My first Enfield!

[bdeveau]

I recently purchased a No 1 Mk III. The bolt and receiver match however the nose cap does not. The stock is obviously refinished but still looks nice.
As for markings GR 1916 SHTLE with lack of company inscription, I am assuming is made by Enfield? I have a BNP, England, and FTR 1953 which I know indicates factory thorough repair and export stamps. On the receiver I have GR and what appears to be crossed flags with a P underneath. There also appears to be a crown with 3I and 13 underneath. The reciever is also stamped G and the bolt U. Does anyone know what these indicate?

Thanks

Information

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[Anzac15]

You have what's known as a 'peddle scheme' rifle. It means that different manufacturing of certain rifle components were 'peddled out' to different manufacturers to supposedly speed up production during the Great War. Look at the back of your rifle next to the hammer, there will be an SSA or NRF. SSA was Standard Small Arms, which became National Rifle Factory after SSA didn't meet production. (correct me guys, if theres anything wrong with my info) Peddled rifles are a bit more rare, and an NRF rifle seems to be even rarer. The crossed flags with P indicates a rifle made for land forces.
Good score! I'm always on the lookout for an NRF marked PSR!

---------- Post added at 01:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:59 AM ----------

I see some Birmingham proofs there, let's see some pics of the whole thing!

[Alan de Enfield]

Standard Small Arms was formed by Mr S J Waring (later Lord Waring, 1860-1940) of the Waring & Gillow concern ,together with a Mr Peterson, who was a man of standing in the Birmingham gun trade. They believed that the skills of the Birmingham gun trade were being neglected and could be more fully utilised in the war effort than they were. They planned to make all of the action and the nosecap, less magazines, screws and pins, and organise eight small firms and a number of individuals in the trade (probably outworkers, of whom a great many worked in the trade at that time). The barrels were to be subcontracted to Westley Richards and the wood to be cut by Waring & Gillow and Rudders & Payne (both these firms eventually dropped out). They contracted to supply rifles at 75/- each, which was the same price that BSA was paid. After a year or so it became apparent that the factory would never produce complete arms and it was instructed to produce four items; body with charger guide, bolt, bolt head and trigger guard. The company was to produce 1500 sets of components a week, rising to 4,000 when new machinery was installed. Other firms were contracted to produce less specialist items, the sets of components being delivered to Enfield for assembly in the bayonet shop, production of which was shifted to Wilkinsons and Sanderson Brothers & Newbold.

The downside of this scheme was that it only allowed for the exact number of components needed. Thus assembly of rifles was held up for want of quite minor items which inexperienced firms were struggling to produce. The scheme was revised in 1916 and became known as the Rifle Components Pool, taking every component which the 'Big Three' could make in excess of their complete rifle production as well as all that Standard Small Arms could turn out, and those produced by the 'peddled scheme' firms. Ordnance could also draw on the pool for repair parts. A considerable stock of components was built up so that any of the Big Three could draw on it if short of some item, and this was done continuously by LSA, and occasionally by BSA, and by Enfield (the pool being on the spot). Standard Small Arms did not attain an output of 2,000 bodies a week until April 1917 and two years after the start of work only 5-6,000 had been produced. By this time SSA were in financial difficulties and a government loan had to be made to keep them going. On June 1st 1918 the factory became National Rifle Factory No.1 with Mr Peterson as superintendent and instructed to prepare for manufacture of components of the Farquhar-Hill automatic rifle, although NRF-marked SMLE bodies were made after this. SSA seem to have turned out 2,000-4,000 bodies a week, depending on the Ministry of Munitions' requirements at the time.

[Beerhunter]

As for markings GR 1916 SHTLE with lack of company inscription, I am assuming is made by Enfield? I have a BNP, England, and FTR 1953 which I know indicates factory thorough repair and export stamps.

I am afraid that your knowledge is incorrect.

"BNP" stands for Birmingham Nitro Proof and indicates that the rifle has passed Proof, a requirement of all firearms sold in the United Kingdom. (Other than for the Government, which is exempt.)

The "England" mark is a pre-1968 GCA requirement of the US authorities to show a firearm's country of origin. (We don't have "export stamps".)

[jmoore]

A doubly scarce rifle being both peddled scheme and 1950's FTR with the Suncorite finish.

The "U" bolt head shows up on all sorts of rifles. I reckon (until corrected otherwise) it is an "U"nfitted replacement bolt head. (It would now be fitted to your rifle, but the "U" is rather too deep to remove, so there it stays.) I think I still have one or two that never were fit, and they are too long to work in any rifle encountered to date.

The "G" is the serial number prefix.

[Beerhunter]

I think I still have one or two that never were fit, and they are too long to work in any rifle encountered to date.

"Too long" is how they should be because they were hand-fitted to fit the rifle. Unlike the No.4/5 where the philosophy was to have different sized bolt heads which were chosen from for best fit.

[bdeveau]

Thanks for your help I will send more pictures later today

[bdeveau]

More pictures of my No 1 Mk III to determine anymore information

[Anzac15]

So is she an SSA or an NRF?

[bdeveau]

I could not find either markings

---------- Post added at 12:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:31 AM ----------

There is that interested IS4? Mark on the hammer