Thank you for signing up for the List-of-Changes newsletter @ Enfield-Stuff.  This page does not appear on the Enfield-Stuff website.  The only way to get here is by a link you received via email when you signed up for the Enfield-Stuff mailing list.  The purpose of this page is to pass on Enfield-related information and links that you might be interested in that may or may not get posted on the website.  Subscribers to this newsletter will also have at least a week's advance notice of any rifles or bayonets that I have for sale. You'll be the first to know, and you'll see it at least a week before anything is posted on the website.

OILERS
Finally, finally, finally got the Oilers for Sale page put together.  Doing the oilers was the easy part. The reason I put it off so long is that I knew I would need 2-3 days to figure out how to set up a shopping cart system. (Remember, I'm pretty much self-taught on all this web stuff.  I crash and burn a lot before you see anything here.) Finally sat down and just did it.

AFGHANISTAN
There is a pile of stuff - guns, bayonets, and oilers - coming out of Afghanistan. As defined by the Gun Control Act of 1968, firearms made prior to 1898 are considered antiques - and exempt from US (Federal) gun control. So many of the troops are bringing back interesting arms, many of them Enfields.  And if you're a bayonet collector, there are a lot of collectible Enfield bayonets now on the market.  Dennis "Just call me Otto" Ottobre has just published an e-book Bayonets of Afghanistan detailing the 79 variants he's found.  If you're looking for British or Commonwealth bayonets, check out Otto's Bayonets.

OILERS FROM AFGHANISTAN To date I've identified three (3) variations of Afghan/Taliban marks found on Enfield oilers. I've added the marks to the oiler index and created a new page for the Afghan/Taliban marks. The toughest part was creating the artwork - which got a whole lot easier when I figured out the script is written from right to left.  WANTED: pictures of Afghan/Taliban ownership marks on modern (post-1900) arms. Extra points if the marks are on any modern Enfield.
LOST YOUR MOJO? If your aging eyes are having problems with open sights and you still want to take your SMLE out to the range, check out www.mojosights.com   They have recently come out with a peep sight for the SMLE.  Many thanks to Tom Lucus, San Gabriel, California, for the info.

FOR SALE: 10,000 ENFIELD RIFLES
No, I'm not kidding. Sometime back in the 1960's the Canadian Navy sent at least 10,000 rifles to the Italian Navy.  There were 5,000 WWI-era SMLE's (many regimentally marked to the Royal Marines) and 5,000 No.4's.  We do know that for a time both the Army and the Navy used Enfields; an Italian bayonet was modified to fit the SMLE boss.  Years go by and the rifles end up in storage.  Where they sit. The rifles are scheduled for destruction when someone in the chain of command has the guts to stick his neck out and suggest that the rifles have a historical value to collectors and sportsmen. A couple of months ago Euroarms Italia acquired the lot: 10,000 Enfield rifles out of dead storage from the Italian Navy. They cleaned them up and organized them by year, maker and type. The rifles are currently being sold through distributors in Malta, the UK, Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic and of course, Italy.  There are a lot of pics on their website as well as a lot of background information about Enfields. Click here to go to their website page in English.  It's a great read.  No word on whether they'll export to the US market.

ENFIELDS IN ITALY It was almost a year ago that Alessandro Bison (Piazzola sul Brenta, Italy) made color copies of various pictures and articles that he had found on the use of Enfields in post-WWII Italy.  He included materials on how some Italian bayonets were modified to fit the SMLE and No.4 rifle family.  The web page on ENFIELDS IN ITALY is almost finished.  WANTED: photographs of Italian troops with SMLE or No.4 rifles - or books or websites with similar information. If you help I'll make certain to add your name to the list of credits. (Your Mum will be proud.)
STILL MORE STUFF IN PROGRESS Did you see the buttstock marking disc on eBay? It was dated 1918 and marked to the 2nd Btn Rifle Brigade. It went for $150 USD.  Got to thinking about that and decided to put together a DETACHED SERIVCE page for all of those loose discs I have hanging around.  More on this next time.

FOR SALE PAGES IN PROGRESS: I have some spare bore viewers that I'll be moving out shortly.  And it's time for a couple of New Zealand carbines to find a new home. I picked up a new camera and it's already made doing the oiler updates a lot easier.  Next Circular will have rifle and bayonets listed.  And you'll see them before they're posted on the website. Stay tuned.

David J. Gadbois
Enfield-Stuff