AMAZING FIND in the butt stock storage compartment! - British Enfield No 4
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2022
- I love collecting military surplus firearms. The history is amazing. I have a beautiful 1943 manufactured British Enfield, No 4 MK 1 chambered in British 303. I found something really cool in the storage compartment of the gunstock. If you collect, don't forget to check your guns too!
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Somber food for thought: only one other person knew it was in there and there is a reason it was still in there. That soldier didnt forget his souveniers.... if you catch my drift.
Lest we forget.
🦘🇦🇺👍
I was going to say the same thing...
You have no way of knowing that. People forget stuff all the time. Especially during a war. Don't focus on the negative. Its a neat find.
Can’t imagine what extra items are in A & C(chemical defense) bags when turned in(especially in a hurry to get home).
“There are five mobility bags -- the personal bag and the A, B, C and D bags. To be deployment-ready, Airmen should understand what each of these bags contains and have the proper bags prepared.” - USAF
Correct. The soldier was clearly separated from his weapon. However, this doesn't necessarily mean he was KIA. He may have been wounded, his position overrun or even could have gotten caught by the MP's spending some of his Reichmarks at the local brothel and wound up getting a court-martial for fraternization.
Reminds me of a Savage 29B pump .22 my dad picked up when I was a kid. The rear stock was wiggling a bit so I popped off the buttplate to tighten up the screw. Inside was the original sales receipt from 1946. Wished he would have preserved it, instead he put it back and when I opened it again 30 years later it looked like a dead sea scroll. All dark brown and falling to pieces.
The peak of the hyperinflation was 1923. It ended with creating the Rentenmark (ratio 1 000 000 000 000 old Marks to 1 Rentenmark) in 1923, which later was replaced by the Reichsmark in 1924. On the 10 RM note the statement is dated to 1929 referring to its origin in the banking law from 1924. So the Reichsmark was valid money until the next currency reform in 1948. Edit: Also the Rentenmark was valid money until 1948 but the last ones were produced in 1937. By the way: they are not completely worthless, you should check the value. Could be a couple of dozens of bucks.
Amazing information, thank you!
@@themedhunteryou should get them graded. Even if they’re not worth a lot it makes a good display piece. If they are worth something having them graded will help the price if you sell.
I kinda collect old military bolt action rifles. Over the years I have found all kind of things under butt plates and in cleaning kit holders. The best was a women's name and phone number in a M-1 from WW II.
Did you call the number?
I have a CMP Garand. One of the Danish ones that was brought back to the US. Its buttstock has a sight-in card dated in the early 60's with a Danish soldier's (Soldat's) name on it and the numbers written in pencil.
Original owner's probably still alive
I found a troop tag in my 1889-1911 Schmidt-Rubin rifle. Really cool to see. I've since sold that rifle, but I left the troop tag in it for the next owner.
Inside the cleaning compartment of my M1 Garand, I found the paper work form the US armrory that sold it off as surplus. It sold in the 1970’s for $93
I am German, you have a 10 Mark bill that is 10 Bucks to that time now maybe a few bucks worth. Different storie with that 1 Renten Mark. That is money for People what get pension. That is 1 Mark , 1buck. For collectors that could be worth something. Good job much luck.
Thank you!
Thanks for all the comments! Just an update, as there have been a ton of comments about the gun. The gun shoots great (I have video on that). Bore is in really good shape. The action is brilliant and probably the smoothest of all rifles I have ever shot including the Springfield 1903 and M1917 US Service Rifles. I tried doing the mad minute, but I am just not good enough!
Practice makes perfect. You could do a before and after run, showing how good you can get after a hundred rounds through it.
Great find. It's not a gun (that's what the artillery use), it's a rifle, small arms or weapon. That's what we were told in the British Army. No cleaning rods, just a pull through. should live in there, with a small bottle of oil.
@@tooyoungtobeold8756 bang on, mate. The rumours about it being a storage place for your last bullet were bollox. lol In my day (1980's) SLRs had the same little compartment in the butt.
