303 id

[tombogan03884]

When the Imperial German Army ran into the British Expeditionary Force (The Old Contemptible's  ) at Metz in 1914 the volume of rifle fire convinced them they were facing machine guns.

[bigdrumdaddy]

I know nothing about this platform, but just wondering if this has some collector value, if it's truly 100+ years old.  How plentiful are these rounds?  I know of several other pre-WWII examples in other calibers that fetch a high price, especially if the box is present.  Seems like everything older was used up in WWII.

I've been shooting Enfields of every variety for more than 25 years now, and I can tell you you'd be hard pressed to find a better military bolt gun from that era. It's been said that the Germans built a hunting rifle, the US built a target rifle, and the Brits built a battle rifle (a paraphrase). I've always found the Enfield to be an excellent platform, and have a No. 4 Mk I that - before my eyes went south - I said would out shoot any bolt gun with irons out to 600 yards. And I never lost a challenge. That particular rifle was made in the first three weeks of production in 1939, and was as accurate as anything I'd ever had the pleasure of firing.
   From your pics, it looks like you've got a No. 4 that's had the stock cut down - which would devalue it a good deal, but SARCO often has full stock sets at affordable prices (if you'd care to restore it). And there ARE a couple of excellent reference books available - as well as online sources - that can tell you the vintage, manufaturer, etc if you're interested.
   Don't know how much ammo came with the gun, but I wouldn't shoot it all up right away, as finding surplus .303 is like searching for unicorns - and though you CAN buy new commercial stuff in both brass and steel cases, it ain't cheap. And those stripper clips are just as priceless, so cling to each and every one 'cause the commercial knock-offs aren't worth spit.
   All in all I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the Enfield, and hopefully grow to love and appreciate it as many of us have. It's no Springfield '03 or Mauser K98 - but in many ways that's a good thing. On the other hand, it's no Mosin Nagant either (not that they're so bad). The Brits built a battle rifle that, with slight modifications along the way, carried them through WWI to Korea, and is still often seen in the hands of guerilla fighters in Africa and the Middle East (where some were hand-made knock offs). In the beginning stages of the Soviet's Afgahnistan campaign the Mujahadeen had little more than old Enfields and fared pretty well all things considered. tombogan3884's recounting of the battle of Metz in 1914 is a classic example of just how effective a well-trained force, armed with Enfiends, can be. The Brits made maximum use of their battle rifle for decades. It's just a shame that so many of them were forced to turn them over when Britain's "gun control" measures went into effect in the 70s and 80s - leaving many old veterans in tears as they handed over their prized possessions to be sent to the scrap heap.

[lhprop1]

I've had it for a few years, but at $1.50/round for new ammo, I didn't get a chance to shoot it much. 

I've tried to find out exactly what it is.  It's not a Lithgow, but it's stamped

ShtLE
1941
Mk III*

From what I can find, the Mark III* (with the star) was a variation of the No 1, but it doesn't show the No 1's being made as late as 1941.  I'll have to take some pics of the markings and get a more accurate account of what it is.

Regardless, it's a great shooter.