Show me your battle rifle

[frankenfab]

Oh lord,



I think I am about to faint.....

[JeffinNZ]

1917 SMLE.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

That's a nice L.E. Appears to be straight No.1 Mk. III (before *)? What's the maker and date? Any close ups?

[marty.toms.3]

That's one big rat!


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[Powder Burn]

Attachment 181871

Type 38 and 99 and a Series 1 type 99 100% original with bolt cover, monopod, airplane sights, ect..

[Ithaca Gunner]

1917 SMLE.

My SMLE is an Enfield with a 1916 date and it's a No.1 MkIII * I imagine some manufacturers were slower updating?

[Scharfschuetze]

That's one big rat!


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I believe that's a Wallabie, a smaller species of Kangaroo. Saw a bunch of 'em while hunting in Western New South Wales. Didn't shoot one though. I'll bet those "drumsticks" would be pretty tasty over a camp fire.

At the time (R&R from VN) the Diggers (Ausie soldiers) could shoot 'em with their issue SLRs and get a bounty from 'em.

[JeffinNZ]

That's a nice L.E. Appears to be straight No.1 Mk. III (before *)? What's the maker and date? Any close ups?

FTRd in 1953. The barrel is like new. As the second photo shows it has the magazine cut off still. Horrible wood but I guess by 1917 the good walnut was gone and haste was the word of the day. It also has the windage adjustable rear sight.

Yes, that is a wallaby or should I say an ex wallaby.

[marty.toms.3]

Here is a BSA 1916 no 1 mk3* I restored from a sportered barreled action. I bet Wallaby ain't as tasty as whitetail! But must admit I have not tried Wallaby.



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[skeet1]

Here are four of my favorite.


Ken

[Der Gebirgsjager]

JeffinNZ and marty.toms.3 -- both very nice rifles. L.E.s are a great favorite of mine, having been my first high power rifle, a 1916 Enfield No.1 Mk III*. I have several, including 3 or 4 from India. Jeff, in looking at yours there appears to be "strike out" marks where the * would be located, but looks like maybe a "V"? Certainly interesting, and must have meaning. I have rebuilt a couple from barreled actions that were sporterized but the barrel's length unaltered, and I can testify that here an original replacement forestock for a No.1 is a pretty rare item.

[Scharfschuetze]

L.E.s are a great favorite of mine, having been my first high power rifle, a 1916 Enfield No.1 Mk III*.

My very first high power rifle too. Worked at the stock yard for the cash and then my Dad and I ordered it from an add in the back the American Rifleman in days before the Gun Control act of 1968.

That one No1 Mk III* has procreated into all of these 303, 308 and .22 LR versions. The .22 LRs are the No 2 and the No 7 and both are favorites of the Boy Scouts when I teach them marksmanship.

[marty.toms.3]

JeffinNZ and marty.toms.3 -- both very nice rifles. L.E.s are a great favorite of mine, having been my first high power rifle, a 1916 Enfield No.1 Mk III*. I have several, including 3 or 4 from India. Jeff, in looking at yours there appears to be "strike out" marks where the * would be located, but looks like maybe a "V"? Certainly interesting, and must have meaning. I have rebuilt a couple from barreled actions that were sporterized but the barrel's length unaltered, and I can testify that here an original replacement forestock for a No.1 is a pretty rare item.

If I had not picked up the barreled action on gunboards trader for $100 my restoration would not have made sense. The stock is an Ishy walnut dp that Springfield Sporters sells - along with the hardware- $150. Biggest challenge was installing a replacement clip charger bridge - again from Springfield Sporters still attached to the rear half of a 1933 Ishy receiver. Takes five hands, a torch, and the vocabulary of s sailor to install those new rivets!



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[Der Gebirgsjager]

marty.toms.3 -- Impressve! Although I gunsmithed a number of L.E.s over the years I never replaced a charger bridge. Nice job. I guess I just got lucky, as all of mine but one sporter have the bridge, and that one was too highly sporterized when I got it to go back the other way.

