Lee Enfield SMLE or no4 scope mounting options ?

marve114

Well-Known Member
I’ve got an itch I might scratch but curious what my options are mounting a scope to a classic Lee Enfield .303

Depending on the most reliable mount I can sway from either an SMLE or a number 4

I just fancy a .303 if that makes sense

Obviously I’d like it to be reliable etc

Any views ?

Lee
 
Last edited:
I’ve got an itch I might scratch but curious what my options are mounting a scope to a classic Lee Enfield .303

Obviously I’d like it to be reliable etc

Any views ?

Lee
It would be better if you were to specify which model of .303.

Jamsie
 
I too had the itch earlier this year, as it turned out I had the good luck to be offered a 1902 MLE, so I’m told mounting a scope to an Enfield is a job for a gunsmith if one is not already fitted, and from what I’ve seen one with a decent scope mounted is going to carry a premium, having said that I do know of a complete with carrying case mint sniper rifle local to you if you fancy it?
E6DE46C1-6145-47D5-AA76-10F4F0D4B959.webp
 
I too had the itch earlier this year, as it turned out I had the good luck to be offered a 1902 MLE, so I’m told mounting a scope to an Enfield is a job for a gunsmith if one is not already fitted, and from what I’ve seen one with a decent scope mounted is going to carry a premium, having said that I do know of a complete with carrying case mint sniper rifle local to you if you fancy it?
View attachment 279784
Sent you a pm out of curiosity 👍
 
I’ve got an itch I might scratch but curious what my options are mounting a scope to a classic Lee Enfield .303

Depending on the most reliable mount I can sway from either an SMLE or a number 4

I just fancy a .303 if that makes sense

Obviously I’d like it to be reliable etc

Any views ?

Lee
Call Joe Beatham at Gunshop EB. He had remanufactured rear mounts for the No4 that replaces the standard backsight. If you contact him let him know a tall man from Leicester with a bad back suggested you call him.

The other option at a fraction of buying a service spec No4 is to look at Holt's and buy a Parker Hale No4 Supreme!

 
Last edited:
I fancy one as the club I’m joining is proposing a historic event so I think il have to find a military version
 
Scopes bodged onto Enfields are an abhorrence. Shoot them as intended and designed, that’s part of the fun of owning a classic military rifle. Unless it’s a no4T with a period scope of course :):)

They are getting harder to find, for a reasonable one anyway and then people stick scopes, bipods and cheek pieces on them when they should just buy a Remmy 700 or similar to dress up.
 
Just sold a 1916 P14 with overbore scope mounts (no scope) in military wood and with a period scope it could well have been mistaken for a P14 sniper rifle, but it certainly wasn’t sold as such !
 
As above, shot them as they left the factory or fit a parker hale target sight. my No4 MK2 is plenty good enough for government use out to 200 yards. And 60 odd yards for deer

 
A scoped smle is a joy to use. I took it out for a walk a few weeks back, the 174gn Hornady work well.
I have a parker hale one piece base mount which screws to the rear bridge and front ring. PM me if you need one. I had a steel one made years ago and attached Talley qd rings.
I have always wanted to use it on driven boar just for kicks. Now that would be fun!
 

Attachments

  • PXL_20220925_062932743.webp
    PXL_20220925_062932743.webp
    814.1 KB · Views: 62
A scoped smle is a joy to use. I took it out for a walk a few weeks back, the 174gn Hornady work well.
I have a parker hale one piece base mount which screws to the rear bridge and front ring. PM me if you need one. I had a steel one made years ago and attached Talley qd rings.
I have always wanted to use it on driven boar just for kicks. Now that would be fun!
That is a nice rifle . Bring it with you , we'll do some trading lol .

AB
 
Hi AB,
It's what I would bring with me, but I couldn't ever part with it. It will be the last one to go!! But I have a few I know you would appreciate and would feel right at home in that Alberta game country!
K
 
Good period .303s are not too easy to find these days. Sadly a lot of them are butchered so they can be owned without a certificate. There's a reasonable market in average ones still, so if you feel you must plonk a scope on one, use one of those. You can pick one up for around the £500 mark, give or take. If you really must. But really, putting a modern scope on a Lee Enfield .303 of any flavour is akin to fitting a jet engine into a Spitfire. Just not the done thing, old bean. If you still want to, go the route that doesn't drill or otherwise ruin the rifle, so when you realise the folly of your ways, you can remedy it.

I'm with those above. Get a nice example that is, to you, pleasing to the eye and shoot it with the sights it came from the factory with. It will be fun, and you'll find that the ability to shoot accurately will be more down to you, rather than the manufacturer of a scope. Obviously the Mk1 eyeball won't be as accurate as a scoped equivalent, but imagine when sitting at the range and firing it, whether your accuracy will actually stop the imaginary enemy soldier who is charging at you at 200 yards (or whatever range your range shoots at).

If you want accuracy, then go for the latest one you can find and have a good squint down the barrel before you buy it. A No4 Mk2 that hasn't been used is arguably the best for that and, again arguably, No4 rifles have easier to use sights. They're not too cheap though. Or, as above, see if you can take out another mortgage and find a sniper variant. There are, of course "made-up" No4Ts that are a tad cheaper.
 
Out with a fellow a few weeks ago. He had made these mounts for his SMLE. They looked like a factory fit. He’s a retired engineer. @Foxyboy43 hes from your part of the world. You might know him.
 

Attachments

  • 02873D26-E310-4D95-8DC4-03B7AE64FC19.webp
    02873D26-E310-4D95-8DC4-03B7AE64FC19.webp
    686.3 KB · Views: 45
I picked up a WW2 SMLE for a couple of hundred quid from a club member, added a no gunsmith mount myself, Simmons WTC 1.5-5x20 and it's good to go.
There are millions of the things kicking round and they are cheap enough to do what YOU want to do with it, just shoot the thing and enjoy it your way.
I have a No4 if I fancy a bit of iron sight 303 practice, best of both worlds and still cheap as chips if you buy privately, the No4 was £300, obviously the 4T is a bank breaker though.

24888963228_b6283a3842_b.jpg
 
There are no-drill, no tap mounts available. Anyone who takes a nice, vintage SMLE or#4 and has it drilled should be horsewhipped. JMHO of course. ~Muir
Yes, I might suggest a Ruger No 1 in 303, unless the op is stuck on the smle.
 
Back
Top