ORIGINAL: mulvany
My cousin has a enfield 1905 that he got from an uncle. He is wondering information about a gun like this. It is an unknown caliber, with a large bolt action.It has several marks and several numbers and letters posted everywhere on it. Anyone with any information about it or how to find outinfo about it give us a shout. I live inSouthern Illinois. Thanks.
The British P-14 Enfiled and the U.S. Model 1917 Enfield are large, mauser-type rifles (locking lugs on the front of the bolt), but were designed and made much later than 1905, as trheir numbers (dates) indicate-1914 and 1917 respecively. These two rifles are pretty much identical except for caliber - the P14 is .303 British and the 1917 in a .30/'06.
It is likely that the one you have dated 1905 is a "Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfiled, or SMLE Rilfe No. 1 Mark III. This rifle has a 10-round, detachable-box magazine, and the bolt locks in the receiver using two lugs about halfway back on the sides of the bolt body. This rifle is also chambered for the .303 British cartridge, and was the British Army's primary battle rifle in WWI. A modifiedversion of the same design, designated Rifle No. 4, was also usedin WWII by the British.The SMLE in its various forms is the BEST combat bolt-action rifle ever issued!!
http://www.surplusrifle.com/smle/index.asp
The SMLE No. 1 Mark III looks like this:
