When I buy a milsurp I buy for the history and the collecting. I have seen it said of WWI that the US had the best target rifle, the UK the best battle rifle.
Some of the design features of the Lee Enfield to consider:
1. The No. 1 Mk III (I know for sure)-came with different butt sizes-Short, Normal, Long and then Bantam. The M1903 was one size fits all.You may get a rifle that doesn't quite fit you, then you have look for another buttstock and learn to install it.
2. The Lee Enfield bolt has a separate bolt head that is reasonably easy to replace. If you get a rifle with incorrect headspace correcting it is mostly a matter of getting the right parts. Correcting a headspace problem on an M1903 is a job for a gunsmith.
3. The UK-and the Empire-put the serial number on far more parts than we did, hence finding a Lee-Enfield that is "all matching" is really a matter of luck, since so many were repaired in the field or went through "FTR"-Factory Thorough Repair. M1903s were number on the receiver, that's about it. Many were rebuilt over the years of course, you will find a WWI receiver with a WWII barrel, etc.
Some of the design features of the Lee Enfield to consider:
1. The No. 1 Mk III (I know for sure)-came with different butt sizes-Short, Normal, Long and then Bantam. The M1903 was one size fits all.You may get a rifle that doesn't quite fit you, then you have look for another buttstock and learn to install it.
2. The Lee Enfield bolt has a separate bolt head that is reasonably easy to replace. If you get a rifle with incorrect headspace correcting it is mostly a matter of getting the right parts. Correcting a headspace problem on an M1903 is a job for a gunsmith.
3. The UK-and the Empire-put the serial number on far more parts than we did, hence finding a Lee-Enfield that is "all matching" is really a matter of luck, since so many were repaired in the field or went through "FTR"-Factory Thorough Repair. M1903s were number on the receiver, that's about it. Many were rebuilt over the years of course, you will find a WWI receiver with a WWII barrel, etc.