Guns International #: 103165284
Seller's Inventory #: 254018

Category - Enfield Rifles - Military Rifles - Antique

Category
Enfield Rifles
Military Rifles - Antique

1893 mfr. NEW ZEALAND Antique ENFIELD LEE-METFORD Mk II Bolt Action Rifle Scarce 19th Century .303 British Rifle

Description:
1893 mfr. NEW ZEALAND Antique ENFIELD LEE-METFORD Mk II Bolt Action Rifle  

Scarce 19th Century .303 British Rifle

Here we present an antique New Zealand Issued Enfield Lee-Metford Mk II Military Rifle made circa 1893. The Lee-Metford, entering service at the very end of the black powder era, is the most modern military rifle that was ever built to use black powder. In fact, like the Model 1888 Austrian Mannlicher, it was developed as the search for a suitable smokeless propellant was going on in Britain and all across Europe.

The Lee-Metford is a box magazine fed, rear-locking, bolt action repeating rifle in the classic British .303 caliber, but loaded at the time of its adoption with black powder. A smokeless cartridge was introduced in the early 1890s and Enfield rifling began to replace Metford with the adoption of the Lee-Enfield in 1895. The Lee was designed by James Paris Lee of Illion, New York (the city of Remington fame) and substantially improved and perfected at Enfield. It utilized a box magazine system also developed by Lee coupled with a barrel and rifling system invented by William E. Metford. The Lee/Metford/Enfield combination began the long line of successful rifles, substituting Enfield rifling when Metford rifling was unable to tolerate the later smokeless cartridge heat and pressures, for Britain continuing into the 1990s.
The period of the Lee-Metford magazine rifle, adopted in 1888, overlapped the service life of the last of the Martini-Henrys, the Mark IVs. In the late 1880s the British were studying repeating rifles as well as searching for improvements to the entrenched Martini-Henry. This led to the adoption, perhaps prematurely, of the .402 Martini-Enfield in 1886 and an "improved" version, more like the Martini-Henry, in 1887. But the soon expected Lee-Metford, in .303 caliber, would have created logistical nightmares, thus the Martini-Enfields were withdrawn and the bulk of them converted to Martini-Henry Mark IVs.

The most notable feature of the then very modern Lee-Metford was its detachable box magazine which could be loaded, either detached or mounted, initially with up to 8 cartridges (The Mark I and Mark I*) and later with as many as 10 in the Mark II. The Mark II* was Britain’s first purpose-built smokeless powder rifle and is essentially the Lee-Metford with Enfield designed rifling, thus the “Lee-Enfield” of world-over fame.

The overall condition is very good. Original finish/patina. The action is excellent. The bore is reflective with sharp rifling. The stocks shows use and remains solid. The top handguard has some splitting at the front and back. The numbers match. A great piece of British & New Zealand history from the 19th Century. Quite scarce especially in the US!

Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.

Barrel is 25-1/4 inches.

Caliber: .303 British

Overall condition as seen in photos.

Very Fast. Very Safe. FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE. Delivered directly to your door by express mail!

Guaranteed AUTHENTIC & Includes CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.

ancestryguns

$2400

#254018

 

SOLD

Antique: Yes