RattlesnakeBob Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 On one of my forays across the web I stumbled upon this...it was originally posted in 2010 so what if anything is left now is anyone guess..but..It was the Parker Rifles Company in Birmingham and they obviously built or at least assembled Lee Enfield Rifles..... long abandoned but .... whenever it was that this fella explored the old place there was an incredible amount of kit left.. .stacks and I do mean stacks of discarded Lee Enfield Rifles all in bits and pieces scattered all over the old buildings , barrels, butts, mechanisms , shell cases......enough to build literally hundreds of rifles.... http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php/59275-Parker-Rifles-The-Gun-Factory-Birmingham-2010?highlight=lee+enfield+factory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Suslowicz Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Ah, it was "Alfred J. Parker" and they did a lot of custom target rifles based on the Lee Enfield. I believe they were bankrupted over a government contract involving either cadet force rifles or SA-80 conversions. It was quite a while ago. A lot of (hopefully all) the metalwork in the photographs are the "instructional cutaway" No.4 rifles, which would not have needed a licence a few years ago, but now definitely would. (I assume the whole lot has been sold to other RFDs or been melted down. Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow_wolf Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Here's an interesting page about that company:- http://www.rifleman.org.uk/A.G._and_A.J.Parker_and_%20Parker-Hale.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I have a Parker-Hale catalogue from 1953 and it gives a brief insight on work carried out during WW2. They overhauled and renovated 25,000 military rifles and manufacured 28 million rounds of Drill and Dummy cartridges for the Ministry of Supply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RattlesnakeBob Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 Having now read through the thread it seems the place has long been cleared out but....it still makes me wonder... if as recent as 2010 all those (admittedly ) partly assembled rifles were left lying about in an abandoned factory.....and not out in the middle of somewhere remote either, in the middle of a major city like Birmingham... ..... now...to be fair ....you'd need to be a handy machinist / engineer to put one together out of all that was lying about there but?...it could have been done?..... ..and that doesn't sort of 'sit' too well with our Firearms Laws does it?.. ..wander in ...mooch about ..collect a few choice bits and pieces .. .. then spend a day or so in your workshop...and???...mmmmhhh... makes you think doesn't it?.... Fascinating old place either way you look at it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Great find Bob! Going to have to use that for War History Online - that will make a massive story! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 yeah amazing...... I was looking at some similar UK threads and really amazing what can be found In Aussie there are not many abandonned anything. Once finished it is ripped down and used somewhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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