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British “Enfield” rifles are some of the most iconic small arms in the world. Having served around the world, they are the symbol of British power. The No. 1 Mark III Lee-Enfield rifle is, without a doubt, one of the most widely recognized of these. Its reputation for ruggedness and reliability are legendary, while its smoothly operating bolt and 10-round, charger-loaded magazine gave the British “Tommy” a significant firepower advantage over his adversaries at the turn of the 20th century.
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Only two complaints worth heeding had arisen about the No. 1 during World War I: the rear sight and the thin barrel. Experience with the American-made P14 Enfield rifle had shown that an aperture rear sight would be more practical and easier to use while making the barrel heavier, and modifying the stock to allow the barrel to be free-floating would improve accuracy.
Arsenal Upgrade
Work on a new rifle began at the Enfield arsenal in 1922, and by 1924 approximately 20,000 No. 1 rifles had been modified for troop trials. These experimental No. 1 Mk V rifles had the same general appearance as the Mk III except for a receiver-mounted aperture rear sight, which was adjustable from 200 to 1,400 yards, and an additional, fitted barrel band.
Further development was deemed necessary, and between 1929 and 1935 another rifle, theNo. 1 Mk VI, was produced for extended field trials. The receiver was completely redesigned to ease production, but at the same time a better grade of steel was utilized to increase its strength. While the No. 3’s receiver had a nicely rounded profile, that of the Mk VI was all flat surfaces and right angles. The bolt and magazine were modified so that they were not interchangeable with those of the No. 1; instead, a new bolt catch was used and the charger guides were integral with the receiver. That 19th century anachronism, the magazine cutoff, was discarded and a number of stamped parts replaced those previously forged.
Legendary ranger class mod. In November of 1939, the improved Rifle No. 4 Mk I officially replaced the long-serving No. 1 as the standard rifle of the British Army. The No. 4’s most distinctive feature, apart from the traditional Lee-Enfield two-piece stock, was a short length of barrel, with front sight guards and lugs for a socket bayonet that was left exposed by a shorter forearm. Despite its heavier barrel, the new rifle was 4 ounces lighter than the No. 1 and was not only faster and cheaper to produce, but displayed superior handling characteristics and improved accuracy in the field.
The No. 4 rifle fired the standard .303 Mark VII cartridge. This had been adopted in 1910 and consisted of a rimmed, bottle-necked case 56mm long loaded with a 174-grain FMJ spitzer bullet with a muzzle velocity of 2,440 feet per second (fps).
The outbreak of World War II prevented full reequipping of the British Army with the No. 4 rifle, and most units continued to use the No. 1 rifle. Production of the No. 4 was undertaken at RSAF Enfield, Royal Ordnance Factories (ROF) at Fazakerley and Maltby and Birmingham Small Arms (BSA). As demand outstripped production facilities in the UK, both the Long Branch Arsenal in Ontario, Canada, and the Savage Arms Company in Massachusetts began production of No. 4 rifles for the Canadian and British armies.
Simplified Design
Changes began appearing in the No. 4 almost immediately as the different manufacturers attempted to make the rifle easier to produce. More and more stamped metal parts were used, a simple L-shaped flip-up rear sight with apertures for 300 and 600 yards was adopted and barrels were made with two-groove (instead of four-groove) rifling.
Lee Enfield Sniper Conversion Kit
Instead of a blued finish, the rifles were Parkerized or used a baked-on enamel finish. Walnut stocks were replaced with ones made from beech and birch. These modifications first appeared on Canadian and U.S.-made rifles, leading to them being designated the “Rifle No. 4 Mk I*.”
The bayonet was simplified with the cruciform spike being replaced by the Mk. II, Mk II* and Mk III bayonets, which were simply sharpened rods. These were unpopular as they were not capable of performing the bayonet’s most important task during a deployment—opening ration tins.
Besides the original Mk. I rear sight, which was machined from steel and had a fine adjustment knob and the simple L-shaped Mk III sight, No. 4 rifles can be found with Mk III, Mk IV, C Mk II, C Mk III and C Mk IV sights. While similar to the Mk. I sight they were made from stamped steel and elevation adjustment was by means of a simple spring catch. No. 4 rifles were first issued to British troops in the Spring of 1942 and they proved even better battle rifles than had the No. 1 Mark III, which was no small feat given the earlier rifle’s well deserved reputation.
