Thread: Help identifying stock disc markings on a Lee Enfield

I have a butt here which may or may not belong on an LEC 1*
Am I correct in guessing the disc indicates it was issued in June of 1900 to the 7th Dragoon Guards, rack number 06?
It has a sling stud attachment at the bottom of the stock, not on the left hand side like British cavalry carbines, or am I mistaken? I was under the impression that the NZMR carbines had slings on the bottom, the British cavalry ones were all on the side like a K98K etc?
@gundoc

Yep, that seems to be what it means.

Butt might be from an MLE rather than a LEC - no guarantee that disc has been there its whole life - but did Cavalry Regiments receive some rifles rather than exclusively carbines?

Have you taken it out to see what's on the other side?

The other side is blank and the butt plate is the "short toe" two screw version like the LEC is supposed to have, not the three screw type with the longer toe like an MLE. And the shape of the grip where it slots into the receiver socket is the LEC and MLE shape, not truncated in profile like the SMLE ones are.

According to Skennerton's 'Broad Arrow Mk 2' book, your reading of the disc is correct. Is the 2-screw butt plate steel without a butt trap? That style was used on some rifles and carbines about that time. The possibility exists that the disc is from another butt that has been damaged.

Originally Posted by gundoc

According to Skennerton's 'Broad Arrow Mk 2' book, your reading of the disc is correct. Is the 2-screw butt plate steel without a butt trap? That style was used on some rifles and carbines about that time. The possibility exists that the disc is from another butt that has been damaged.

No, it's brass with the trap. You can just make out a 1.* on the stock near the disc, so I'm assuming it's a Mk 1 star - something? An MLE mk1* would have the three screw butt plate I'm guessing, so what else could it be from? It was on an LEC receiver when I acquired it, after all, but with a serial number of 7371, and no NZ stamps.

In 1900 the MLE was still current so the correct butt plate would have been 3-screw brass with the long tang, which makes me think the disc is not original to the stock.

Here's the butt in question between an MLE and SMLE one. I notice it has a broad arrow, 'EFD', crown , '22', and 'E' stamped on the toe.

The butt socket without the angled flat is correct for the Lee Metford Mk II & II*, Lee Enfield Mk I & I*, MLM & MLE Carbines so it appears to be correct, according to chapter 13 of Skennerton's 'The Lee-Enfield'.

@tommygun
Long shot but do you stillhave this stock? On the hunt for one.. cheers

Originally Posted by Wingman

@tommygun
Long shot but do you stillhave this stock? On the hunt for one.. cheers

That one is on my LEC and I sold off all my spare bits, sorry

All good. Thanks