Back in the mid-sixties when you could order from a Gun magazine I ordered a new Jungle Carbine still in original cosmoline and factory wrapping. It cost me around $35.
@@petertarasenko2504 I wound up trading mine for an Argentine Mauser. The Mauser had a beautiful action I couldn't resist . Swapped to a Sako stainless barrel rechambered for 30-06 plus a very impressive Fajen stock. I've had that rifle over 50 year but also wish I had kept the Enfield.
Bad ass rifle , well made , very durable solid wood. They used this model as a sniper rifle as well being that this 303 model has a long barrel. I wanted to get my 1st buck with my infield , but it's heavy as an oak tree. Respect to all the war veterans that had to carry this beast into battle. I still have mine , and it still shoots like a new rifle. I love the spring back lever action for faster reloading. I have the original sights , but put on a high power scope for long range target shooting. Nice video, thank you for sharing.
My mate has one of those basically new. Was going to do a video with him. Back in the day on the station it was all 303s bloody good guns the lot of them.
I carried one of these for nearly two years when I served as a National Serviceman in a British Army infantry regiment in the early 1950's. It was for sure an excellent rifle the No. 4 and I always took due care of it and I did quite well during a Battalion an annual shooting competition coming 2nd on target shooting from 200 to 400 yards and the falling plate at 300 yards. The soldier who came first was in the sniper section and was good, really good whilst I was just a bit better than average. My rifle did have a screw back sight 25 yards adjustable which was useful rather than the standard slider. I seem to recall that the butts were available in three sizes, short, medium the standard, and long. We later moved on to the SLR or FAL which for shooting I was never really happy. At the time I had the opportunity to fire the SMLE Mk111 which seemed to have had an even more silky bolt action. It's back sight I never really got used to but the pundits at the time considered it more accurate then the aperture of the No.4. But practice makes perfect. Happy days!
Thanks for your thoughts. I enjoyed reading what you had to say. I also used she SLR in the Australian army. It hit hard and carried the distance. I disliked bieng the radio man because of the extra weight but the batteries were shared at least. I quiet liked the SLR.
I remember when 303 sniper rifles sold for $400. Recently i saw one for $12,000. In 1970 a average house in Sydney would sell for $18,000 now 1.2 million sad but true. Last year i purchased a very nice looking 303 for $1200 looked great until it shot bullets all over the paddock. Hit everything except the target lol. Got it recrowned and used every factory ammo i could find but it was shot out unfortunately. Great brand new gun there and really good to see you are using it as it should be instead of looking at the paper wrap for years lol. Who cares if it's lost value by unwrapping it it's your rifle. Thanks for sharing the 303 Christmas unwrapping!
Thank you for your reply. We had many conversations as to unwrap or not it was no easy decision. We agonised over it but in the end unwrapping won the day. As we are shooters not collectors the decision was probably easier.
Unfortunately that describes most of the surplus guns sold around here circa 1990s. I still have the 3 I bought 2 of which were pretty much shot out. First round usually hit dead balls on every round after got farther and farther away. I went & called J. Engle's co in NJ circa 1999 era, they make barrels for just about anything. I got a ton Rem 700 Bull Barrels made by em. They also re-blued em for me & glass bedded the stocks. The one they made a boo boo the stock was stuck in place on the thing. somehow they got me a brand new stock and after that chaos settled I felt a bit bad at being hard on em for their screw up. Remember back then these guns used to be called junk guns. So I ordered a thumb hole stock from em. I had it a better part the last 20 some years in the box and just a few months ago my son scored one off an add where he works an employee was selling one so we bought it 4 $400 bucks. Have not shot it yet its hard to get 303 ammo anywhere now days. The wood on the gun we bought is atrocious looks like was thru several wars banged around pretty darn good. Hopefully I can back in touch with the company and get new barrel and head spaced.
Purchased 2 off Shotgun News. One for a buddy and one for me. I unwrapped mine, true oiled the stock, shot it and sold it to same buddy who still has it and the one in the wrapper.
Really good to see this video. My dad bought one in 1958 from a Western Auto hardware store. They were in a wood barrel that was marked 10 dollars each. The .303 ammo was original. Dad bought some of the ammo to have brass. All I can tell you about this RIFLE is that at 200 yards on a good day I could punch 1 inch groups with the original open site's. Best regards from Ohio. WALTER
Bloody magnificent. An uncle of mine had 3 of them and they were stored in his gun safe { wombat hole } out the back of his house in the Buckland Valley and they all got burnt in the fires. He bought them all back from the war with him.
I bought a factory wrapped Irish contract back in the mid 2000s for about $500 CAD. Beautiful blonde wood. The cosmoline melts right off the metal in a dishwasher. Just be sure to oil it thoroughly as soon as it is dry and still hot. I rubbed the wood down with turpentine and then refinished it with a mix of 1/3 Beeswax, 1/3 Boiled Linseed oil and 1/3 Turpentine mix. Every day for a week, every week for a month and every month for a year. Then annually. I do all my wood handled tools like that.
Served in the Aussie Army in the 80's. Only new rifle i saw was when our platoon took delivery of a brand new L1A1 SLR that went to the designated marksman. We all stood around and watched in awe as Pte Peters wiped away all the cosmoline to reveal the virgin metal beneath. A thing of beauty. (Saw a bunch of new guns however when the M60 got replaced by the Mag 58) 😆
I fired on them when I was about 13 -14, at the army barracks in Newcastle, barracks road, what a crack it made and recoil, it was the first live ammo gun I ever fired, the armoury room it was kept in had 100s of them in racks and huge piles of ammo boxes, I did hear they were all destroyed not long after that, be about 1973.
As a cadet myself the 303 was a dream of mine to shoot but been navy cadets we got to look not fire our commanding officer was scared we would all dislocate our shoulders been 13-14 years of age
When I started shooting fullbore rifles in the early sixties a No.4 was about £10. Ammo (RG57) was 6d a round. 2.5p in new money. An Anschutz Mod.54 target rifle cost me £45, about a months wages. A Walther PPK 7.65mm made in Zella-Mehlis was £12. Happy days.
21:43 Beauty Mates!!! How Einfield's and Springfield's got past the Mouser design's on the bolts and Safety is beyond me! It is virtually the same bolt assy as a Springfield 1896. And they are SMOOTH and solid Actions! Dependable and reliable. Enjoy proving the rifle! Cheer's Mate's... From Texas!
