Lee Enfield Fazakerley No4 Mk2

[shotgun sam]

Is there any Lee Enfield Fazakerley No4 Mk2 in 5 grove owners on the forum? If so how do you rate this version and what is the accuracy like?

[ovenpaa]

I don't own one however I shoot one fairly regularly albeit never beyond 100m and it shoots well, especially since I pulled the front sight over. Typically 4" groups with my eyes.

[safetyfirst]

I shoot one, I've had surprisingly accurate results at 100, holding about 3" with the factory irons. Mine is a 1942

[Robert303]

They all had to shoot to a certain standard, which I cannot remember, to get out of the factory. There are some who say that Fazakerley was not the best factory in terms of manufacturing quality. The Mark 2 is said to be the best due to the way the trigger is hung. However you have to consider that it's a long time ago since any of these rifles were made and it's what's happened to them since that can make a big difference to accuracy. The state of the draws and the bedding are possibly the biggest influences on accuracy. The only way to tell if it is accurate is to shoot it. There are some who say that the best made No4s were the long Branch Mark 2s.
Have a look at the Lee Enfield forum om www.milsurps.com

[James84]

I've got a 1954 Faz No4 Mk2 (one of the Irish rifles if you want to believe the hype but I paid £350 for it years ago rather than the £1200 they're asking now ).

With irons it'll group around 3" off the bag at 100 but then so does my 1943 No4 Mk1 which is a 2 groove.

It's a nice rifle with excellent finish but the stock is beech and you can probably scratch it with a cotton bud. Really weak wood.

[TomH]

I've got a 1954 Faz No4 Mk2 (one of the Irish rifles if you want to believe the hype but I paid £350 for it years ago rather than the £1200 they're asking now ).

With irons it'll group around 3" off the bag at 100 but then so does my 1943 No4 Mk1 which is a 2 groove.

It's a nice rifle with excellent finish but the stock is beech and you can probably scratch it with a cotton bud. Really weak wood.

Beech is denser than walnut which is why it is slightly heavier, so surprised you find your stock wood weak. But I suppose as mentioned above as regards accuracy, it's not just how they left the factory but what's happened to them in the intervening decades.

[James84]

Agreed, quite strange. The Mk1 is in a walnut stock and is solid.

[Dombo63]

Accuracy varies. Mine is super accurate for an iron-sighted battle rifle - under 2 inch group at 100 yards off a bench and bag with the standard sights using Prvi ammo. Good out to 900 yards with HXP military surplus or my own load (174gns SMK with a standard load of N140 behind it in either Prvi or HXP brass to match the military round).

[Dark Skies]

I have one of '54 vintage - also beech. It was the first rifle I bought when the handgun ban was imminent
I knew bugger all about Lee Enfields at the time but it was in really nice nick - as if it hadn't been issued. It came with a Parker Hale 5C rear sight.
The bore was and still is in excellent condition. I took off the 5C rear sight and put it in a box for safe-keeping and it currently wears the standard rear sight made by Singer (I think). It shoots pretty well. This is an eight inch Shoot and C target I shot at 100 yards at Bisley a month or so back. I'd undoubtably get better resulta with the PH5C fitted but I just like old warhorses with iron sights.

A few weeks back I finally deciphered the mess of over stamping above the breech - it only took me 20 odd years!
"Regulated By Fulton"

I think I paid about £150 for it at the time - possibly a tad more but certainly sub £200

[bamzooki99]

I've recently bought one. A very early 1947 mk 2. Early days but getting 1.5"at 50m. Hope to improve when have the bedding sorted. There's a subject on it's own. More research to be done. Am I tight in thinking they were all 5 groove?