Enfield SMLE 1915 Help

[Michael_Westen]

I recently purchased a 1915 Enfield SMLE with volley sights and noticed that the nose cap does not seem to be the original one that was installed at the factory. For one it has no serial number on the bayonet button and there is no arrow & crown anywhere on it. It has a W stamped on the inside. The front sight is dead centered on the barrel but when the nose cap is installed it looks to be off set to the left side. For a 1915 model would the muzzle hole have the notch at the top or would it be completely round.

Could someone advise me where I might find an original British Enfield SMLE front nose cap?

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[CINDERS]

Look at it this way you probably have one of the rarer SMLE's not due to numbers produced but by the attrition rate suffered by them and soldiers during 1914-1915 "We will be home by Christmas" escapades on the Western front.
I think the life expectancy for a rifle was a matter of days if not weeks given the artillery involved and don't forget it is a 106 year old rifle, if it has had an FR which it surely would have then chances are the nose cap was swapped out by the armourers in the day so don't sweat it to much you have a survivor, replace it and you've undone its history.

The only W I could find for W was Weedon in Skennertons MkII Broad Arrow

As far as your other question I'll leave that to the real experts in the fields of the SMLE's set up.