I certainly belong to that cult… The Garand was my gateway into the world of milsurp rifles (tho a pristine 1903a3 was my first milsurp rifle I bought), but the Lee Enfield no.4 is my lasting love.
I currently have 4 of them…
- Two war worn Longbranch MkI* rifles.
- A faux-T built off a saved receiver from an unsalvageable stock. I had it rebarreled with a Criterion barrel, the pads (from Fulton’s of Bisby in the UK) mounted, and bracket (via Roger Payne, again in the UK) collimated by Bruce Dow who then sent it to Brian Dick to restock it per MoD specifications…
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…it turned out beautifully and very accurate. I also have a repro scope that Warren on Milsurps.com worked over and ‘tarted up’ as he words it. The whole set up cost probably twice what it’s worth, but I wanted one I could use in vintage matches.
- A Virgin no4 Mk2 I picked up cuz I wanted one essentially brand new. I paid $1000 for it, which at the time was slightly above market, but as prices have risen I think I got a pretty good deal.