A Restored .410 SMLE?

[Giove]

I saw this Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk III; it was, seems to me, a .410 smooth bore, but now it's back in .303 cal.

It's all Ok? When was the restoration done?

Thank you.
Giancarlo

Information

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[browningautorifle]

Hard to say who did it though. Any markings to see on the barrel knox form?

[newcastle]

It seems more likely that it was stamped in error as a 410. surely the work involved with converting back to .303 must be out of all proportion to the reward and the likely cost of just getting a 303 instead.

[englishman_ca]

To convert to 410, the rifle would need to have a barrel change. With a replacement 303 barrel bored out to 410. Many muskets (shot guns) retained the magazine as a loading platform and were used as single loaders. I don't think that anything had to be done to the bolt.

So by my thinking, to convert such a 410 musket back into a 303 rifle, all that would be needed was another barrel change.

The 410 marking looks to be officially canceled with the 'propeller' mark.

There are some old Sht.LEs out there converted to 410 and then converted again to 22 rimfire.
Interesting things happen in India.

[browningautorifle]

surely the work involved with converting back to .303 must be out of all proportion

Unless you had all the parts sitting there and you assembled them...

[Giove]

I asked the seller for more pics. I'm waiting.

[Alan de Enfield]

To convert to 410, the rifle would need to have a barrel change. With a replacement 303 barrel bored out to 410. Many muskets (shot guns) retained the magazine as a loading platform and were used as single loaders. I don't think that anything had to be done to the bolt.

So by my thinking, to convert such a 410 musket back into a 303 rifle, all that would be needed was another barrel change.

The 410 marking looks to be officially canceled with the 'propeller' mark.

There are some old Sht.LEs out there converted to 410 and then converted again to 22 rimfire.
Interesting things happen in India.

I am fairly sure that there are no changes required to the bolt, bolt head or extractor Simply just a barrel change and sort out headspace.


I can swap over '303' bolts into my 410 without any problem.


In the UK you cannot have spare bolts bolt heads or barrels for a firearm (rifle) without Police permission and having them listed on your certificate, but, you can for a shotgun.

It is simply coincidence that they are interchangeable.

[Giove]

The fore-end was changed, the color is different compared to the buttstock.

[Alan de Enfield]

The fore-end was changed, the color is different compared to the buttstock.

So was the Butt on my No4T, but that was done 'in service' by an RAF armourer.

Your 'different coloured' woodwork could well be 'original'. Armourers did try to match but the priority was to get the rifle back out into service, not make everything match so that collectors could 50 years later claim 'all matching'.

I would suggest that it not the forend and hand guards that have been change, but, maybe, like mine' the Butt that needed changing to suit a long (or short) armed person to get the correct LoP and that was the one available.

[browningautorifle]

I am fairly sure that there are no changes required to the bolt, bolt head or extractor

That's right as the case for the .410 was based on a blown open .303 case.