It was made at royal ordnance fazakerley Liverpool. A mile from me. The gates had armoured pill boxes either side and 15 foot barbed wire double fencing.
I was on patrol in Iraq and found several Enfield rifles and .303 ammo in a cache. Took them back to base and repatriated them to the British Marines. We went shooting.
Just beautiful! I have my fathers that was sporterized a long time ago,it was his deer rifle. I’m working on restoring it to its original configuration.
Welcome to the happy club of folks who own unissued 1955 No 4 Mk2 rifles! Sorry you had to pay so very dearly for it, but you will be pleased with it all your life, and your own grandchildren might still be enjoying it too in 100 years. Yours is the first unwrapped No4 Mk2 I've seen with a corroded buttplate- that was a surprise, but you should be able to clean it up and polish it out. Every thing else looks fantastic as is normal for these unissued rifles.
Thank you for the welcome! Yes prices of these have gone through the roof! Yesterday's clunkers today's winners and the prices are just going to keep going up unfortunately 😕 While i own a couple of no 3s the 4 is just soo much sweeter in the action! It is such a treat to use! Thanks for your comment and for watching. We are not the the best film crew but we try our best. Everything is raw and unedited.
@Outbackvintagevehicles very nice!! Yeah don't ruin it mate it's a beauty..although made my vision feel sticky just looking at it 😂tbh though you won't need a scope. My grandfathers used to pop Turks and Jerries with one of those during the great war with rear sight alone (and a mate with a trench telescope apparently) its a beautiful rifle! Trick with it..fire with your middle finger..your index/trigger finger will automatically rest around the bolt. It helps with rapid fire as you don't need to move away from the sight. Fire with middle, index will pull the bolt etc we were taught then when kneeling, resting the left elbow on the knee. Never have to break your aim 😊 🍻
I got to do this once with this very rifle, It was very special. Mine appears to have a beechwood stock, is also FAZ. Very nice, and I couldn't resist getting a Parker-Hale peepsight. Lee-Enfields not my only favorite bolt-action rifle, but at or near the top. Especially my two Lithgow SMLEs. I bought my No4 MK2 to shoot the berdan-primed corrosive ammo through. I even got one of those galvanized funnels, issued to aid washing the rifles with hot water and soap. I will neither shoot that, nor clean like that, through my SMLEs. So beautiful.
My dad had one, he use to shoot at the Range back in the 60's, he also used it to shoot kangaroos for dog meat on the farm, I used it a couple of times as a 12 year old, you needed to have the wood work bedded in for Target Shooting.
Would that have been annoying then i wonder or did you enjoy the job? Imagine having that job now? The 308 made such good sense i think. Thanks for watching!
These rifles were imported by Fullers Firearms decades ago and sold for $260. Wrapping was slit on the left hand side to confirm serial number and to paint the locking bolt (safety catch) red on top to conform with then Customs regulations. PF serials up to 1955 were made at Fazakerley primarily for competition rifle shooters. This information from Brian Labudda in Kingaroy.
@@Outbackvintagevehicles... I've recently been looking at getting one of these, but they are getting harder and more expensive. I just think these rifles were really well made and one of the all time best service rifles.
@TheIrishd501 Yes they were beautifully made of all the Lee Enfields. 40,000 were made for the Irish contract. They are lighter due to the omission of the heavy metal bayonet lug and more accurate due to the redesign of the trigger mechanism.
Wow, $6000 is alotta brass! A friend gave me a 1944 Canadian Long Branch Enfield sporter because his wife didnt want it in the house. I've never shot it, but it's a lovely rifle. Not very collectable because of the sporterizing. The Hudsons Bay sold these in department stores in 1960's Canada for $30-40 typically.
Lol the 6g has brought a lot of attention and fair enough. I had no problem justifying the price but yes it is a lot of coin. Remember we are talking Aus dollars to but even so it is a lot. Worn out clunkers can go for 1g here in Aus that are only good as wall hangars and usually shoot crooked unfortunately. A sniper 303 fetches around 13g aus. I have yet to see another mummy wrap 303. There were 3 buyers attempting to purchase this rifle at the same time. I just happened to deliver the cash the quickest. These mummy wraps don't fall out of the sky anymore. Thanks for commenting and watching! If you find a mummy wrap 303 please let me know I'd be very interested. Hope you have a awesome day in Canada 🇨🇦 would love to visit one day!
Thanks for your comment. In the 80s in Aus nobody wanted a clunker Lee Enfield 😔 you couldn't give them away. I remember i purchased 3, 6.5x55 Swedish Mausers 😀 for about $250 still in cosmoline and with bayonets. I traded them years ago they were fine rifles. I remember dad had 4 Lee Enfields in the 80s gathering dust that he gave away for nothing. They were used ones.
Cheers 🍻 mate awesome stuff! Iv got the bayonet I'd purchased for one of my others years ago. I have a sniper scope also but that can't go on this beauty without destroying a great rifle!
What a Stunning Rifle that's going to be when it's cleaned up and it was made in the factory that was only a couple of miles from where I live in Liverpool.
I shot one of those as a young lad in the Air Training Corps. I wasn’t very heavy back then, and after every shot, I was pushed back off the shooting mat. 😂 I seem to remember the rifle I shot had a flip up rear sight as well. They were definitely a lot bulkier than the M1 rifles, the Americans had. The SLR did replace it in the 1970’s. It’s just a guess, but I think it might need a bit of a pull through. 😂
Just posted a video on unwrapping my rifle, it is made the same month as yours. I look foreward to seeing your rifle all cleaned up, I unwrapped mine a few months ago and just got out shooting today so i could post everything up to the first shot. Cheers!
Bought a bunch of those out of barrels at country stores for 19 dollars those were the good old day's still got two rare ones one made by Ford Motor Company or FOMOCO and one from Singer Sewing Machine CO.
It may sound stupid but I remember an old armorer telling me, they used to wash the grease of with boiling water before cleaning and reassembling and oiling up the metal work
Yes I have heard this but I'm to scared to just in case I mess it up haha. The gun is very clean now and nice we've just been a bit lazy on the videos lately but next month planing on making a new video with some targets. I put one up last night but it wasn't planned to be a UA-cam video so it's not in HD unfortunately.
