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N° 8 Mk I fitted with 8/53 sight attachment

Printed From: Enfield-Rifles.com
Category: Enfields
Forum Name: Enfield Rifles
Forum Description: Anything that has to do with the great Enfield rifles!
URL: http://www.enfield-rifles.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=11634
Printed Date: March 28 2024 at 10:44am
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Topic: N° 8 Mk I fitted with 8/53 sight attachment
Posted By: Deejay
Subject: N° 8 Mk I fitted with 8/53 sight attachment
Date Posted: September 06 2021 at 10:07am

Here is my (new to me) n° 8 Mk I rifle.


It was built in 1951 at ROF Fazakerley and FTR'ed in 1966 at Enfield Lock.



The rifle is fitted with an A. J. Parker 8/53 sight attachment and had its battle aperture ground off.


I have a question about these factory thorough repairs, though - were they common as far as .22 LR trainers go?
Another point I have been wondering about is the receiver: this one is obviously a n° 4 receiver, but as there is no trace whatsoever of the ejector screw on the left side, does it mean that it has never seen action on a n° 4 rifle during WW2?

Regards,

Didier





Replies:
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: September 06 2021 at 5:17pm
nice rifle 
 


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: September 07 2021 at 5:36am
Could not have been a completed No. 4 rifle without an ejector screw.  

I see a screw on the left side, just forward of the safety.  Also a screw hole on the left side in the receiver bridge area.  I’m not familiar with the No. 8 rifles, and can’t imagine what these would be used for, may have been added later for mounting a scope. 


Posted By: Zed
Date Posted: September 07 2021 at 12:33pm
Welcome to the forum Deejay; it's good to see another member from France!

The No8's were built from either no4 or No5 (Jungle Carbine) receivers. I believe that some (or most) were made from unused receivers; which would explain the lack of ejector screw hole. 

I have two No8's; one of which is the No4 type and the other  a No5 type.
one has the ejector hole; the other doesn't. The ejector hole is often used for the AJ Parker match rear dioptre sights. The 8/53 is a nice sight to have; but unfortunately not allowed of the "Tir Armes Reglementaire" (Service Rifle Competitions) here in France.

You will love shooting this rifle; they are accurate and great fun. However I would suggest buying various makes of subsonic .22 ammo; as the accuracy can vary substantially depending on the type of ammo. 
Zed.



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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!


Posted By: Deejay
Date Posted: September 07 2021 at 1:51pm
Thank you, my dear fellow-countryman Handshake

This one is actually my second Lee-Enfield trainer - I already own a No. 2 Mk IV* (a former 1916 BSA Mk III*) and shooting it at the range is a real pleasure, although its open sights do not allow me to make the best of its accuracy.


There is a mysterious marking on the barrel of the No. 8 I was not able to interpret: a delta or triangle. Any idea what its meaning could be?





Posted By: Zed
Date Posted: September 08 2021 at 12:26pm
I cannot find any reference to the triangle in Skennerton's  Lee Enfield book. 
It's not the same as the Iraq ownership triangle; which has an arabic letter inside.
 I suspect it's an inspector mark form the FTR; but that is just a guess on my part!

The 1916 .22 looks fabulous. 


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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!


Posted By: Deejay
Date Posted: September 08 2021 at 1:37pm
The 1916 is by no means spotless, but it is rather well preserved, for a rifle that is more than a hundred years old.




Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: September 08 2021 at 7:06pm
does wear its age well , i like it , 


Posted By: Deejay
Date Posted: September 08 2021 at 10:37pm
I quite fancy the idea that this rifle has had several lives - as a WW1 .303 service rifle, as an Irish army rifle and finally as a single-shot small-bore rifle - and is still "active" after all these years, not just an inert piece of metal and wood in a museum.


Posted By: Zed
Date Posted: September 09 2021 at 3:47am
It's in lovely condition.
I have a similar 1918 example, all matching and original. 
Too many dents in the wood to count and year's of linseed oil. It's a beautiful thing!
My 10 year old daughter loves shooting the .22's
What department are you in?


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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!


Posted By: Deejay
Date Posted: September 09 2021 at 7:17am
I live quite close to the German border, near Saarbrücken.


Posted By: Zed
Date Posted: September 10 2021 at 9:24am
We are in Paris most of the time.

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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!


Posted By: 1874
Date Posted: September 17 2021 at 11:42am
Good evening
This forum is great !!!
With French people !!
Tell me Zed do you have prices for doors of lilacs?
I took a n9 from them which works wonders.
But a Parisian price ....
I'm on Salon de Provence



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