Scharf -- Looks like you may have me beat on quality, although not quantity. I used to have one of the No. 2 rifles, but sold it, and have never owned a sniper version or an Indian .308. I've got plenty of No.1s, No.4s, and a No.5, plus 5 sporters. Can a man really have enough Enfields?
My first one came from Golden State Arms in around 1957 and my dad let me earn it by putting in fence posts for $0.25 an hour! It was shipped via Railway Express Co. along with 10 "free" rounds of corrosive ammo. For only one additional dollar they included a full length Mosin-Nagant, charged about $3.50 for 20 rounds of ammo for that. All in all the bill came to right around $40, and I found out that there are a lot of quarters in $40. I still have both rifles, and got my first deer, a nice 4-point buck, with the Enfield. Of course they're all Enfields by design, right--but mine was/is a B.S.A. Co. 1916 like marty.toms.3's shown above, marked exactly the same.

[marty.toms.3]

I'm blessed to have a neighbor - now 80 - who spent 50 years turning military surplus rifles into nice sporters. He no longer Sporters intact vintage rifles. During that time he amassed a nice collection of his own and he now helps me reverse some of the damage he did over the years. He helped me install the charger bridge as well as restore over a dozen other rifles.

He picked this sportered Eddystone p14 up at a gun show for $100 for me. The real challenge was restoring 3" of muzzle Bubba whacked off. My buddy fashioned a false muzzle from a shot out m1917 barrel and threaded it onto the p14 barrel. In effect it now has a 3" counterbore. Amazingly it shoots great even though the bore is pretty worn with rounded lands.



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[Scharfschuetze]

It was shipped via Railway Express Co. along with 10 "free" rounds of corrosive ammo. For only one additional dollar they included a full length Mosin-Nagant, charged about $3.50 for 20 rounds of ammo for that.

When you're making $.25 an hour you really value what you buy! My first No 1 Mk III* cost me $19.99 in 1965 or so. If you added a penny to the order, they sent you the matching bayonet. Of course even then, a penny was pretty easy to come up with. I have no idea what happened to that bayonet. It was, like the rifle, in great shape and practically unissued.

Marty.toms.3,

Great restoration on that P14. I have a P14 made by Eddystone and it is a great shooter. Mine still had the volley sights on the left side of the stock. In reality, they are probably the best of the 303s, but WWI ended their ascent to a full issue with the Common Wealth armies.

[leebuilder]

Some sweet old girls, thanks for sharing. Love to see those old battle rifles. Love to restore them and love shoot even more. You can still find near pristine models, but they want alot for them. I wish i knew then what i know now i would of bought more when i had a chance. You would be suprized what peaple have stashed away, and forgotten about.
Be well

an old pic of no4mk1* long branch target, 1950 date, 95L series
And a 1918 BSA no1mk3* target.

[6bg6ga]

Keep those old girls coming so we can keep this thread going. A big thank you to those willing to share pictures of your old girls or young girls. Rebuilding and bringing these fine examples of workmanship back again is like restoring a fine automobile. Keep them working so they can be passed down to our sons and daughters.

[dromia]

All original 1913 No1 MK111 Enfield in .303" British.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

So much to see and admire in this thread!

Dromia has lavished much care and affection to that very nice looking rifle of his. I think he and I share similar personal tastes in how we like our rifles to look. Although I will not cut one down, toss handguards, etc., I am not at all above refinishing the stock, and his is a very nice example.
Beautiful rifle, dromia.

Marty.toms.3 -- your neighbor is indeed skilled to have added 3" to the barrel. The joint is not visible, so I assume that it falls under the front band which is another well thought out idea. Also, he showed skill in getting the front sight to thread to top dead center. As for what great rifles the P-14s are, you won't get any argument from me. A bit heavy perhaps, but so is my favorite M1. (In fact, at my age the Win. 94 feels about right!)

Leebuilder -- what can I say? All of your rifles look so good! I'll bet the target sights on those rifles are worth more than the rifles themselves.