Yes I've been told this alot in my life about many things, my grandmother could say when I was your age I owned a house a brand new Holden and they could buy a 303 for $50, sad how things change its very unfortunate, but I guess these guns are getting harder to come by and you can buy a shot out 303 for 1k in Australia, the price just keeps going up. End of the day I'm very happy, even my old man was getting 303s in the 70s the same price we pay for a bottle of rum now.
The Lee Enfield 303 is one of the best rifles I've ever had the pleasure of firing. Just FYI rifles in general are never sent to the field with the wrapping still on them they are unwrapped and cleaned before they ever see service.
Thanks for your comment. Wrapping no but cosmoline yes. My Uncle was a armourer in ww2 and on occasions soldiers had to remove the cosmoline themselves. Happened in the Pacific quiet a bit apparently.
Lovely rifle. The full wooden furniture is really something in these times of all plastic. I hope you know how to look after her as she deserves. You've got to name her too, but please not Sheila, for fuck sake.
Some 30 years ago I purchased one of these rifles still in the mummy wrap. It came with a bayonet and scabbard with the rifle, bayonet, and scabbard all have matching serial #. The best way to clean up the rifle is in a solvent take. It the size of a kitchen sink and instead of water it shoots solvent which will easily clean off all the cosmoline(military grease used to store firearms over a long period of time). Solvent tanks can be purchased at hardware stores Ricky from IBM
Thanks for your comment. We used mineral spirits and a hair dryer and lots of rags. Iv used this method in the past with a couple of 6.5 Swedish Mausers and it works a treat. It doesn't harm any finish or bluing. I use what you describe in the shed to clean parts for my vehicle restorations and it works a treat. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing. I especially like the amount of good memories that this rifle has brought back for people especially those like yourself that have used them as they were intended.
At 13:44, you can place a wet rag over that divot and iron it. The hot iron will push the steam into the wood and cause it to swell decreasing or eliminating the dent.
Thank you for watching. Yes that's a great tip and iv used in the past. On close inspection it appears to have been made by some insect of some description. It doesn't appear to be a dent. Probably a hole that was originally in the stock when it was made perhaps?
@@OutbackvintagevehiclesI don't know but if that's the case the wood probably won't swell since it was eaten. Although, you can get some wood filler for that. BTW, the rifle looks GREAT.
I managed to get my hands on a mummy bagged Lee Enfield No. 4 Mk 1 which was dated 1943. I don't remember the wrap causing me any issues. I also had a minor blem in the fore stock, same location which is weird. My butt stock is also made of the rare brass which was quickly converted to another less expensive metal in 1944. It's a beauty. I've never shot the gun, never intend to. The barrel and inner working are just full of the gunky cosmaline (sp?).
Beautiful guns aren't they with such a long and colourful history. We should check our butt stock again as i now suspect it may not be brass after all which is slightly disappointing. I also came across another 303 with the same small imperfection in the same spot on the wood on you tube believe it or not. We kind of regret opening ours but it was a super rare joy to shoot a Lee Enfield that you knew was bieng fired for the first time! What a treat it was! You have a treasure there in that rifle and im sure you will take good care of her. Best of luck!
@@Outbackvintagevehicles These rifles are indeed beautiful. You were right to unwrap the bag. No human is capable of buying that gun jamming it into a safe to forget about it. You have video proof it came in a mummy bag which is fine. For grins, a few years ago, I carefully put the Enfield into a collectors transport bag for safety. Took it to my favorite gun shop, let them look at it. I asked them what is was worth and what could I trade it for. Their eyes lit up, they said I could have anything in their store which was extensive, they never valued the rifle for me. I've had my Enfield for many years tucked into the back of one of my gun safes and can remember it cost me $250.00 I think in the early 80's. I would recommend not shooting the gun, leave the original gunk in the receiver and barrel assemblies since the value will only increase. Just a friendly suggestion :)
Lol. Thanks for the tip! Boiling water and a snake and she's clean as a whistle! Our videos are raw and unedited. We didn't include the total clean of the rifle because everyone has different views on the process. You can see the first live fire in the following videos. Thanks for the heads up and thanks for watching!
It's good to hear we are not the only ones who have done this. We were waiting for all the wannabe nockers to have a big cry about it 😆 to be honest. Thanks for the tip on the linseed oil. I will put some on today. Thanks for watching.
I live in the u.s.a. but I got one its not made in London. But it's made in Canada long branch it was made in 1944 I love it I heard there better made better than the British version
I know it's crazy isn't it? I can remember people thinking they were clunkers. You couldn't give them away. Now i wish i had bought a dozen and unwrapped one or two keeping the rest in storage 😪 Thanks for watching!
So there’s some confusion and mythology around these Fazakerleys. The Irish contract was actually completed and delivered as per several witnesses that were still alive a few years ago and confirmed that delivery. Truth is, these were designated for the Royal Navy and production was halted in a rush in June 1955 to set Fazakerley up for production of the first run of L1A1’s. Or British conversion of the metric FAL from Belgium. Limited to fire only in semiautomatic. Thanks for the video fellas. Will clean mine up in 2025 when it turns 70.
Thanks for watching and commenting appreciate it. Interesting read to. Time has flown and we need to do a live fire again. Great to hear you have a excellent one of your own would love to see you post it on you tube one day!
@@Outbackvintagevehicles i will document the cleaning of the cosmoline in the chamber, as well as the first fire. Just deciding when. Either in 2025 for its 70th birthday and my 45th, or for it’s 75th and my 50th. Do you have an instagram account by chance?
I have one just like this, three months younger. Still wrapped. I believe they are Irish army surplus from some years back. Is that price tag legit, assuming that's AUD?
You’re unwrapping that rifle with cosmoline and all right on that table? The wife is going to skin your hide and nail it to the garage door! 🤔😜 Did it come with a bayonet? Great video mates! Greetings from north Texas.
Lol 😆 Mate we get away with such things in Straya still 🤣 That is our man cave building where all secret men's business is attended to 😆 and jumbucks n kangas get put in our tucker bags 😆 No worries old mate the missus would give me a flogging if i dared do that in the main house 😉 😀 😜 I love everything about Texas the best state in USA!! If i had to live anywhere else i would choose Texas!!
Are you pleased with the purchase? Dad was WWII vet RIP. Story was that he begged a half a can of gasoline to clean his new issue M-! thick with greases and cosmoline ?
