Large Scale Central

Getting me a 'new' toy for Christmas

Other Hobbies
#1

New is relative – It’s a 1945 Lee Enfield Model 4 Mk 1… somebody did a half a##ed job of ‘sporterizing’ it. But the bore is very good, and the action still works quite smoothly. And Kim only paid $45 for it!

Now I guess I need to decide whether to try to restore it, or just make me a decent varmint/deer rifle out of it. Probably the latter, since it has a non-stock front sight, and the barrel has been shortened to about ‘jungle carbine’ length. The rear sight is the non-adjustable plain v /peep battlefield version… so I’m wondering if a sniper type scope mount over the action, or an adjustable range one be more useful…
http://www.ask.com/wiki/Lee-Enfield

This will be the 4th .303 I’ve owned, the others were all Mk IIIs, my dad has the first one, one was stolen by one of my ex-wife’s ex-‘friends’, and a beautifully restored 1944 Lithgow (Australian) one was a victim of the big D… If you’ve never shot one, you’re missing a treat. They have a lovely quick action… a bolt that you can cycle faster than a pump.
http://www.ask.com/wiki/Mad_minute

#2

Who made it?

B-Square make a scope mount, BTW.

tac
www.gunboards.com
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www.boards.ie
NRA Life Member
Member - Clark Rifle Inc, Brush Prairie, WA

#3

Correction, it was made 8/42 – guess my eyes ain’t good enuff for 1:700 scale, or my memory is toast. lol.
It’s stamped ROF (Royal Ordinance Factory) then has a small B (Birmingham Small Arms?) on one row. But it then has a large A obscuring the date underneath??? Part of the reason it was so cheap is that some yahoo shot it with black lacquer instead of reblueing when they cut it down— makes them faint stamps and itty bitty letters hard to read - and durn near impossible to photograph.

#4

Yes, your gun was made at the ROF [Royal Ordnance Factory] Shirley in Birmingham, and should also show the following marks -

B
M47C
85B
BS
and UB

They also made No5 carbines and Mk7 & 8 .22 cadet rifles.

Shame it has been bubba’ed, but there are about a million of them that haven’t.

tac
www.ovgrs.org
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund

#5
tac Foley said:
Shame it has been bubba'ed, but there are about a million of them that haven't.
Which means I can shoot it till the barrel turns into a smoothbore and not feel the least sorry ;)

This is scope mount is low priced and mounts using the stock site points.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ATI-ENFIELD-NO-4-MK-1-303-SCOPE-MOUNT-NO-GUNSMITHING-/130433022349?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e5e69f98d

And this would make it hell on groundhogs :smiley:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390252316274

#6

Would like to have a couple rifles but I dont live anywhere near where shooting isnt frowned upon, and cowboy guns simply dont have much use in the big city, but I’d sure like to pick up a Sharps or Spencer type Carbine and a Remington revolving-type rifle.

#7

Pick em up, Vic. Be safety conscious and keep them unloaded, and under lock and key (trigger locks save more lives than they cost). The neighbors’ ‘rights’ ended where yours began.

As for “cowboy guns simply dont have much use in the big city” — sure they do. It keeps the pukes guessing who is an easy safe mark and who isn’t! :smiley:

Not quite considered a ‘cowboy’, but often carried by both the Army and the indians… My dad now has Pap’s 1870’s 45-70 Springfield - awkward flip ‘trapdoor’ block, retractable spike bayonet and all… THAT thing is a monster… In combat I guess you pretty much had to hope the smoke cleared before you got overrun if you missed the first time…

#8

I can shoot all I want right here at home. But ammo is expensive.
I’ve not shot my muzzle loader in several years. I do believe I’m going to correct that situation soon :wink:
Ralph

#9
Victor Smith said:
Would like to have a couple rifles but I dont live anywhere near where shooting isnt frowned upon, and cowboy guns simply dont have much use in the big city, but I'd sure like to pick up a Sharps or Spencer type Carbine and a Remington revolving-type rifle.
Victor - you need to move.
#10

Ric, Where I live there is only one open gun range where something like mentioned would even be allowed, and its up in the mountains, in fact after the recent fires, it meight not even exist anymore. Most all ranges here are indoor, and black powder is strictly verbotin! even “smokeless” variety black powders are frowned upon.

