advice before buying LSA mk III 1915

[5thBatt]

Just what i thought, unless you have a early BSA with a matching numbered cocking piece there is no real way of knowing for sure

[Peter Laidler]

Parashooter and 5th Batt are right. In the real world, during its life in the real Army, a consumable part on a rifle, vehicle, instrument or whatever you wish to choose was replaced with the next equivalent part on the shelf. Flat, button........ it had no effect whatsoever on the operability of the rifle.

[Flying10uk]

For a rifle of this age would it not be surprising if the bolt/cocking piece hadn't been replaced? The bolt on my deactivated version doesn't match the receiver and so has been replaced at some time. The dealer told me this before I purchased it; I wasn't particularly bothered about it then and still aren't. For what it's worth the coking piece is of the flat type.

[chosenman]

jsne, you have to be mindful of the fact this rifle saw most of the Great War and possibly had several owners and as many rebuilds hence why so many SMLE's have different parts by different manufacturers. I have a 1914 LSA which is wearing LSA and EFD parts as well as several armourer inspection marks dated in the 20's and 30's and recently had a replacement barrel replacing a 1927 dated barrel that was painted khaki indicating ww2 service in the far east. The price here in the UK would be average.

[Jsne]

Thanks all

I go fore it Wednesday
Then we will see.
I don't expect a untouch gun.
And I take it if the condition is owerall fine.
I wanted some information for the no1
Because it is new to me.
I now have all I need thanks to you guys.

Jsne

[Jsne]

Update
I bought the LSA no1 1915. I cant post pictures yet. In Denmark we need a licence on every single waepon. So i maby not got the rifle before 6-8 weeks
I will post some picture then.

I was worried about the cocking piece, but i dident have to. The guy who have it have an other no1 (1942) Hi dident care about Enfields, so hi just take a bolt and put it in for pictures. The right one fore the LSA have type 1 as expected.

I got the price lowered with about 50 £

Owerall nice rifle: LSA no1 mk III 1915. Serial 6xxxx M.
not untouct but Ok, and what you can expect for a riffle with 101 years of history . Macthing numbers on nosecap with stackingswirvle, rearsight with windage ajustment, forearm.
barrel also numberet correct but have been change in 1930 and the bolt are correct numberet but is not the original one, but a refittet one
original numper grind of and renumberet to the rifle.
No number on magazine.
all number stamp types are old style and dont look like what you can buy today.
so I will meen it is done correct. There are no FTR markings on the rifle.

Barrel are mirror and with ok crown. (1943 mkVII bullit stops about 4 mm from caseneck)
Magasine cut of semms to be the original. At least it have a LSA inspector mark (X with crown and numbers) and wear seems to match the riffle.

I chect lockinglugs (with engineres blue) and head space. Everything fine.
triggerpull are just fantastic.

Wood is owerall fine with machting collors but werry dry. It need some oil.
butstock is S market (SHORT)
there a stock disc, but without any markings on.

Now i just have to waite.

Jsne

[CINDERS]

Thats pretty good if you got 50 Euros knocked off the price looking forward to when you can post some pictures of you LSA

[Bruce_in_Oz]

It may be that the rifle is exactly as it was when it left official service.....or not.

As modifications and upgrades were introduced, rifles would have been "repaired" at anything from the unit level, all the way to "factory" rebuild. If the barrel has been replaced OFFICIALLY, it will bear the appropriate numbers and inspection marks. Official repairs and upgrades are a significant part of the "story" of the rifle.

If the parts are appropriate for the period and there are markings to indicate work carried out officially at workshops or factories, everything will be fine.

If your 1915 rifle survived World War 1 "untouched", it would have been a minor miracle. If it stayed in "the System" after that war, it would have been subjected to periodic 'upgrades" for as long as it stayed in the military system.

If it were sent to some distant colonial outpost, perhaps things may have been different, but not greatly.

The "flat" cocking piece was a First World War "temporary relaxation", because the nice, rounded one took more time, tools and gauges to make. The early one was rounded to reduce damage to the soldiers hand during "bayonet fighting". The "flat" one doesn't seem to have caused soldiers too much trouble; the basic idea went on into the No4 and No5 series without much change.

Enjoy it as a piece of military and engineering history.

And remember:

"Frokost uden Snaps, er morgenmad"

Or, something like that....... (That is about all the Danish I know)

[Flying10uk]

The service rifles that I avoid at all costs are those that what some say have been subject to a "Civy refurb" but I prefer the more accurate label as having been "tarted up". If a service rifle has had any sort of significant use it's highly likely to have had repairs done to it and parts replaced which is no big deal. The thing which I object to is people, especially dealers, trying to say something is something that it isn't and then charging a hefty premium to unsuspecting customers.

[CINDERS]

especially dealers, trying to say something is something that it isn't and then charging a hefty premium to unsuspecting customers.

A auction held not long ago here some No4 T's were sold for a staggering $12K a piece buuuuut after the auction finished much embarrassment was had by the auction house as it was found 3 of the T's were fakers so there you go people buyer beware. The auction house had to refund the monies I would have said hell yeah refund my cash I and I'll keep the rifle as well (Hopefully they had real No.32's on them) caveat emptor