Bless your dad. That story would be true. They used a 44 of boiling water followed by a 44 of diesel iv read. Yes happy with the purchase thank you. Both my grandfathers and both my wife's grandfathers were at the Charge of Bersheeba the last great cavalry charge. My wife's dad was in the Korean war. All used Lee Enfields.
The final version of the Lee Enfield was the no4 mk2. It was slightly lighter than the others because it lacked the steel muzzle cap bayonet mount. The no4 mk 2s are slightly more accurate than the others due to the slight redesign of the the trigger mechanism. About 40,000 no4 mk2s were manufactured, but this figure could be wrong, for the Irish Republic. Most were never delivered due to political reasons and some were stored in mummy wrap. In 1956 the last British Lee Enfield was made and all the machinery was sold to India where the 7.62 x51 Ishapore Lee Enfields were made. Thanks for watching!
I bought one in the 90’s and kept it wrapped until until 3 years ago. I then thought exactly the same, and decided that you do indeed live once and figured I was going to enjoy the firearm instead of someone else after I died. I unwrapped it and am now shooting it and having fun with it.
It's called a detachable magazine for a reason. Iv used many three os and and all of their detachable magazines were easy to remove. This one was difficult because the cosmoline was very thick and had gone hard in places. Cosmoline does go hard over time.
Depends on what country you're in regarding availability and price ect. If you haunt Web sites that deal in older military rifles but you have to be quick as they will disappear in days if listed at all. In Aus a top notch used one $4000 to $4500 and a worn clapped out one $1,200. Mummy ones a rare so demand a ridiculous price unfortunately. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Back in the mid-sixties when you could order from a Gun magazine I ordered a new Jungle Carbine still in original cosmoline and factory wrapping. It cost me around $35.
In 1962 I purchased a brand new lithgow mk3 vacuum sealed in cosmoline for £10.0.0 from super elliots sports store in adelaide, I wish I still had it.
@@petertarasenko2504 I wound up trading mine for an Argentine Mauser. The Mauser had a beautiful action I couldn't resist . Swapped to a Sako stainless barrel rechambered for 30-06 plus a very impressive Fajen stock. I've had that rifle over 50 year but also wish I had kept the Enfield.
That's amazing isn't it? I wish those days could return 😪
@@OutbackvintagevehiclesOur freedoms are being erased every day. I bet the 1950s USA was a blast.
Early 2000 they were 149 to 199
Bad ass rifle , well made , very durable solid wood. They used this model as a sniper rifle as well being that this 303 model has a long barrel. I wanted to get my 1st buck with my infield , but it's heavy as an oak tree. Respect to all the war veterans that had to carry this beast into battle. I still have mine , and it still shoots like a new rifle. I love the spring back lever action for faster reloading. I have the original sights , but put on a high power scope for long range target shooting. Nice video, thank you for sharing.
I have a 1914 No 1 Mk 3 made at Lithgow, its one of my favorite rifles. The action is as smooth as butter.
My mate has one of those basically new. Was going to do a video with him. Back in the day on the station it was all 303s bloody good guns the lot of them.
I carried one of these for nearly two years when I served as a National Serviceman in a British Army infantry regiment in the early 1950's. It was for sure an excellent rifle the No. 4 and I always took due care of it and I did quite well during a Battalion an annual shooting competition coming 2nd on target shooting from 200 to 400 yards and the falling plate at 300 yards. The soldier who came first was in the sniper section and was good, really good whilst I was just a bit better than average. My rifle did have a screw back sight 25 yards adjustable which was useful rather than the standard slider. I seem to recall that the butts were available in three sizes, short, medium the standard, and long. We later moved on to the SLR or FAL which for shooting I was never really happy. At the time I had the opportunity to fire the SMLE Mk111 which seemed to have had an even more silky bolt action. It's back sight I never really got used to but the pundits at the time considered it more accurate then the aperture of the No.4. But practice makes perfect. Happy days!
Thanks for your thoughts. I enjoyed reading what you had to say. I also used she SLR in the Australian army. It hit hard and carried the distance. I disliked bieng the radio man because of the extra weight but the batteries were shared at least. I quiet liked the SLR.
I remember when 303 sniper rifles sold for $400. Recently i saw one for $12,000. In 1970 a average house in Sydney would sell for $18,000 now 1.2 million sad but true. Last year i purchased a very nice looking 303 for $1200 looked great until it shot bullets all over the paddock. Hit everything except the target lol. Got it recrowned and used every factory ammo i could find but it was shot out unfortunately. Great brand new gun there and really good to see you are using it as it should be instead of looking at the paper wrap for years lol. Who cares if it's lost value by unwrapping it it's your rifle. Thanks for sharing the 303 Christmas unwrapping!
Thank you for your reply. We had many conversations as to unwrap or not it was no easy decision. We agonised over it but in the end unwrapping won the day. As we are shooters not collectors the decision was probably easier.
Unfortunately that describes most of the surplus guns sold around here circa 1990s. I still have the 3 I bought 2 of which were pretty much shot out. First round usually hit dead balls on every round after got farther and farther away. I went & called J. Engle's co in NJ circa 1999 era, they make barrels for just about anything. I got a ton Rem 700 Bull Barrels made by em. They also re-blued em for me & glass bedded the stocks. The one they made a boo boo the stock was stuck in place on the thing. somehow they got me a brand new stock and after that chaos settled I felt a bit bad at being hard on em for their screw up. Remember back then these guns used to be called junk guns. So I ordered a thumb hole stock from em. I had it a better part the last 20 some years in the box and just a few months ago my son scored one off an add where he works an employee was selling one so we bought it 4 $400 bucks. Have not shot it yet its hard to get 303 ammo anywhere now days. The wood on the gun we bought is atrocious looks like was thru several wars banged around pretty darn good. Hopefully I can back in touch with the company and get new barrel and head spaced.
I purchased one just like this about twenty five years ago. Very smooth bolt and very accurate. A fantastic rifle !
Nice! They are a beauty!
Purchased 2 off Shotgun News. One for a buddy and one for me. I unwrapped mine, true oiled the stock, shot it and sold it to same buddy who still has it and the one in the wrapper.
Really good to see this video. My dad bought one in 1958 from a Western Auto hardware store. They were in a wood barrel that was marked 10 dollars each. The .303 ammo was original. Dad bought some of the ammo to have brass. All I can tell you about this RIFLE is that at 200 yards on a good day I could punch 1 inch groups with the original open site's. Best regards from Ohio. WALTER
Awesome stuff mate. Thanks for watching. Great memories!
