Lee-Speed

[Wyo]

We've had a few interesting threads on the Lee-Enfields but here's a Lee-type you won't often see, known as the Lee-Speed. This one was built by BSA around 1900 in .303 British on a version of the No. 1 action. It is not a converted military rifle but was built from the ground up as a commercial sporter. The bolt peep is by Daniel Fraser, the Edinburgh gunmaker. These were done up for people, often military folks, traveling to the far-flung reaches of the empire who did not want or couldn't afford a Holland or a Rigby. This one carries express sights, some nice engraving and it is very nicely checkered. The English style is unmistakable. Col. John Patterson used one of these to kill the maneaters of Tsavo, and Karamojo Bell used one to take lots of elephants before he settled on the 7x57 Rigby rifle he used so famously. I understand these are not terribly uncommon in Commonwealth countries but you don't see many of them in the USA. This one will hold a 2"-3" 5 shot group at 100 yds and is still a formidable deer/antelope rifle.

 

[Magneto]

Nice rifle. Here's a couple photos of mine;

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Both of these rifle speak of a type of "Class" long ago and long gone! Ivan

 

[CptCurl]

Great rifles, and the .303 Brit. is a wonderful classic cartridge. That bolt mounted aperture sight should be really handy.

Does BSA still have production records for these rifles? It would be interesting to get specifics on when it was made, and for whom.

Curl

 

[Combat]

Great looking rifles, what is the price range for one of those?

 

[Texas Star]

I think they used carbine actions for many of these, hence the flattened bolt handle. But I've seen them with the usual rounded bolt knob, too.

They're much more nicely built than the sporterized ex-military ones from Parker-Hale, let alone a typical Bubba'd one.

Recently, I had a topic here about game ranger Harry Wolhuter, who stabbed a lion to death in South Africa in 1903. Photos of him on his horse show him holding a Lee sporter that looked to have had the long rifle barrel. But I think most had barrels of 22-25 inches.

I've read books by men who carried these and hope to own one someday.

 

[Wyo]

Does BSA still have production records for these rifles? It would be interesting to get specifics on when it was made, and for whom.
Curl

I don't know about BSA 's records but a lot of these rifles were sold through the Army-Navy Coperative and I have asked them to check their records to see if they have info on mine. Haven't heard back yet.

Magneto, that's a beautiful rifle! I love the solid rib on the barrel - very classy - and very fine wood too! Do you have any info on the history of that one?

 

[britbike1]

I had a RIC carbine made on an early lee-enfield. It was a really handy little rifle with the safety on the cocking piece and a 6 rd magazine. Nice and light and quick to get into action.

 

[2152hq]

The record books of the firearms sold through the Army & Navy Co-Op in Britain are now with the Univ of Glasgow/Scotland.
The A/N Co-op used to assign and mark the firearms with a unique number in addition to the mfg ser#. That unique A/N # was what the Co-Op listed the guns by in their sales book(s).

Not all of the BSA and LSA commercial Lee rifles and carbines were sold through the Co-Op of course but a very large number of them were.
What the Glascow Univ archives will send you if they have record of your firearm is a copy of the ledger book page that your gun shows on.

Here's a link to the Univ webpage:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_67061_en.pdf

The Lee commercial (Lee Speed) were available with a long list of options. The bolt handle could be either the straight so called 'rifle' handle or the 'carbine' style with it's forward slanted handle.
5 or 10 shot magazine, Heavy or lighter SMLE weight bbl,,the latter after 1904. With or w/o top rib. All sorts of sight combinations, a tang safety (that works in reverse of what most would consider 'normal').
Several caliber options, the Metford cocking piece (no manual safety only a half cock on the striker) or the Enfield cocking piece with it's thumb/wing safety on the rear of the cocking piece.
You name it,,they'd make it for you.

Many are retailer marked with names like Rigby, Holland & Holland, and the other big names. But they are just that,,the retailers.
After 1907, BSA offered the Lee Sporting rifle with the SMLE charger bridge also. Using a MkIII action instead of the L/E or L/M, it will have a thumb charger slot in the left wall and no dust cover of course.

I have a 5shot Lee sporting that throws standard dia 303 sideways at 50yrds. It likes .313d bullets just fine.
Another Lee sporting I picked up that has been re-bored (I assume) to 35cal. I haven't done a chamber cast yet but I'm expecting a 35-303. Maybe I'll be surprised! For now it sports an SMLE Ishapore .410 bbl fits the stock inlet perfectly) and I use it occasionally for a few rounds of skeet. It'll feed a round from the mag so it's good for doubles!

I had another Lee/Speed,,a 10 shot that I sold some years back.Also a 303. Don't know why I sold it,,seemed like a good idea at the time. I think I bought my Martini Sprter (Watson Bros) in 303 w/a ribbed bbl to replace it. Still have that but haven't done much with it so I guess I'm about even.

Wyo,,very nice rifle,,is it set up for a 'scope? detachable mount bases on the left?

 

[Magneto]

Wyo,
That Lee-Speed has been in my family for over 50 years. My father got it from the estate of a local man who had hunted extensively in Africa and other parts of the world.
I've shot it a few times, and the 100yd express sight is right on and the rifle is still very accurate.
It is a very interesting and classy old rifle that just reeks of having "been there and done that"

Steve

 

[Wyo]

All sorts of sight combinations, a tang safety (that works in reverse of what most would consider 'normal').
Wyo,,very nice rifle,,is it set up for a 'scope? detachable mount bases on the left?

Mine has the tang safety that operates "backwards." Also a five shot magazine that is nicely engraved on the bottom. It is also set up for a scope with Rigby-type bases on the left side. The guy I got it from remembered shooting it with a scope as a kid, and he remembered it had one when his granddad used it. Unfortunately, the scope and rings are long lost. I have an old Lyman Alaskan that would be perfect for it if I could come up with the correct rings. I doubt there's much chance of that!

 

[kaveman]

Please forgive the crummy picture, but here's mine and one of my favorite rifles. It's a BSA Sporter but isn't marked Speed. Not sure why,....always figured it was manufactured after the Speed patent expired. No magazine cut-off but has the cocking piece safety and the dust cover on the bolt and fitted with a cape sight. This one walked into a local gunshow about 30yrs ago and was offered for $125 "because it had been 'sporterized'". I was just a kid at the time but I knew a quality rifle when I saw one. It had some horrible oaken thread spool sorta thing in place of the missing forend tip when I bought it but I replaced that right away with a fair chunk of ebony I had sitting around. I've always loved anything Brit Sporter-like and grew up reading all the old African hunting journals. The Lees, the Mausers, the Mannlichers,........I'd be just fine if I didn't own any other rifles.