Aussie Enfield

[weevil]

I picked up a nice one, at a pawn shop. It's a '45 Lithgow #1MK.III*. He had it priced at $159, but I got it for $100 cash. Its in good condition. The barrel has some pitting, but the rifling, and crown look good. The wood is very nice, and the metal finish is about 80%. The # on the receiver matches the nosecap, but the bolt doesn't match, the mag isn't marked, but has the same finish, as the receiver. It has a brass buttplate, it looks nice, but that seems like a luxury for a war production rifle. It also has a green, and a white band, painted on the wrist of the buttstock, does anyone know what these are for? This is my third Enfield, the other two are in better condition, but this a really nice example of an Enfield, are all Lithgows this nice? If they are I'd love to find one in mint condition.

[NC_Rebel]

All the Lithgows I have seen are nice, given their age. The brass butt plate does seem like a luxury, but No.1 Mk.III's come with a brass plate as standard. That's part of what makes them so much more attractive than their younger brothers. :)

The green and white bands I'm not so sure about. I got an Australian replacement stock set for my L1A1 and it had green and white bands painted on it as well. Maybe this is some sort of mil-surp marking?

[Schuetzenman]

I don't know what Geen and White strips mean either. I know that a red then white then red striped area on an Enfield usually means Drill Purpose only. The chambers are rendered useless for actually shooting and the weapons are not considered safe to fire.

Must be an Enfield collectors web site out there to go to and find out. Come back and post it here to promote the C&R forum and collectively further our knowledge. ;)

[weevil]

Don't know what the stripes mean? You gotta be schuetzen me. I'll bet Valmet Mike would have known. :D

[WARWOLFx]

Originally posted by Schuetzenman
Must be an Enfield collectors web site out there to go to and find out. Come back and post it here to promote the C&R forum and collectively further our knowledge. ;)

I was gonna post this last week but their site was having problems http://www.geocities.com/lee_enfield_rifles/

[weevil]

I didn't realize the stripes were that mysterious. I thought for sure some would know that off the top their head. Shuetzenman knew about the red stripes, but no one knows about the green one? How interesting. Well I guess I'm going surfing. :D

[Signode]

The Green stripes stand for Drill Purpose in Australia. THERE IS OR SHOULD NOT BE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE RIFLE THOUGH. the Indians used red and white the Aussies green. The Aussie rifles still fire though.

[weevil]

Thanks, Signode! I couldn't find anything on the stripes. I didn't think there were any shooting problems. Whoever owned it before must have used it for hunting. It had a bolt-on scope mount, and the bottom half of the mag was stuffed with paper towels.

[Schuetzenman]

So the Green and white is an Aussie version of the Indian's red and white. I learned something new today!

Stuffed with paper towels . . . . ROFMALO!:D

[weevil]

I got a good chuckle, myself, when I pulled out the follower, and seen paper towels. Here in Colorado, you're limited to 5nd mags in rifles, and 3 in shotguns. Here I've been wasting my time, and money, cutting pieces of wood, and buying 5rnd mags, when all this time I could have been using paper towels. It never ceases to amaze me, what you can learn from these old guns. :D