NZ LEC Carbine

[Roy]

Quite possibly the rarest production Lee Enfield and also one of the few Lee Enfields never to see combat. Obsolete immediately at the end of the contract of 1500 in 1903 almost every part unique and unobtainable. This one has no original parts except the receiver which has no rack number which is normally found on pre WW1 NZ arms. I'll ever make it "original" but i'll get it looking ok at a glance one day.

Yes i'm looking for parts


Roy Kum's Library | Photobucket

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[mrclark303]

Hi Roy, by you might want to take a look at Geoff's thread....

https://www.milsurps.com/showthread....681#post458681

That's one rare rifle you've bagged there, well done.

[englishman_ca]

If it has no rack number, does it have the NZ acceptance markings on RH side of butt socket?

What does it say with regards to model on left side of butt socket? LEC or LEC I*?

What is the serial number?

I have a NZ carbine project currently on ice. All my guns are currently in storage or I would take more pics.

I bought a stripped receiver, serial 1562. It appears that it was purchased as a barreled receiver after the contract and later fitted to an existing NZ carbine and the rack number etc transferred and remarked onto the new action.

This is how far I have got with it.
Attachment 102726

[Roy]

It seems there are problems with the photobucket, I'll get some pics this afternoon the hard way.

[Roy]

Attachment 102732Attachment 102733Attachment 102734

Here are some pics, serial is 1161. Geoffs parts are for the LEC cavalry carbine whereas I need NZ EC88 Carbine parts which are different.

Without the rack number I suspect it was a replacement receiver or similar. I have seen another with no rack number as well as one with obvious file marks and a new rack number.

[tatou]

This seems o be the season of NZ carbines… i took possession of this one last saturday.
Should be a fun and interesting restoration project for the winter.
Other than some pitting (mostly under the wood line) and the butchered front sight it's in pretty nice shape.
So far, the sight appears it will be the hardest to locate and replace...

Attachment 102895Attachment 102896Attachment 102897

[Bindi2]

What is butchered about the front sight.

[tatou]

It's been grinded and reshaped…. looks like some brass might even have been added.
It should look like the one in this picture.
Attachment 102899

[englishman_ca]

I would be tempted to put a torch onto that front sight ramp and melt all that braise that is on there.

More than once some heat and a wire brush revealed the original barley corn underneath the 'augmentaion' on a carbine I was debubbaring.

You never know. It just looks to me that the protective ears might still be in there

[tatou]

You might be on to something englishman … the more i look at both pictures the more i think there is more under that braise…
I was not 100% sure since i've never seen one of those sights in real life, just in pictures.

I would be tempted to put a torch onto that front sight ramp and melt all that braise that is on there.

More than once some heat and a wire brush revealed the original barley corn underneath the 'augmentaion' on a carbine I was debubbaring.

You never know. It just looks to me that the protective ears might still be in there