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Chinese Enfields? Any such beast? Information?

Author	Comment
Kierlup	Chinese Enfields? Any such beast? Information?	Lead	[-]
Posts: 79 (11/06/09 02:06 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Tags : None I spoke to-day with a fellow who says he has a 1926 Lee-Enfield, with a 10 round magazine attached to the trigger guard by an approx. 5" chain. He knows little about it, and couldn't identify it by type, but said it has Chinese characters on it, and the "wood goes all the way to the end". I haven't seen it yet, and I suspect it's more likely to be Indian markings, but I'm wondering in the meantime whether any of the British manufacturers are known to have supplied arms by contract to the Chinese government. If so, I expect they'd be No.1 Mk.III*'s, but he said the chain was on there when he got it and it looked not to be an amateur addition.
Dalkowski110		#1	[-]
Posts: 1328 (11/06/09 07:27 PM) Forum Co-host Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I cannot say that I've ever heard of a Chinese Lee-Enfield, although I know China did have M1917's given to them during WWII as military aid from the US. But in no way does an M1917 fit the description provided. It's possible he might have a Siamese Contract Lee-Enfield, as I can see how someone would confuse Thai script with Chinese characters if they'd had limited exposure to both. However, to my knowledge, Siamese Contract Lee-Enfields are all from 1920. Is it possible that the "6" in "1926" might just be a double-stamped/messed-up "0"? The buttsocket should have the face of a tiger stamped on it, tho'...not a detail I would imagine your friend would omit. The Indian Enfields use the traditional Latin alphabet stamped onto the buttsocket. The only usages (and it's not all the time in either case) of Indian script would be either the rack number prefix on the buttstock or I've seen a few unit-marked in the Indian alphabet as well (either on a brass stock disk or just stamped on the stock, with the former being more common).
NotPC		#2	[-]
Posts: 5556 (11/23/09 03:23 AM) Host Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Don't know if I can find the pics of it, but I had one of the Savage Enfields that were sent to China as Lend-Lease items. Supposedly 10K or 20K of them. It had Chinese characters on the buttstock. It was acquired from Mr. Kevin Carney. I haven't heard of any made by China, but I am woefully ignorant of Enfields. Regards.
Dalkowski110		#3	[-]
Posts: 1362 (11/23/09 10:07 AM) Forum Co-host Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	"Don't know if I can find the pics of it, but I had one of the Savage Enfields that were sent to China as Lend-Lease items. Supposedly 10K or 20K of them. It had Chinese characters on the buttstock." Oh boy, I missed those! Yeah, they're usually in pretty ratty condition, but unlike a lot of Chinese rifles, they are generally serviceable (unlike their Mausers). Still, I don't know of any rifles that wound up in China where "the wood goes all the way to the end."
Paul in Briz		#4	[-]
Posts: 6 (11/27/09 05:07 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The Btitish were in Shanghai and other areas pre 1941. I'm sure the local police would have been suitably armed with Lee Enfields.
Rustybore		#5	[-]
Posts: 918 (11/27/09 10:40 AM) Veteran member Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I wouldn't put anything pass the Chinese. They were adaptable and use anything convenient. They very well could have used captured weapons from the British from the Korean War. I'm sure they probably had weapons given to them back in WWII in China by the British, or used "picked up" rifles from the battlefield during those times. Kevin in Or.
dogngun		#6	[-]
Posts: 212 (12/09/09 04:56 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Maybe from the British Army in Burma or Singapore - the Lee Enfield was a very good, servicable rifle, still is. I am sure there are a lot of them still being used in places where they don't belong. need more info or pics, please. mark

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