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    thursday chris

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    1. Hi All, I'm downsizing my collection, and my deact SMLE Mk III, the only British item I have left is off to the local auction with a variety of other items,and whilst removing several years worth of dust from said rifle I re examined the markings thereupon. It is one of the downgraded weapons bored .410 at the Rifle Factory Ishapore during WW 2 and the buttsocket is stamped accordingly RFI 1941 .410. This procedure seems to make such weapons of little value and although I can understand this from a shooters point of view, a deactivated wallhanger is something else I would have thought. The buttsocket on this particular piece is stamped 1911 and was made by the LSA Co, it has matching numbers on the receiver, rear sight and bayonet boss, the bolt however has been replaced. It can be clearly seen where the Volley Sight and it's securing screw have been removed and the resulting holes plugged. So disregarding it's barrel modification at the RFI, it seems to me that I have an all original (apart from the bolt) 1911 SMLE Mk III Volley Sight model . This surely makes it a rather more upmarket wallhanger than the Mk III* bitzers often seen, and would I therefore be justified in hoping for more than £10 for it at the auction. Regards Chris.
    2. Hello All, I don't seem to have much hope of turning this particular "pigs ear" into a "silk purse",but nothing ventured nothing gained!!! I was rather hoping that the markings had more significance than perhaps they actually have,but it seems there might be a great many similar pieces around. Ah well,better luck next time!!! Chris.
    3. Hello,I'm afraid that my query about the riot shotgun aspect of this SMLE was a bit misleading,I have taken it down off the wall for the first time in years and reminded myself what marks are on it,and where these marks are.It is a deactivated piece by the way,this, of course,is the only legal way that such things can be openly displayed in the UK. I'm wondering if the marks that are on this rifle can tell me a little about its possible history,the "been there"factor may well add greatly to its appeal.Apart from the bolt it does seem to be all original,the buttstock socket markings are crown/GR and LSA CO LD 1911.The serial number on the right side of the receiver is 3460 with no letter prefix,this number is repeated on the bayonet stud of the nosecap and the underside of the rear sight leaf.This does seem quite a low number considering the quantity that were produced,did this rifle go to France in 1914 I'm wondering??? There is an Indian connection with this weapon,of course,but did this come about much later in it's life?It was bored .410 at Ishapore in 1941 and is stamped to this effect on the left hand side of the buttstock socket,.410 RFI 1941 (can't imagine why I was thinking it was on the barrel band!!!)There is an Indian proof mark stamped on the breech,crown over GRI above two small crossed flags above a small letter P,this,I guess,was done after the rebore. I'm thinking that I have here an early SMLE Mk III Volley Sight Model that would have served throughout The Great War,and probably went to France with the BEF IN 1914.It then,sometime in the interwar years,for unknown reasons wound up in India,where it spent the last of it's service days engaged in crowd control.Someone once told me that the lead shot in the cartridges was replaced with rice for these purposes,this,I guess,was only when the crowds didn't seem too threatening!!! I suppose that I'll never know,but does anyone think that I may be somewhere near the mark with my thoughts on this.In the glory days of the far flung British Empire it may well have been anywhere,but the natives were getting restless!!! Chris.
    4. Hello All, I'm a newbie to the forum,and I have been reading with great interest all the previous posts about the SMLE Mk III. I'm hoping that you chaps will be able to tell me a little about a SMLE that I've had as a companion to a Mauser Gewehr 98 for quite some years. I'm hoping that Santa will bring me a suitable camera,but in the meantime I'll have to describe it.It is,I think,an all original SMLE Mk III made by the LSA Co in 1911,all the numbers match apart from the bolt which is,I guess, a later replacement with the slab type cocking piece.There are very neatly fitted wooden inserts where the volley sight would have been fitted,and when I first acquired the rifle the magazine cutoff was held in position by a couple of tack welds,since removed,and magazine refitted, the barrel band is stamped RFI 410 1941. I believe,that numbers of old SMLEs were converted at Ishapore for use as riot shotguns during WW11,and I'm wondering whether many of them have survived. Chris.
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