The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The North Corral > Curios and Relics

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old October 6, 2009, 06:01 PM   #1
OhioDuck
Junior Member
 
Join Date: October 6, 2009
Posts: 1
Info wanted on this gun please.

First I will say sorry for the poor quality of the pictures. They were taken while on a visit out of state. The gun was offered to me for sale but I want to find out what it is and worth first. I was told it was a 1917 British Enfield 303.
http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u211/thestonesaver/



A newbie to guns I just want a little history of the gun and what it is worth so I dont overpay for it. Thanks for any and all help.
OhioDuck is offline  
Old October 6, 2009, 06:29 PM   #2
robhof
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 16, 2007
Posts: 712
robhof

From the pics. it appears to be an Enfield in fair condition (a shooter) with a recoil pad addet, that reduces any collector value. Look an Gunbroker and Auctionarms to get an idea of the range of prices as they can vary greatly, also check the bore and rifling, as many older millitary rifles have been shot enough to wear out the barrel.
robhof is offline  
Old October 6, 2009, 06:55 PM   #3
emcon5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 10, 1999
Location: High Desert NV
Posts: 2,850
Looks like a Lee-Enfield Mk I, sportorized and missing the magazine.

It should look like this rifle pulled at random from Gunbroker:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=141118896
emcon5 is offline  
Old October 6, 2009, 07:48 PM   #4
gyvel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 30, 2009
Location: Northern AZ
Posts: 7,172
It's a No. 1 Mk III* Lee-Enfield that looks to have been a nice old gun before it got butchered. The good news is that it could be restored as it looks like nothing has been done to the barrel or action. Personally, I wouldn't pay more than $75.00 for it, mainly because you are looking at another $100-125 in parts to make it right.
gyvel is offline  
Old October 6, 2009, 08:51 PM   #5
tater134
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 22, 2009
Location: NE,PA
Posts: 390
Quote:
It's a No. 1 Mk III* Lee-Enfield that looks to have been a nice old gun before it got butchered. The good news is that it could be restored as it looks like nothing has been done to the barrel or action. Personally, I wouldn't pay more than $75.00 for it, mainly because you are looking at another $100-125 in parts to make it right.
Today 07:55 PM
Springfield Sporters has stocks sets with metal included for $60.00.This rifle would be a great candidate for a restoration
tater134 is offline  
Old October 7, 2009, 01:40 AM   #6
gyvel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 30, 2009
Location: Northern AZ
Posts: 7,172
Quote:
Springfield Sporters has stocks sets with metal included for $60.00.This rifle would be a great candidate for a restoration
Unfortunately, their sets are Indian wood from Ishapore and have the tell-tale screw through the forend just ahead of the action. I couldn't tell who the maker of his gun was as the photos are poor quality. If he's got an Ishapore, the $60.00 set might work, but add your shipping ($12-15), a magazine ($25-35), and you're over a hundred.

I still wouldn't pay more than $75.00 for it.
gyvel is offline  
Old October 7, 2009, 02:27 AM   #7
koolminx
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 12, 2009
Posts: 520
If yo don't want it I'll give the guy $20 bucks for it!
koolminx is offline  
Old October 7, 2009, 06:44 AM   #8
mp25ds4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 6, 2009
Posts: 392
realisticly its worth about 140-170
__________________
Liberal Newscaster Katie Couric, while interviewing a Marine sniper, asked:
'What do you feel.....when you shoot a Terrorist?'
The Marine shrugged and replied, "A Slight Recoil."
mp25ds4 is offline  
Old October 7, 2009, 12:22 PM   #9
emcon5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 10, 1999
Location: High Desert NV
Posts: 2,850
I would take a pseudo-restoration with Ishi furniture over how it is now. That being said as it sits it looks like a decent utility rifle (if you stuck a magazine in it of course).

How much is he asking?
emcon5 is offline  
Old October 7, 2009, 03:09 PM   #10
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
Come on, guys. There are a gadzillion of those "sporterized" L-E's out there. They make cheap but reliable and powerful hunting rifles. Period. To attempt to "restore" one is plain silly, no matter how good it might make you feel, and buying one for that purpose is a waste of money. There is little point in doing a restoration that will never be really "correct", while spending twice or three times what the gun would ever be worth in doing so.

There are plenty of un-Bubba'd L-E rifles if one wants one in something approximating original condition. Trying to restore a junker is pointless.

