TOPIC:

Erastus, you can be pretty sure that your rifle started out in the ABW but the number 156 - which is a rack number (inventory number) doesn’t help identify who originally carried it. You should be able to find a suitable magazine if you lack one - try Classic Arms in Witbank.
By further explanation, it is a Lee Metford but it was made at Enfield, just north of London.
Rob

Thank you so much for the info .Just a last few question .In other words it was a normal Lee Metford made by Enfield.but at some stage new parts were fitted on it to enable the rifle to shoot with smokeless powder?Probably used by the British in the Anglo boer war .Used by the Union after the war and later the barrell was cut and it was made a cadett rifle to drill with?Does the Nitro Proven mark means that it was necessarily sold commercially to a private persion before the boer war?Sorry for the dumb questions .Still learning.

When manufactured, all Lee Metford and Lee Enfield long arms were intended to fire Cordite loaded ammunition. Powder loaded .303" ammunition (Powder Mk.1 and Powder Mk.2) was only issued on a very limited scale and rarely if ever used on service - simply because the Cordite loaded rounds were available and approved in 1892. So, NO; when the action of your rifle was made at Enfield in 1892 , it was proofed for Cordite ammunition.
Later, during the ABW, the barrels of many Lee Metford rifles were found to be worn out. The Metford "shallow" rifling was susceptible to erosion and worn barrels were retro-fitted with barrels rifled on the Enfield form.
Rifles with such barrels had a large "E" on the Nock Form. Those rifles so rebarreled were re-proofed at the factory.
When a British rifle goes out of service, before going into private hands it must be re-proofed at an official Proof House. Should a rifle be re-barreled (as yours has been) it also must be re-proofed and bear the marks on the barrel - as your does.
It is quite possible to compare the proof marks on your rifle with examples on-line to gain some idea of the rebarreling date.
Regards
IL.

Thanks a lot .Much appreciated.Very interesting .I think I now have a very good idea of what the history of the rifle is.Regards Erastus