Just Some Lees

Back in the olden days, Great Britain had a firearms industry and produced the redoubtable Lee Enfield. I used to train on them when I was a kid, from about the age of 12 up, and shot alright, "marksman" and all of that.

 1917 my friend

Of course you can't buy them in the UK now because they're far too dangerous, but you can in Texas and I did, some 10 years ago, a No. 4 Mk. 1 from the Gold Nugget pawn. I think it cost around $200 and I've had a lot of fun shooting it, in a nostalgic kind of way. It seems a heavy beast now, though I didn't notice all those years ago.

 note Chesterton's St. Francis, which is awesome

But a #4 wasn't enough, apparently. Suburban Bushwacker persuaded me to go out and get a "project Lee," idea being to turn it into... something. So I did, a 1917 BSA SMLE for 100 bucks at Ray's in Dallas. The metal was painted black, probably due to a parade square refit in the 1950s, the forestock had been chopped, badly, but the serials matched and the bore was bright. So I got the gun.

history in the stamps

Some months later I'd stripped and reblued the metal, along with its cacophany of stampings, neat history if you want to go down the Lee rabbit hole, and replaced the forestock while keeping the butt. Why? Because I liked the Edwardian aesthetics; elegant, though not helpful with optics because the buttstock's too low to achieve cheek weld with a scope. Wasn't designed for it, you see.

Speaking of which, after inletting the receiver/barrel I spent a vast amount of time shaping and polishing the wood (Boyd's walnut -- cheap, semi inlet). No kidding, if you decide to do this be prepared to be patient. It's perhaps worth it because you can create a thing of beauty, a good in itself. But remember, people charge a lot of money for a good wood finish for a very good reason.

Regardless, the rifle's done well enough despite it's, ahem, makeshift scope mount and's shot a bobcat, an auodad(!) and various varmints. No pigs though, annoyingly. I look at it and reflect; over a hundred years old and still going strong, maybe stronger even than it ever was.

 typical trigger scene

Well, you can't have too much of a good thing, so I went out and bought another Lee, an old sporterized #4, with a view to turning it into a scout rifle, Cooper style. And hey, it's got the components, 10 round magazine, bolt action, BUIS, tried and true rugged, etc. 

Have I done anything with it? No, I haven't, shamefacedly. But when I do... it'll be along the lines of shortening the barrel, a new front site, a forward mounted optic and new wood, obviously. I say wood instead of plastic because this is a Lee.

look, put the safety on, so-called "LSP"

And Lees are all about wood and steel.

Shoot straight,

LSP

Weapon Of Choice

So what's your weapon of choice, 1911, Glock, SIG? Some kind of wheel gun, maybe a .357 Magnum Colt Python? Levers, ARs, SovCom,  shotguns in all their awesomeness, and on. Hey, the sky's the limit but this is how it's turned out for me. Scoff if you like, or not.

My weapon of choice is three weapons. A custom 5.56 AR carbine, a Glock 21 .45ACP (thx RHSM), and a 20 gauge SxS CZ. OK, fine, but why?

Just turned out that way, but probably because they cover all my bases at this moment in time and I can afford them. It'd be an expensive hassle, for example, to focus on No.4 Mk.1 Lee Enfields, much as I love them. 

But there's no rule, what's your real-world weapon of choice?

#2A,

LSP

Reconnaissance

On Wednesday there's Stations of the Cross followed by a class on the Apostles' Creed. On Thursday there's Stations of the Cross at a different church, followed by soup and salad and fellowship. That's Lent for you but here's the thing, the second church is close to a lake.

So, after a tasty if frugal meal of soup I drove down to the lake for a recce to see what the fish were up to. 

These New Rods Need To Be Broken In

It felt good to clamber down the limestone bluff as the sun was setting and you could smell Texas; cedar and sage blown in on clean, clear air. It smells like freedom and a land that's barely been settled but did it augur fish?

No, not this time. I didn't see anything break the water, despite the golden hour time of day. They were probably sleeping, like Western Civilization itself before the onslaught of fanatical Jihad. Fish are like that, they lie suspended and unthinking in the chill water of the lake, waiting for warmer weather to stir them on.