I trained with the Lee Enfield when I was in the Army Cadets in UK back in the 80's. It's a great rifle to use on a long range. Feels like a proper hunting gun.
There’s a lesson here kids, always check your butt! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
When I was in cadets we would each keep a couple of cigarettes in the pistol grip of our L98s, that way they would stay safe and dry. Thanks for the upload.
Thanks for sharing! Cool story!
No worries and thank you for such an interesting video.@@themedhunter
The old notes are really cool . The value is in the story . 😊
Thanks for sharing your suprise and don't forget to check under the butt plate of a Swiss K-31. Old American hunting rifles sometimes have a hunting license stored under the butt plate.
Nice find. All I found in mine was a cleaning kit and rods.
interesting story. Your short video popped up on my you tube today. My father was a WWII vet in the first Canadian paratroop battalion. He almost never spoke about his war experiences. He brought back some German money, the kind you had. They overcame a German position and captured a paymaster's truck. As he said, the fact that they were there made the money useless. I still have the bills he brought back. It is possible that rifle was in the same group as my father, and the owner may have picked up some of the same money my father had.
Well, the No.4 Enfield in this video appears to be a Longbranch model (Canadian made and Canadian issued). You can tell by the horizontal cuts in the upper handguard in front of the receiver.
Thanks for the info! I didn't know that!@@SevenSixTwo2012
It being British, I half expected a tea set😊
The real purpose of the storage was to hold the barrel cleaning kit. A lead weight with a cord attached and a loop on the end. Plus a small oil bottle. A 4x2 piece of cloth was fed through the loop and oiled. This was then pulled through the barrel to both clean and oil it. Helped the Enfield's reputation for accuracy and reliability under battlefield conditions.
The ones We trained with in Army cadets had a brass weight on the pull through I belive. Long time ago though, And I was very young.
@@Ben-Downlow. Brass weight on the old "family" Ishamore Mk. 3, too.
Brass or lead ? I suspect it was a matter of what was available at the time. In WWII, when my rifle was made brass was in high demand for the munitions industry but lead could be salvaged from bomb damaged rooves. Mine was definetly lead. I would not be surprise if other materials were also used.
Me too. As a cadet at school in the 70's. Unfortunately we had to wear the hairy uniform from the same time !@@Ben-Downlow.
learnt that in Army cadets here in Canada when i was 13 we had Enfield's Chambered in 22LR
Lee Enfield rifles on this side of the big water were made just about a mile maybe two from where I live and grew up. They sported the label "Long Branch". They also made Sten Guns there. Both my parents worked in the factory during the war. My father ended up as a tool designer. I still have milling and cutting tools in my shop which were scrapped out or not finished. I also have a couple rifle stock walnut blank kicking around. That butt cavity used to have a small tube of lubricant it, there was one around here we played with when we were kids. Thanks for listening
It did too. those tube were brass with a screw top fitting. They were quite nicely made, given the circumstances under which they were produced. And they had a tiny spoon, of sorts,
fastened to the lid. I owned one of those, and the original pull through, but they both got stolen by an unscrupulous "tradesman" during home renovations, years back.
The one that we had was made of a brown plastic with a screw cap with kind of simple knurl edge (testing memory). I assume it was bakelite as nothing else existed at the time.
I know there is a chamber reamer for 303 in a collection of tooling I inherited. The Long Branch Arm builds are gone now, except for the inspection building which has been saved and is decorated with picture of those that toiled within. Its part of our proud past. @@davidbrayshaw3529
I’ve got an American made Enfield made for the Brits under the lend lease act.
@@davidturk6170 Springfield Armouries?
And is it a well made rifle?
@@davidbrayshaw3529 - don’t know where in the US. It says “US Property” and it’s a No4 MK1/3 (refurbished in 1952 in England)
Awesome find! Congrats!
Don't take my word for it, I didn't look closely at all of the bills. The bills are in excellent condition, and as a set with the Enfield it might greatly increase the price of the rifle if you were to sell.
