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Shooting & Reloading - Mausers, Big Bores and others >> Lee Speed Forum & Archive

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mehulkamdar
.416 member

Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 3688
Loc: State of Ill-Annoy USA.

Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection
#151429 - 22/01/10 12:52 PM

I received these pictures from a very good friend who is an occasional poster here, but the owner of the rifle in question is not a member here. I have invited him to join when he finds time. In the meantime, here are some pictures of his LSA Lee Speed 303 rifle:

From the owner's e-mail:

Quote:

The Lee Speed is circa 1920 and is stunning with a mirror bore. From what I can find out, LSA finished them off to a higher standard than other makers - I enclose a few more pics and yes, please forward to your US friend. I include one of the case and yes, the escutcheon initials match. This one has unusual features such as a front cross bored lug by the rear sight group that must have picked up the foward mount of a scope and the charger bridge is knurled on the top face to reduce glare. I have a period Kahles scope to go on it when I can get around to designing and fabricating a mount to pick up on that lug but as to the rear mount - heaven knows?? I just can't bring myself to drill in holes in such a peach of a .303.

Good hunting, everyone!

Edited by CptCurl (02/07/10 10:33 AM)

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rigbymauser
.400 member

Reged: 15/05/05
Posts: 1970
Loc: Denmark

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: mehulkamdar]
#151491 - 22/01/10 11:50 PM

Thanks Mehul

A peach it is...

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kuduae
.400 member

Reged: 13/01/10
Posts: 1775
Loc: middle of Germany

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: rigbymauser]
#151508 - 23/01/10 03:13 AM

The base seems to be for a scope mount like the one offered by Jeffery,London in their 1910/11 catalog.The cuts show it mounted on an early M1900 Mannlicher-Schoenauer. IMHO the pictures are self-explaining, the rear "base" being only a threaded screw hole in the rear of the receiver or even the butt socket on a Lee action.

--------------------
German foresters: We like sustainability! For merely 300 years by 2013.

Edited by CptCurl (02/07/10 10:33 AM)

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CptCurl
.450 member

Reged: 01/05/04
Posts: 5271
Loc: Fincastle, Botetourt County, V...

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: kuduae]
#151592 - 24/01/10 12:10 AM

That's a beautiful sporter indeed.

One can't help but chuckle at the Brits, though. Don't you recon the little retaining chain on the magazine would be just like a bell around a cat's neck?

Curl

--------------------
RoscoeStephenson.com

YOUR DOUBLE RIFLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.

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Checkman
.333 member

Reged: 15/03/08
Posts: 256
Loc: Idaho

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: CptCurl]
#153454 - 12/02/10 05:08 PM

Quote:

That's a beautiful sporter indeed.

One can't help but chuckle at the Brits, though. Don't you recon the little retaining chain on the magazine would be just like a bell around a cat's neck?

Curl

It might be a little loud at that.However it is a beautiful rifle isn't it?.

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Marrakai
.416 member

Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 3482
Loc: Darwin, Top End of Australia

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: Checkman]
#153593 - 14/02/10 01:20 AM

A beautiful Lee Enfield sporter that's for sure, and my congrats to your friend, Mehul.

...but probably not a Lee Speed. Clip-loading bridge and 1920s manufacture don't quite fit AFAIK.

Still, golden rule of British vintage rifles, "never say never!"

Any chance of a close-up photo of the RHS action stamping?

--------------------
Marrakai
When the bull drops, the bullshit stops!
--------------------------------
www.marrakai-adventure.com.au

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Sarg
.400 member

Reged: 20/01/07
Posts: 1365
Loc: Nil

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: Marrakai]
#153895 - 16/02/10 07:35 PM

Hi Marrakai , good to see you here again !

If I could be so presumptuous , I think I have a pic of that here .

From what I have found , most of the sporters were made by BSA and had extras added or finished by the other frims , after the Lee-Speed patens ran out , they stopped putting it on the actions , I have seen a couple of very "Lee Speed" looking rifles having the charger bridge , some chargers were added to the early actions , you just had to ask for it & you got it !

Later Lee Speed's (A term for the sporter) no longer had Lee Speed stamped on them .

Here is a 1905 BSA sporter with the bridge .

Edited by CptCurl (02/07/10 10:34 AM)

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mehulkamdar
.416 member

Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 3688
Loc: State of Ill-Annoy USA.

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: Marrakai]
#154004 - 17/02/10 01:54 PM

Marrakai,

I shall ask the gentleman for pictures of his rifle.

Good to see you here - your posts were missed.

Good hunting!

--------------------
The Ark was made by amateurs. Experts built the Titanic.

Mehul Kamdar

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mehulkamdar
.416 member

Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 3688
Loc: State of Ill-Annoy USA.

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: Sarg]
#154005 - 17/02/10 01:57 PM

Sarg,

Did London Sporting Arms also use BSA actions / barreled actions? I am somewhat curious as I saw a beautiful Greener marked Lee Speed at Dave Norin's shop in Waukegan some time ago (a member here owns that particular rifle) which did not have any BSA marking on it. Would you know if companies other than BSA could have made any sporting Enfields?

Thanks for the reply in advance and good hunting!

