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- Lithgow Enfield Rifle For Sale
- Lithgow Enfield Serial Numbers Number
- Australian Lithgow Enfield
In one of Tony Griffiths books I read that lithgow converted about 40000 early rifles to the MkVII round in 1940 and Ive seen some of these around. One was a MkIII Enfield, volley sight stock still matching the rifle and Australian Light Horse marked with a 1940 barrel and sight numbered to the action also. Is it possible to trace the service history or even parts of it by an LE's serial number? The reason I ask is that I made a recent purchase that has me intrigued. I have put some details below and added a pic or two. Lee Enfield No1 Mk III. ShtLE BSA Co 1918. Lee Enfield - Serial Numbers. '43 Savage Mk.1., matching. Mk.2 backsight. Stamped foresight protector. III., w/D^D, renumbered SN G over 80429, matching bolt/rcvr, no nose-cap number. Tropical green paint. '42 Lithgow Mk. III. yellow-nosed cadet, SN D over 46133 w/matching nose-cap, scrubbed bolt. '49 LB Mk.1. SN 91L0865.
I had a very close friend who die one year ago who left me a rifle and his family brought it to me last night. It is a Australian Armory 303 Lee Enfield No1 Mk3 manufactured at the Lithgow factory in Australia in 1919.
It was never issued for service to any unit and the only use was it being tested at the factory at Lithgow and then stored. It is not a fake or later build of parts bought from the Australian Amory. We know this because the serial numbers are the SAME in the FOUR places (Nose Cap, underneath and at the bottom of the Back Sight, the front right hand side of the Receiver Ring and the back of the Bolt Handle) where they are suppose to be and the Butt Plate is brass as manufactured by the Aussie's. Here are some pictures.
You will note the stock condition as unused in the field. Note the bluing on the bolt and inside the receiver as well as the bluing still on the back and front sight due to not being used. Also note the rifling is new and unused in the field. When I used foam bore cleaner and let it set for 45 minutes in the bore it was almost white just a tad of blue tent due to testing at the factory. Of course it will be shot by me for sure.
This is a discussion on Value of a Enfield Mod 4 Mk I? within the Collectors forums, part of the Firearm Forum category; I have an extra Lee Enfield that I have had for over ten years, shot it a few times at a range, then kept it ...
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November 8th, 2012, 05:17 PM | #1 |
Location: Central Nebraska | Value of a Enfield Mod 4 Mk I? I have an extra Lee Enfield that I have had for over ten years, shot it a few times at a range, then kept it in the safe. It is the top gun in this picture: It is a US PROPERTY Savage Lend Lease from 1943. It appears stock at first glance, numbers match, but research showed that the stock is not quite correct; it is a couple years and one style newer than what Savage put on it. Plus a previous owner began 'restoration' and sanded all the markings off the stock as well as the bluing off the nose cap. I found the correct Savage stock in England (funny, that!) for a reasonable price & cheap shipping, but not sure how much I want to get it back to perfect original. Yes, I know, the sling is NOT correct; have no idea what it is off of! Took it to work and showed it around, a friend was very interested. Priced it $250, he was interested, but had just bought an $800 gun and had a baby. I dropped the price to $225 and put it on a garage sale, but was not advertised. Since dropped it to $200 for the guy at work, but he still doesn't have the money. Is the price right? Low, high? DISCLAIMER: I am NOT trying to sell it here; I don't want to go through the hassle of shipping a gun. Just want some feedback. Thanks! |
November 8th, 2012, 06:43 PM | #2 |
Location: Albuquerque | I used to have a Mk 4 No 1 and I wish I never sold it! I'd snatch it up from you for $200 in a heartbeat! PM me if you decide that you would be willing to sell and ship! |
November 9th, 2012, 04:55 PM | #3 |
Location: Hill Country of Texas | Do the serial numbers on the bolt handle and stock socket match? What other markings are on the receiver - 1942 or later, etc. and any 'S' stamped small parts would indicate the parts are original Savage issue. It appears to have an elevation adjustable rear sight and, if so, it is most likely stamped FTR with a two digit date indicating it went through an armory update which would explain the later issue stock. I have two Savage No. 4s - one is configured as it came from the factory with the original flip two position rear sight and the other has been 'FTRd. and has the elevation adjustable sight: No. 4 Savage Mk I* as issued in 1944: According to the serial number this rifle was manufactured in 1943. The serial numbers stamped on the bolt and stock socket matach and all the marked small parts and bayonet are stamped with the Savage S. I paid just under $100 dollars for it across the counter at J&G Sales in Prescot, Arizona, back in the early 1980s. No. 4 Mk I Savage with adjustable rear sight: The Weedon Royal Ordnance Depot stamp on this rifle indicates that it probably went through the FTR work at that depot. The manufacture date of 1942 is stamped on the receiver and all serial numbers on this rifle match. The stock was stamped with the same serial number sometime during its history. I paid $180 to an individual at a flea market for this rifle 7 years ago . If the serial numbers on the bolt and stock socket match on your rifle, your asking price of $225 seems quite reasonable considering the stock and nose cap has been sanded. Someone looking for a good candidate for restoration may pay more. |