During the war, sniper rifles were assembled by BSA and the firm Holland & Holland from No. 4 rifles selected for their accuracy; each was fitted with a No. 32 Mk I telescopic sight and a cheekpiece stock. Two versions of the rifle were assembled: the No. 4 Mk I (T) and No. 4 Mk I* (T).
By 1943 production of No. 1 rifles had ended, except in Australia and India, whose armies declined to accept the No. 4 as they felt the cost of retooling their respective production facilities would be prohibitive. Both nations continued to produce and issue the No. 1 throughout the war years and in some cases well into the 1970s.
By 1944 most British troops had been rearmed with the No. 4 rifle, and the No. 1s were withdrawn from service and relegated to war reserve status. Besides England, the No. 4 rifle was the primary rifle of the Canadian Army, and they were supplied to the Free French, Greek, Dutch, Belgian, Polish, Czech and Norwegian units fighting alongside the British Army. Savage also supplied about 40,000 No. 4 rifles to the nationalist Chinese government. By 1945 over 3.5 million No. 4 rifles had been produced, with BSA and Savage accounting for almost 80 percent of the total.
Going Global
After the war, the British Army rebuilt many No. 4 rifles with Mk I rear sights and new stocks. In 1947 Enfield developed a new trigger unit for the No. 4 that pivoted on the underside of the receiver, instead of the triggerguard, and required that modified rifles have a new forearm installed. Thousands of No. 4 Mk I* rifles were updated with the new trigger, while new purpose-built rifles, designated the No. 4 Mk II, were assembled at the ROF. Mk II rifles were generally issued with the No. 9 Mk. I bayonet, which featured a much more practical 8-inch, Bowie-type blade.
The improved rifle, No. 4 Mk II, remained the standard British service rifle into the late 1950s, when it was replaced by the 7.62mm L1A1 (FN FAL) semi-auto rifle. Komik kekkaishi volume 1 sub indo. British-supplied No. 4 rifles saw service with government forces during the bloody Greek civil war, and it was the standard rifle of the British and Canadian contingents serving with UN forces during the Korean conflict. It also saw wide use by both Israel and its Arab adversaries during fighting that characterized the founding of the Jewish state.
Many of these rifles were used by the French Army during their unsuccessful campaigns against nationalist forces in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. They were widely used by both Dutch forces and Indonesian nationalist guerillas during the fighting in the Dutch East Indies. Until it was replaced by Soviet weaponry in the 1960s and 1970s, No. 4 rifles were used by the armies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Pakistan. They showed up in all of the conflicts that raged across the Middle East, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia and are still seen today in the hands of gue-rilla fighters in all these regions.
It should be noted that until 2015 the No. 4 was the standard-issue rifle of the Canadian Rangers. Composed mostly of Inuit volunteers, they are a sub-component of the Canadian Forces reserve and provide a military presence in Canada’s sparsely settled northern, coastal and isolated areas.
On The Range
For this article I test fired a No. 4 Mk II rifle from my personal collection that was made at the ROF Fazakerley in 1955. It is in like new, unissued condition with a mirror-bright bore, although the trigger pull was a bit on the heavy side.
Lee Enfield No4 Mk1 Magazine
Test firing was performed from a Caldwell Lead Sled on my club’s 100 yards with Remington/UMC and Serbian-made PPU .303 British ammunition, both of which approximated the ballistics of the Mk VII cartridge. Folding up the rear sight, I sent the aperture on 200 yards and proceeded to fire for score. The heavy trigger required a bit of nursing along, but once I had the measure of it, I proceeded to produce a half-dozen five-shot groups in the 2.5- to 3.75-inch range, printing dead-on to point of aim.
After I was done with the accuracy testing, I scrounged a dozen drink cans from the range dumpster and placed them on the 50-yard backstop. I then ran the No. 4 through a series of off-hand, rapid-fire drills. The bolt was fast, smooth and positive in operation—as Lee-Enfields have been known for since the 1890s—and reloading with five-round chargers proved quick and easy, allowing me to maintain an impressive rate of fire and make the cans dance to my tune at the range.