The inflated Weimar money really has no connection to the rifle to add value and is not really valuable in itself. Remember they had wheelbarrows full of cash to buy bread during that time!
Add to that, a collector for one probably wouldn't be a collector for the other@@tomsherwood4650
Wow great store thank you for telling. History is wonderful in what you learn.
Sweet.
Thanks for sharing
your discovery.
When Dad and I got our mk4 in the early nineties. we found the complete original cleaning kit under the stuck butt cover. The barrel pull through, the small brass gun oil bottle (with oil inside) and the tiny spoon used to get oil to the hard to reach places!. Bril, nuff said.
Ro-jaws, is that you?.
@@uncletiggermclaren7592 Fraid not.
Very cool!
Money the Enfield owner took off dead individuals. I managed a gun shop for 13 years, had many WW1 and 2 firearms come through, found things occasionally in the storage compartments, but never money. Really cool.
A company I worked for bought old military rifles. I was doing a complete stripping of a M1 Rifle, I removed the butt plate from the stock and inside the stock was a "cricket" from WW2, I wish I had gotten pictures.
That is amazing! I am so happy people are sharing all of these stories. The history of military guns is so fascinating.
Believe it or not, that original cricket was worth more than the rifle. They didn't make very many for the D-day jump...the airborne group bought up the whole manufacturer's stock. And most of them were discarded after the first day.
My uncle was in the 101st. He brought his criket home and it was in the drawer of my grandmother's china cabinet all my childhood. Also there was a bunch of Japanese Yen my other uncle brought home from the Pacific theater.@@gssmith1986
Great story. Thanks for sharing. 👍
Always check the Butt Trap on your LEE Enfield ,Lee designed the origional action , Enfield designed the barrel rifling , it will usually be empty but I have found cleaning gear consisting of cord wrapped around a brass (Not lead) weight, a brass oil bottle , sometimes a Bakelite oil bottle and some 4x2 cloth , I have also found a candle and matches ,and a piece of hacksaw blade . My own Lee Enfields all have a cleaning kit and a note saying who used to own it ( Me) stashed in the butt trap ,for some one to find in the future . Who Made your rifle , Long Branch in Canada ?"
Always check the Butt Trap... what makes you say that?
I agree that brass was preferred for the weight but sometimes it was not available so lead could be used instead.
The candle is for sight blacking.
I know this is uncommon now but when I was a young man working in a gun shop the owner used to buy crates of Enfields/Kar98s etc. It was VERY common back then to see a sweetheart picture or a note in case they died lots of cool stuff.
I live in 🇳🇿 New Zealand in the 50’s and 60’s the LE 303 was pretty much the only rifle used for deer hunting. An excellent battle / deer rifle. I regret not buying a No 4 Mk1 which was offered to me, ex Canadian Air Force, never fired, still in grease paper. Sadly in my country most of the 303’s were cut down and sporterised 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 🇳🇿. However, I do hunt with a German Mauser 98 built in 1940!
Too cool of a find.
Very cool find!
I had a model 94 wibchester rifle made in 1900. I put a 1900 silver dollar under the but plate, just because
Nice to find anything, money is always nice!
Great gun and some pocket money
My dad was issued with a Lee Enfield .303 when he joined the army in 1939. It was an ancient, WW1 model and the barrel was packed with thick black grease that had solidified over the years.
When he got back from the war in 1946 (he was still in Africa nearly a year after the war ended) it was STILL packed with solidified black grease.
He said there was no point him cleaning it as he wouldn't have a clue how to load or fire it- and no-one ever taught him.
He was never in a combat regiment- he was REME, and it wasn't until the war had been over for a year and he was returned to England that he was taught how to fire a gun!
I always love to buy military surplus just for this reason. I found some cool things in a SKS i bought years ago.
Wow. That is too cool
That’s cool. I am going to check my No4 Mk1 and see if there is any paper in mine.
Damn, now I gotta start opening all mine. Thanks
Good one! I have never checked mine-will do soon!
It's worth a try!
I expected it to be a paper with the name of the soldier it was issue to, inside. That was a common practice in the British Army.
