SMLE, Farewell to an old friend.

[thursday chris]

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.

[peter monahan]

I well remember when I got rid of my rifles - many many years ago now - I was young, the gun laws in Canada had changed and I thought I needed a bit of cash more than a collection of ex-Enfield long arms. A Mk. 4 Martini-Henry and an SMLE were my favourites, both evocative of vast areas of British/Commonwealth/Imperial history.

I also recall what George Macdonald Fraser asked rhetorically in one of the McAuslan stories, something to the effect of "What will the wild men of the world do when the last Lee Enfield is gone?" Such a shame that so many were butchered over here in North America; stocks cut down and sold as hunting rifles. Such a shameful way to treat a noble tool! One of the iconic weapons of this century, AK 47s be d***ed!

Peter

[Brian Wolfe]

Re: AK 47s

Amen Peter, amen.

I too sold off my firearms collection and with it my Lewis Gun, I have regretted it ever since.

Regards

Brian