Mik, in the big city, beleive me when I say the absolute last thing you want to do is advertise having guns, as theives will break into homes and specificly target stealing the guns for the black market, had a neighbor who was a big gun collector, kept everything is a locked all steel gun cabinet, they stole the cabinet, the whole cabinet, musta weighed close to 400lbs but it dissappeared when they went on vacation, didnt take anything else, just that - and none of the neighbors saw or heard anything suspicious.

#11

I am “lucky” living here out in the cornfields of Indiana , the range where I am a member not far away is/has monthly matches in about all of the varied shooting sports . Over the years I have only competed in , SASS cowboy action shoots , long range black powder cartridge NRA Steel Silhouettes , military hi power , bowling pin , combat , and .22 benchrest , and black powder firearms competition , where winning hams , turkeys and pork chops , is way better than trophys , and many many informal shooting fun games .
Range has 5 pisol bays and a 385 yard rifle range , and a 500 meter rifle range also . And yes there are monthly machine gun matches also , full auto , over the years , thru all the members , I have have enjoyed fireing about most of the varied types of guns that were made , ok maybe half of them .
I live out in the country and enjoy the freedom …shoot em if ya got em !

check it out http://www.redbrush.org/

#12

WoW! Nice piece Mik.

I love old military hardware. Some were epic failures, and some like my Mosin-Nagant 1891 had one heck of a long successful run.

The “cowboy” lever action repeating rifles, do still make great home defense weapons, as do a cartridge revolver, or even a double barrel or pump coach gun.

The range I use the most is 200 feet out my back door and only 50 yards deep. On any given Saturday, especially lately with hunting season around the corner, I can hear gun fire at all points of the compass. Ahhhh, the sound of freedom.

#13

Lil’ bro dropped a nice 3 point in back yard 2 days ago…it went near 115#…still they roam, waiting for the freezer :slight_smile:

#14

Well, over here in yUK I get to shoot tuesday evenings indoors, outdoors wednesday late am to early pm BP, same again on thursday but anything goes, friday evening indoors again, saturday pm until dusk, sunday morning until 1 o/c pm, and then dang me if the week doesn’t start over…

tac
www.ovgrs.org
Supporter of the Cape meares Loghthouse Restoration Fund

#15

Been a while since I shot my boom stick.

#16

Me too. Living in the People’s Republic of Massachusetts its a nightmare to obtain the proper permits. I had a conceal carry at one time, but stupid me let it lapse, and then I couldn’t get a new one. ARGH!

I used to be pretty good with the long iron. I used to shoot a friend of mine’s FN FAL with a very nice scope, and was hovering in the 275/285 range up to 250 yards, but that was many moons ago. I wonder if its like riding a bicycle?

#17

My dad’s 30.06 is bore sighted for 600 yards. He’ll sit in the truck on a little promontory overlooking two valleys drinking coffee and listening to the radio and just wait for somebody else to kick the animals out. He’ll get one by the 3rd day more often than not.

I always hated going hunting with him… 5 mile walks through briars, crabapples, grapevines and mudholes ‘playing dog’ so he got the deer was demeaning.

#18

Had my Pistol permit back when I lived in Pa. Moved “home” to Ny and ahven’t taken the day off to go apply for my permit here. I sold my Ruger pistol in Pa to my ex’s husband (a sherrif deputy) and go shoot pistol league with my friends on occaision. It’s sort of like bowling. Someday before NY is totally closed down I should get my PP. In the meantime boomstick and plinker get their time throwing projectiles. Haven’t ever really hunted but I enjoy the taste of fresh game. Eh, to each their own.

Chas

#19

I shoot paper.

Tastes awful.

tac
Life Member - NRA
Member - Clark Rifle Inc. Brush Prairie. WA

#20

TAC,
At this point I’ve killed more fake targets in my life than real ones and I’d honestly prefer to keep it that way. However you can tell when hunting season starts around here as the factory and offices are pretty empty. I’m one of the few that doens’t actually hunt. Yeah the paper tastes bad…

Chas