On the #1 Mark 3 circa 1915 Enfield .303 the butt plate was Brass.
Awesome.
I brought some German coins home from Army duty in early 70s. When my High School age grandson said he met a student from Germany, I gave him a 1 Pfennig coin from 1950 to share with the boy. The former German boy got a thrill at seeing some of the old money.
Awesome find man - hundred years old money...greatings from Nuremberg Germany! JR
If you manage to aquire a 96/11, K11 or K31 Schmidt Ruben!! It has the original steel but plate check under it a lot of times the original issuers name and date may be posted on a piece of paper!!
The Soldier's Unit told him to stick some money in butt storage if he gets captured.
Must have Misunderstood the Assignment.
Nice
I found my grampas hunting license in his old 16-gauge shot gun. Had a hinged cover on the butt plate. It was a Hercules model single shot gun.
When I was a child, I was gifted a leather holster. At 53 years old, I now know it was an M 1916 leather military holster for the 1911.45 sidearm. It was stamped us on the flap, and I had it for several years because I was a nerdy kid and collected that kind of stuff. One day, as I stuck a plastic toy pistol in there I could see something at the bottom. I dug it out with a coat hanger, and it was a small piece of paper with a rusty paperclip. I opened up the paper, and it said cpl. Daniel, and I couldn't make out the last name. I showed it to my mom, and then I threw it away. Forgive me, I was probably 10 or 11 years old. Now of course I realize that a young Corporal wrote his name and put it in the bottom of the holster for identification purposes. I wish I still had that, because believe it or not, I still have the holster!
Thanks for sharing the story!
Just off to check mine cheers
Let us know what you find!
WOW! Cool!
storage for the following --pull thru/cigs(3) matches-condom filled with spirits/bottle gun oil emergency chocolate. you choose but make sure your mates have different items ;; ex squaddie
I am 80 yrs. old and when I was 17 yrs. old teen, we could buy the British Enfield 308 barrel and bolt for ten bucks. Sears had them in wooden rain barrels. We had to build our own stocks and in due time found some companies that sold rough sawed stocks we would finish.
I have a 1944 Enfield MK4. As soon as i saw this video i went and checked mine, NOTHING!! But that is beyond cool you finding that money in yours. Congratulations, Awesome Treasure and story!!!
✌️😁
That’s so cool man 😀🇨🇦
Thanks, now I am disappointed overtime there is nothing in a butt stock!
Just an idea, if the lee enfield saw action in ww2 then parts may of been damages and needed to be replaced on site or shortly after damage, therefore the serial number dont match. This did happen in ww1 and ww2
Fantastic find ⚓️🧲👍
I have the same rifle except mine is one of the US made “lend lease” rifles. It’s also one of the ones rehabbed (updated) in England after WWII for the Korean War. The rifle was sporterized which ruined the front wooded grips. I’ve secured a WWII stock and grips off an old English made Enfield. The hole you reference behind the butt stock is the access the screw that joins the rear stock to the rest of the rifle.
There was a fashion at the time of people producing notes and having famous people sign them such as generals and prime ministers and presidents who did it for their staffs and attendants. This seems to be a more mundane version of it and with 1944 manufacture these notes probably show the route marched by the soldier who bore the rifle. He did not recover what was precious so maybe he fell and the rifle was recovered as battle field recovery and restored to an arsenal and later sold. Who knows but an interesting tale of my country’s forefathers. Thank you for sharing!
That is great information. I love posting videos to learn from others like yourself! Thank you so much!!!
...Brb checking my Lee.
The enfield butt trap is actually for the through bolt that connects the stock to receiver as enfields can accept different size stocks for changing length of pull. Generally not for storage but soldiers did use it for that in a pinch.
That is why I love MILSURPs because there is always something new to learn. Thanks for sharing!
They put what the Brits called an oiler in there
its where you place your cleaning kit oiler pull through rope course pad and patches
It was absolutely for storage - of the oiler and pull through. Oiler goes in, pull through on top with the end weight tucked into the little top hole. You would not want to be the rifleman caught without it on inspection.
