SMLE rebuild or fakery?

[Cottage Hill Bill]

I'd like opinions on this SMLE in regards to its history. Here is what I know. It is a Century Arm import, probably from the '80s or '90s. until a few days ago it was still coated in cosmoline, or the British equivalent. The butt socket stamp indicated production at Enfield in 1911. The barrel is dated 1941. The fore end and buttstock appear to be walnut, the upper hand guards beech. The butt was fitted with a zamak No.4 butt plate that was crudely filed to fit. The file marks are visible in the photo, there were matching file marks on the buttstock which I have removed. Receiver, barrel, nose cap and magazine bear the same number, the bolt is oddly numbered differently (see photo). All of the pieces show little wear, even the bolt is still fully blued with little evidence of use. Forgot to photo it but rear sight has a struck out number plus 1087.

Was this a 1911 action that was reworked in 1941 then either never issued or used for garrison duty where it saw little use or is it a total fabrication by someone with a home set of stamps?

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Information

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[Kiwi]

Re-stamped to match barrel serial number by a non-armourer. If it was a complete rework then I would have at least expected the letter prefix of the serial number to be on the relevant stamped parts but that is missing.

[Surpmil]

Re-stamped to match barrel serial number by a non-armourer. If it was a complete rework then I would have at least expected the letter prefix of the serial number to be on the relevant stamped parts but that is missing.

Quite. Letter stamps are often more than Bubba's income will permit.

[Cottage Hill Bill]

First off, get the alibis out of the way. I’m old enough I can’t see iron sights any more. Long distance glasses let me see the target, middle distance vision (computer distance) let me see the front sight. I had my optometrist make up a set of single vision lenses in my middle distance prescription. That means the front sight is in focus, but at 100 yards the orange dot on the paper is just an orangish smear. Range conditions were 88 degrees F and 90% humidity at 0700. By the second string sweat was running into my weak eye and conditions were getting overall all unpleasant. The first string, marked by circles, was made using some commercial reloads of unknown velocity with 150 grain boat tailed spitzer bullets. That group measures a little over 4”. The second string, marked with squares was with Remington Core-lokt 180 grain flat based bullets. Group is around 6” but I attribute the two high flyers to operator error, not the rifle. Overall I was pleased with the performance and it has made me take a closer look at this rifle. I checked the bolt lugs with Prussian blue before going to the range. Patterning on the lugs was nice and even on both sides, just as it should be. I also noticed marks of filing on the receivers ring, possibly to remove previous markings.
After looking at the similarities of the rifle in this thread
New to me, need help with identifying
Both rifles are Century imports so may very well have come from the same source.
I’m beginning to think that this is not a home-done rebuild but an FTR like process carried out by a trained but non-British, non-Commonwealth facility. It certainly has potential and I’m going to put it in front of a younger shooter who can see and repeat the test.
The orange sticker is 3” diameter.

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[browningautorifle]

Looks like a parts gun to me.

[Roger Payne]

Agree with Kiwi. The serial on the barrel looks like it is the only nmber that may have been there from the outset. The font of the numbers looks very 'modernish European' to me, as well. The rather tall thin numbers with the serifs on the '7' & so forth smell distinctly Germanic in style......

[Cottage Hill Bill]

Sigh, not the answer I hoped for but the one that I was pretty sure would be given. One the one hand it is nice to have my suspicions confirmed by my betters and realize I have actually learned a little in the many years of mucking about with Enfields and reading these forums, on the other it would have been nice to have an early war rebuild.

Thank you all for your time and insight.

[Roger Payne]

She may not be a 41 rebuild Bill, but she may still be a decent rifle.

[Daan Kemp]

Report on range performance, that is the deciding factor.

[browningautorifle]

As Daan says, shoot it. There are so few left and so many are put together, it's almost what's available now.