*British, WW1, Lee-Enfield ShtLE Mk 111 Bolt Action Rifle (S.M.L.E. MK3), .303 cal. Dated 1916, with sling and field cleaning kit, Deactivated Old Spec*
Serial No: O3381 marked on barrel
Barrel Length: 25″
Calibre: .303″
Marked on RHS trigger band: Crown over G.R. over Enfield over 1916, ShtLE III
Marked on LHS of Barrel: Crown over ER over Crossed Flags over 2r
Marked on bolt: S7692 X
Marked on safety and RHS trigger band: III, War Arrow, N
Marked on Rear Sight Ear: War Arrow
Marked in front of rear sight: HV (indicating it had been resighted for the MkVII round)
Marked on sight: F 9944 (crossed out), graduation on the sight 2-20
Marked on nose: Z7540
Marked on bolt: M, A403
Marked underneath the barrel: War Arrow over Crown over KS over X
Underneath barrel: X
Magazine marked: 03, war arrow,
The insignia featuring a Crown Cypher over “GR” and “Enfield 1916 ShtLE Mk III” denotes its production at the Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield, with “ShtLE” standing for Short Lee-Enfield. The Lee–Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed rifle that was the primary firearm of the British Empire from 1895 to 1957. It was named after James Paris Lee, the designer of the rifle’s bolt system, and the location of the factory where it was designed, the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield, UK.
The Mark III, introduced in 1907, features a simplified rear sight arrangement (eliminated the windage system but retained the protective ear positioned to the right to accommodate the absent windage screw) and a fixed, rather than a bolt-head-mounted sliding, charger guide. The design of the handguards and the magazine were also improved and the chamber was adapted to fire the new Mk VII high velocity spitzer .303 ammunition. Another feature present on the Mk III was a field cleaning kit enclosed behind a trapdoor in the buttstock which included a barrel pull through.
During the First World War, the SMLE Mk III was found to be too complicated and therefore expensive to manufacture; in late 1915 the Mk III* was introduced incorporating several changes, the most prominent of which were the deletion of the magazine cut-off mechanism and the cocking piece was changed from a round knob to a serrated slab. It saw extensive service in both World Wars and beyond.
*Condition*
Deactivated to Old Spec, with a fully moving bolt and trigger, this rifle cocks and dry fires. It is an iconic 20th-century collectible. It comes complete with sling and field cleaning barrel pull through. It is in good condition with a great patina and the marks and dings commensurate with age and service, there is evidence of some repairs to woodwork. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
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