It also held a standard issue cleaning kit. I have a 1903 Long Tom example that came with the cleaning kit when dad bought it in the 1950s. He didn’t know that until I asked him in the 1970s what was under the lid he said it was empty so we had a look. A cylindrical brass oil bottle, string pull through and patches. It’s still in there.
Nice 👍👍😎from arizona
It's also an access hole to the bolt that holds butt on
That butt was loaded ! 😂
The Lee-Enfields had an oil bottle,some brass,some plastic and a cord pull through,no rods.The Axis used a lot of captured rifles in Austria and the volksturm across the Reich
Be nice if the rifle was traceable back to the soldier who had it during the second world war. The Lee Enfield is a great rifle with a long history of use. Right up until the late 1950's, considering it was first introduced around 1895. What a great find. If only it could talk. Who knows what it has seen and done.
My mate who I went shooting with had a Lee Enfield and he had a small roll of toilet paper in his. He said it was better than a clump of grass if you got caught short in the bush.
Back in the early 80s my dad traded a 1964 Chevy truck for a fancy shotgun. Under the butt plate he found a 1934 duck stamp and a $100 silver certificate bill. He sold the duck stamp for over $1000. Score!
Hello from Sweden 🇸🇪
I always meant to buy one of those back when there were scads of them at the gun shows, along with Mausers and others, but alas I never did.
Guess I better go check mine...
You could unscrew the but stock plate for full access 😉
A few years ago, out of pure curiosity I opened the internal frame section inside my British Issue rucksack. I had been using it for years at that point and never bothered to really look in there. Low and behold there was a group of papers and a map way down at the bottom of this compartment. I pulled them all and they were marked "Sensitive Information-Depose of as classified."" I cannot remember the correct verbiage, but it was something along those lines. It had the units name and other important information I could use to figure out who to contact. I found the unit on Facebook. They were very curious and concerned so I sent them pictures. They asked me if I could destroy the documents and maps and provide proof that I did this. Sadly my FB account was frozen just as this started and I was never able to finish the conversation. I did toss them in the trash eventually.
Thanks for sharing, that is an amazing story!
🇬🇧 That’s your idea of destroying then. 👎
OK UA-cam, Karen...Get yourself a life, kid.@@fredblogs
@@Howling.Wilderness.Alaska I am sorry about this, but I did NOT write this.
@@fredblogsbut you did
Put em back in the stock, it’s just another ordinary rifle without them, I bought an old Wembley junior air pistol and I noticed that the screw head was rounded off on the handle so I removed the screw and found a gun license inside from 1953 it cost ten shillings
British Squadies would stash thing everywhere by the look of that butt plate and the res of the metal work the rifle has not seen much service, I'd also check under the butt plate itself as thing were often stashed there.
These are great old rifles, one of the first I trained on, if your not used to them they kick like an SOB, doing a 'Mad Minute' was fun but punishing.
Thanks for the amazing info! I will let you know if I find anything else.
1943. You said that the weapon could have seen action? The bills you found prove that it did.
It seems a popular place to hide stuff; I have heard of a Kenyan 10 shilling note being found in the oil bottle compartment before.
The reason many old rifles, esp. military ones is because it is needed to access the screw holding the buttstock on. It is only incidentally a storage compartment.
I'm surprised that last note shown, the German 1 Rentenmark from 1937 doesn't have Swastikas all over it. If that was one thing I thought you could count on from the Nazi's, they'd slap a swastika on EVERYTHING.
My CO at this one base I was at had purchased an older rifle - I believe an '03 Springfield - and he had the base armorer work on it. The Armorer found a note in it's butt stock storage. The note said something like that it was a cold, wet night and by a guy who said he was in the Air Force on Sentry Duty with that rifle, some time in the '40's or '50's and (iirc) he just wanted to say hello to whoever found the note. I think he left his name and civilian address. So - the CO Called the guy and they had a nice chat. IIRC since 1971.
The CO thought it was an interesting story and shared it with his Command (us).
