not abused. It has a rail in the fore stock.
Is this one from the second batch listed? I don't see any letter prefixes in your numbers.
Thanks for any info.

[XL39E1]

Oh yes sorry, all the rifles listed above have A prefix serials!

[Brian Dick]

XL39E1 is correct. Im just examined a No.4 7.62 CONV, XL39E1, L39A1, Envoy, and Enforcer and they are ALL machined in the magazine well for 7.62 magazines but weren't issued with them from the factory. As Peter says, the No.4 7.62 Conv. was intended as a commercial sales target rifle making it somewhat of a pre-Envoy instead of pre-L39A1.

---------- Post added at 04:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:09 PM ----------

Oops, should read "I've". The fingers are quicker than my brain!

---------- Post added at 04:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:11 PM ----------

Before I get scolded. The Envoy and Enforcer did have 7.62 mags from the factory.

---------- Post added at 04:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:12 PM ----------

I have 7.62 CONV dated D69, sn. A191 which doesn't jive with the list.

[XL39E1]

I have 7.62 CONV dated D69, sn. A191 which doesn't jive with the list.

There appears in the Enfield dispatch ledger another short list of 32x 7.62mm CONV rifles.

Now these are possibly either, another seperate batch, seperate from the main list, or 7.62mm CONV rifles re-engraved with L39A1 markings. A170 up to A195 are listed as being dispached in two batches on the 23 July 1969 & 22 Sept 1969 to two Police forces, (except 173 & 174), and No.s A196 up to A203 being sent to Radway Green between 24 July 1974 & 08 August 1974.

Those rifle numbers appear in the L39 list as L39A1 rmarked rifles being shipped to Donnington between 21 Jan 1970 & 20 Feb 1970.

Some might not have been re-engraved! Some might simply have been missed! It might be to sepeate batches! Strange thing happened at Enfield, Time Machine anyone?

[Surpmil]

One of those conversions just surfaced in an estate in Saskatchewan.

[XL39E1]

Does anybody have or know of an L39A1 between A170 and A195?