Enfield No4 MKI feature ident. help plz

M

MilJunkie

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I recently purchased my first Enfield, it is a No4 MKI (F) dated 11/48 PF616XX.

I was wondering about the grooves on the upper handguard (which seem to improve grip) and had not seen them anywhere until I came across a post here with a photo from madcratebuilder, which has the same grooves.
(Mine is not a sniper)

finished02.jpg


I thought they were some bubba job, but now I am not sure, and I thought someone might tell me which units these appeared on?
 
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Don't quote me but I believe those are just on the American made Savages. The British and Aussie ones don't have them. The New Zealand ones might
 
It is British made (Fazakerly) and the Main stock is F marked, so maybe the handguard is not matching? The bolt is later S/N than the rifle, so not everything is original, but most are F or Crown marked.
 
Lower hand guards were made by sub-contractors. Some used grooves, some did not. The grooved version is more common on Canadian and US made No4's but the Brit's did produce grooved lower hand guards. It's not a linear thing, just haphazard. Either smooth or grooved is considered correct.
 
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Here is the portion I am talking about. Sorry about the photo, I will get some better ones out, I think you can see enough of the stamping there as well
 
The grooves served 2 purposes. They allowed a better grip when bayonet fighting with cold, wet, muddy hands. They also allowed you a better grip when assuming or standing from prone with the same cold, wet, muddy hands.

Appearance seems utterly random, with the exception that I've never seen grooved blond wood. I've had a '43 with the grooves, a '42 without, & a blond '55 without.
 
Appearance seems utterly random, with the exception that I've never seen grooved blond wood. I've had a '43 with the grooves, a '42 without, & a blond '55 without.
Click to expand...

I vaguely recall a thread at Gunboards about the grooved vs non grooved. No one could post a pic of grooved Beech wood guards. One or two claimed to have seen them at one time, I never have. I don't recall ever seeing a MkII with grooves (original).
 
Yeah, me neither. I've been looking seriously for a few years & even posted WTB ads without sucess.

(Just you watch, some bright spark is gonna gouge a few up with a Dremel cutoff wheel & try to sell them as "rare, collectable" now!):eek:
 
No need for the Dremel.
I am busy with my drains and a very good plumber this evening, so no photo, BUT...

I have grooved Beech handguards on a 1941 BSA and a 1943 Fazakerley.
I will put up photos on Gunboards LE Forum in a dedicated thread later this week.
-----krinko
 
they are just a random occurence as far as I've seen. my Savage made no4 MK1* is all parts matching and does not have the grooves so even on lend/lease rifles they were hit or miss use.
 
The 303 Enfield I have is a Birmingham Small Arms 1942 dated, No.4 MK I ,it has dark wood, all numbers matching and has a grooved upper handguard.

I had never thought about the grooves as I had assumed they all were grooved. Will have to start paying attention to that detail.

Gary
 
From "Lee-Enfield No. 4 and No. 5 Rifles", by Charles Stratton:
Rear handguard, Second variation: "four long. grasping grooves, about 7 1/4" long...".

Both first and second var. rear handguards have been observed on No. 4 Mk 1 and Mark 1* of Brit., Can. and US manufacture.

The grooved handguards are "found most often on Savage-manu. rifles".
Both grooved and non-grooved are found on rifles produced in the same factories during the same time period.
"Evidently, the two (S and L) factories traded wood fairly frequently.."
 
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