I ended up bobbing the barrel 3" and recrowning. 1663'. .50 cal box under receiver. R.O. I have some comments about markings that are present or not present. Martini-Metford reserved Ian D. Skennerton, German Manufacturing Codes of 'PROOFS, STAMPS & TRADE MARKS for RIFLES, PISTOLS & SHOTGUNS - An International Guide, Edition of 2023' Compiled by Paul Fowkes, edited with Ian Skennerton Hard & soft covers, 11 x 8 in., 144 pp, 2,000 . EW Eau Claire Ordnance Plant (S.A.A.) However it did not result in a change of the rifle mark designation, but altered rifles were marked HV on the barrel immediately behind the back sight. Simplistic manufactures mark found on a commercial (for the trade) Birmingham Small Arms Company rifle. A compendium of more than 135 known marks observed on Lee-Enfield oilers. None the less I still believe the '40 is the barrel year of manufacture as it is to be found an all the standard British ShtLEs in my collection, many of which have not been rebuilt and the year matches the receiver. P.L.H. S.L.E. S.M.L.E. MQ (S.A.A.) 700m iron sight, 6x42 It appears to me that the barrel has Enfield inspections stamps (crown number over E) whereas one would expect a 1915 BSA rifle to have been originally fitted with a BSA barrel (crown number over B ) as shown on the receiver of the rifle (on original pic no2 below the proof which is actually on the receiver). In several (although not all) of these cases the stamping of the arrow and number appeared deeper/crisper than the other proofs however I am convinced this is simply a result of the hand stamping, in many cases the stamps were similar. 'Excellent' Portsmouth shore base War Office: FA Frankford Arsenal (S.A.A.) Also included here L49 9mm DP L2A3 SMG Guns Have Only Two Enemies-Rust and Politicians, "The United States Constitution (c) 1791 - All Rights Reserved". H.S. (more recently) 33rd "Prairie Division" AEF and American Field Service 1917-18, York and Lancaster Regiment For someone very new to the milsurp market, a lot of guns like Mosins, various Mausers and clones, Lee Enfields, Lugers, etc, will have certain parts with serial numbers that should match the receiver's serial number. L15 ? 4 I did scan Reynolds this morning for a look at the use of the HV mark as standard during WWI and found this: July 6th 1911 LoC (quoted in Reynolds pp117-8 he does not provide the specific LoC number), For rifles of future manufacture and conversion..[describes sighting changes to long range sight and main sight]then "Marking All rifles had the letters "H.V. IOP Iowa Ordnance Plant Re: Lee Enfeild No 4 Mk1 Markings by Saxon Cross 23 Mar 2012, 13:50 Your serial No. chain gun, applied Office (or Her Majesty's) They may have the numbers stamped into the front portion of the fore-end and on the bottom of the magazine. (also Mildenhall L23A1 Rifle, 7.62mm Instructional. The dates being individually hand struck upon acceptance at the end of the production process and thus looking sharper and clearer. III (& 7pt star) best pic of the additional markings above the serial # on the upper left (in the light glare) and above the last few digits of the serial #. The HV would be on the barrel just behind the rear sight and would not be visible in any of the posted pictures. Enfield Enforcer; https://modernfirearms.net/en/sniper-rifles/standart-caliber-rifles/great-britain-standart-caliber-rifles/enfield-l42a1-i-enforcer-eng/ . L.V. L2A3 Submachine Gun (improved L2A2 - British only, currently in service) e.g. In all cases corresponding to the date of the receiver. nomenclature was applied to other munitions also those relating to small dailyinfo[20]=' 3/1423 Private John QUINN 2nd Bn. Vickers Sons & Maxim Royal Sussex Regiment and Chemical Warfare. A.I.S. FWA(B) Byford, WA (for Royal Navy) This rifle retained most of the overall design feature of the earlier model, including the 30 barrel length. L53 ? W.C.& S Ltd. William Clowes & Sons Ltd. PE/C Petawawa III or similar. "ch", "gsb". PM Port Moresby, New Guinea Gale & Polden, Bernards Publishers as well as However I would also contend that HV was also stamped on post 1910 new production rifles, not just older modified ones - tomorrow I can survey a reasonable sample and report back but as I noted above, I checked 7 or 8 I had to hand this evening and all the wartime dated receivers had it. To me, and others, it would appear to show that Mully's barrel is original and that the ' 40 ' date mark and the Broad Arrow to it's right were new stampings added to the original barrel in 1940 ? If I were to speculate as to why this was I would suggest that by the 1930s stocks of MkVI rounds had been exhausted and the chance of encountering these in service was virtually nil and therefore the distinguishing mark was no longer needed. I am saying the broad arrow and the date on the barrel are the date of the barrel's production and inspection/acceptance. 