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After policing up the punctured cans and depositing them in the dumpster, I paused and thought about the Lee-Enfield. This rifle of rifles served king, queen and country for seven decades and its place in the history of the British Empire borders on iconic. Every time I see one, I am reminded of that stereotypical British sergeant-major we have seen portrayed so many times on the screen. Tough, rugged and maybe just a bit rough around the edges—but very good at what he does. Both he and Lee-Enfield got their reputations the old-fashioned way. They earned them!
No4T Mk1 (T)
Sniper Rifle
Serial No: N34967
Less Telescope
BSA 1944
Calibre .303
Price: £3,200 - Commission Sale
A genuine WW2 No4T Scopeless
No. 4 MK. I (T. LESS TELESCOPE)
It is believed 3,440 No4Ts remained unfinished when the contract with Holland and Holland ended in 1946.
These were designated “No. 4 MK. I (T. LESS TELESCOPE)” as they never had scopes mated to the rifles, and this designation was stencilled on the front of their
No. 15 Mk. I wooden chests and held in War Reserve Stores, probably at Weedon or Donnington.
Most surviving examples of these rifles have the 'TR & S51' marks and cheek rests, but do not have the T on the side of the asction or telecscope serial number
on the wrist of the butt.
No. 15 Mk. I wooden chests and held in War Reserve Stores, probably at Weedon or Donnington.
Most surviving examples of these rifles have the 'TR & S51' marks and cheek rests, but do not have the T on the side of the asction or telecscope serial number
on the wrist of the butt.
This is a great example of a T. Less Telsecope, matching numbers throughout, most of the Holland & Holland Brunofix surface finish is still intact.
The No15 MkI Transit chest is original the to the rifle and still has the original matching serial number labels.
The butt has the the S51 Holland & Holland Inspectors mark, but no telescope serial number on the top of the wrist.
Its very rare to see a BSA example as they are nearly always Savage examples
A Rare & Original Example
- RSAF ENFIELD CONVERSIONS 1941 – 1942– The first batch of conversions. Most of these were 1931 and 1933 dated No. 4 MK. I rifles made at Enfield. An unknown small number of these 1,403 conversions were rifles of wartime manufacture.
- HOLLAND AND HOLLAND CONVERSIONS 1942 – 1946– In the Fall of 1942 British sniper conversion function was handed off to Holland and Holland, the famous gun makers in London, England. They converted No. 4 MK. I rifles made by BSA Shirley (the vast majority), a few Stevens-Savage (made in the USA, both No. 4 MK. I and No. 4 MK. I*) and apparently a very few Maltby made rifles. They converted over 21,700.
- LONG BRANCH CONVERSIONS 1942? – 1946 – The Canadians converted sniper equipment as well. The rifles were made by Long Branch. A few may have been No. 4 MK. I but the vast majority were No. 4 MK. I*. Most of the scopes were made by Research Enterprises Limited (R.E.L. ; REL) in Canada. Most of these were No. 32 and were interchangeable with the British made scopes. There were some differences however. Due to a shortage of scopes, Canada ordered 350 Lyman Alaskan specially modified and serial numbered scopes in 1944. These were called the No. 32 TP MK. I (sometimes writtena s No. 32 MK. I TP. TP stood for “Trade Pattern” as these were basically commercial scopes, albeit slightly modified. About 1,560 Long Branch No. 4 rifles were converted.
DOES THE SNIPING EQUIPMENT HAVE MATCHING SERIAL NUMBERS?
No. 4 rifles always had the bolt matching in service. A mismatched bolt drops the value considerably, and the headspace should be checked for safety reasons. When the No. 4 rifles were converted to sniper equipment, each on had a scope and bracket assigned to it. Some brackets were serial numbered at the conversion factory, and others were numbered later in military service. The scopes were always numbered to the rifle, by stamping the scope SN into the wrist of the butt, just below or aft of the cocking piece.
