Lee enfield no4 mk1/3 US Property

[harry mac]

Something Id like to understand. Rifle has been FTR in 53 and the barrel doesnt have same serial number but has 41 stamp on. I have another rifle FTR, my Mk1/2 in 53 and barrell has the appropriate P53 dated on. What does that mean ?

It probably just means that it's been rebarreled with a take-off barrel while in civilian hands. I doubt very much that it came out of FTR with a mismatched barrel.

[CINDERS]

The reason I remarked about the vice marks is I am pretty sure if an Armourer either in the British services or Australian caused these through neglect to protect the jaws they may have found a pineapple inserted leaf end first (so you cannot pull the inserted object out) for abuse of a weapon, as they would have had all the good stuff to hold the action firm for a re-barrel I meant nothing insidious by my obs.

[Beerhunter]

The T in FTR is indeed thorough.

[Brian Dick]

I don't see the vice marks as detrimental. They are just a fact of life of weapons used in service in wartime and elsewhere.

[Peter Laidler]

I just see them as an indication that in its past life, it has been through the hands of a total butcher. The sad thing about vice marks is that if the bloke had/has a vice then it would have taken an extra millisecond to just put the alloy vice clamps in place................

[billy67]

Hi,
an update about my mk1/3. Being working on the wood set in order to make it fit together. Forend was unfinished and it was a little pain in the butt to fix the forend cap witht the cross pins. Even the brass butt plate needed some time to install. anyway, so far rifle looks that way. Its temporary, I still need to work on the wood set in order to make it a better match colour

[ssj]

The "P53" is probably F53 which should be a "no4 mk2" 5 groove military barrel, quite usual to be on a FTR'd gun I would assume. It maybe that the 41 is a barrel from mil surplus, in NZ that was common to import 10 barrels and then select the best ones for target use and repalce them every year, hugely wasteful....

Oh or the P53 is P58 and its a Pakistani barrel, (I have some p58 pakistani parts) I'd assume there would be pakistani proof marks?

[Surpmil]

I don't remember seeing that engraved horizontal line before.

[browningautorifle]

Looks like that's where they linished out Savage and the mark and model.

[Peter Laidler]

That's correct Bar. Never delete the old markings, always bar through. Looks like the engraver at Fazakerley was particularly enthusiastic on that particular day as he's done a decent job, a bit of depth to the engraving and a new or sharp cutter by the looks of it. As opposed to the usual #scratchy pen' type of etching we usually see from Fazakerley.

The P prefix is a regular feature of Fazakerley production and sometimes features in their 'lost' number re-numbering system such as a BSA one that I know of, FTR'd at Fazakerley now numbered 53P 10385