The Enfield Collector's Digest

The Enfield Collectors Digest (ECD) resulted from several Lee-Enfield collectors getting together in 1992 to form a loose confederation of like-minded associates. The first issue of the ECD was published in January of 1993.

It was produced specifically for collectors of Lee-Enfield rifles and British & Commonwealth militaria and was published from 1993 through 2002.

Varying from four to six issues per year, the ECD functioned as a forum for exchange of information between collectors, a learning tool for new collectors, and a source for locating information related to collecting British and Commonwealth firearms and militaria.

By January, 2000, the ECD boasted subscribers in twelve (12) countries - Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, England, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Switzerland, and the U.S.

The subscriber base included individuals, major military museums and libraries, many organized collector's clubs and organizations, and the British MOD Pattern Room Library, the Canadian War Museum Library, and the Lithgow Small Arms Museum Library.

Each issue contained an assortment of the following features:

Articles about Lee-Enfield Rifles and other British and British Commonwealth firearms, accessories, and militaria, written by well known authors in the field as well as by subscribers. Well known contributors include Ian Skennerton and Peter Laidler, among others.

Comments from subscribers - personal observations about collecting Lee-Enfield rifles and other British military items.

Tips on new publications on British firearms, accessories, and other related subjects.

A subscriber question and answer column moderated by Paul M. R. Breakey, a well known American collector and Enfield historian and scholar.

Tidbits of information on a variety of subjects related to British Militaria. Both commercial and non-commercial advertisements of items For Sale, Wanted, or For Trade.

Although out of print since 2002, back issues are still available (in limited numbers) at a cost of $5.00 USD each, postage included, USPS Media rate. Postage outside the US, obviously, is extra.

Below is a synopsis of the major articles included in each issue:

(Under Construction, More to be added later, Pardon.)

Vol. I No. 1 Jan-93

The .303 British Cartridge
The Lee-Enfield Saga
The SMLE - A Rifle for a New Century
The SMLE Aim Corrector

Vol. I No. 2 Apr-93

Conversion of the .303 Rifle No. 4 to 7.62 mm
The Alfred J. Parker Model 8/53 Aperture Backsight Attachment
The No. 4 Enfield as a Target Rifle
The Rifle No. 5 Mk 2 Prototype

Vol. I No. 3 Jul-93

Lee-Enfield S.M.L.E. Action Skeleton ("The British Service Lee")
The National Rifle Factory Mark III*
The Pattern '14 No. 1 Is Not A .303
Use .308 Diameter Bullets With Your .303 British
What is a Sight? (Poem)

Vol. I No. 4 Oct-93

An Arms Fair North Of The Border
British Lee Trigger Guard Variations
Enfield Firing Pin Tools
Reloading Tips For The .303
The .303 British Cartridge
The Swift Training Rifles
The Venerable Lee-Enfield

Vol. II No. 1 Jan-94

96 Years Old And Still Going Strong
A Tale Of One Lee-Enfield
Markings ... On ... Rifles of the WWI - WWII Period
Some Enfields Are Born Ugly
The No. 1 Mark VI Lee-Enfield ...
The Rifle EY

Vol. II No. 2 Mar-94

An Ishapore Sectionalized No. 1 Mk III*
Enfields And The Movies
The Collector
The First Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield Rifle, Part I

Vol. II No. 3 May-94

Canadian 7.62 Conversions
Getting to Know Your Lee-Enfield ...
Lee-Enfield C No. 4 Mk 1* Rifles (The British Service Lee")
The First Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield Rifle, Part II
The P-14 Enfield in WWII and Beyond
The Sniper

Vol. II No. 4 Jul-94

A Century of Sights and Sighting Aids
Navy Arms L39 & L42 Rifles
The First Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield Rifle, Part III
The Swift Training Rifles (An Addendum)

Vol. II No. 5 Sep-94

A Brief History of the US Enfield
Brass Oiler Markings
Lee-Enfield Dust Covers - A Legacy of World Way One Trench Warfare
Notes on the Lee-Enfield Magazine Cut-Off

Vol. II No. 6 Nov-94

Grading and Pricing Military Rifles
Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk 1 Sniper Rifles
The Commonwealth's Other .303

Vol. III No. 1 Jan-95

.303 Rifle No. 4 Serial Numbers
Brass Oiler Markings: Part Two
Refurbishing and Restoring Aging and Ailing Enfields, Part I
SMLE Anomalies

Vol. III No. 2 Mar-95

An Austrian SMLE
Ekins' Automatic Lee-Enfield
Refurbishing and Restoring Aging and Ailing Enfields, Part II
Vol. III No. 3 May-95 Enfield of the Month: Rifle No. 5 Mk 1
Excerpt from the 1929 A. J. Parker Catalog
R.S.A.F. Enfield Appraisal of Lithgow S.M.L.E. Production
Refurbishing and Restoring Aging and Ailing Enfields, Part III

Vol. III No. 4 Jul-95

Accuracy: Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk 1 and No. 4 Mk 2
Cleaning Your .303
In Search of C.E. Pryor

Vol. III No. 5 Sep-95

A Long Affair with the Lee-Enfield
A Museum Piece SMLE
Another Ross
BSA .22 Martini
Enfield S.M.L.E. Action Skeletons
Naval Marked Lee-Enfields

