Thread: LEE Enfield Carbine restoration

I was given a sporterised LEC rifle, with original NZ marked receiver and bolt (matching numbers but the bolt has been re-numbered to match, assuming an arsenal job) that someone had fitted an SMLE barrel and side mounted QD scope mount. I'm trying to refurbish it back to a faithful representation of the NZ cavalry carbine, using original parts where available, or at least period correct ones.

The mount was soldered on, so the rest of the solder will have to be removed, and the holes left from the screws either welded up, or (and makes more sense to me) the screws put in permanently and heads ground off so they are flush with the side of the receiver and then the bluing touched up.

I picked up a project carbine which had been sporteised too, but still has the original barrel and rear sight. Someone had sadly gone to great lengths to remove all signs of military use it seems; the bayonet lug has been ground off the nosecap, the lug which holds the dust cover on has been ground off the bolt, and the serial numbers and markings have almost been completely ground away, but L.E.C is still just visible on the socket. The magazine is a cut down one, not an original.

The front sight is not original, but a local collector gave me a worn spare one that he had.

We believe this rusty one is actually off a Martini Enfield artillery carbine, almost identical but the post/blade part is longer, the said collector has one of each rifle so we compared the sights side by side.

So, work that needs doing:
Good receiver with present markings tidied up
Barrel fitted to good receiver
Front sight tidied up, blade re-shaped, then brazed on to replace current sight
Fit a different rear sight. The some early carbines were retrofitted, and later ones built with a different rear sight to match the trajectory of the shorter barrel, new ammo, or whatever, these sights are marked EC/88. As the serial number is so high (1616, the highest recorded numbers are in the 1700's, even though there were apparently only 1500 carbines made, maybe they left gaps in the numbers between batches, go figure) I think the later style sight is appropriate.
Acquire a stock. The butt from the sporter carbine is a good representation, and I have reproduction top wood. I'm looking into getting a front stock made.
Find an original nosecap, or weld a bayonet lug (if I can find one) onto the cap on the sporter carbine.

Will update with how it goes, open to suggestions or leads on parts.
Cheers, Tom