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| RARE!!, Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield, Model: No.1 Mk.V SHTLE...
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Item # 4454 |
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Guns
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lot has ended.
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| Item Price: |
$1061
(excludes shipping)
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Winner will be contacted shortly by Ward's Auctions
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| Winning Bid
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US $1061 |
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First bid
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$750 |
| Quantity |
1 |
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# of bids |
7
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| Time left |
Auction has ended
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| Started |
2025-05-07 00:00:00 |
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| Ended |
2025-11-21 22:35:25 |
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| Seller assumes all responsibility for listing
this item. You should contact the seller to resolve any questions before bidding.
Auction currency is U.S. dollars (US $) unless otherwise noted. |
RARE!!, Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield, Model: No.1 Mk.V SHTLE. Cal: .303 British, MFG: 1923, S/N: 7589, Bolt action rifle, 25 barrel.
HISTORY: The SMLE no.1 Mk.V was a experimental design that never got formally adopted. It was the testing bed to adapt a aperture rear sight mounted to the receiver of the No.1 platform. Starting just before WW1 the British were testing aperture sights on the P13/P14 rifles & preferred them over the older post & notch sights on the SMLEs, noting better quick target acquisition over the post & notch sights, making them better in fighting conditions over a shooting range. The most striking feature of the MK.V is the large folding aperture sight; this was the biggest problem with the rifle being too fragile & large snagging on things & breaking. This would be redesigned into the sights seen on the No.4 Mk.1. The Mk.V also has an additional barrel band, just behind the nose cap. This was added to strengthen the stock for bayonet fighting. They had a Unique style safety lever marked with a ''V''. a full length handguard without the sight cutout, & a unique magazine cut-off without the spotting hole. 20,000 rifles would be made for extensive testing between 1922-24, with only 2,000 being made 1923 like the rifle here. These would be shelved as they went on designing the No.4 Mk.1 but would be pulled out again in WW2 to arm home guard units & other allies. Not many of these survived in their full military configuration & they are a prized collectable in high condition.
CONDITION: The two-piece semi-pistol grip walnut stock is very good with various nicks, dings, & scratches from use/age. The right cheek of the stock has a wood plug where a unit disc was. The bottom of the wrist is marked ''S'', a worn crown proof, & a star over ''E''. there are two ''G'' stamped on the bottom of the forend, just in front of the mag. The bottom end of the forend is double stamped with the S/N, one more faded than the other. The metal has a arsenal re-blue, likely done when it was pushed into service for WW2. blued metal finish rates 95% overall with only light wear on edges. The right side of the wrist band is marked with a crown over ''G.R.'', ''ENFIELD'', ''1923'', ''SHTLE'', ''V''. markings are slightly faded from re-blue job. Safety lever is marked with a half worn ''V''. the right side of the trigger guard is marked ''23''. The left side of the receiver band is marked with a set of four proofs. The right side is marked with the S/N & two proofs. There are more small proofs on other metal parts. S/N matching bolt & nose cap. The bore is excellent, near MINT. Bright & mirror like. The barrel holds a post front sight with protective ears. Receiver mounted flip up aperture ladder sight marked 2 to 14. The stock carries a brass trapdoor buttplate, has some light dings & wear. Trapdoor has original pull through & oiler bottle inside. The stock has both bottom sling loops & comes with a original green canvas sling. a rare & unique collectable that shows the early development of the No.4 Mk.1 SMLE. FFL or C&R Req - Value: 1500 to 2500
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and item description, or contact seller for more information. |
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See item description or
contact seller for more information.
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