There's another incident in a novel called _The Chinese Bandit_ where this guy was stealing shirts from the Marines and in trying to sell them - got captured by these Bandits. Somehow it came up that he was a Marine and could shoot - so the Bandits give him an M-1 Garand and told him if he could hit this small round object at some distance - they'd let him live.
So - he opens up the Butt Stock Storage hole - to see if someone had put the sighting dope there for the rifle - and someone had. So - he puts the dope on the sights - and hits the small round object - which ended up being one of his partners in theft's head.
The Bandits were impressed - and not only let him live - but began employing hm as a sniper - iirc ... .
.
My Dad was a 1923 model. He'd remove the butt stock all his long guns and put a paper inside with his name and address.
Awesome! Now every distributor is going to check their inventory and rip us off.
My old Lee-Enfield 303 has a brass butt plate. Sadly the saftey mechanism is gone so its probably not worth much. But I took it on many deer hunts and seeing what it would do it wouldn't hesitate to have shot a moose with it. Never did though.
Cool find I have found brass oil bottles and pull throughs which is where they are kept.
Now the Mk1s are rarer off course. I believe 43 is the last yr of manufacture, don't quote me I am little rusty.
Now does it have the rounded cocking piece?
Have a look and see if FR or something close is punched onto the breech or barrel?
It looks very clean, the alloy buttplate are later cost cutting pieces and note there is not even parade ground scrapes on it, so I definitely think likely the stock was replaced and a armourer probably didn't even have time to check or the plate was fitted on the butt already. So I am curious to see if it is a factory refurbish rifle?
And how those notes were not discovered or being war money it's value at the time was near nothing, or simply placed in afterwards.
This really looks like a late or post war military referbish hence the the FR stamp maybe? And if so it may be worth more than you think as civilian missmatches are the least collectible.
Hi
I am unsure how much you know about 303s so forgive me if this is obvious.
So if you pull the stock off make sure you take the for end of 1st and butt later.
The reason is the retaining butt screw protrudes and if you turn the flathead screw in the buttplate hole you will crack the the forend.
So butt comes last.
If you go searching for the stamping and find it om the barrel take a photo.
No4s are really annoying in this way, they do the stampings in covered areas.
I think your rifle is worth more than you think?
What is mismatched?
COMMON PRACTICE WHEN IN COUNTRY IS TO STASH A FEW NOTES AS A REMINDER....THE FACT THAT THEY WERE STILL THERE PRETTY MUCH MEANS HE DIDN'T SURVIVE HIS LAST ACTION
It is NOT a gun! It is a rifle.
That's a great story! Was friends with Red Hats at Lackland, and some unserviceable, old M16's would be sent there, and in 1981 they said they were still getting the occassional bowl in the buttock. I've heard. Ahem.
Cool
The Rentenmark was transitional currency which then became the Reichsmark in 1923 and the Reichsmark was on the gold standard. The Rentenmark was backed by basically mortgages on land and industry. Rentenmarks eere issued by the Rentenbank. Renten is German for "Pension"..
Great info! Thanks
I also have all those bills that was past down through family .
Back in the day the story goes, Aussie troops in New Guinea etc would keep one round in the butt with the oil bottle etc just in case it looked like they weren't going to come out o top..
I remember we had to pour hot water through it . Two or three times with a funnel that fitted in the breach, after use , then oil it .
From the corrosive ammunition days?
It's for a pull through and oil.
WOW, what a find !. For sure that was in service then, there wouldn't be any point in a person putting that collection into a rifle at a training depot or a homeland posting.
For "fishing", suurrre, for "fishing".
A buddy of mine bought a cane from an antique store. When he got it home it looked like it might come apart. He unscrewed the handle and in a compartment inside were a whole bunch of 1800 stamps worth couple of $1,000!!
Wow! Incredible.
That’s where I keep my tactiskittles.
Checked numista and they are worth about 3-4 dollars each unless there's some sort of variant in there.
If i remember right they carried a metal oil bottle in the stock .
WOW