"New" No.1 MkIII Enfield Questions

[Hazwaste]

I just bought a 1939 No.1 MkIII SMLE (my first ever) today from a friend for $50, and he even threw in eight 50-round boxes of ball ammo. The serial #s all match and the bore looks pretty good. The only serious cosmetic damage is that one of the previous owners attempted to drill out one of the screws holding the action to the stock.

Shoots great and has that wonderful "dragged through the war" look to it, with lots of minor dings but nothing too bad. I really like the dark stain.

My questions are:

1. There appears to be an ~1" shallow hole drilled in the right side of the stock near the back. It's obvious that something is supposed to be attached there, but I don't know what it is. Does somebody know?

2. It has a marking on the right side that's partially discernable and says what looks like "Georgia". A little further back it's got "B.S.A" and a little crown stamped on it. Anybody know what these might mean?

4. What appears to be a safety on the left side of the action just flops around when I shoot. It's a sort of lever, which when put in the far rear position locks the bolt in place. It doesn't seem like this flopping around should be happening. Does anybody know what parts need to be replaced to fix this? I know SARCO has lots of Enfield parts if I knew what to buy.

After shooting only 20 rounds through this wonderful machine, I am completely and totally hooked. I've been a mil-spec nut since I first began my ascent into the world of firearms 2 years ago, but there's just something special about these WWII weapons that fascinates me more than ARs, FALs, and AKs. Guess they're just representative of a time in which I would have felt more at home.

 

[swingset]

1. There appears to be an ~1" shallow hole drilled in the right side of the stock near the back. It's obvious that something is supposed to be attached there, but I don't know what it is. Does somebody know?

That's the cutout for a unit marking disk. It's just a brass disk used to identify an issue or unit supply.

2. It has a marking on the right side that's partially discernable and says what looks like "Georgia". A little further back it's got "B.S.A" and a little crown stamped on it. Anybody know what these might mean?

The Crown (with a GR) is the British proof, present on all British Enfields. The BSA is Birmingham Small Arms, the maker of the rifle. It should have the date of manufacture on the wrist of the receiver too. Don't know what the Georgia is, but probably an import stamp from the company that originally imported it.



I LOVE the SMLE and No1's especially. They're my primary interest. Congrats on your new gun!

The safety thing is curious - does the safety work effectively on a cocked bolt?

 

[SeaG]

I just picked my first one up the other day. I wanted to play around with something I could fix up. I was looking for answers on markings and such on the rare chance it was worth something. I found this site Enfield-Stuff . If you look under the makers marks

" Birmingham Small Arms Company, locations at Small Heath, Sparkbrook, Redditch and Coventry Rd. Major Great War contractor. BSA commercial production (including production for colonies and police) marked with the BSA logo of three stacked Martini-Henry rifles. "

Im sure you could find other marks such as the inspection marks or any import marks under the listings too. As for the other questions Ill have to leave that up to someone else.

 

[Lone Star]

I don't think it says, "Georgia". I think you mean, "George R" for "George Regina". That's abb. as George R or "GR". Also, seen as, George Rex". Rex=King in Latin.

Current weapons will be marked as "EIIR" for Elizabeth Regina, noting that this is the second Queen Elizabeth, George VI's daughter, on the throne since 1952.

Lone Star

 

[ScottsGT]

Sounds like maybe the spring is missing from the safety. Get it to a 'smith ASAP. The safety on the Enfield is a really nice design. I have the .308 Ishy (Indian) version that I sporterized as my hunting rifle. I love it with the exception of no really good scope mounts available. I sometimes think my scope is moving around under recoil.

 

[.41Dude]

Take a look at http://www.303British.com
Lots of good stuff, links for parts and things.
I purchased a firing pin removal tool from Brownells. Well worth the money.
Makes getting the firing pin spring out a breeze.
You will not believe how much crud will come out of the bolt body with the spring out of the way.
On the other hand. I was impressed by how well my rifle still worked WITH the crud still in the bolt.
Those British new their stuff
Steve.

 

[Hazwaste]

Yes, the safety works when it's in the safe position, but it won't stay in the fire position when I shoot. It's really loose.

I noticed that Sarco has all of the safety parts available for not much $. Guess I'll spring for a new spring.

 

[goon]

On the ammo, I would look into it.
If it is corrosive, you will need to clean the gun with ammonia immediately after you finish shooting.
If you don't it will rust. That would be an awful thing to have happen to you on such a great deal.
Just some trivia: The rifling on the SMLE actually changes depth about halfway to the muzzle. The rifling at the rear of the barrel is shallower. It was made like that to reduce drag on the bullet, thus reaching the velocity that the Brits were trying to get.