Jim
James K is offline  
Old October 8, 2009, 06:47 AM   #11
PetahW
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 19, 2008
Posts: 4,678
I wouldn't buy it at all.

Even if it was given to you, to find/buy a mag alone would cost at least $25 - almost half it's worth.

And that's w/o knowing if the headspace/bolt head's correct.

There's a LOT of fish in the sea - Look for a better example, if you GOTTA have a British .303.

.
PetahW is offline  
Old October 8, 2009, 09:06 AM   #12
madcratebuilder
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 2, 2007
Location: Northern Orygun
Posts: 4,923
Quote:
There are plenty of un-Bubba'd L-E rifles if one wants one in something approximating original condition. Trying to restore a junker is pointless.
Yup! You end up with more money in a non original rifle than if you just bought a good one to start with.
madcratebuilder is offline  
Old October 9, 2009, 10:08 PM   #13
DG45
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 5, 2009
Posts: 904
There was about zero "collector" interest in these things back in the 1950's and 1960's when they were so plentiful that they were a drug on the gun market. But beacoup of them were sold for a pittance to guys who wanted a hunting rifle but couldn't afford a fine new gun. So, they'd spend a few bucks to buy one of these heavy-as-lead surplus Lee-Enfields or Mausers or whatever, and then "sporterize" it, which usually meant either completely restocking it or cutting the military stock down like was done to this one. Once the gun was a few pounds lighter, that .303. got tough on the shoulder, so a lot of these guns had recoil pads added. I agree with Jim Keenan that the result was usually a reasonably effective, very inexpensive hunting gun. There's not much interest in these homely "sporterized" military surplus guns today. The long, uninterrupted, ever-growing economic prosperity that this country enjoyed for about 50 or 60 years after WWII (until it ended in the recent downturn) put a chicken or two in most of our pots, and now most of us are affluent enough that we can afford hunting rifles that were actually built to be hunting rifles. It wasn't always that way though, and it's a cheap shot today for someone to sneer at an earlier and less prosperous generaton for "sporterizing" surplus military weapons into practical and effective hunters. That's adding arrogance to ignorance. Nevertheless, it is true that the"sporterization" work that was done on this gun and others just like it, has, in fact, greatly depreciated "collector" value. Since there isn't much hunter interest anymore in these "sporterized" military surplus guns either, the result is that they are not worth much to anyone anymore. I'd say $50 to $75 would be top dollar for the OP's gun today. That's still probably $30 to $50 more than the gun was purchased for in the 1950's or $60's. (Yeah, yeah, I know that the dollar's worth a lot less now than it was then.)
DG45 is offline  
Old October 9, 2009, 10:38 PM   #14
Swampghost
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 18, 2008
Location: Florida, east coast
Posts: 2,106
DG, That may be the the largest paragraph ever written.

Without going into all of the details, the .303 was similar to the 1903A3. If the action a bbl are good it's a perfectly servicable rifle. I bought and sold about 1K of them in the late '60's , early '70's. They were generally going for about $35 back then.

I'd just make it work for you, it's really a great rifle.
__________________
NRA Patron Member
Swampghost is offline  
Old October 10, 2009, 12:33 AM   #15
DG45
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 5, 2009
Posts: 904
You just haven't read much of my stuff Swampghost. That's nowhere near the longest paragraph I've ever written.
DG45 is offline  
Old October 10, 2009, 08:41 AM   #16
robhof
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 16, 2007
Posts: 712
robhof

My brother and I were intersted in guns as teens in the 60's and bought gun magazines; when they sold guns via the mail and there were pages of war surplus and none over $100. with rifles usually being cheaper than pistols. Found an old mag when cleaning out my parents house a few years ago; M1carbines $50-$75 depending on condition, Enfields $25 to $50, Lugers from $50 to $100, Garands were the exception $100 to $175, but the $175 were new. That all ended with Kennedy in Dallas.
robhof is offline  
Old October 17, 2009, 07:36 PM   #17
TEDDY
Junior member
 
Join Date: December 10, 2006
Location: MANNING SC
Posts: 837
SMLEs

they were selling for$9.95 in natick Mass.in the 60s.and carcanos for $7.95.
1903A3 for $15 from DCM and 1917s were $7.50 1911s were $18 + shipping.
I got two new 1903A3s
TEDDY is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:32 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.08450 seconds with 10 queries