.308 Lee Enfield

[saskjack]

Can anyone help me to I.D an old Lee Enfield?

It is marked Enfield 1918 Sht LE III with a crown stamped above the Enfield.

All this is on the right hand side above and behind the trigger guard.

On the left side of the breech  is stamped .308.

This rifle has full military wood and all of the visible screw heads show screw driver marks.

The left side of the action just in front of the safety lever has a brass or copper strap with a peg  that sticks inside to act as a shell ejector.

When I try to chamber a .303 British cartridge I cannot close the bolt. But I can close the bolt on a .308  Winchester. 

Can any one help?

 

[Navalsnpr]

Sounds like the rifle used to be a .303 British caliber and was converter to .308 most likely after it was sold to the public. This was a common practice after .308 was introduced into the market.

Try and do a google search for "Enfield 1918 Sht LE III"

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Long Branch did a number of these conversions. Very nice shooters.

 

[TCBF]

Hey, Saskjack, it sounds to me like this here rifle you are talking about is an inconvenience to you.  Wanna sell?

Just kidding ;D

There are some good posts on this site about headspace and .308 re barrelled LEs.  Check it out, you may want to have it checked by a gunsmith before you shoot it.

I have a Canadian No. 4 Mk. 1* converted to .308.

Does your's have a PH 4 sight on it, or normal SMLE (Short Magazine Lee Enfield) sights?

Google "Lee Enfield Proof Marks" and see if you can find anything else.  Or I will look in "The British Service Lee" by Skennerton.

Tom

 

[NavyShooter]

Hi SaskJack,

Sounds like you have a reasonably unique rifle there, but I do not believe it would be a military conversion.

I know that the #4 action was deemed suitable for modification to 7.62mm/.308 (yes, I know there's a difference) and there were a number of variants produced.

The #1 action, usually of WWI Era, was not typically considered suitable, partly due to difference in steel qualities, and partly due to difference in headspacing on the #1 action.  The #1 action is not typically considered strong enough for modern military cartridges such as the .308/7.62mm.  The exception to that is post WWII Production rifles from the Ishapore factory in India, where a large number of .308/7.62mm Lee Enfield #1's were built.

I will suggest that you wander over to another site, www.canadiangunnutz.com join up there, and post a couple of pictures in the Milsurp section, asking for help identifying your rifle. 

Based on what you've written, I think it's a gunsmith conversion, not a factory rifle.

I would STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you get the headspace of the rifle checked by a competent gunsmith before you take it out to the range and shoot it.

I was present last fall when a .308 conversion Lee Enfield had a catastrophic ammunition failure, resulting in minor injuries to 2 persons (including the RSO who was 10 feet away)

NavyShooter

 

[my72jeep]

The british did convert a number of .303 to .308 an were used as sniper rifles up untill the 80's.

 

[saskjack]

Thanks to everyone for all the good information!
I have surfed some on the sites that were suggested and I have learned alot ,mostly that I don't know Jack about  Lee Enfields

I don't know what rear sight is on it. It is an open U (V) hinged at the front with a ramp and a spring loaded slide locking device. The bar is marked 2 to 20.

When I removed the wood strip from behind the rear sight I found more markings. A small crown over a smal l" R" and a larger crown over a larger "R". Then a mark that I cannot describe with a line or a bar under it and over a P.V followed by a crown on an oval with a  E over a LG and a small Xunder the L.
There is also a .308 followed by the letters B.BLINDEE if this is any help please let me know .

Thanks Saskjack.