November 9th, 2012, 05:50 PM | #4 |
Location: Central Nebraska | Thanks. The bottom gun in my picture was my first high-powered rifle I bought when I was 15 (40 years ago) for $65. When I got this one 10 years ago it was priced at $165. I had a Norinco SKS tricked out with a folding black stock & 30 round magazines. Had $250 in it, traded it straight across for the Enfield. I have since picked up a bayonet for the Enfield. The really neat thing about the bayonet is that there are numbers stamped on the bayonet that match the last three numbers of my serial number! Don't think it is a Savage bayonet, though. |
November 9th, 2012, 06:31 PM | #5 |
Location: Hill Country of Texas | Here is a closeup of the markings on my Savage Bayonet: The markings read No.4 MkII over a S in a square. You can find more information about markings on your rifles by clicking on: Lee Enfield Rifle Markings Last edited by blackhawkfan; November 9th, 2012 at 06:46 PM. |
November 10th, 2012, 01:47 PM | #6 |
Former Hoadpiler Location: Washington State | If you compare the serial number on the bolt make sure you look under the bolt handle and not on the face of the bolt handle. They often force matched the bolts when they were FTR'd. |
November 10th, 2012, 04:37 PM | #7 | |
Location: Hill Country of Texas |
Serial Number on the rear face of the bolth handle of my 1944 No. 4 Mk I* My two SMLEs have bolts with serial numbers that don't match the rifle, but the numbers are stamped on the rear face of the bolt with no indication of serial numbers having originally been stamped on the bottom of the bolt. Only my Eddystone P14 Enfield has a serial number stamped on the top face of the bolt handle and a struck out serial number stamped on the bottom face of the bolt handle. |
November 10th, 2012, 04:42 PM | #8 | |
Former Hoadpiler Location: Washington State |
The rifles you have with the serial number on the back have they been FTR'd? |
November 10th, 2012, 06:38 PM | #9 |
Former Hoadpiler Location: Washington State | I just checked the serial number on my No 5 and its on the back. I wonder if they stopped doing it on the bottom on the No 4's? I'll check all of my No 1's and 4's in the morning. |
November 11th, 2012, 07:19 AM | #10 | |
Location: Hill Country of Texas |
The remaining two No. 1s, two No. 4s, and No. 5 in my collection have no markings indicating that they were FTR'd and all have serial numbers stamped on the rear of the bolt handles and, as mentioned in my previous post, no indication that serial numbers were ever stamped on the bottom of the bolt handles. Perhaps you are confusing the practice of stamping original serial numbers on the bottom of the bolt handles on the Pattern 14 Enfield rifles as being also a fact for the Lee Enfield rifles? |
November 11th, 2012, 07:53 AM | #11 | |
Former Hoadpiler Location: Washington State |
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Lithgow Enfield Rifle For Sale
![Serial Serial](/uploads/1/2/6/0/126097511/104638864.jpg)
November 11th, 2012, 08:04 AM | #12 |
Location: Southern Indiana | I know nothing about the various Enfield models, but to address your original question...I attended an auction yesterday in the inventory of 590 guns and ammo lots , they had Five Enfields, four of the five were Mod 4's. I didn't look at them as I have no interest in that rifle...but for your info, they all went for $180, except for one that sold for $210. I think it was the first of the Enfields to go up for bid. That will give you some idea of the auction value (in Indiana) as of yesterday. |
November 11th, 2012, 08:19 AM | #13 |
Location: Hill Country of Texas | I don't have a Lithgow and I am unfamilure with their markings. Perhaps the stamping of the bottom of the bolt handle is only common to them. I can say that every other Lee Enfield I have examined at gun shows etc., have always had the rear of the bolt handle stamped with the serial number, but I must admit that it has never occured to me to examine the bottom of the bolt handle for stampings. I have Stratton's Volume 1 SMLE (No.1) Rifles MK I and Mk III and on page 22 the first paragraph regarding serial number placement states: 'Serial numbers are also often found on the rear of the bolt handle, on the bottom of the backsight leaf, on the nose cap, on the bottom of the fore-end (just behind the nose cap) and on the magazine. Serial numbers in these locations were not stamped at the factory; rather the were added in the field by unit armorers. Achieving proper chamber headspace often involved hand-fitting the bolt (actually, the bolt head) to a particular action body. In order to keep bolts from getting mixed up when a number of rifles were disassembled, armorers would stamp the action body serial number on the rear of the bolt handle . . .' This information refers to the No. 1s only and I don't know if the same applies to No. 4s or 5s but in any case, stamping the rear of the bolt handle doesn't appear to indicate that the practice was the specific action of a 'Factory Thorough Repair' but was done at the hands of unit armorers so that they could reassemble the rifle with its original parts when making field repairs on or cleaning a number of rifles at a time. Last edited by blackhawkfan; November 11th, 2012 at 08:32 AM. |
November 11th, 2012, 08:30 AM | #14 | |
Location: Hill Country of Texas |
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November 11th, 2012, 08:35 AM | #15 | |
Former Hoadpiler Location: Washington State |
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