Original Item: Once again, IMA has uncovered a great antique accessory for the old Lee Metfords and Lee Enfields. These protectors were used on only a few models of .303 caliber service rifles and a few .22 caliber training rifles. The models specified are the Charger-Loading Lee Metford Mk II, Charger-Loading Lee Enfield Mk I*, .22 Short Rifle Mk I, .22 Short Rifle Mk II, and the .22 Long Rifle Mk II. (For pictures of these rifles with the protector in place, see Ian Skennerton’s The Lee Enfield 2007, Pages 448, 457, 478, 479, and 483.)
The right side of the protector is marked with a capital letter E, indicating manufacture at Enfield; the left side is marked with an inspector’s mark consisting of the Broad Arrow over EFD. These protectors look unissued, although the finish is generally gone.
NOTE: The rifles for which these protectors are specified can be identified by a transverse hole drilled through the sight base for the screw that secures the protector. To date, we have not found the screws.