Looking at a LEC Royal Irish Constabulary carbine

[Lance White]

I am working on picking up a RIC Lee Enfield carbine. It is based on a 1900 date LEC action, the stock disk is marked 12.02. Everything matches what I see online of pictures of the RIC carbines, except it does not have a bayonet lug. It has the same nosecap and grafted piece of wood behind it, but no lug and there is a cleaning rod hole. It also has the bushing soldered onto the muzzle. Did someone trim the lug off? Or did it come that way? Or someone swap a different nose cap on?

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[browningautorifle]

We'd love to see pics of this one. It'll help and we'd love to see pics.

[P246]

Hard to tell without pics. The LEC they were made from (some metfords) had no provision for a bayonet. As with the New Zealand LECs rhe stock was trimmed back I think about 4 inches and a nose cape fitted for the 1888 pattern bayonet was fitted. I think somewhere around 10,000 were made for the RIC. Could one have slipped through without this modification, I do not know. Could someone had restocked it in a standard LEC stock, possibly. Good luck I like RIC and post Irish independence stuff. Finally found a 1922 dated 1903 bandolier dyed black on the front by the Irish Constables....took me forever to fill that nit ch

[englishman_ca]

The nose cap on your carbine has been modified. The whole purpose of the conversion to RIC form was to mount a bayonet for crowd control.

From the factory, your conversion would have had a bayonet bar.

The hole for the clearing rod is a clue. At the time of conversion, the carbine was fitted with the Rigby nose cap that was in current production on the Mk.I* MLE. The long rifle had no provision for a clearing rod. Seems that the nose cap with hole for clearing rod that is currently installed is a replacement from an older arm. Factory inspector markings and Govt acceptance stamp on the cap might provide more clues.

Many Australia long Lee range rifles produced in the 1930s onwards with cut 24 inch barrels had shortened fore wood and the nose cap refitted, often with the now redundant bayonet bar removed. So one of my thoughts is that the nose cap could be a take off from a range rifle. Your profile doesn't say in what country you reside.

Or simply Bubba might have touched it.

[Lance White]

I traded for it, trying to get pictures uploaded now. It appears "bubba" got after the lug with a hacksaw. Outside of that and missing a sling swivel it's otherwise complete and in good shape. The brass disc shows 12.04 and there is a round stamp with "Enfield" and an "I" below it on the stock. The receiver and barrel have the same 4 digit serial number, and it is a 1900 dated receiver. The bore has crisp shiny rifling. The cut off and dust cover are intact, and the magazine is the 6 round magazine with a loop in the front but doesn't have a chain.

[P246]

Bubba messed up a lot of good rifles back in the day before anyone knew. Is the top hand guard in good shape. The RIC and New Zealand LEC I've seen or owned in the past always had hand guard issues of some sort. (Cracked repairs or just cracked). Would love to see some pics if you get time.

[Lance White]

It has a repaired crack on the rear of the handguard. I have now located another RIC dated with the same month on the stock disc 12'04 that is also curiously missing the bayonet lug. This may go beyond "bubba" getting ahold of it.