Bloody magnificent. An uncle of mine had 3 of them and they were stored in his gun safe { wombat hole } out the back of his house in the Buckland Valley and they all got burnt in the fires. He bought them all back from the war with him.
Thanks old mate. Really sorry to hear that they got destroyed. What a loss. I hope you find another one day.
What a treat! Thanks for sharing such a cool moment of a historical rifle
Your welcome thanks for watching!
What an awesome catch! Good luck with that beautiful Enfield Rifle, it deserves a good home with responsible owners!
Thank you it's a great piece of history.
I bought a factory wrapped Irish contract back in the mid 2000s for about $500 CAD. Beautiful blonde wood. The cosmoline melts right off the metal in a dishwasher. Just be sure to oil it thoroughly as soon as it is dry and still hot. I rubbed the wood down with turpentine and then refinished it with a mix of 1/3 Beeswax, 1/3 Boiled Linseed oil and 1/3 Turpentine mix. Every day for a week, every week for a month and every month for a year. Then annually. I do all my wood handled tools like that.
Awesome stuff Shawn. Thanks for watching!
Served in the Aussie Army in the 80's. Only new rifle i saw was when our platoon took delivery of a brand new L1A1 SLR that went to the designated marksman. We all stood around and watched in awe as Pte Peters wiped away all the cosmoline to reveal the virgin metal beneath. A thing of beauty. (Saw a bunch of new guns however when the M60 got replaced by the Mag 58) 😆
Awesome stuff mate!!
Lovely bit of old kit!. Had a no.4 myself. Miss that rifle, excellant over 1000 yards on feral dogs and goats. Good pig gun too. Maddog Aus.
Thanks for watching mate.
@@Outbackvintagevehicles No worries.
I fired on them when I was about 13 -14, at the army barracks in Newcastle, barracks road, what a crack it made and recoil, it was the first live ammo gun I ever fired, the armoury room it was kept in had 100s of them in racks and huge piles of ammo boxes, I did hear they were all destroyed not long after that, be about 1973.
Thanks for your comment.
As a cadet myself the 303 was a dream of mine to shoot but been navy cadets we got to look not fire our commanding officer was scared we would all dislocate our shoulders been 13-14 years of age
What an absolute beautiful find. That is a diamond. Thank you for sharing
Thank you for watching. We thought if we were to open it up we should at least share so others could get some enjoyment as well.
@@Outbackvintagevehicles yes.! What a beautiful find, wish you a merry Christmas
@V8SKULLS Thank and i hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas 🎄 also!
When I started shooting fullbore rifles in the early sixties a No.4 was about £10. Ammo (RG57) was 6d a round. 2.5p in new money. An Anschutz Mod.54 target rifle cost me £45, about a months wages. A Walther PPK 7.65mm made in Zella-Mehlis was £12. Happy days.
I wish those days could return. Thanks for watching!
Man that was a great watch - so satisfying.
We thought if we were to open it up we should share our experience so others could enjoy as well.
Thanks for watching!
21:43 Beauty Mates!!! How Einfield's and Springfield's got past the Mouser design's on the bolts and Safety is beyond me! It is virtually the same bolt assy as a Springfield 1896. And they are SMOOTH and solid Actions! Dependable and reliable.
Enjoy proving the rifle!
Cheer's Mate's... From Texas!
Cheers mate we are glad you enjoyed!
We love Texas. You have a great state with lots of history.
G'day from the Northern Territory!
It was made at royal ordnance fazakerley Liverpool. A mile from me. The gates had armoured pill boxes either side and 15 foot barbed wire double fencing.
Nice!
What a terrific rifle. I shot these with cadets and nurtured a great fondness for this rifle and it's cartridge.
Thank you. You are very lucky to have used it as intended. These rifles just call you. There can never be another.
I was on patrol in Iraq and found several Enfield rifles and .303 ammo in a cache. Took them back to base and repatriated them to the British Marines. We went shooting.
@@AboveAverageMan97 super slick bolt eh?
@@joetaylor486 Yeah after a good cleaning
and greasing up with some bearing grease
borrowed from the motor pool. Regular gun oil didnt work so well.
@AboveAverageMan97 Unreal what would the chances of that be? Great they were used as intended!
Thanks for your service!!
Just beautiful! I have my fathers that was sporterized a long time ago,it was his deer rifle. I’m working on restoring it to its original configuration.
That's a worthwhile cause. I'm sure you're dad would be proud. Take care of it.
Welcome to the happy club of folks who own unissued 1955 No 4 Mk2 rifles! Sorry you had to pay so very dearly for it, but you will be pleased with it all your life, and your own grandchildren might still be enjoying it too in 100 years. Yours is the first unwrapped No4 Mk2 I've seen with a corroded buttplate- that was a surprise, but you should be able to clean it up and polish it out. Every thing else looks fantastic as is normal for these unissued rifles.
Thank you for the welcome! Yes prices of these have gone through the roof!
Yesterday's clunkers today's winners and the prices are just going to keep going up unfortunately 😕
While i own a couple of no 3s the 4 is just soo much sweeter in the action! It is such a treat to use!
Thanks for your comment and for watching. We are not the the best film crew but we try our best. Everything is raw and unedited.
@Outbackvintagevehicles very nice!! Yeah don't ruin it mate it's a beauty..although made my vision feel sticky just looking at it 😂tbh though you won't need a scope. My grandfathers used to pop Turks and Jerries with one of those during the great war with rear sight alone (and a mate with a trench telescope apparently) its a beautiful rifle! Trick with it..fire with your middle finger..your index/trigger finger will automatically rest around the bolt. It helps with rapid fire as you don't need to move away from the sight. Fire with middle, index will pull the bolt etc we were taught then when kneeling, resting the left elbow on the knee. Never have to break your aim 😊 🍻
Cheers 🍻
This Is Like Finding A Helicopter In Tutankhamens Tomb.............Awesome !!
Thank you sir!!
About 1982 I almost got one for about $140. USD in California. I was a bit intimated by having to clean up the cosmoline. My loss.
I got to do this once with this very rifle, It was very special. Mine appears to have a beechwood stock, is also FAZ. Very nice, and I couldn't resist getting a Parker-Hale peepsight.
