1911-1936 Land Service Rifle
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=12572
Printed Date: September 27 2023 at 12:23am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: 1911-1936 Land Service Rifle
Posted By: Bud61
Subject: 1911-1936 Land Service Rifle
Date Posted: March 03 2023 at 10:43am
 Hi Folks,My father gave me 2 LE rifles he has had since at least the 70's. I have hunted deer with one successfully but have moved on to muzzle loading long ago. I am not a LE collector and would rather see at least the one gun in the hands of a collector who could benefit from it. I am not a LE expert so be gentle! Possibly a No 4 Mk 1? From reading other posts (Sarge is awesome) I believe this is proof marked to be a King George V era (1911-1936) Land Service Rifle. I believe this rifle was sportized at some point as it has no top wooden forestock. I believe the peepsight is original. There is no clip, just a cover. No tube in the butt of the stock but there is the brass looking 'trap door' for it. The gun appears to be in fair condition as far as the rifling, bolt and general condition looks. Some pitting on the barrel near the breach. I won't post a million pics but I am curious if anyone would be interested or if this is a bastard dog! Cheers, Bud Regina SK, Canada      More pics available upon request.
|
Replies:
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: March 03 2023 at 9:09pm
|
its either a pattern 1914 [most likely] or a model 1017 rifle made in the usa , looks nice what i can see from the photos but i question if its intact - are the handgards still there or did you remove them ? this would be made y one of three companies here - Winchester , Remington or Eddystone , the setial number marking will tell us that ,
backtracking as i revisited the photos - it is not intact there are a lot of bits missing as it has been sported to a deer rifle after service , the barrel looks to be intact so possibly restoreable if that is your intent , a bit of work but a labor of love , enjoy it either way not a no4 rifle - totaly different animal here , the rear sight is original type for that rifle , the receiver will be marked with a W , R or ERA , that will tell you the mfgr ,
|
Posted By: Bud61
Date Posted: March 03 2023 at 11:35pm
|
Thank you for the excellent reply. It does look like a pattern 1914 which did see service in Korea so there may be some possibility Dad brought it back with him? Not sure how that worked back then and none of the veterans in our VLA neighborhood would talk about their wars. Serial number starts with a W231819 so I assume Winchester. It also has an asterisk stamp as well. The pics I have are too big a file so I can't attach them right now. Thanks again for the help! Bud |
Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: March 04 2023 at 2:37am
|
Not a Lee Enfield. It is an Enfield design based on the Mauser action rather than the Lee action. If it’s .303 Calibre, it is a “Pattern 1914”. If .30-06, it is a “US Model of 1917”. As A Square 10 said, it has been sporterized, the stock has been cut down. Someone here will post a picture of the rifle in its original form.
|
Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: March 04 2023 at 1:33pm
|
Here's some more info, "Rifle No3 Mk1" Not to be confused with the "Rifle No1Mk III" a totally different beast. It was alternately known as the Pattern 14, or "American Enfield" https://www.rifleman.org.uk/Enfield_Rifle_No.3.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.rifleman.org.uk/Enfield_Rifle_No.3.html ------------- Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force) |
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: March 05 2023 at 4:58pm
|
that is the nomenclature that often confuses new to our sit - the rifle might have been a bring back , im not familiar with that era - korea was a bit past my collecting interest , but ....i have to let you know there were a lot of bringbacks that got through the sustem that sught to stop that very thing , not well enforced in an era that folks that saw combat were trying to do so , but .................BUT ,,,,,,,,,,,,these WWI rifles as well as being issued to second use countries in that era were also being surplused out of service - sold at sears and wards and western auto , coast to coast , etc as well as a lot of military surplus outlets , to be fair here - a lot of vets came back remembering what they saw/used in theater , they wanted theirs back and when they saw it in a barrel for a reasonable price bought it , it got passed on as a bring back , while not the exact one they held [if you were a service man] you knew everybody had one just like it , you lso knew they didnt keep that close of track issuing from boxes of all the same thing , you only knew what you had was your responsibility , i cant blame them for getting it a little wrong or scratching the trueth of its origin , after all it was the same rifle , and with what they liuved through they wanted to pass it on , we today have the ability through years of research and compilation to discern more truth - not all trueth , but a lot , i hope yours was a bringback , but what little i know of the korean era that was much more difgficult than WWII and certainly from WWI or the span am war and before , its to the point that all bring backs from our current wars are likely kyber pass items , im of the VN era , there were many i know that wanted to broing back items and simply sold them there as it was near impossible to get them home , thats a really sad statement but the truth ,
|