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Thanks for posting pics!

The "LEC" stands for Lee Enfield Carbine; the "Enfield" stamp refers to the place of manufacture (not the model). This carbine predates the SMLE. However, an SMLE MkIII magazine SHOULD fit....not sure why yours was too wide. Maybe it was bent? Maybe the trigger guard is damaged?

The slim, single stack magazine for the Lee Metford MkI that I described in my earlier post would NOT be right for your carbine. The common double-stack .303 magazines should fit, including the aftermarket 5-d mag that Kuduae linked to above. The new 5-rd mag (by Pro-Mag or something like that) would probably be the closest you can get to the original 6-rd mag. If Numrich doesn't have it, you see them all the time on Gunbroker. I don't own one so I cannot vouch for their quality. I have heard that they are not that reliable. You might also look for a "Santa Fe" 5-rd magazine. These were nice mags made back in the 50s or 60s for an importer that sporterized Lee Enfields. Beware that they made some for both the SMLE and the No.4 series, and they are not interchangeable, and they are not clearly marked (what were they thinking? I guess they didn't expect people to swap mags). They will be marked "Santa Fe' and can sometimes be found on GB or eBay. Again, any surplus SMLE mag should fit, but a sporter really needs a 5 or 6 round mag...in the woods it's nice to carry the rifle without the protruding mag in the way.

OK, so your carbine is (or was) a Lee Enfield Cavalry Carbine MkI*, made in 1900. The question is whether it's also a "RIC Carbine." These were conversions of cavalry carbines that were sold to the RIC in the early 1900s. The conversion basically consisted of altering the nosecap and fore-end to accept the P88 bayonet. A bushing had to be fitted to the muzzle to increase the barrel diameter to take the bayonet. It's kind of an ugly converison, but it worked. A top handguard was also added between backsight and muzzle, and these are dreadfully hard to find nowadays, since many were discarded. If your carbine has already been sporterized, then we wouldn't be able to see these conversion features---so the only way to tell in that case is by looking for a disc on the butt that says "RIC." Does it have that?

---Can you please post a full-length pic of the rifle? -------

Regarding the bolt handle, I cannot see in the photo the weld spot you refer to, but I'll take your word for it. Is the bolt number matching? The cavalry carbines had bolt handles that were swept foreward and flattened (to make it easier to go in/out of a cavalry scabbard), but your does not. Maybe someone welded it up to match the regular infantry rifle bolt---sounds like a lot of work when a replacement bolt could have easily been found! If your bolt numbers match the rifle, then someone has bubba'd the bolt. If they don't match, then this bolt came from a non-carbine rifle.

Your bolt originally had a bolt cover, which seems to be missing. There were lugs on the bolt where it is supposed to attach. I can't tell from the pics whether these have been ground off or not, as is sometimes the case.

Whether to sporterize or not? I cannot tell from the pics whether this has already been sporterized and by how much. I would say that if you wanted a Lee Enfield hunting rifle---something light, fast, well balanced, and handy---then find a one of the many cheap aleady-bubba'd SMLE MkIII's out there and put a sporter stock on it and even some express sights. Why go with an SMLE MkIII instead of your LEC? Here's my reasoning:

1) An SMLE MkIII is common, not rare, and cheap. Your LEC could be restored (expensive but possible, and worth it to someone with the time & money, or a LOT of patience). Here at Nitro Express, hunting conversions are not frowned upon too much, i've noticed. But if you posted over at the Lee Enfield forums about sporterizing an LEC/RIC, they'd go nuts! ("STOP! Wait! Don't do it! Don't ruin that piece of history! there were only 5,000 of those made") I think sporterizing is OK, under the right circumstances. However, I would not sporterize yours any further (more below).

2) An SMLE has a charger bridge that could be used to mount a scope. You might want one someday, if not now. Also, even though a hunter has no use for charger loading, it is convenient and quiet to carry your ammo in 5-rd charger clips rather than loose in your pocket or in a typical ammo carrier with individual slots. Your LEC on the other hand, has to be loaded singly and chargers will not work.

3) An SMLE will also take shorter 5 or 6-rd magazines.

4) Aftermarket stocks and parts are made to fit the SMLE MkIII. There's not a big market for LEC stuff!

5) If you're after a "Lee Speed" clone, remember that BSA and LSA built Lee Speed sporters on SMLE MkIII actions as well as the earlier Long Lee actions, so you could do one up on an SMLE and it would still be "correct." For a picture of what an SMLE MkIII-type sporter looks like, see attached pic below. It is still the light, handy, fast sporter that you're looking for.

Finally, as I mentioned above, I would be interested in buying your LEC if you want to sell it, and I would begin the long process of restoring it, bit by bit. Trust me, I'm not trying to dissuade you from keeping it just so that I can get it! I have enough projects on my plate right now, and a huge Lee Speed research project to finish before I can spare any time for my gun collection. So, proceed as you like with no flak from me. I wish you the best, and I'm happy to help however I can.

Cheers!

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Researching Lee Speeds and all commercial Lee Enfields. If you have data to share or questions, please send me a PM.

Edited by CptCurl (12/09/10 10:06 PM)