Scopes were fragile and newer models came out during the war. As a result, some rifles had up to 3 or 4 scopes assigned to them during their years of service, as some served right into the 1970s. Thus there are two types of matching serial numbers:
- Matching as converted– This means the first scope assigned to that rifle remains with the rifle. This is the most desirable matching. The ideal is to have the rifle, bolt, scope, bracket, butt, forearm, scope case and chest matching.
- Matching in-service– This means that a scope fitted by the military later in service and replaced the original scope. This is still very desirable as all changes were made by the military while the rifle was in service.
- A sub-variant of this is where the scope and rifle match, but the bracket does not match– This is a very rare situation where the bracket, likely with the scope in it, was changed but for some reason the armourer neither cancelled out the old rifle serial number, nor did they add the newly mated rifle’s serial number. The author believes this to be because stamping the bracket with a serial number could damage the scope if it was still mounted and there was a reluctance to remove the scope from the bracket as the screws were usually staked in place. I am not an armourer so that is only a theory.
- Mismatched – This is where the scope and bracket are off one rifle and are fitted onto a different rifle post-military service. These look great but as the scope and rifle are not collimated, they will not be as accurate at all ranges.
It appears that thousands of these sets came to North America as surplus after World War II. Sadly when many of the surplus dealers sold them, they did not ensure that the matched scope/bracket/scope case sets went with the correct rifles. As a result, probably over 90% of the sets in North America are mismatched. Matched sets are very desirable. The most common are the BSA Shirley made rifles. Due to the rarity of this sniper equipment, and the high demand for the among collectors and shooters, there is the also danger of forgery. As well sometimes there are honest mistakes by sellers who do not know the details of their rifles (e.g. mismatched but they believe they are matching).
![Enfield Enfield](/uploads/1/2/3/7/123700177/298576719.jpg)
The MAIN things to watch for are:
- Was this ever a real sniper rifle?
- Are the numbers matching?
- * Rifle serial number on body.
- *Rifle serial number on bolt.
- Rifle serial number on underside of the forestock near the front.
- Rifle serial number may be on magazine (post-war)
- *Rifle serial number may be on the scope bracket.
- * Scope serial number on scope.
- * Scope serial number on wrist of rifle.
- Scope case should have serial number of rifle and scope (except for Canadian No. 8 MK. 2 canvas cases).
- Wooden transit chest No. 15 MK. I – may have serial number of rifle, usually on a paper tag at one end, held in a metal frame. Occasionally the serial number of the rifle, and rarely, of the scope, were stencilled onto the chest.
Those serial numbers with ” * ” beside the number are the most important for matching.
The following are examples of the main types of markings. Various rifles rom various collections are used to illustrate the various markings. There are other markings, but if these are not correct, then that is a warning sign. There are exceptions but when a seller starts using the word “Experimental” then the price goes up and so should your defences because the chances are that it is a fake.
MARKINGS ON THE RIFLE
RSAF Enfield Conversions of No. 4 rifles to sniper
Holland & Holland Conversion of No. 4 rifles to sniper equipment.
Canadian Long Branch Conversions
Note that the rifle serial number was not usually stamped on the underside of the forestock. When the number appears, it was usually stamped later in service, as shown on the ex-Indian service example 68L3200 shown below.
MARKINGS ON THE SCOPE
British No. 32 Scope – Typical markings on a British made No. 32 Scope
Canadian No. 32 Scope – Typical markings.
MARKINGS ON THE SCOPE CASE
British No. 8 MK. I (steel) Scope Case. Some like this one have rounded corners. Others have squared corners. CAUTION! Replicas are being made in France and the UK. The UK examples are sold as replicas.
British No. 8 MK. 2 (Canvas) Scope Case
Canadian REL C No. 8 MK. 2 (Canvas) Scope Case
MARKINGS ON THE WOODEN CHEST
Marking will vary between chests as the stores code and TEL STG MK number change depending upon which mark of scope the rifle is equipped with. In this case it is the most common version, BA5885 for the No. 32 MK. 3 (or written as MK. III sometimes.) Many chests were repainted in service and will often be found in glossy green and have markings painted around or reapplied. Many have a yellow marking (solid circle or band) which may be a stores marking. As well one occasionally finds regimental markings, shipping marking and later, NATO stores numbers. Old markings are often painted out.
Link to my page on Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk. I (T) – Furniture