Lee-Enfields not my only favorite bolt-action rifle, but at or near the top. Especially my two Lithgow SMLEs. I bought my No4 MK2 to shoot the berdan-primed corrosive ammo through. I even got one of those galvanized funnels, issued to aid washing the rifles with hot water and soap. I will neither shoot that, nor clean like that, through my SMLEs. So beautiful.
Nice!
Love the no.4. I got an old beater and refinished it. Not perfect ,but fun!
Nice work!
My dad had one, he use to shoot at the Range back in the 60's, he also used it to shoot kangaroos for dog meat on the farm, I used it a couple of times as a 12 year old, you needed to have the wood work bedded in for Target Shooting.
Thanks for sharing. Good memories!
I remember being made to unwrap a half dozen .762 chambered Enfields, back when I was a schoolboy in our school "Corps".
Would that have been annoying then i wonder or did you enjoy the job?
Imagine having that job now? The 308 made such good sense i think.
Thanks for watching!
These rifles were imported by Fullers Firearms decades ago and sold for $260. Wrapping was slit on the left hand side to confirm serial number and to paint the locking bolt (safety catch) red on top to conform with then Customs regulations.
PF serials up to 1955 were made at Fazakerley primarily for competition rifle shooters. This information from Brian Labudda in Kingaroy.
Thank you for this information.
I bought mine through shotgun news, great rifle, bowie style bayonet & 2 magazines for $ 322.00. The good old days.
@jameswilson1407 Yes they were the good old days that's for sure!!
@@jameswilson1407 , from Sarco ??
@@MegaBait1616 I saw one tagged for $1800.00 last month. Ridiculous!
The history attached to such a gorgeous item. 🤯
What a treat to watch this!
Appreciate the comment!
That is an absolutely beautiful rifle!
Thanks mate!
@@Outbackvintagevehicles... I've recently been looking at getting one of these, but they are getting harder and more expensive. I just think these rifles were really well made and one of the all time best service rifles.
@TheIrishd501 Yes they were beautifully made of all the Lee Enfields. 40,000 were made for the Irish contract. They are lighter due to the omission of the heavy metal bayonet lug and more accurate due to the redesign of the trigger mechanism.
Wow, $6000 is alotta brass! A friend gave me a 1944 Canadian Long Branch Enfield sporter because his wife didnt want it in the house. I've never shot it, but it's a lovely rifle. Not very collectable because of the sporterizing. The Hudsons Bay sold these in department stores in 1960's Canada for $30-40 typically.
Lol the 6g has brought a lot of attention and fair enough. I had no problem justifying the price but yes it is a lot of coin. Remember we are talking Aus dollars to but even so it is a lot. Worn out clunkers can go for 1g here in Aus that are only good as wall hangars and usually shoot crooked unfortunately. A sniper 303 fetches around 13g aus. I have yet to see another mummy wrap 303. There were 3 buyers attempting to purchase this rifle at the same time. I just happened to deliver the cash the quickest.
These mummy wraps don't fall out of the sky anymore. Thanks for commenting and watching! If you find a mummy wrap 303 please let me know I'd be very interested. Hope you have a awesome day in Canada 🇨🇦 would love to visit one day!
How exciting. Never seen a new old stock Mk2 before. Seen and used several thats been to hell and back.
Nice!
In the 80's you could get one out of the shotgun weekly for about 75.00 it came coated in cosmalien in a box..it also had the bayonet.
.
Thanks for your comment. In the 80s in Aus nobody wanted a clunker Lee Enfield 😔 you couldn't give them away. I remember i purchased 3, 6.5x55 Swedish Mausers 😀 for about $250 still in cosmoline and with bayonets. I traded them years ago they were fine rifles. I remember dad had 4 Lee Enfields in the 80s gathering dust that he gave away for nothing. They were used ones.
Nice rifle u got I’ve lost count how many makes an models of 303 British I own including ishapore 2A1 Indian 308 enfield
Before I’m dead I want one of these. I’m jelly to see this video
I hope you find one soon!
Cracking stuff mate!! Very nice. We used to fire off these at cadets many moons ago. Now we need to find you a bayonet! 😅
Cheers 🍻 mate awesome stuff! Iv got the bayonet I'd purchased for one of my others years ago. I have a sniper scope also but that can't go on this beauty without destroying a great rifle!
What a Stunning Rifle that's going to be when it's cleaned up and it was made in the factory that was only a couple of miles from where I live in Liverpool.
Thanks mate I'm happy you found some enjoyment out of this video 🙂
Can't wait to show you when I get back home it's all cleaned up now
@@Outbackvintagevehicles I will have a look pal 👍
So Sweet Dude -
I have 2 .303 british enfields - wonderful rifles
You'll be able to pass them down to your kids! Thanks for watching!
I shot one of those as a young lad in the Air Training Corps. I wasn’t very heavy back then, and after every shot, I was pushed back off the shooting mat. 😂 I seem to remember the rifle I shot had a flip up rear sight as well. They were definitely a lot bulkier than the M1 rifles, the Americans had. The SLR did replace it in the 1970’s. It’s just a guess, but I think it might need a bit of a pull through. 😂
Nice! Happy memories!
Just posted a video on unwrapping my rifle, it is made the same month as yours. I look foreward to seeing your rifle all cleaned up, I unwrapped mine a few months ago and just got out shooting today so i could post everything up to the first shot. Cheers!
Saw your video you did a good job well done!
It's great to see these old girls free of their constraints as was intended.
Looking forward to seeing your video of it all cleaned up!
Bought a bunch of those out of barrels at country stores for 19 dollars those were the good old day's still got two rare ones one made by Ford Motor Company or FOMOCO and one from Singer Sewing Machine CO.
Wow what a treasure!
Those were the good old days for sure!
It may sound stupid but I remember an old armorer telling me, they used to wash the grease of with boiling water before cleaning and reassembling and oiling up the metal work
Yes I have heard this but I'm to scared to just in case I mess it up haha. The gun is very clean now and nice we've just been a bit lazy on the videos lately but next month planing on making a new video with some targets. I put one up last night but it wasn't planned to be a UA-cam video so it's not in HD unfortunately.
On those I use hot water because the finish is a painted on finish. On other rifles I use orderless mineral spirits.
This is my next purchase, but I want a war era Longbranch one. Congrats on the rifle.
I got one. Back in 1996 I found a place that had them for 99 and it came with the spike bayonet. Clean as a whisle.
Nice I bought mine mid 90’s. I was buying a lot surplus 80’s 90’s. It was expensive 250 bucks.
