Barrel markings

gator · Post by **gator** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:31 am

Can anyone help me with these barrel marks. The main one is the crown with crossed flags with L and P between the flags.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/gator1/enfield/th_code6.jpg[/pic]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/gator1/enfield/th_code5.jpg[/pic]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/gator1/enfield/th_code4.jpg[/pic]

dromia · Post by **dromia** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 1:30 pm

Crossed flags LP verical axis, Lithgow proof Australia.

gator · Post by **gator** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 2:37 pm

Thanks, Im still trying to learn these enfields. From what I am seeing is that my enfield went through two refubs, one in 1952 and the other in 1954.At some point after that someone installed the wrong stock on it. As you can see from my other post all markings are adding up as a correct lithgow but with just the wrong stock. I hope I am correct on this!! Does anyone know where to get a correct stock without the Ishapor screw?

krinko · Post by **krinko** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 5:03 pm

The barrel date of 10/52 is only the barrel date---if the left side of the buttsocket says "MA54" to go with that "FTR" on the receiver ring, then 1954 would be the date that the Australian FTR was performed, using the 1952 barrel.

So, ONE visible FTR.

As to the stock being "wrong"...Lithgow FTRd lots of rifles in the 1950s and then sold them to India. That's what you have there.

The "wrong" stock was added by the Indians after they bought the rifle, possibly because the original Coachwood tended to split into flinders if looked at sideways. (This is neither a joke, nor an exaggeration.)

Still, if you'd like to try your luck with it, you'll need to use a little of that luck right at the beginning---replacement Coachwood is getting hard to find and expensive, to boot.

Export of sets from Australia can be held up indefinitely in Australian Customs---I know several people who have had very bad experiences trying to get wood out of Oz.

So be careful and look on Ebay (if you can stand the smell) for coachwood no further away than Canada---it's easy to get it out of Canada, if you can find some.

-----krinko

gator · Post by **gator** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 7:01 am

Thanks for all the help,Guys. I guess I will take a stroll down the yellow brick road and see if I can find a correct stock for it.

Aughnanure · Post by **Aughnanure** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 3:49 am

Gator,

Before you rush off and buy some coachwood for your 1917 Lithgow decide wheather you want it to be original to the year of manufacture or the year it was FTR'd . If you choose 1917 then the correct wood is English walnut(whereever they got it from) if 1954 then you have five (or more) choices, all 'correct',,, walnut, Queensland maple, European beech, coachwood, or whatever India was using at any given time.

Australia had Enfields from all manufactures and I have personally replaced an unserviceable Ishapore body with a new Lithgow one in a rebuild and used the serviceable Indian parts to complete the job,

Such rebuilds were not uncommon, many Aust service rifles were a miss-match of parts. I wouldn't be surprised if one turned up with 'Khyber Pass' bits in it.

As it stands your rifle is more correct than many.

Is the forend numbered to the rifle?

Eoin.

gator · Post by **gator** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 5:57 am

THanks for help guys. The fore end is numbered to the rifle.