Where's The Fish?

Still, even though the fish were asleep at the wheel, the heavens weren't and it was good to see the sun set over the lake.

We'll be back and back in force; there's outrageously good fishing to be had in just this spot. I know this from experience.

Texas

Wait 'til the Bass are blitzing.

Your Old Mate,

LSP

Fog of War, Spaghetti Update

The fight against evil doesn't stop because there's a bit of fog on the road, making Lake Whitney look like a scene from an Arthurian legend. That's why you have to climb in your truck and brave the fog of war on the weather to get to Mass.

Also, like any soldier, you need to eat right in order to take the fight to the enemy, so I'm grateful for all the spaghetti suggestions and offer the following update.

I like everything about this safe space.

One senior member of the intelligence community sent in this helpful tip: "You might want to add some gunpowder for flavor." Good call, I will. An art philosopher recommended "a pinch of sugar" to reduce acidity and Marmite as a flavor enhancer. Well said, I'll take that as an imperative! Then a well known nature theologian said "add some shrooms!" Alright, I will.

Another pundit again told me to add some ginger nutmeg and a bit of chili powder to the sauce "because that's the way the Italians do it." Right on, I'm up for it.

Some Italian Handgun

Then there's the gun. Several firearms specialists said "no, a handgun is not 'optional'," you need it to "defend your dinner." OK, I'm convinced. Logic.

Defend Your Dinner! And Your Rods! With, er, a .303 Battle Rifle.

So thank you for the helpful suggestions. The quest for the perfect Spaghetti Bolognese continues.

God bless,

LSP

The March of the Lees

What do you do, on a chill November night in rain drenched Texas, where we're badly losing the War on Weather? Start on a new Lee Enfield project, of course.

For me, that means coming to grips with an old No. 4 Mk.1, which started off life as a battle rifle in 1943 and was brought back to the US, where it was sporterized. I bought it from a friend a few years ago and haven't used it much. So what's going to happen to this gun? First things first, take off the wood.

Then admire your rifle as it sits on the bench, complete with 10 round magazine, rear micro sight and silky smooth action. All the better for rapid firing the venerable .303 Brit. Next step, get a new stock, perhaps from Boyd's, shorten and re-crown the barrel, then fit a forward mounted rail. The idea being to create a handy truck/scout rifle.

Typical Texas Scene, Apart From Absence of Lee Enfields

Now some people are critical of Jeff Cooper's concept and with good reason, but if you have an old rifle sitting around that could meet the criteria, well, why not put it to good use? 

Shoot the Lee,

LSP

March of the Lees

Just Some Lees

One of the first things I did when I moved to the countryside was go to the local pawn shop, the Gold Nugget. Why? Well, there wasn't much else to do here and it seemed like most of the town were there, so I figured it was a pastoral duty to visit. Fly the flag, kind of thing. Also they had guns and that was a big draw. Especially the Lee Enfield No. 4 Mk. I that stood on the rack, beckoning. Matching serials, bright bore, good rifling and a whole lot of nostalgia. So I bought it and before long the Lees were multiplying, partly because SBW was saying, "Go on! Sort out a Lee Sporter!"

That's How It's Really Done (not by me)

$100 later I was into an SMLE Mk.III porch project, stripping paint, sanding (and sanding and sanding and sanding and...) and generally fixing up an old 1917 battle rifle. I wanted to get something like a Lee Speed, which I didn't because I don't have the skills but still, I was pleased with the result. I've put an ATI rail on it and mounted a used Burris Fullfield. The scope's died, so I figure I'll get something cost-effective, maybe a Nikon.

Willie Nelson Loves Lee Enfields

That leaves a spare No. 4. Speak to a smith and get a Scout Rifle, that's what I'm thinking.

If you don't like Stardust by Mr. Nelson you're a fool.

LSP

Dog & Gun

You know what it's like, serious Palm Sunday business, a bit of porch 'smithing, and then? Fire up the grill, cook some burgers and relax.

Vizsla

JEB's happy. He's a bird dog; that's the theory. Somehow a rifle makes its way onto the mahogany and look! There's a No. 4!

Empire Builder

Nice.

God bless,

LSP