a post-war RFI marked .303 Caliber magazine, which has not been deactivated. The bore is in good condition, though it is a bit greasy, and we unfortunately do not have a cleaning rod small enough to clean it. It does appear to have some wear, but we can still see rifling in areas. The stock is solid, with the expected wear of age and long service. We however do not see any repairs such as dowels, pins, etc, which is a real rarity. 

The markings on this rifle help trace the history of the refits it has gone through. On the top right of the stock cup it is marked with the original production information:

(CROWN)
V.R.
ENFIELD
1898
L.E.
I.

The royal cypher Crown over V.R. stands for for Victoria Regina. Well, this Queen, who reigned for almost 64 years, had an influence far beyond the British Isles and the British Empire during the Nineteenth Century. Victorian morals dominated the cultured classes of Great Britain and the new United States, and even now, in the Twenty-First Century, nostalgic organizations such as the Victorian Riflemen thrive in the former Colonies.

ENFIELD indicates that the first incarnation of this piece was produced by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock and 1898 was the year of original manufacture. L.E. is the abbreviation for the .303 calibre, Rifle, Magazine, Lee–Enfield, with the I indicating the first version. There are no stars indicating that it was produced as a modified first version. It saw service, and then was deemed worn or obsolete, so it was converted to the new Short MLE configuration.

The conversion information is stamped onto the lower left of the buttstock cup:

SPARKBROOK
1905
SHT. L.E.
CON.D II.

This indicates that the rifle was converted to a .303 caliber Rifle, short, Magazine Lee-Enfield Converted Mark II at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Sparkbrook in 1905. It was then presumably in service in this configuration through WWI and was then stored at arsenal. Conversion to a .22 Trainer most likely happened in the years leading up to WWII, as indicated by the markings on the receiver above the chamber:

SHT 22
III
B.S.A. Co.

This rifle was converted to a .22 Mk III rifle by the Birmingham Small Arms Co., for use in training exercises. The original barrel was replaced with a new .22 barrel. It would have been used by soldiers learning marksmanship in the early days of WWI or WWII. As there is no conversion date, we cannot be sure when it became a .22 rifle.

This is a great chance to own an interesting .22 SMLE trainer, with loads of history! Ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1898 – converted 1905 and again later
Caliber:  .22 cal
Cartridge Type: Rimfire Cartridge
Overall Length: 25 Inches
Overall Length: 44 Inches
Action type: Bolt-Action
Feed System: Single Shot