[Vladimir Berkov]

By that I mean were they available (along with .303 ammo) to US civilians in the period following WWI, excluding any bring-backs.

[Gewehr98]

The NoIMkIII SMLE stayed the standard issue rifle of the British Empire right up until the adoption of the product-improved No4Mk1 in November of 1939. (The No4Mk1 was adopted after the prototype trials rifles, series NoIMkV and NoIMkVI, were put through their paces. These trials guns sometimes show up on the market)

As an aside, the Australians continued to manufacture the NoIMkIII at Lithgow through WWII and into 1956, and the Indian arsenal at Ishapore continued with their own version of the NoIMkIII right up through 1974.

Since the NoIMkIII stayed front-line issue until 1939, I'd wager to say very few were made available to the commercial market, perhaps some special sporters from Enfield Lock, but the majority stayed with the British military (including Canada) and handed out to Tommy Atkins when needed.

[Mike Irwin]

I agree, probably very very few.

And most of those I suspect would have bled down from Canada.


Westinghouse Nagants were available on the surplus market, normally through Bannerman....

Hey, I gotta find my Bannerman reprint. It's from the middle 1920s. It might have something.

Ok, my Bannerman is from 1927.

It offers the Nagants, which were converted to .30-06 (unsafely).

It offers Canadian Ross rifles.

But no Lee-Enfields.

[fallingblock]

Production began at Lithgow in New South Wales in 1913 and any serviceable rifles were returned to stores at the close of WWI; to be re-issued with newly-manufactured Lithgow production at the outbreak of WWII.
In other words, they remained government property for the inter-war period.

[AC]

I think the sporter varients were available--the Lee Speed and other similar patterns.

For those that don't know, these had sporter barrel sights with a sporter forend (shorter and no handguard) but the SMLE action and usually a slightly reduced capacity box magazine.

[mete]

There were civilian versions , 6,8, and 10 round. The 6 round one can be seen in that movie about the man eating lions ( sorry I can't remember the name at the moment )

[Gewehr98]

In addition to the Lee Speed sporters, there were probably a bunch of Long Lee, CLLE, Lee-Metfords, and other pre-SMLE variants out there in civilian hands. I found a beautiful Charger Loading Lee Enfield the other day, but didn't have the $1200 they are asking. :(

[Mk VII]

they were sold commercially by BSA in the interwar period so anyone who wanted to pay the high import tariff would have been able to buy them. In practice I doubt that the American public had any great interest in .303 arms at the time - it wasn't a very popular cartridge.

[Dr.Rob]

I recall seeing Lee-Metfords in vintage catalouges but never a Lee-Enfield.

[Rick Teal]

My hunting camp has been on the go since the 1920's, and there's a story about one of the old timers who used a Boer War vintage SMLE for hunting in the late '30's and early '40's.

Actually the old f*rt managed to blow it up. He was using old military hard ball with the tips cut off for ammo, and he had two rounds fail to fully ignite (probably the primers only), then he cranked a third round into the chamber that did go off. They said that the top of the chamber and barrel opened up like a flower.

I saw one of these guns in later years, and they seemed to have some sort of metal dust cover over the bolt and ejection port.

[W.Va.Glassman]

I remember seeing many in Canada (60-67) stuffed into kegs at stores for sale.I think the price was 10- 25 dollars each.Dad would not buy any for me.Also I KNEW ALOT OF HUNTERS who used them for hunting,some still do.