Yes I've been told this alot in my life about many things, my grandmother could say when I was your age I owned a house a brand new Holden and they could buy a 303 for $50, sad how things change its very unfortunate, but I guess these guns are getting harder to come by and you can buy a shot out 303 for 1k in Australia, the price just keeps going up. End of the day I'm very happy, even my old man was getting 303s in the 70s the same price we pay for a bottle of rum now.
But it's good you have so many because if you ever have financial issues you have some gold in the gun safe.
The Lee Enfield 303 is one of the best rifles I've ever had the pleasure of firing. Just FYI rifles in general are never sent to the field with the wrapping still on them they are unwrapped and cleaned before they ever see service.
Thanks for your comment. Wrapping no but cosmoline yes. My Uncle was a armourer in ww2 and on occasions soldiers had to remove the cosmoline themselves. Happened in the Pacific quiet a bit apparently.
Lovely rifle. The full wooden furniture is really something in these times of all plastic. I hope you know how to look after her as she deserves. You've got to name her too, but please not Sheila, for fuck sake.
Lololololo 😆
Don't let the government take this baby away.
Exactly
beautiful!
Thanks for watching!
Some 30 years ago I purchased one of these rifles still in the mummy wrap. It came with a bayonet and scabbard with the rifle, bayonet, and scabbard all have matching serial #.
The best way to clean up the rifle is in a solvent take. It the size of a kitchen sink and instead of water it shoots solvent which will easily clean off all the cosmoline(military grease used to store firearms over a long period of time). Solvent tanks can be purchased at hardware stores
Ricky from IBM
Thanks for your comment. We used mineral spirits and a hair dryer and lots of rags. Iv used this method in the past with a couple of 6.5 Swedish Mausers and it works a treat. It doesn't harm any finish or bluing. I use what you describe in the shed to clean parts for my vehicle restorations and it works a treat. Thanks for watching!
Oh wow I’m so jealous what a rifle.
We were just lucky to find it i guess. Thanks for watching!
Became a marksman on one of these as an army cadet.Beautiful rifle and a pleasure to see one again esp in this condition!😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😅😅😅😅😅😅
Thanks for sharing. I especially like the amount of good memories that this rifle has brought back for people especially those like yourself that have used them as they were intended.
Very good looking ROF Faz.
Beatiful 👍🏼💯💯
Not jealous at all. Ok that was a lie. One of my favourite rifles and to me a true classic
Don't want jealousy her mate just sharing our experience hope you enjoyed
At 13:44, you can place a wet rag over that divot and iron it. The hot iron will push the steam into the wood and cause it to swell decreasing or eliminating the dent.
Thank you for watching. Yes that's a great tip and iv used in the past.
On close inspection it appears to have been made by some insect of some description. It doesn't appear to be a dent. Probably a hole that was originally in the stock when it was made perhaps?
@@OutbackvintagevehiclesI don't know but if that's the case the wood probably won't swell since it was eaten. Although, you can get some wood filler for that. BTW, the rifle looks GREAT.
@les3449 I will look for some wood filler as you have suggested. Might be best to plug it up perhaps.
Thank you for your comment!
@@Outbackvintagevehicles You might want to try the wet cloth and iron first though, it costs nothing. I hope it all works out for you!
@les3449 Good suggestion i will try that first.
Than you.
I managed to get my hands on a mummy bagged Lee Enfield No. 4 Mk 1 which was dated 1943. I don't remember the wrap causing me any issues. I also had a minor blem in the fore stock, same location which is weird. My butt stock is also made of the rare brass which was quickly converted to another less expensive metal in 1944. It's a beauty. I've never shot the gun, never intend to. The barrel and inner working are just full of the gunky cosmaline (sp?).
Beautiful guns aren't they with such a long and colourful history. We should check our butt stock again as i now suspect it may not be brass after all which is slightly disappointing. I also came across another 303 with the same small imperfection in the same spot on the wood on you tube believe it or not. We kind of regret opening ours but it was a super rare joy to shoot a Lee Enfield that you knew was bieng fired for the first time! What a treat it was! You have a treasure there in that rifle and im sure you will take good care of her. Best of luck!
@@Outbackvintagevehicles These rifles are indeed beautiful. You were right to unwrap the bag. No human is capable of buying that gun jamming it into a safe to forget about it. You have video proof it came in a mummy bag which is fine. For grins, a few years ago, I carefully put the Enfield into a collectors transport bag for safety. Took it to my favorite gun shop, let them look at it. I asked them what is was worth and what could I trade it for. Their eyes lit up, they said I could have anything in their store which was extensive, they never valued the rifle for me. I've had my Enfield for many years tucked into the back of one of my gun safes and can remember it cost me $250.00 I think in the early 80's. I would recommend not shooting the gun, leave the original gunk in the receiver and barrel assemblies since the value will only increase. Just a friendly suggestion :)
@@jondear772 A very good suggestion.
In case you were wondering a 303 is about the equilavent to 30-06
Thank you Jessica!
beauty
Beautiful
Thank you for watching.
Need to buy two. One to unwrap, one to squirrel away.
Good idea 💡
That's why it's lasted that long, make sure you clean the barrel 🤠
Lol. Thanks for the tip! Boiling water and a snake and she's clean as a whistle!
Our videos are raw and unedited. We didn't include the total clean of the rifle because everyone has different views on the process. You can see the first live fire in the following videos.
Thanks for the heads up and thanks for watching!
Dame I got mine new in 2000 great shooter… nice one . Linseed oil they used to put on wood check it out
It's good to hear we are not the only ones who have done this. We were waiting for all the wannabe nockers to have a big cry about it 😆 to be honest. Thanks for the tip on the linseed oil. I will put some on today. Thanks for watching.
I work in Fazakerley I wonder where the factory was.
got 1942 with original bayonet strap gun cleaning kit in stock
I live in the u.s.a. but I got one its not made in London. But it's made in Canada long branch it was made in 1944 I love it I heard there better made better than the British version
Nice! I have a Long Branch and a Lithgow as well. They are great guns.
Thanks for watching!
Paid $400 Canadian ($300 US) for mine in the 90’s. I really wish I had the money back then and bought more than one.
I know it's crazy isn't it? I can remember people thinking they were clunkers. You couldn't give them away. Now i wish i had bought a dozen and unwrapped one or two keeping the rest in storage 😪
Thanks for watching!
