My SMLE Sporter

[Art]

My dad bought this rifle for me from a department store in 1965 (with reservations.) It was a beautiful thing, straight from FTR. Hardly a blemish anywhere. Back then though, all military surplus rifles were seen primarily as candidates for sporter conversion and I looked on mine as no exception so I turned what would today be a $700.00 to $900.00 into a $150.00 rifle which is a less than I have in the gun even in 1960a dollars. Strangely I don't regret it. I killed my first deer with it, the Remington 180 gr. SPCL round nose dropped that doe like a bad habit at 100 long steps. i killed some deer after that with it too. Being a lover of anachronisms I replaced it with a Remington 700 Classic in .250 Savage and the Enfield became my backup. All the rest of the deer I killed I took with the Remington.

Our son was a big fan of Patterson's Lee Speed Magazine hunting rifle in "The Ghost of the Darkness." I told him I didn't have one of those but I did give him the Enfield sporter. He doesn't hunt but I loaded him up some ammunition with Woodleigh Weldcore 215 gr. soft points which I figured was as close to period ammo I could come up with.

I've often said any collection of Milsurps should include at least one sporter from the period when that was their primary purpose. Here's mine.

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The stock is a Bishop, built to my specs. The gunsmith removed the charger bridge and polished and blued the rifle. The back sight is a Williams 5D. The 5 shot magazine is a late replacement. Originally the butt plate was a Neidner steel which I replaced with a kick pad because of our son's longer length of pull, probably a mistake.

[barretcreek]

Pawn here had a Army Navy Lee sporter, maybe a Lee Metford? Ed's been gone a while but I got a 17-3 from him instead. Did pick up a HN '03 sporterized a while ago for small money. 1930's receiver with a pre-WWI bolt and a Bishop stock. A 'full figured girl' as it were.

Nice rifle; thanks for posting.

[lyman]

your rifle to do what you will with it, and you did,
and enjoyed it,


the Enfield Collector in my ( have a double handful of them) frowns a bit, but as long as it was not a MK V or VI,, :eusa_shhh:

[Art]

your rifle to do what you will with it, and you did,
and enjoyed it,


the Enfield Collector in my ( have a double handful of them) frowns a bit, but as long as it was not a MK V or VI,, :eusa_shhh:

I hear you, but it was another time and another place. Enfiields sort of went begging back then, Mausers (understandably) being more in demand for conversion. Would I do it today, no. Like I said though, that was then this is now:

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Some of these rifles are going to new homes (The '03A1 has been sold and the pristine probably unissued 1946 dated M44 Nagant is on the market now,) but my Garand, my '03A3, and my No4 Mk2 will be with me until I die at which time they will go to our son. My wife had dibs on the carbine. By the way, All the US rifles except the '03A3 are courtesy of the CMP. The '03A3 was sold to me at a great price because the previous owner said he knew I wouldn't "cut it up."

[lyman]

well Art, that is a nice start.........:1948:

just picked up Enfield No5 (number 4) a few weeks ago, it's been totally scrubbed and redone in India, first one I have seen in the flesh, so keeping it,

got the Long Lees, No1's, a trails No 4 turned sniper (fake scope a MK V and a handful of No 4's including a Mummy and a just unwrapped Mummy,


and a big pile of US stuff

[barretcreek]

So do the Savage made Enfields bring a premium?

Nice family portrait Art.

[RED]

Since the subject was bought up, I prefer to use the greenie word recycle instead of cut. Here is my Johnny Cash One Piece At A Time recycled large ring Turkish Mauser. The action was from a literally junked rifle. The pawn shop just wanted to get rid of it and I bought it for $20 without a 4473. The rest of parts were bargain basement items. A take off barrel from a 30-06 Rem. 700, a fine vintage Bell and Carlson stock that the owner did not know what it would fit. The scope and rings were from a auction. All in all I probably have $200 and some great work from a buddy that was also a retired gunsmith. It was my loaner and truck gun for years.

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[Merc]

So do the Savage made Enfields bring a premium?

Nice family portrait Art.

I would like to think they would bring a premium (since I also own one) but Savage-Stevens made over a million of them for the Brits so they are not exactly rare.

Here is a great article on the No. 4 Mk1*:

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/vintage-gun-review-savage-enfield-no-4-mk1/

The author says they are worth $600 to $1200 in 2018 dollars. I have seen a few offered for $600 or less but never any higher.

Edit: The author also mentions how unique the Enfield rifles design was, and that there is really nothing out there to compare it to except other Enfields. The complexity of the action must have made it very expensive and time consuming to produce, even in the No.4 Mk1* simplified form, and therefore impractical. I have always thought the British engineers made just about everything they designed more complicated than they needed to be. However, you have to take a No. 4 to the range and shoot it to see how incredibly smooth the action is, and how quickly the bolt can be cycled. My well worn No. 4 still shoots very well and I feel fortunate to own one. I believe it should be worth a lot more than $600 because of its uniqueness and its firing characteristics.

[lyman]

Long Branch typically , if you just consider basic No 4's, a premium,

as so Fazakerley No 4 Mk 2's that are still in great (read that as basically unissued) shape,

anomalies and variants everywhere, as in FTR, or year made, or early or late example etc etc,

and as always Condition Condition Condition,

most average N0 4's are $600 to $650 here,

less if beat and not matching bolt,