r/canadaguns • u/Jack_inboxx • May 12 '26
Fix my gun How should I unsportized my Mk4?
I never posted here before, but considering the issue I'm facing and the people in this group, this is the perfect opportunity.
I just bought my first firearm with my PAL! Got it for 260 at a local gun show in my province, it's a Lee Endfield Mk4 if I'm not wrong and I'm trying to figure out how to unsportize it and bring it back to it's original glory, any help is greatly appreciated
10
u/s13silvia May 12 '26
I’m not an Enfield expert, but I know enough to be dangerous.
You have a No4 Lee Enfield. Since it has the flip rear sight I believe that’s a Mk2 or later change.
It looks like the barrel has been shortened, but I can’t tell by how much. No4s should have a bayonet lug on the barrel, and yours is missing it. Depending on how much barrel has been removed will determine how expensive it will be to restore to military configuration.
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u/Jack_inboxx May 12 '26
The vendor informed me during the sale that the barrel isn't original unfortunately
3
u/s13silvia May 12 '26
That makes sense. If it’s long enough, you may be able to make it work. You won’t be able to mount a bayonet though. Otherwise your option is to re-barrel with an unmodified one.
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u/Jack_inboxx May 12 '26
Would it be an issue for the forestock?
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u/s13silvia May 12 '26
Possibly. Financially speaking, your best bet is to buy an unsporterized one. Enfields are over designed, and there is a lot of work that needs to go into making them as accurate as they can be. If you want a project and are willing to spend more time and money to get one that may be as accurate as an unmolested one, then go for it.
If I was in your shoes I would keep this one as is and pick up an unmodified one.
I recommend buying the book on a milsurp first. You learn a lot and can buy with a lot of knowledge.
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u/Q-Ball7 In the end, it's taxes all the way down May 12 '26
Just stop.
Don't bother rebarreling or restocking this. It is not worth your money or your time. All you should be doing at this point is making sure the draws are intact and not cracked, because the wood on these things are 80 years old and that part's actually important. If they are, either buy a new stock set from Boyd's (or some no-name synthetic stock) or do something to seal them up.
Then, just put a bunch of rounds through it.
Internet gun people get butthurt about muh sporterization but the truth is that shortening these guns actually does improve them somewhat (these things were always a bit too long for what they are- a holdover from the pre-WW1 days where guns were essentially spears with miniature cannons attached to them), and that use is just as much a part of its history as its military provenance was.
And provided you're buying online, there really isn't that much of a price premium for .303 compared to .308. Yeah, you pay (at worst) 10 bucks more for a box of 20, but you also got the gun for 200 dollars less than a Savage Axis usually costs (this thing is more fragile, has a worse trigger, and is less accurate... but it's also smoother, holds 10 rounds, and actually comes with sights), so you'd have to buy 400 rounds of .303 for the total cost of ownership on the Axis (and its cheaper ammunition) to balance out.
400 rounds is quite a few range trips for a rifle like this- that's more than enough time for you to figure out what you actually want, even if that is indeed just a heavier and longer version of this for 3x the price.
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May 12 '26
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u/CanadianLanBoy May 12 '26
The barrel is modified, you would need to replace it.
Reproductions from criterion are Lothar Walther are available, but they are not cheap.
If it's a labour of love, you can still absolutely restore it, but it will not be the most economical route.
If you want to go ahead, you will need a barrel. May need to privately import it (not hard) or ask around to dealers that could order you one. Small parts can be bought (usually NOS) from MARSTAR, you'd need practically all the front end hardware. You'd need a wood set, Prestigious Wood Stocks makes good quality reproduction forends/handguards.
Properly fitting a lee Enfield forend is a very intricate job, but if you are confident in traditional woodworking skills it's not difficult with some patience. Look into Peter Laidler's online articles on stocking up. Without proper fitment the gun will be incredibly inaccurate at best, and will beat itself to death at worse (split forend up the middle). Study these documents, watch videos, and scower forums until you understand not only what needs to be done but why it needs to be done, before you pickup a chisel.
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u/SonOfJaak May 12 '26
Like others have said, this is not a good candidate for restoration.
Visit all of your local gun shops and see what they have on the shelves. I will be surprised if you can't find an unmolested barrel at one of them.
I have a shop local to be that has a rack of a dozen No4 rifles with missing mags for $100 each and about half of them have uncircumcised barrels.
1
u/Brandon_awarea May 12 '26
If any other the barrel components have been altered/replaced it’s not feasible for most people to restore. As is with restorations you are usually breaking even but this will almost certainly put you in the red.
I encourage de-sporterizations but this one doesn’t make sense. I’d buy another sporter or a complete Rifle.
1
u/BlandRusk06 May 13 '26
Firstly, make sure that the barrel hasn’t been cut short. Secondly, find someone selling the foregrip and handguards. I saw some Mk4 pieces on GunPost within the last couple of days. I myself just bought an SMLE (a sporter as well) and it arrived yesterday. I am looking for the wood as well, but it isn’t common or cheap. Also, look on YouTube for some videos of other people doing it so you can see the process and what to be careful with. Some parts of the wood can be fragile.
You can also buy brand new wood sets on eBay, but they can be $400+! Good luck, brother!
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u/Fickle_Ice_7584 May 12 '26
Feel like everyone has this thought with their first cheap sporter milsurp. Reality is you're better off buying an unmolested milsurp instead.