I forgot how addictive these rifles are, but poking around the forums again has got me all horny to buy a military style Lee Enfield.
I already have a sporterized one that was passed down by my father, it's in really great shape and shoots very well.
A local hunting shop has one that I'm going to go look at, their asking $225 CAD for it, I wanted to pick your brains on what I should look for to make sure I don't get boned.
Stock in good shape (no cracking), matching SN on receiver and bolt... anything else?
The condition of the bore. The same serial number will be on the barrel too , probably under the rear handguard .
Maybe have the headspace checked.
Sometimes the serial number will also be on the bottom side of the stock , usually near the muzzle end.
Do you know which species of No4 it is ?
I look at overall condition of metal and wood - some honest wear of the finish isn't a problem, but I don't want it dinged! Then check the bore condition - clean rifling and no corrosion or pitting. If possible, work the action and make sure everything works well. My buddy once bought one that had a broken safety - easily fixed but still troubling.
Make sure the barrel and action are secure in the stock - no wobbles!
Thanks for the replies.
Timberlord: Nope, don't know much about it. I just called and asked if they still had a Lee Enfield on the shelf and they did.
I'm going to try to get there tomorrow or this weekend and take a look at it.
I'm going to take some notes and post back before I buy.
Thanks again.
Last edited by IronCanadian; 12-07-2007 at 12:20 AM.
Well I didn't get there in time, some other lucky SOB bought it, but that's alright. I didn't have the money for her anyway, so not knowing what she was will make it easier. Not to mention that if I had seen her I probably would have spent the money I didn't have.
"...serial number will be on the barrel too..." Nope. No S/N's on the barrels. Always demand proof of good headspace. Especially for a No. 1. There are no numbers on No. 1 bolt heads so the only way to fix bad headspace is by replacing the bolt head and checking the headspace until you find one that is ok. Expensive.
No. 4 Rifle bolt heads have a number on the lug(0 to 3). If the headspace is bad, try the next number up with guages. If the existing number is a 2, you have a hunt ahead of you. If it's a # 3, you have pricey smithying to do.
Matching S/N's is no guarantee that the headspace is ok. You have no idea if some twit changed the bolt head at sometime in the last 60 years.
Get the seller to slug the bore, if you can(isn't likely though). Enfield barrels can measure from .311" to .315" and be considered ok. Larger than .315" and the barrel is shot out.
