Lee Enfield No. 4 Mark 1 for $250, should I buy it?
Hey guys, I was in a local gun shop the other day and saw a Lee Enfield sitting on the wall. I do not know much about them, but I thought I have heard that No. 4s were good. Are they? Is this a good price? What should I look for on it? I did see that the rear sight is broken because it did not move at all when I moved the range. Anyway, what should I do? thanks.
Originally Posted By goldeneye:
Hey guys, I was in a local gun shop the other day and saw a Lee Enfield sitting on the wall. I do not know much about them, but I thought I have heard that No. 4s were good. Are they? Is this a good price? What should I look for on it? I did see that the rear sight is broken because it did not move at all when I moved the range. Anyway, what should I do? thanks.
Personally, I wouldn't be
too eager to bite on that one, without knowing more about it.. The No. 4 Mk 1
is a good rifle, but not as nice as a No.4 Mk 2 (which has a better trigger mounting system and much nicer sights). That price is probably about what they are going for, but it isn't an outstanding deal, especially if the sights are broken.
Take your time to research them a bit more, and shop around. You'll probably end up with a better rifle for the same or less money. Be aware that ammo is getting harder to find and expensive. At least that's what I'm hearing.
edited to add:
after posting the above, I felt that I'd best mention that I'm NOT sure about current values of No4 Mk 1 rifles.
They may have gone up in price much more than I'm aware, and that 250 may be a bargain.
The last gunshow I was at they were going for over $300. The sight might be stuck in a position to let you shoot at 100yds untill you can get a replacement and it would give you something to look for at gunshows.
Like KONIIK said the no2's are nicer but a little harder to find and cost more.
Some look at the bolt, once removed there is a number on it, 1, 2, 3. They started at 1 and as the head space increased so did the bolt head.
As long as the stock hasn't been cut and the rest is in decent shape I would go for it.
Rustynut, the bolt head numbers start at "0". I wish I had it here but unfortunately I cant take a picture of my Savage No.4 Mk1 with a 0 bolt-head marking.
Check the web for identifying Ishapore rifles, make sure its actually what it looks like, check the numbers, etc. Make sure the #'s match. The barrel and bolt should have matching numbers.
I like the No.4 Mk1 and No.4 Mk2.......not a fan of the No.4 Mk1*. I don't like the simplified bolt release because the corner of the cut-out has a tendency to chip, which can cause jams/ malfunctions. I see a lot of the cheaper No.4 Mk1* with chipped bolt release cut-outs.....makes me think that's why they are for sale. IIRC all Savages are No.4 Mk1*, so look for the chip.
advntrjnky
Not a bad price. Main thing to check is the bore, after that, for enfields I've noticed quite a few have really bad play between the receiver and the fore-arm (front peices of wood), I avoid those because the fix is a lot of work. Everything else can be easily replaced if it's jacked up. Ideally it won't be messed up, obviously. Matching #'s are nice, but I wouldn't count on it. Depends on what you want it for, really. Do a little research, make sure everything is there and working.
As far as the rear sight, you really gotta spin it (assuming it's the micrometer type) to get it to change a lot. If it's broken you still have the big 200m zero sight, which is what I end up using more often than not.
