Shooting a Lee-Enfield No 4 Mk 2 (1955) for the first time ... 65 years after it was made!

MCMXI · Jul 5, 2020

I bought a Lee-Enfield No 4 Mk 2 about 10 years ago for $800. It was new and unfired and made in Fazakerley, Liverpool, England in 1955 and in near perfect condition. I shot it for the first time yesterday and it was so much fun. I was shooting at a spinning target which was challenging once it was spinning. I did manage to get it to flip over in three shots. The rifle appears to function perfectly and what's not to love about the fast action. It's surprisingly soft shooting for a .30 cal with a brass butt plate and not the brute that I remembered shooting on cold Cotswold mornings at the ranges in Otmoor, Oxfordshire, England!! I have a few thousand Sierra MatchKing 174gr bullets and now have some brass to use so plan on working up a load for this rifle and getting the sights zeroed.

The young woman cheering me on was a US Olympic small bore shooter (competed in England in the summer Olympics of 2012) and world record holder.

25-5 · Jul 5, 2020

I have a '49 FTR'd in 52 at Faz. I enjoy shooting it too.
There are a couple of youtube vids on the "mad minute" you might enjoy.

Duster340 · Jul 5, 2020

Love it! 303 Brit geek here.

dh1633pm · Jul 5, 2020

I have an MK2. I never did take the time to figure out where it was made. I love shooting it. Nice rifle. Glad you enjoy it.

LoonWulf · Jul 5, 2020

I want a spinner target now........

The rifle looked like fun.....but that target could entertain me for hours.........

MCMXI · Jul 5, 2020

LoonWulf said:
I want a spinner target now........

The rifle looked like fun.....but that target could entertain me for hours.........

Yeah ... that spinner is fun for sure and much easier to spin when using heavy and "fast" rifle bullets! My friend bought it from MGM on sale a few weeks ago. I found it hard to see which way it was spinning at times, and you can never miss fast enough.

https://mgmtargets.com/product/spinner/

.455_Hunter · Jul 5, 2020

A mummy wrap unissued Enfield was the first 4473 I ever completed, a month or so after my 18th B-day in 1994 as a HS Senior.

They are wonderful!!!!

LoonWulf · Jul 5, 2020

MCMXI said:
you can never miss fast enough.

i may have to see if my ffl buddy will split one with me and take that challeng....i gotta say, i can miss pretty quick.

MCMXI · Jul 5, 2020

.455_Hunter said:
A mummy wrap unissued Enfield was the first 4473 I ever completed, a month or so after my 18th B-day in 1994.

They are wonderful!!!!

I'd love to find a No 4 Mk 2 all wrapped up, unissued and unused. I kick myself for not buying a bunch of them 20 years ago when they were $300 a piece. They truly are amazing rifles and as current today as they were 70+ years ago. I shot my suppressed MPX yesterday, an H&K MP5 suppressed, a Robinson Arms M96 which is awesome, an M1 Garand, and some others but the Lee-Enfield was by far the most enjoyable. Running that bolt is fun.

792mauser · Jul 5, 2020

Terry G · Jul 5, 2020

I like the old snub nosed MKIII* . The MKIV is cool too. I bought both at ridiculous prices in the '90's. I'm glad I did. Pricey now, Wot?

Robert · Jul 6, 2020

I'd love a MkI to go with my MkIII*.

303 hunter · Jul 6, 2020

I also have an unfired no4 mk2, that I've owned for several years. I REALLY want to shoot it, and you may have convinced me!

MCMXI · Jul 6, 2020

303 hunter said:
I also have an unfired no4 mk2, that I've owned for several years. I REALLY want to shoot it, and you may have convinced me!

I held off shooting mine for years for fear of wearing it out. I tend to follow the "one is none, two is one" philosophy. I'm a fan of redundancy.

On a side note, I can see why so many Lee-Enfields were sporterized and turned into hunting rifles. If I had crazy money I'd start my own rifle company and would build cool stuff that interests me regardless of how well they'd do commercially. A modern take on a Lee-Enfield would be at the top of the list, along with an SA80, De Lisle carbine and lever action in .454 Casull.

Reeferman · Jul 6, 2020

Now you have to see how you do when doing a “mad minute” with it.

lionking · Jul 6, 2020

MCMXI said:
I'd love to find a No 4 Mk 2 all wrapped up, unissued and unused. I kick myself for not buying a bunch of them 20 years ago when they were $300 a piece. They truly are amazing rifles and as current today as they were 70+ years ago. I shot my suppressed MPX yesterday, an H&K MP5 suppressed, a Robinson Arms M96 which is awesome, an M1 Garand, and some others but the Lee-Enfield was by far the most enjoyable. Running that bolt is fun.

I got one back in the day, still have it I'd say I wish I got more also like I wish a lot of things but back then I was a younger pup who couldn't afford to buy mass amounts of guns anyway lol.

MCMXI · Jul 6, 2020

lionking said:
I got one back in the day, still have it I'd say I wish I got more also like I wish a lot of things but back then I was a younger pup who couldn't afford to buy mass amounts of guns anyway lol.

I sent the video link to a good friend whose brother has four or five Lee-Enfields. He has an unfired/unissued No4 Mk2 that he's willing to part with so I hope I can add another very soon. Here's the one I'm currently trying to get my hands on. It's also a Fazakerley made rifle with a serial number that's considerably lower than mine. My serial number is UF 55 A21700.

303 hunter · Jul 6, 2020

Here’s mine.

MCMXI · Jul 6, 2020

@303 hunter, that's a great looking rifle and an even lower number. Awesome!!!

.455_Hunter · Aug 31, 2020

You guys will probably cringe, but I took mine elk hunting quite a few times in the mid-90's. And yes, it got scratched...

WestKentucky · Aug 31, 2020

.455_Hunter said:
You guys will probably cringe, but I took mine elk hunting quite a few times in the mid-90's. And yes, it got scratched...

But did it draw blood? And if so, did it bring home meat? These questions can’t go unanswered.

.455_Hunter · Aug 31, 2020

WestKentucky said:
But did it draw blood? And if so, did it bring home meat? These questions can’t go unanswered.

Unfortunately not on those trips.

Conelrad · Aug 31, 2020

My dad bought a No.1 MkIII from Golden State Arms in 1959 for $29.95. (I was 6 then)

It brought home venison with 7 successful hunts.

I still have it, looks the same as it always did.

Conelrad

Boattale · Aug 31, 2020

.455_Hunter said:
You guys will probably cringe, but I took mine elk hunting quite a few times in the mid-90's. And yes, it got scratched...

Rifles are built to be used. At least IMHO.

lysanderxiii · Aug 31, 2020

dh1633pm said:
I have an MK2. I never did take the time to figure out where it was made. I love shooting it. Nice rifle. Glad you enjoy it.

ROF-Fazakerley was the only place that made the No.4, Mk 2.

All the conversions from the Mk 1 and Mk 1* to Mk 1/2 and Mk 1/3, respectively, were also only done at ROF-Fazakerley.

Shooting a Lee-Enfield No 4 Mk 2 (1955) for the first time ... 65 years after it was made!

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