Gday fellas,
I own a few No.4s, and No.1s, and one lonely .303 Martini Enfield, I do not currently own a No.3 (P14), but have used them, and I can only dream about a Ross.
The best all rounder, the one I use in our Service Rifle Competition (more like the shooting equivalent of a vintage car race than a real Service Rifle Comp.) is the No.4. The Service Rifle Comp. can include ranges from 600yds to 100yds, slow fire, snap (1shot 3second exposure, times 10) rapid ( 10 shots in 50 seconds, or 2 times 5 shots in 25 secs. with a compulsory reload) even the occasional Mad Minute (60 seconds unlimited rounds).
The No.3 (P14) rifle is inherently more accurate due to its Mauser type action and simpler bedding, but its not as quick to operate, and its rear sight is not as finely adjustable as a No 4 (with the exception of the rarer fine adjustment rear sight added to some WW1 sniper P14s).
The No.4 I use most of all is an unaltered, as issued 1954 Fazakarly Mk 2, it will group 10 174 grain Sierra Match King reloads into 1.5 at 100yds. This doesnt sound particularly impressive accuracy, but given the all round nature of the Service Rifle Match, it was good enough to win last years Service Rifle State Championship (less than 70 competitors). The bloke who came second was actually the better shooter, he used an as issued long barrelled Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55mm fired from the left shoulder. The straight out bolt handle is much quicker for lefties.
The No.1s can be as good and accurate as the No.4s, particularly if theyre fitted with the heavier barrel (same weight as No.4 barrel), but I find the open sights harder to use.
The Martini Enfield can get off 10 shots in 50 seconds, and is easily as accurate as the other Enfields, but once again the sights pose a problem.
The biggest problem I have is ammunition. Surplus ammo varies too much in availability and accuracy, and good quality projectiles are hard to get and expensive; almost twice as much as the equivalent .308 projectile. No.4s converted to 7.62x51 are popular on the range for this reason.
Any good clean unaltered Lee Enfield is worth collecting, the Ross rifle even more so. The most collectable would have to be the rarer prototypes such as the Canadian Jungle Carbine, their experiments in making a lightweight No.4, or the Australian experimental shortened and lightened No.1 Mk3s. And of course any sniper variant, especially if it still has all of its original accessories.
A popular conversion here in Australia, is to cut down a No.4 to resemble a No.5 Jungle Carbine and set the barrel back to take the 7.62x39mm round. This is often done without rechambering, only shortening the existing .303 chamber. This conversion also requires a new magazine (a 7.62x39mm mag. can be grafted into a .303 mag.) and the bolt head modified by the addition of a circular lip and plunger ejector. These rifles perform as well at 100 and 200yds as any .303 Enfield.
In the earlier half of the 20th century BSA built sporting Lee Enfields in 7mm and 8mm Mauser, .32/40, and even a big bore in .375; this .375 Express was basically a lengthened .303 case firing a 270 grain bullet at about 1975 fps. I would personally like a Lee sporter in .256 Manlicher (6.5x54mm Rimmed).
I love Lee Enfields, Paul.
