My SMLE No. 4 Mk. I, need help identifying buttstock find

[JustAGuy1250]

Hey everyone, recently recieved an SMLE No.4 Mk. I from an old man who got it from his dad who found it in a shed.
Sadly this baby has been treated badly and is fairly rusty, so while cleaning it up i opened the buttstock hatch and found this little thing, anyone know what it is?

Sorry for the really blurry second pic of the mystery object, but they can be screwed together for some reason.

[BrodieBartfast]

It's the pull-through for swabbing the barrel. It was part of the cleaning kit for the rifle, issued alongside an oil bottle, like the one below. Both would have been stowed in that hatch in the buttstock until they were required.



Regards, B.B.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

I've never seen a pull-through like that before! And as an aside, your rifle is not an SMLE, that came out before the number 4 rifle.

Cheers,
Steve

[JustAGuy1250]

really? i've check alot and the spike bayonet that it was found with (it was attached on the rifle when it was found in the barn) says No. 4 Mk. I

[HARRY THE MOLE]

The weapon you have is a 'Rifle, No 4 Mk 1' which was approved on November 15th 1939, although it did not go into production until 1941

S.M.L.E is an abbreviation for... 'Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield' which is an earlier version of the No 4. The 'Smelly' as it was known, was first trialled in 1902. Both rifles are different in shape and features.

Cheers,
Steve

[BrodieBartfast]

Here are a couple of photographs to show the differences between the two rifles. SMLE on the left, and No4 on the right. Both rifles are a part of the Swedish Army Museum collection.



Regards, B.B.

[JustAGuy1250]

So mine would be an MLE No4 Mk. I?

[BrodieBartfast]

So mine would be an MLE No4 Mk. I?

The official designation was 'Rifle, No. 4 Mk I'. Most collectors simply refer to them as 'number four' rifles.

B.B.

[Anderson]

Get's confusing doesn't it. The MLE was an earlier model again.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

Get's confusing doesn't it. The MLE was an earlier model again.

And to add even further confusion, MLE stood for: Magazine Lee-Enfield... this being the first of the Lee-Enfield rifles - the previous rifle being the Lee-Metford. The MLE was also known as the Long Lee-Enfield - due to it's length of 49.5 inches... the SMLE and Rifle No 4 measuring at 44.5 inches and 44.4 inches respectively. The 'Short' in SMLE referred to the length of the rifle - and NOT the size of the magazine, some people get a little confused over this!

Cheers,
Steve