Guns International #: 102598888
Seller's Inventory #: 2402-0184
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Guns International #: 102598888
Category - Enfield Rifles
- Military Rifles - British
Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk. I*, Savage Manufacture, U.S. Property, .303 British, Navy Arms Import w/Bayonet, Sling.
Description: This is one of the most famous military-issue bolt-action rifles ever made. The Lee-Enfield served the British empire in one model or another from around the turn-of-the-century to the 1990s. They are still used in certain parts of the world, particularly the Middle East. Unlike the United States, Germany, and the Soviet Union, Great Britain made no attempts to place a semi-auto rifle into production during the Second World War. Like Italy and Japan, Great Britain felt that introducing a new rifle design would cause logistic problems that would be more trouble than it was worth to issue their soldiers with arms comparable to the M1 Garand, Gewehr 43 and SVT-40. In an ironic twist, only the M-1 Garand would see widespread use thanks to the strength of American industry and so could be issued in enough numbers. Both the Germans and Soviets had to continue relying on their older bolt action designs, the Mauser Karabiner 98k and the Mosin-Nagant 1891/30, both stablemates of the Lee-Enfield having been designed around the same timeframe at the end of the 19th Century. Despite being surpassed by semi-auto rifles in other countries, the Lee-Enfield is an excellent design with many advantages over other bolt action designs. It’s cock-on-closing feature enabled fast, well-aimed fire. During some of the early battles of World War 1, British troops engaging in massed fire tactics with the Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk. III, convinced attacking German soldiers that their opponents were equipped with machine guns. The rifles generous capacity of 10 rounds allowed British soldiers to perform what was called the “mad minute,” wherein the soldier would fire 20 to 30 aimed rounds in 60 seconds. Indeed, the current world record for aimed, bolt-action was set in 1914 by an instructor in the British Army who placed 38 rounds into a 12-inch-wide target at 300 yards in 1 minute. Imagine having to attempt such a feat today. One important note is that while the No. 4 Mk 1 was first issued in late 1939, it was not officially adopted for use until 1941, and by no means did it immediately replace the older models. Thus, many of the Lee-Enfield’s used in the early battles of World War 2 in Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific were the older No. 1 Mk III and No. 1 Mk III*. The rifle is in very good condition for its age. It was manufactured by Savage during World War 2 on behalf of the British government. This was denoted on the left side of the receiver with an angular font letter “S” ahead of the “No.4 Mark I*”. The phrase “U.S. Property” was stamped up higher near the top of the receiver. It is entirely possible that this rifle went through a rebuild at some point I have not been to find the usual Fazakerley markings (the Royal Ordnance Factory at Fazakerley being the rebuilder of many Lee-Enfield rifles post-World War 2). The receiver appears to have been refinished as the “S” and “No.4 Mk I*” are not as well-defined as they normally are, though the “U.S. Property” appears just as it should. The bolt does match the receiver. Curiously, the bolt handle was originally stamped “57I7920” before the letter “I” was over-stamped with the letter “C”. The serial number indicates this was the 577,920th Lee-Enfield rifle made by Savage-Stevens. The magazine does not match, but this is not unusual for Lee-Enfield rifles, regardless of where they were manufactured. The finish is mostly intact on the receiver except for edges around the ejection port. It should be noted that the finish used on the No. 4 bears a strong resemblance to 1940’s car engine paint. This type of finish was used as it could be applied quickly so that the rifle could leave the factory and be issued, something of critical importance after the debacle at Dunkerque where the British had to leave much of their equipment behind in order to escape from France back to England. The front stock band also exhibits some minor finish loss. The barrel, being mostly hidden under the handguard and front sight assembly retains the majority of its finish, except near the muzzle. The wood is in very good shape with little wear, with even the cartouches being essentially untouched. The bolt and safety lever exhibit the most rust or pitting. I have tightened the safety lever down a little as it was loose before. The bore uses 2-groove rifling rather than the 5-groove rifling found on rifles manufactured in Britain. This was done to speed up production and a similar change was made to the production of Remington ‘03A3 barrels as well. Indeed, there is quite a story to go along with the whole 5/6-grooves versus 2-groove rifling, but suffice it to say, the 2-groove rifling proved to be just as accurate under testing and battlefield conditions. There does appear to be two small spots of micro pitting near the muzzle, but these are so shallow it is highly unlikely to affect the bullet. Then again, it could just be copper fowling. The rifle should prove to be very accurate provided the shooter does their part. The bolt head is a #0 type. Theoretically, this indicates the size of the bolt head as being between 0.620 and 0.625 inches, however this is not necessarily the case. Bolt head sizes for the Lee Enfield No. 4 are not always accurate. In some cases, it is possible to find a #0 that is the same size as a #2 (0.630 to 0.635 inches) or even a #2 that is smaller than a #1 (.625 to .630 inches). The rifle comes with a bayonet and sling. The bayonet is in good shape and exhibits little or no pitting. The cartridge the Lee-Enfield is chambered for, the .303 British, is well known and one of the best rimmed cartridges ever designed. Though not normally as powerful as say, the .308 Winchester, the .303 British is leaps and bounds above the .30-30 and .30-40 Krag cartridges to which it is often compared. In fact, the cartridge tends to be under-loaded at the factory, so it can be used in the older and weaker No.1 Mk III actions. In the No. 4, the cartridge can be handloaded to a higher pressure. For example, the L42 sniper rifle, built using the No. 4 receiver is chambered for the .308 Winchester which operates at 62,000 psi. The .303 is normally loaded to 49,000 psi according to SAAMI. From those numbers you can see how much improvement can be made to the cartridge when used in the No. 4 action. Price: $1,200.00 Rifle Caliber: .303 British Manufacturer: Savage Arms Model: No. 4 Mk. I* Serial Number: 57C7920 Barrel Length: 25.2 inches (640 mm) Bore Info: Rifled, 2 grooves, 1 in 10 inches (1 in 254 mm) LH twist Ejectors: Manual ejection via operation of the bolt Condition: Good to Excellent Barrels: Carbon Steel Barrel Type: Standard Lee-Enfield except 2-groove rifling Action: Lee-Enfield bolt action, with the standard cock on closing feature. Triggers: Standard Lee-Enfield trigger Stock: Wood Fore End: Wood Butt Pad: Metal plate with trap door LOP: 13.5 inches (343 mm) Finish: Matte black Weight: 8.75 lbs. Sights: Mk 2 2-position flip rear sight, blade front, sight radius 28.5 inches (724 mm) Extras: Sling, bayonet Contact Seller |
Guns International #: 102598888
Seller's Inventory #: 2402-0184
Guns International #: 102598888
Seller's Inventory #: 2402-0184