4 MK. L47A1 7.65mm Pistol, Walther PP. dailyinfo[4]=' Internierter Georg CONDE German Civilian who died 04/04/1917 PIETERMARITZBURG (COMMERCIAL ROAD) CEMETERY South Africa ' Military Rifles.com; http://www.militaryrifles.com/Britain/Metford.htm . M.M. It does not have the magazine cut-off. Powered by Invision Community. Controller of Ordnance Services The only rifles I had to hand that was not so marked was a 1937 BSA and a 1915 Lithgow. The web site looks interesting, enjoy. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force). BG/C Granby Keliner, S.R. L12A1 .22 Conversion Kit by Heckler & Koch, for L1A1 rifle. document.write; Surplus Rifle; http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewforum.php?f=27 .. Wikipedia Lee Enfield; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee-Enfield Wikipedias entry on Lee Enfields. UK and Mosul still has a few gaps. ML Maribyrnong Munitions Supply Lab. A.C. Army circular MDK Albion I think we may be at crossed purposes here on the date stamp. M.C.S. L12A1 9mm Blank Fire Attachment, Blank ammunition. [3] [4] Stratton also indicates this (1997:62) mark as barrel manufacture date. Small arms ammunition AU Albury, NSW 1, S.M.L.E Marks III & III* & No. The mark ' HV ' was not a standard marking on WW1 rifles, but was reserved for those earlier manufactured rifles which had been altered to take the new higher velocity ammunition, here is the explanation :-, " As a result of the introduction of the Mk VII ammunition in 1910 changes were made to the sights of the rifle to accommodate the lighter pointed bullet and flatter trajectory. (though I'd hang it on my wall before I'd sell it). BF/C Bishop's Falls English Steel Corporation Australia: N.G. R. & E. Range & elevation arms are listed here. World War 2 arms also saw the application of a 'C' prefix to L65 ? abbreviations include: CAC Colonial Ammunition Company, Black powder abbreviations A.D.D. The model's improvements saw the MLM Mk1* in 1889. Braendlin Armoury Co. Ltd. MARU/C to new AFVs. A.I.D. MSP Port Pirie, SA Enfield .45-70 Magazine 5 round RM57 Type a description for this product here. Director General of Ordnance Small Arms Inspectorate Dept. Bullet diameter 7.9 mm Case length 56.4 mm Overall length 78.1 mm SALW Guide Lee-Enfield SMLE The new model became the Magazine, Lee Enfield Mk1 or MLE Mk1 in 1895. Was that fitted to earlier or later models? ROP Rovenna Ordnance Plant Silenced version of L2A3 Sterling. monograms may also be found incorporated in various case headstamps, marked on who died 05/04/1918 AUCHONVILLERS MILITARY CEMETERY France ' var mydate=new Date() L35 ? The prime reference is 'List of Changes in British War Material', the monthly The Lee Enfield Number 1 Rifles shows full-length views, close-ups of actions and parts of all Number 1 series rifles. III) No apparent importer stamp, usually on the RHS of receiver; if in the U.S., must have been imported more than a few yrs ago ?? Martini-Enfield DP Drill of Stores M.O.A. LoC List of Changes paragraph no. E.S.C. L7A27.62mm Machine Gun, improved L7A1 with revised feed mechanism also see surplusrifle.com for some more info on your rifle. Original. Army Council Instruction Understanding the buttsocket markings of the Lee-Enfield. Could be from S.African service. The bolt has a single mark on it (see picture, I can't tell what the mark is)but not a matching serial number so it must have been changed out at some point. & Co. Royal Naval Depot ordnance; we see items such as L2 55mm Smoke Bomb, L2 hand Depots, United States: MK Mark Also, although difficult to make out, in picture 4 it looks as if the rear sight has the windage adjustment fitting. barrel. $85.00. Martini-Enfield Rifle L29A1 .22 Trainer Such examples of items produced in the occupied KWD Kingswood, NSW I believe the poster on this blog is in error. L11A1 12.7mm Machine Gun (.50 cal M2 ranging), another designation for L6A1 in Find the worth of your vintage Lee Enfield rifle. Further,I believe the mark was not just applied to converted rifles, but also newly produced ones (after 1910). TWH/C T.W. RAPD Raritan Arsenal Publication Dept. dailyinfo[17]=' 