Trying to identify this rifle

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GTRules	Trying to identify this rifle	Lead	[-]
Posts: 1 (05/02/09 07:32 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Tags : None Any help would be appreciated. Scared Gamblers and Jealous Pimps never get rich Last Edited By: GTRules 05/02/09 08:06 PM. Edited 1 time.
Renfield54		#1	[-]
Posts: 424 (05/02/09 11:20 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	It's a Bubbafied Enfield .303 with no value except as a shooter.........is that chromed?? Stock's been cut way down too.........a real shame......... "Dusty old helmet.....Rusty old gun......They sit in the corner and wait" ~Audie Murphy--1925-1971~
Parashooter		#2	[-]
Posts: 1655 (05/02/09 11:25 PM) Veteran member Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	It appears to be the remains of an SMLE Mark III* that has been sadly abused after retirement from honorable service. As the markings on the butt socket indicate, it was originally made at Enfield in 1917.
RichardWV		#3	[-]
Posts: 289 (05/03/09 12:12 AM) active member Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Once upon a time was a prime collectable No1 Mk III* from WWI. Off hand I'd say that is a nickle finish, which Gibbs was noted for using in some of its Lee-Enfield chop jobs, but I don't recall them making a desecration in that configuration. May it rest in peace and the perpetrator of this desecration may roast in....well you know where.
1oldgun		#4	[-]
Posts: 40 (05/03/09 12:45 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	An absolute shame....... the old girl deserved much better! 1oldgun shakes his head.
Crunch130		#5	[-]
Posts: 871 (05/03/09 12:39 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	GTR (and the rest of you guys), I see hope for this rifle. The barrel and sights have been left alone and the receiver looks unmessed with. There are several potential ways to put a dark finish on it to make it look reasonably right again (I'm talking shooter value, because it won't fool any collectors). I don't know much about nickel plating, but maybe you could have it bead blasted and put a black or dark grey bake-on finish on the large parts (like the Suncorite applied to my 1917 BSA when it was FTR'd) and blue the small parts. Then replace ALL the wood. Looks like the only missing hardware are the nosecap, screw, spring & damper cup. These parts are all readily available. The main question is whether the bore and action are in good enough condition to shoot, or whether this 92 year old rifle would simply make a nice wall hanger. Over the next 20 years, I expect the value of collectible, shooter-grade, and even wallhanger WWI Enfields to increase dramatically. You can accuse me of advocating something that might not be cost effective, but with careful shopping, trading, and doing the work myself, I restored my 1917 BSA into a nice shooter in military configuration that actually beat out several "match grade" M-1A's in an informal military rifle match. YES!! Regards, Crunch
TKacook		#6	[-]
Posts: 155 (05/03/09 09:15 PM) active member Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	+1 on what Crunch said. I took one that looked worse than that back to original. Took time and some money, but nothing makes me feel better that restoring one of the sporterized rifles. TKacook
GTRules	Thanks, guys.	#7	[-]
Posts: 2 (05/03/09 09:54 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	My son bought this one at a gun show for $100. I think I'll get it checked by a gunsmith before he shoots it. Scared Gamblers and Jealous Pimps never get rich
T OHeir		#8	[-]
Posts: 464 (05/09/09 12:29 AM) Veteran member Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	"...get it checked by a gunsmith..." Headspace. It's a "sporterized" No. 1 Mk III* with some kind of aftermarket finish. Nickel, it ain't. The downside is that if the headspace is bad, fixing it isn't cheap. Requires a handful of No. 1 bolt heads to try with headspace guages until you find one that works. The stock is damaged too. That space under the rear sight shouldn't be there and the handguard doesn't fit correctly. If the headspace is ok, that's not a big deal. Bubba'd No. 1's make great hunting rifles. The .303 British with 180 grain bullets(150's for deer. Easier on the shoulder.) will kill any game your son cares to hunt. They've been used for eons, up here, for moose and deer. Slug the bore too. Hammer a cast .30 cal bullet or a suitably sized lead fishing sinker through the barrel and measure it with a micrometer. Lee-Enfield barrels can measure from .311" to .315" and still be considered ok. Larger than .315", the barrel is shot out. Most commercial ammo uses a .312" bullet. Won't shoot well out of a .315" or .314" barrel. .313" and .314" 200 grain jacketed bullets can be had, seasonally, from Steve, at www.303british.com. Lots of good info there too. Spelling and grammar count!
Crunch130		#9	[-]
Posts: 873 (05/09/09 01:26 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Read "Headspace 101" posted at the top of this forum. Fireform your cases to the chamber of this particular rifle and neck-size only (or set a FL sizing die loose, to not move back the "new" shoulder) and you'll be fine. Enfields are famous for their chambers that locate the shoulder all over the place (so the rifle cycles with dirt in it?). Deal with it (as above). Sure, a gunsmith would love to charge you to set back a barrel 1 thread and cut a new SAAMI chamber. But it really isn't necessary. Crunch