Vol. III No. 6 Nov-95

.308 Bullets in the .303 - Another Perspective
Going Back and Then Some (Black Powder Enfields)
Lee-Enfield Sentencing & Repair Marks

Vol. IV No. 1 Jan-96

Comments of the "E.Y." Rifle Issue
Lee-Enfield Rifle Bolt Head Changes
No. 2 Mk IV Training Rifles
The U.S. No. 4 Enfield

Vol. IV No. 2 Mar-96

Canadian Drill Pattern Rifles, Part I
EY Classification
Magazines: Rifles No. 1 and No. 4
T.E. Lawrence and the SMLE

Vol. IV No. 3 May-96

Canadian Drill Pattern Rifles, Part II
S.M.L.E. Mk III Reproduction .22 Caliber Training Unit
Salvage After The Somme
Shooting Lead Bullets In Lee-Enfield Rifles
The End Of R.S.A.F. Enfield

Vol. IV No. 4 Jul-96

.303 British Low Pressure Loads
Notes on the Ishapore SMLE
Reenactment Groups in the U.S. and Elsewhere

Vol. IV No. 5 Sep-96

How To Clean Your Rifle (from a 1914 SMLE manual)

Vol. IV No. 6 Nov-96

Americanizing The Queen's English
R.F.I. .410 Muskets
The Grenade Launching Rifle and Its Projectiles
The S.M.L.E. Combination Tool

Vol. V No. 1 Jan-97

Action Skeleton - S.M.L.E. Mk III & III*
British Special Air Service (Brief History)
Production at Long Branch

Vol. V No. 2 Mar-97

A Simplified Rifle Rack
Another Use for the Sale Mark
Collecting No. 4 Enfield Bayonets
McGurk's Rifle

Vol. V No. 3 May-97

A No. 4 Mk 1* Returns
British Sniping Equipment of the Great War
Field Thermos on the Somme
Scope Caps for Sniper Rifles
The Alfred J. Parker Model 8/53 Aperture Backsight Attachment
The Mad Minute
The Other Enfield (Royal Enfield Motors)

Vol. V No. 4 Jul-97

Bren L.M.G. Bipods
British Steel Helmets, 1915-18
Evolution of the Bren Gun

Vol. V No. 5 Sep-97

Barrels, Bolts & Breechblocks - "Sale Marks"
Mk 2 Sten MG Carbine
Naming of Parts - a poem by Henry Reed
The "Chest, Bren M.G. MkI

Vol. V No. 6 Nov-97

Cumulative Index to the ECD 1993 - 1997
The French Index to Lesser Articles and Comments in the ECD
The Last Lee-Enfield - The India 2a and 2A1 Rifles

Vol. VI No. 1 Jan-98

Target Shooting with the .303
Accuracy and the S.M.L.E.
New Use For Old Scabbards
Thoughts on a 1917 Lithgow Rifle

Vol. VI No. 2 Mar-98

Knapp's Knotes - "Irish Free State No. 4 Mk 4 Rifle"

Vol. VI No. 3 May-98

Knapp's Knotes - "Brit. Anti-Aircraft Gun Azimuth Sighting Tube"

Vol. VI No. 4 Jul-98

Knapp's Knotes - "Identifying South African No. 4 Rifles"

Vol. VI No. 5 Sep-98

Knapp's Knotes - "The 'Osterr Gendarmerie' Mk III Rifle"

Vol. VI No. 6 Nov-98

The MOD Pattern Room and Its Future
Using the Lee-Enfield For Practical Shooting (PR)
Shooting the Martin’ ‘enry
London’s American Home Guard
On Tour With Lawrence: Part 2; A Desert Viewed
A Pilgrimage to the Lithgow Small Arms Museum
The Single Black Chevron

Vol. VII No. 1 Jan-99

The MOD Pattern Room and Its Future - Update
India Drill Purpose Rifle
British Traditions
Origins & History: Lithgow Samll Arms Factory
Pattern 1893 Martini Metford Bayonet
The French Index - 1998 Update
Cumulative Index to ECD 1993-1998

Vol. VII No. 2 Apr-99

No. 5 Mk 1 – Last Production at Shirley
The Snider Breech-Loader Rifle
The E.A.L. Rifle
Weighing of Springs & The Enfield Rifle spring Balance
From The Armourer's Bench – "Fitting Bolts"
A Century of Sights and Sighting Aids
IN MEMORIAM – Edna Rosalind Parker

Vol. VII No. 2 Apr-99

The Last Rifle No. 1 Model

Vol. VII No. 3 Jul-99

Tips & Tricks – "Rust Removal"
Fakes & Frauds
"Current" Issue .303 Military Ammo
The British Army Says Farewell to the Bren
4 (T) or not 4 (T) – The No4 Lee Enfield Sniper Rifle
The Rejected Enfield
The New Martini-Enfield Rifle
Three WWI Armourers' Tools
Shooting Black Powder in the .303
Enfield's 7.62mm Specialty Rifles

Vol. VII No. 4 Oct-99

The .303 British Cartridge – An Overview
The .303 British
Lee Enfield Chamber Size
Reloading Tips For The .303
Reloading the .303 British – Chambers & Headspace
.303 Case Life
Pakistani Lee-Enfields
Grenade Trials?