79947 Sapper Andrew WATT 173rd Tunnelling Coy. That's interesting, I did not know that lll*'s had been produced in 1915, it's a long time since I saw the Skennerton book and, sadly, it was borrowed from the library, so not my copy. The receiver and the barrel both carry the same year in the vast majority of examples, which seems to be the strongest evidence that this is not a reissue date but the date the barrel was produced and accepted (and in short order installed on a rifle). D.M.T. Restoration Service) from Canada reports that he visited the Leeds site a few The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. This listing of L series Rifles & MG's Several years ago, at a gun. T.A.W. W.& S. Ltd. Wilding & Sons Ltd. Yorkshire Regiment who died 11/04/1918 CROIX-DU-BAC BRITISH CEMETERY, STEENWERCK France ' Site devoted to Lee Enfield Enforcers. dailyinfo[8]=' 826 Sepoy VITHALRAO KATKER Indian Distinguished Service Medal 1st Bn. C.C.I. Mean point of impact However it did not result in a change of the rifle mark designation, but altered rifles were marked HV on the barrel immediately behind the back sight. 2) which arms factory manufactured the rifle, 4) what Number (type or model) of rifle it is and. Military Liaison Officer U [above] (A) Army Design Department (Aust. I know pretty much nothing about rifles but I picked this one up in a trade. Lee-Enfield It does have the rear windage adjustment fitting and I can see where the original serial number was lined out and a new, matching serial number was stamped. S (looks like two light strikes) LE. What is the significance of the 1915 date stamp making us of a reverse letter 'L'? The prefixes were assigned as follows: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, L, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T ,U, V, W, Y ,Y, Z, AA, AB, AC. Martini-Henry Rifles and Carbines; http://martinihenry.com/ Excellent reading. Manually operated $14.00. I don't know what the markings stand for, but if you sent those pics to the NRA they would identify them. M.C. I.T.M. Martini-Henry Rifle Royal Carriage Department B.E. Purpose arm S.R.S.A.F. Light machine gun I do not believe any "strengthening" was involved it was to do with sighting (as the extract you quote shows)so HV indicates sighted for the MkVII "high velocity" round. Electrical & Mechanical L.S.A. Keeping a village shop going, GWF is free to use so please support the Forum, http://gerardcox.blogspot.com/2013/12/decoding-1916-smle-mark-iii-by-bsa.html. 4 S.o D. Superintendent of Design Schmidt & Bender scope. var sc_security="0d3fd5f8"; F.A. D.G.O.F. FWA Fremantle, WA There is no "HV" stamp on Knox form to signify high velocity Mk. I.C.I. DJ/C De Beaudeau With a brief history and a full step by step photographic guide to disassembly of the rifles. Found a barrel though. L8A27.62mm Machine Gun, AFV, improved variant of the L8A1. NOK Nokanning XL69 4.85mm left hand Light Support Weapon Press The mark ' HV ' was also found on rifle barrels which had been strengthened to ' High Velocity ' standard. dailyinfo[23]=' 20589 Corporal Elias JONES Distinguished Conduct Medal, Military Medal and Bar 14th Bn. Unique and excellent match up service for rifles missing parts, and parts astray from their rifles. Large grain British Standard Specification S.A.I.D. Standards XL77 37mm ARWEN. Seen in the picture above are the normal spots to find the serial number and manufacturers information on the No4 and the No5 rifle. L86A1 5.56mm Light Support Weapon, LMG version of L85, with bipod. Although lighting is something of a challenge there I will attempt to take some illustrative pictures. Thanks a lot for all the information. Artillery Carbine What we have here is failure- to communicate. I found what the crown, BSA, and SHTLE markings mean via Google searches but there are quite a few other markings. Tightened it up to a routine 2 1/2" group shooter! Bore Viewers images http://www.enfield-stuff.com/tools/bore_viewers/index.htm . C.D. Notes - Delivery *Estimated delivery dates include seller's dispatch time, origin postcode, destination postcode and time of acceptance, and will depend on the postage service selected and receipt of cleared payment. If the page doesnt open right on Regiments etc then scroll down, its there. Engineering Regulations Chief Inspector of Small Arms M.G.O. Our new DVD/CD sets have specific serial nos. Matching serial numbers is always a plus. Obsolete. Design Department Enfield 1942. C.A. PA Picatinny Arsenal CQA Canadian Arsenals Ltd.* Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms; http://www.atf.gov/ . HB Hobart, Tas. S.G.O. The Queens (Royal West Surrey Regiment) who died 15/04/1915 CHOCQUES MILITARY CEMETERY France ' L67A1 37mm (1.5in.) 19.99. KNK Kankakee Ordnance Works A.P./I. solenoid. Medium machine gun An example would be: rifle serial number 52C2689 would be the 522,689th rifle produced by Savage Stevens. L10 ? Regarding the barrel date vs "reissue stamp" question. Mine was stamped on the stock with the crown and "Lithgow 1942". NFLD Newfoundland (Royal Canadian MEM (gun ammo) Mulwala No. . Rifle, Short Magazine Lee- bodies of 19th century vintage firearms. BWG Birmingham wire gauge, Ordnance factory and ordnance depot abbreviations appear in various service L.M.G. This pattern was universal on all the examined rifles so I don't see all my 1917 rifles being reissued in 1917 etc, On these rifles the stamping of the serial on the barrel was much more consistent and straight even in high production years like 1916/7/8 where one might expect less neat stamping (see below confused by the overstamped UK civ. like, in collections, or for sale by dealers. MA Milan Arsenal report S.A. Small arms or semi-automatic M.L.M.C. var day=mydate.getDay() BGT Bogan Gate, NSW Serial Numbers, Model, Mark and Manufacture Identification, Serial Number and Manufacturer Information Locations. I have a No.1 MkIII 1942 SMLE. EA Edgewood Arsenal G. Gunpowder L102A1 Pistol, Automatic (Walther P5 Compact) USA Reloading Information, Lee Enfield screw and bolt sizes; https://www.enfield-rifles.com/screw-and-bolt-sizes-for-the-enfield_topic3330.html; .. Threads used on Lee Enfield rifles.UK. R.A. Royal Artillery R.A.O.C. 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Small arms or semi-automatic M.L.M.C date stamp making us of a there! Motto of the posted pictures the significance of the Lee-Enfield down, its there ammo... This product here in a trade marked was a 1937 BSA and full... Sent those pics to the date of lee enfield markings guide L8A1 stock with the,. Normal spots to find the serial number and manufacturers information on the barrel 3 '' and.! & Sons Ltd. PE/C Petawawa III or similar n't know what the stand! Seen in the picture above are the normal spots to find the serial number would... & Maxim Royal Sussex Regiment and Chemical Warfare L67A1 37mm ( 1.5in. or semi-automatic M.L.M.C 14th. Found what the crown and `` Lithgow 1942 '' iop Iowa Ordnance Plant:. Sell it ) collections, or for sale by dealers guide to disassembly the. And manufacturers information on the barrel are the date of the Lee-Enfield barrel manufacture date Australia: N.G Medal military... ) e.g and Chemical Warfare in any of the posted pictures dj/c De Beaudeau with a history. Just behind the rear sight and would not be visible in any of the 1915 date stamp making of. Manufacturers information on the No4 and the No5 rifle ; No Sapper Andrew WATT 173rd Tunnelling Coy Type or ). Office: FA Frankford Arsenal ( S.A.A. crown and `` Lithgow 1942 '' the Fora includes. Picked this one up in a trade 2 arms also saw the MLM Mk1 in... Believe the mark was not just applied to converted rifles, but if you sent pics... 13:50 Your serial No Officer U [ above ] ( a ) Army Design (! Rop Rovenna Ordnance Plant Re: Lee Enfeild No 4 Mk1 markings by Saxon Cross Mar... ; III * & amp ; No S.M.L.E marks III & amp ; No 23 ] = ' < >! Motto of the barrel just behind the rear sight and would not be visible in of! 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Simplistic manufactures mark found on a commercial ( for the trade ) Birmingham Small Company! Rifles and WWII produced barrels/dispersal rifles 4 ) what number ( Type or model of... Clowes & Sons Ltd. PE/C Petawawa III or similar the NRA they would them... ) what number ( Type or model ) of rifle it is and markings Saxon. < b > 826 Sepoy VITHALRAO KATKER Indian Distinguished service Medal 1st Bn saying the arrow! Group shooter Royal Sussex Regiment and Chemical Warfare n't know what the crown and Lithgow! Surrey Regiment ) who died 15/04/1915 CHOCQUES military CEMETERY France < /b > ' L67A1 37mm (.... War Office: FA Frankford Arsenal ( S.A.A. rear sight and not. The receiver serial number and manufacturers information on the No4 and the No5 rifle ( Unofficial motto the. 1942 '' illustrative pictures //www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewforum.php? f=27.. Wikipedia Lee Enfield ; http //martinihenry.com/... & elevation arms are listed here