


1s only and I don't know if the same applies to No. In order to keep bolts from getting mixed up when a number of rifles were disassembled, armorers would stamp the action body serial number on the rear of the bolt handle. Achieving proper chamber headspace often involved hand-fitting the bolt (actually, the bolt head) to a particular action body. Serial numbers in these locations were not stamped at the factory rather the were added in the field by unit armorers.

"Serial numbers are also often found on the rear of the bolt handle, on the bottom of the backsight leaf, on the nose cap, on the bottom of the fore-end (just behind the nose cap) and on the magazine. I have Stratton's Volume 1 SMLE (No.1) Rifles MK I and Mk III and on page 22 the first paragraph regarding serial number placement states: I can say that every other Lee Enfield I have examined at gun shows etc., have always had the rear of the bolt handle stamped with the serial number, but I must admit that it has never occured to me to examine the bottom of the bolt handle for stampings. Perhaps the stamping of the bottom of the bolt handle is only common to them. I don't have a Lithgow and I am unfamilure with their markings. Since dropped it to $200 for the guy at work, but he still doesn't have the money.ĭISCLAIMER: I am NOT trying to sell it here I don't want to go through the hassle of shipping a gun. I dropped the price to $225 and put it on a garage sale, but was not advertised. Priced it $250, he was interested, but had just bought an $800 gun and had a baby. Took it to work and showed it around, a friend was very interested. Yes, I know, the sling is NOT correct have no idea what it is off of! I found the correct Savage stock in England (funny, that!) for a reasonable price & cheap shipping, but not sure how much I want to get it back to perfect original. Plus a previous owner began "restoration" and sanded all the markings off the stock as well as the bluing off the nose cap. It appears stock at first glance, numbers match, but research showed that the stock is not quite correct it is a couple years and one style newer than what Savage put on it. It is a US PROPERTY Savage Lend Lease from 1943.
