A couple of months ago I purchased a 1916 Lee Enfield No. 111* SMLE… I purchased this rifle site unseen… When I picked it up I was surprised to see that stock had been altered, cut down, and was missing several pieces… None the less I paid the agreed amount and took the rifle home… I explained to my wife this was not exactly what I thought I was getting and set it aside for a few days and licked my wounds…
After getting over the surprise of what I had purchased I went to Google to see what I really had… I did a search and was pleased to find these “sporterized” rifles are a legit thing… Many were converted by the factory, in my case Birmingham Small Arms, because they were no longer fit for military use… This conversion made it more acceptable for civilian use… I was also pleased to note the price I paid was about $200 less that many of the sale prices, which I was quick to point out to my wife…
After a little research I was able to find a few parts, the rear site protector and rear hand guard, which I purchased from Numrich Gun Parts, to make the rifle a little more “eye” friendly… The rifle came with a 10 box magazine… The bolt, action and barrel all have matching serial numbers… It has a brass butt plate and I added a “period correct” sling…
Included in my purchase was a period correct bore cleaning devise (something like our modern day cloth bore snakes), a 5 round clip, a couple of bandoleers and a muzzle cover… The bore was clean and the bolt very smooth… All in all this has been a fun and learning experience…
We have yet to have our “day at the range” with my new acquisition but that will be coming soon… What I have found is the ammo is a bit pricey… Expect to pay, for 20 round boxes, in the $20 to $25 range for good quality ammo in either 150 or 174 grain bullets…