--------------------
The Ark was made by amateurs. Experts built the Titanic.

Mehul Kamdar

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Sarg
.400 member

Reged: 20/01/07
Posts: 1365
Loc: Nil

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: mehulkamdar]
#154046 - 17/02/10 08:35 PM

Hi Mehul , Im not a expert mate , on looking at 20 + "Lee Speed" marked sporters , all were made/marked BSA&M.Co or BSA.Co and only had the dust covers marked by who ever !
A heap of the BSA sportes are only marked "BSA .Co" but we would call them Lee Speeds to look at !

That one you saw would be different & may be they had a deal where they could remove the BSA part ?

The only other company I have found who made commercial sporters , were LSA , who did some deal with BSA in the day (or so I read) later Parkers & later still Parker-Hale , who made sporters on all actions , even Ex Mil . I was told by elderly BSA Gunsmith & read in some of his literature that BSA would make a sporter on your rifle if you sent it in to them , so who knows for sure , not me any way !

Not much help Im sorry , I should really sit in the corner and keep quite . LoL !

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Rowdy
.275 member

Reged: 12/09/04
Posts: 53
Loc: Victoria. Australia

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: Sarg]
#154193 - 19/02/10 10:20 AM

LSA (London Small Arms) was set up (1866-1925) like BSA to compete for government contracts and although not on the same scale as BSA cretainly produced complete rifles.
LSA sporters usually have the military style 5 round magazine and the blocky integral front sight.

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mehulkamdar
.416 member

Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 3688
Loc: State of Ill-Annoy USA.

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: Sarg]
#154965 - 27/02/10 01:30 PM

Sarg,

There's no reason for you to "sit in a corner" as your participation is most welcome. My question was because I wondered whether LSA and possibly Greener could have made some actions themselves for government contracts or bought them from another source / manufacturer. Just an academic question, and nothing more.

Sorry if I came across as abrasive in any way. That was not my intention at all.

Good hunting!

--------------------
The Ark was made by amateurs. Experts built the Titanic.

Mehul Kamdar

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BPEBuff
.275 member

Reged: 24/03/10
Posts: 61
Loc: Norfolk, England

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: mehulkamdar]
#160039 - 06/05/10 07:01 AM

Mehul Kamdar

As the owner of the LSA I thank you all for your knowledge. You may have noticed that I am also the owner of the Lawson .450 Express DR and the Remington Hepburn 38-40 featured on the website. It is a huge advantage (and priviledge)to be able to tap into the knowledge on the Forum.
I only wish I had more freedom to enjoy my firearms!

Garry.

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mehulkamdar
.416 member

Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 3688
Loc: State of Ill-Annoy USA.

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: BPEBuff]
#160108 - 08/05/10 12:32 AM

Garry,

Welcome here! It was very nice of our mutual friend John Buxton to introduce you and I must thank you for joining. As I always like to tell our British members, we are all Anglophiles here and you will always be welcome. Also, great countries go through bad patches in their history but they cannot be kept down forever. Perhaps, it is a good thing that I am replying to your post today as election results start coming in. Let us hope that a vastly better future will start coming in for British gun owners soon. And, especially, that all you Brits whoa re members here will soon have mroe guns to show off on the forums.

As I like telling friends, if you have Keira Knightley as a girlfriend, you need to show her off on your arm.

Welcome again and congratulations on both the treasures that you have shared so far. May you have many more in your gunsafe in the years to come!

--------------------
The Ark was made by amateurs. Experts built the Titanic.

Mehul Kamdar

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BPEBuff
.275 member

Reged: 24/03/10
Posts: 61
Loc: Norfolk, England

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: mehulkamdar]
#162714 - 24/06/10 11:05 PM

Mehul,

Thanks for your kind comments - more to come.

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450
.300 member

Reged: 30/12/06
Posts: 199
Loc: Melbourne,Victoria, Australia

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: BPEBuff]
#163967 - 13/07/10 05:02 PM

I believe I have a Lee speed made by BSA but there are no markings to that effect. On the Dust cover it has "Army & Navy" engraved on it. It has a 10 shot mag with a ring on it to attach it to the ring on the rifle. The link is missing. I think it was made 1912. I do not know how to put a photo up on to the forum so I am no help there. Any information about Army & Navy would be appreciated.

Wayne

--------------------
The worst days shooting and hunting is better than the best day at work

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simonsaorsa
.300 member

Reged: 11/05/06
Posts: 172
Loc: UK

Re: Lee Speed Rifle in a British collection [Re: 450]
#164016 - 14/07/10 04:44 AM

Army & Navy Co-Operative Stores Ltd (sometimes 'Army & Navy CSL") was a big department store in Victoria Street in central London, with a big mail order catalogue much relied on by the officer class in British Empire days, and other stores elsewhere in the UK. Of course, they included guns etc in their catalogue and many of them were sold under the Army & Navy brand but really made by e.g Webley or W.C Scott to name just two in Birmingham. For any Americans reading this, think Sears Roebuck.

Their last store was in The Strand in central London. I remember watching it burn down in the mid 1980s as it was just down the road from the office where I worked at the time. They disappeared more or less completely after that. No guns at that time of course!

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