I had a Fazakerly that came just like this back in 02, trade an early GPS for it. Wish I kept it. It was a bitch getting cleaned up.
We all have those ones that got away i know the feeling. Yes ours was a drongo to tidy up. I guess the armourer got that job back in the day maybe.
So there’s some confusion and mythology around these Fazakerleys. The Irish contract was actually completed and delivered as per several witnesses that were still alive a few years ago and confirmed that delivery. Truth is, these were designated for the Royal Navy and production was halted in a rush in June 1955 to set Fazakerley up for production of the first run of L1A1’s. Or British conversion of the metric FAL from Belgium. Limited to fire only in semiautomatic. Thanks for the video fellas. Will clean mine up in 2025 when it turns 70.
Thanks for watching and commenting appreciate it. Interesting read to. Time has flown and we need to do a live fire again. Great to hear you have a excellent one of your own would love to see you post it on you tube one day!
@@Outbackvintagevehicles i will document the cleaning of the cosmoline in the chamber, as well as the first fire. Just deciding when. Either in 2025 for its 70th birthday and my 45th, or for it’s 75th and my 50th. Do you have an instagram account by chance?
@factorybear5264 No iv never worried about getting a instagram account flat out handing what i have.
👍👍👍
Mark 2s were used primarily by the English and Irish army's.
British Army, not English.
Am still fireing my 1943 enfield in shooting competitions
Awesome!
I have one just like this, three months younger. Still wrapped. I believe they are Irish army surplus from some years back. Is that price tag legit, assuming that's AUD?
Yes Aud mate so 4k USD
Yere, what a whopper, fair dinkum mate!
Onya!
You’re unwrapping that rifle with cosmoline and all right on that table? The wife is going to skin your hide and nail it to the garage door!
🤔😜
Did it come with a bayonet? Great video mates! Greetings from north Texas.
Lol 😆 Mate we get away with such things in Straya still 🤣
That is our man cave building where all secret men's business is attended to 😆 and jumbucks n kangas get put in our tucker bags 😆
No worries old mate the missus would give me a flogging if i dared do that in the main house 😉 😀 😜
I love everything about Texas the best state in USA!! If i had to live anywhere else i would choose Texas!!
Are you pleased with the purchase? Dad was WWII vet RIP. Story was that he begged a half a can of gasoline to clean his new issue M-! thick with greases and cosmoline ?
Bless your dad. That story would be true. They used a 44 of boiling water followed by a 44 of diesel iv read. Yes happy with the purchase thank you. Both my grandfathers and both my wife's grandfathers were at the Charge of Bersheeba the last great cavalry charge. My wife's dad was in the Korean war. All used Lee Enfields.
What’s the Irish reference in relation to the sale of the 303 are they surplus ROI army
The final version of the Lee Enfield was the no4 mk2. It was slightly lighter than the others because it lacked the steel muzzle cap bayonet mount.
The no4 mk 2s are slightly more accurate than the others due to the slight redesign of the the trigger mechanism.
About 40,000 no4 mk2s were manufactured, but this figure could be wrong, for the Irish Republic. Most were never delivered due to political reasons and some were stored in mummy wrap.
In 1956 the last British Lee Enfield was made and all the machinery was sold to India where the 7.62 x51 Ishapore Lee Enfields were made.
Thanks for watching!
50,000 were sold off by Irish DOD in the early 90's after the Army reserves switched to FN FAL
@docff13 Thanks for that info Doc!
I bet it feels like your birthday 👍🏴
It's a beautiful gun better quality then anything coming out these days well worth the price for us.
There goes a $1,000 in value. But, if you enjoy shooting it, doesn't matter!
It's more $ than that lost in value apparently but I'm only going to live once 😆
I bought one in the 90’s and kept it wrapped until until 3 years ago. I then thought exactly the same, and decided that you do indeed live once and figured I was going to enjoy the firearm instead of someone else after I died.
I unwrapped it and am now shooting it and having fun with it.
Good video, you need a steamer and never a hair dryer.
Cheers.
My Husband has one of these , he'd like to know its history its UF55 A11209
The mag isn't supposed to come out easy. It's fed with strip clips from above.
It's called a detachable magazine for a reason. Iv used many three os and and all of their detachable magazines were easy to remove. This one was difficult because the cosmoline was very thick and had gone hard in places. Cosmoline does go hard over time.
Do you oil the wood or just leave it?
Thanks for your comment. I put a light coating of linseed oil on the wood.
Thanks for watching!
Классный,👍 осталось перекрасить
Nah just a clean and some oil for the wood. You should see it now. End of January there will be a video showing what it looks like now.
My neighbor wanted to sell me his new looking Jungle Carbine for $20 in 1973 …
😆 how things have changed!
I bought one just like that in 1995 upshot for $175.00 brand new in wapper
Time machine would be nice it would be a great way to get rich just buy 1 crate haha
Clean it good, am happy for you, it will keep you happy l have two of them and love them 😊 and you have a wonderful rifle in your hands. 😊😊
Where can you find wrapped guns?
Very rare now and difficult to find. Some collectors have them salted away.
IRISH MARK 4 LAST BACTH ABOUT 100 000
That gun's two years older than me.
Amazing that these things are still about and still in use!
تحفه
I remember in 1970 they were $24 at K mart
Grandfather told me he could get them for 5 pounds back in the day. If only everyone knew how much they would be worth in the future.
We used fuel and a toothbrush. To clean
Tooth brush is a awesome idea. We used mineral spirits it doesn't harm the bluing or finish. A bit of heat also helps!
Thanks for watching!
Where can I get one of these, like that ?
Depends on what country you're in regarding availability and price ect. If you haunt Web sites that deal in older military rifles but you have to be quick as they will disappear in days if listed at all. In Aus a top notch used one $4000 to $4500 and a worn clapped out one $1,200. Mummy ones a rare so demand a ridiculous price unfortunately. Good luck and thanks for watching!
@@Outbackvintagevehicles thank You !
my dream is getting one just like this and spend the rest of my life in a forst in a mountain
Sounds like the dream to me! Now we just need a Forrest haha
@@Outbackvintagevehicles a forest and raining 🌧 sky foooooooooor ever and let the age forget us ...........
*I'm more surprised that you're able to own that in Oz*
It's heading that way isn't it? Hopefully it never comes to that.
Thanks for watching!
I want one
$ 3,960.06 US.