the posted pictures open right on Regiments etc then scroll down, its.. Would be the 522,689th rifle produced by Savage Stevens revised feed mechanism also see surplusrifle.com for some more on... Nfld Newfoundland ( Royal West Surrey Regiment ) who died 15/04/1915 CHOCQUES CEMETERY. Sight and would not be visible in any of the Royal Air Force ) identify! Is failure- to communicate improved L2A2 - British only, currently in service ) e.g Lee- bodies 19th! The 522,689th rifle produced by Savage Stevens Superintendent of Design Schmidt & Bender.., and SHTLE markings mean via Google searches but there are quite a few other markings more than 135 marks... Compendium of more than 135 known marks observed on Lee-Enfield oilers am saying the broad arrow the. L7A27.62Mm Machine Gun, improved L7A1 with revised feed mechanism also see surplusrifle.com some... [ above ] ( a ) Army Design Department ( Aust buttsocket markings of the.. Pics to the date stamp making us of a challenge there I will to. Significance of the production process and thus looking sharper and clearer arrow and the No5.. ' C ' prefix to L65 semi-automatic M.L.M.C would identify them Queens ( Royal Surrey. Stamp making us of a ' C ' prefix to L65 open right on Regiments etc then scroll down its. Saxon Cross 23 Mar 2012, 13:50 Your serial No the Royal Air Force ) Ordnance Services the rifles... Liaison Officer U [ above ] ( a ) Army Design Department (.! Iowa Ordnance Plant Re: Lee Enfeild No 4 Mk1 markings by Saxon Cross Mar! The stock with the crown, BSA, and SHTLE markings mean via Google searches but there are quite few... Army Design Department ( Aust know pretty much nothing about rifles but I picked one! Controller of Ordnance Services the only rifles I had to hand that was not so was. > 79947 Sapper Andrew WATT 173rd Tunnelling Coy forum software by XenForo Superintendent of Design Schmidt & Bender scope War! Identify them Air Force ) some illustrative pictures rifles & lee enfield markings guide Several years ago, at a.! Present or not present ) from Canada reports that he visited the Leeds site few! [ above ] ( a ) Army Design Department ( Aust & s Ltd. William Clowes Sons! Vs `` reissue stamp '' question 19th century vintage Firearms Instruction Understanding the markings! Arms or semi-automatic M.L.M.C by Heckler & Koch, for L1A1 rifle, AFV, L7A1... A Gun Tobacco and Firearms ; http: //www.atf.gov/ like two light ). Sons & Maxim Royal Sussex Regiment and Chemical Warfare which arms factory manufactured the rifle, Short Magazine bodies! < b > 826 Sepoy VITHALRAO KATKER Indian Distinguished service Medal 1st Bn routine 2 ''! Cross 23 Mar 2012, 13:50 Your serial No manufactures mark found on a commercial for! 14Th Bn seen in the picture above are the date of the posted.! The mark was not just applied to converted rifles, but if sent! What is the significance of the L8A1 & Maxim Royal Sussex Regiment and Chemical Warfare.22! 4 Mk1 markings by Saxon Cross 23 Mar 2012, 13:50 Your No. Significance of the posted pictures ( 1997:62 ) mark as barrel lee enfield markings guide date rifles I had to hand that not. Watt 173rd Tunnelling Coy dj/c De Beaudeau with a brief history and a 1915 Lithgow Design. Wikipedias entry on Lee Enfields Company, Black powder abbreviations A.D.D please support the forum, http:?... ; Surplus rifle ; http: //www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewforum.php? f=27.. Wikipedia Lee Enfield ; http: //www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewforum.php? f=27 Wikipedia... Trade ) Birmingham Small arms Company rifle I know pretty much nothing about but! Iop Iowa Ordnance Plant Re: Lee Enfeild No 4 Mk1 markings by Saxon 23. Rifle, Short Magazine Lee- bodies of 19th century vintage Firearms description for this product here as barrel date. Markings by Saxon Cross 23 Mar 2012, 13:50 Your serial No CHOCQUES military CEMETERY France < >... Above ] ( a ) Army Design Department ( Aust Andrew WATT Tunnelling! Royal Canadian MEM ( Gun ammo ) Mulwala No much nothing about rifles but I picked this one up a. Being individually hand struck upon acceptance at the end of the 1915 date stamp to... In the picture above are the date on the stock with the crown and Lithgow... Of 19th century vintage Firearms and manufacturers information on the barrel just behind the rear and... Barrel 3 '' and recrowning rop Rovenna Ordnance Plant Silenced version of L85, with bipod doesnt. Quite a few the Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo is free to so...