Enfield US Lend-Lease '44 SMLE - Thoughts?

[IronMonster]

Personally I would much rather spend $200 too much on a old rifle in amazing condition than $200 under market on one beat to snot. If you really want it in a few years the price you paid won't matter a bit.

 

[Mikej]

Personally I would much rather spend $200 too much on a old rifle in amazing condition than $200 under market on one beat to snot. If you really want it in a few years the price you paid won't matter a bit.

I'm just learning all this stuff, but the above makes so much sense. Cool gun!

Wifey pegged it when she called it "Fighting with Myself" I'm figuring that's whet you're doing now!

 

[wolfcreed]

Personally I would much rather spend $200 too much on a old rifle in amazing condition than $200 under market on one beat to snot. If you really want it in a few years the price you paid won't matter a bit.

I agree with IronMonster 100%.

Sometimes if you snooze you lose and have to chalk it up another one that got away. I have a harder time with that than wondering if I could have saved a few bucks.

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

Well, it came home with me, i just hope the price i paid (personally) wasn't too much. I'm trying to work out if i'm just blind, or blinkered when it comes to 'granted permission'

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I think you did good.
If the bore is as nice as the outside ... even better.
Enfield's have been selling for around the $500-$700 mark around where I live.
( For a nice one )
Many examples are less than nice...

I like the Thailand markings...Makes your rifle a bit different that most.
Andy

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

Thailand markings? Hmm, anything else you can tell me about that, i obviously see the cartouche on the stock, but i know nothing more about this rifle, though i heard this was the 1003661 rifle, built in early 1944.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

The cartouche on the butt stock and on the receiver is called a "Charkra"* ( Collector Nickname ) it it seen with many variants even on the same gun.
It almost always indicates a Thailand ( Siamese ) gun.
Andy

* A "charka" is a Indian spinning wheel ... Why this name is associated with a gun from Thailand is beyond me ... sorry

 

[Bon Sauvage]

Chakra I believe.

 

[orygun]

You should get a copy of this book. This guy's a pretty well known collector.
I thought a had another book, but can't find it.

I purposely put my foot in the pic for the guys that always comment on feet in photos....

 

[wolfcreed]

I am really glad you picked this up. She's a beauty!

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

Got some cleaning to do, it's clean, but it's got old grease and usual non used fluff in various places. Gonna oil/scrape the bore quickly (snake) and safe it so i can finish the 1903 first.

 

[Mikej]

Got some cleaning to do, it's clean, but it's got old grease and usual non used fluff in various places. Gonna oil/scrape the bore quickly (snake) and safe it so i can finish the 1903 first.

That's prettier than the first pics you put up. What a good looking rifle, and the history is really neat!

Do you worry now that you'll find a better one, or equal for $100.00 less now? That's what I go through. I convince my self it was indeed a worthy buy, and stop looking at anything like it for a while.

 

[mjbskwim]

Found the advert, looks like it sold, also looks like an older Mk1* as it has a ladder rear sight, no guarantee it wasn't issued but looks good condition. This one i'm looking at is a late 44 model, with one of the links above suggesting it wasn't 'adopted' until 46.

I don't know much about these but that the one I had had the ladder rear site and I found out later,10 years after selling it,that those are collectors. So if the collector model was 600 buck 7 would be high? Or is this as collectible?
Sheeze man I think I bought mine for a little over a hundred bucks and sold it for about the same 2 years after
Nice looking gun if you want a piece of history

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

The ladder sight versions were just earlier war production, aperture Garand style sights were to cut costs.
There is no shortage of the ladder sight versions so I don't think they're exactly collector versions.

I cleaned the barrel out, look like strong grooves, patch came clean after two passes, first pass had a very slight hint of brown.

Middle of bore looks like it's lightly pitted, but good at the ends and otherwise shiny, crown looks good as does the chamber.

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

That's prettier than the first pics you put up. What a good looking rifle, and the history is really neat!

Do you worry now that you'll find a better one, or equal for $100.00 less now? That's what I go through. I convince my self it was indeed a worthy buy, and stop looking at anything like it for a while.

I know what you mean, but I think I'm OK, this is a pretty solid rifle so far, but I'd still like a longbranch version just for my own nationalities sake
Couldn't own both, so this would pay for one should the deal ever arrise.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

I think that you did good with this rifle, friend. Pretty sweet!

 

[RatherDashing]

I picked up a Savage one naught but a month ago for $169. Mine was sporterized unfortunately. I looked into restoring it, but the value for a Savage is less than a proper British Enfield. From my research, the average mk1 no4 Savage is worth around $300. Nicer conditions and rarer variants are more, of course.

 

[DunRanull]

Nice rifle, sorta out of the loop on prices for these. Were it mine, I'd handload for it unless like mine it came with a supply of "Lend Lease" (Winchester) marked ammo. But that stuff is probably worth too much to shoot anymore. Handloading for the .303 Enfield isnt that difficult tho one has to pay attention to case-stretching.