Guns & ammo
Expert advice, appraisals and the fascinating stories behind your firearms
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Checking out a Sinde Irregular Horse gun, a .22 Lee-Enfield No. 1 cadet rifle, a lever-action Winchester shotgun and a 1960s era Winchester 94
Whether you have a question about antique guns, modern firearms, ammunition or reloading, expert Dave Anderson is here with the answer. Please send your detailed questions and applicable, high-resolution photos to editorial@outdoorcanada.ca.
For recommended auction houses, go to www.outdoorcanada.ca/gunauctions.
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How much might this rifle be worth? It’s a .22 Lee-Enfield No. 1 cadet rifle, complete with a sling, bayonet and scabbard. The barrel is 25 3/8 inches long, and the bore is in excellent condition. I used one just like it on the range below Aurora High School in Ontario back when I was a teenager (if you didn’t behave, you had to run around the track with the rifle held over your head). Thank you for any information you might have.
GERALD WHALLEY
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SAYWARD, B.C.
Lee-Enfield .22 conversions are quite collectible. Like yours, they are generally found in good condition—range masters made sure they were properly cleaned after being used. Canadian cadets used them as late as the 1970s. I was never a cadet, but I remember firing a Lee-Enfield at university in the late 1960s when riflery was still a recognized sport, winning the college championship. It wasn’t a very big college, but most of the students were Saskatchewan farm boys who grew up shooting gophers with their .22s.
The value of collectible firearms seems to be in a state of flux these days, but I think your rifle would sell for $600 to $1,000 at an auction (plus whatever the bayonet is worth). I don’t know enough about the nuances of bayonet collecting to provide a value on yours, but an original Lee-Enfield bayonet should easily bring in at least $200. I’ve seen modern reproductions with no real military history go for $50 and more.