4thGordons Posted 4 April , 2011 Share Posted 4 April , 2011 My most recent acquisition. Having just posted a couple of days ago about the potential hazards of DP (drill purpose) rifles being reconstituted as shooters, and how I wouldn't shoot one: here is an exception. This is a 1915 SMLE MkIII made at RSAF Enfield. Possibly rebarreled in 1917, it was relegated to drill rifle status some time in the interwar period. Between 1935 and the end of the WWII several contracts were placed with Enfield and other contractors to convert SMLEs (now called Rifles No 1) into .22 rimfire training rifles (called No 2 rifles). This included rebuilding DP rifles. Many of the wartime conversions were performed by the gun trade including several big contracts for Parker Hale (eg: 23/5/1941 contract to convert 2000 DP rifles to No2 MkIV*) - which is what we have here. The barrel is a 1917 dated barrel (it is not clear if this was replaced earlier or at this time) that has been sleeved by Parker Hale (see prominent PH) to reduce the caliber to .22" The bolt head has also been replaced with one with an offset firing pin for the rimfire .22 round as opposed to the .303 centrefire. The magazine innards are removed leaving just the case to collect the .22cases and the rifle is manually loaded making it a single shot. The whole rifle was reserialled during the conversion so it is matching You can see the butt has been patched to cover the area where the unit disk would have been - this appears to be a period/arsenal work too. This one shoots very well and certainly makes people look on the firing line when they hear the mild .22 "crack" instead of the expected .303 boom! The rifle has post WWII civilian proof marks on it but apparently no US import markings which suggests it came to the US pre 1968. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete1052 Posted 4 April , 2011 Share Posted 4 April , 2011 Military training rifles in .22 caliber are fun to shoot and they don't beat up your shoulder and wallet the way .30 caliber does! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asanewt Posted 4 April , 2011 Share Posted 4 April , 2011 Aha! Memories flooding back of cadet days in the 50's using the .22 versions and the trepidation of using the .303 at week end camp etc. The legends from older lads regarding kick back resulting in the beret inserted under the tunic as makeshift recoil pad. Great photo' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted 4 April , 2011 Share Posted 4 April , 2011 Indeed it does. I remember indenting for a dozen No.2 rifles for our cadet armoury and receiving twelve brand newly refurbished rifles with new woodwork, re-blacked metal and full of cosmoline. They shot extremely well on the school range (although not up to the standards of our No.8s of course) That would have been about 1961. How I wish I could find one in that condition now! Regards TonyE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T8HANTS Posted 4 April , 2011 Share Posted 4 April , 2011 .22" trainers are great fun. I had a smoothbored .22 SMLE that I used for ratting, around friends farm using dust shot, and I shoot a .22" Mklll Martini-Henry, in a national postal competition. I also take out a No 9 look alike (based around the No4), that was part of a batch built from parts a few years ago, on the outdoor 100 yard range.. Gareth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 4 April , 2011 Share Posted 4 April , 2011 Indeed it does. I remember indenting for a dozen No.2 rifles for our cadet armoury and receiving twelve brand newly refurbished rifles with new woodwork, re-blacked metal and full of cosmoline. They shot extremely well on the school range (although not up to the standards of our No.8s of course) That would have been about 1961. How I wish I could find one in that condition now! Regards TonyE Tubed SMLEs luxury! We had to use tubed Martini Henris at my University rifle club (and the extractors kept failing) Aye but we was 'appy then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete1052 Posted 4 April , 2011 Share Posted 4 April , 2011 I have a M1922A1 Springfield Rifle in .22-caliber rimfire. Mine was made in 1924 and has an "SA" cartouche on the left side of the buttstock indicating a rebuild at Springfield Armory. (The mark may be from when it was modified from being an M1922 to the M1922A1 version, which added adjustable headspace in the bolt IIRC.) Overall it's in excellent condition, almost new. Essentially it's a .22-caliber version of the M1903 Springfield, having the same weight, length, front sight, butt plate, and a bolt that in miniature is configured the same way as the M1903 with the Mauser-style cross-bolt safety. It has a detachable box magazine with around a seven-round capacity. It is more accurate than I am, so a bad day at the range can't be blamed on the rifle. The Lyman rear peep sight has features that I don't know how to use, mainly for elevation/range changes in competitive matches where multiple distances are involved. The sight is designed to slip up and down, either click by click or by major changes in range all at once on a vertical rail on the right-hand side where it mounts to the receiver. It's for anywhere between 50 feet in range out to about 500 yards -- it's from the old "doping your sights" days of competitive shooting. I keep it sighted at 50 yards and don't mess with its finer adjustments, hoping for the best. My Boy Scout troop used the same model in our Rifle Club in the 1960s, furnished courtesy of the U.S. Army. Senator Edward Kennedy and the liberals shut down DoD support for civilian marksmanship programs because they allegedly contributed to the "culture of violence" in the U.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 5 April , 2011 Author Share Posted 5 April , 2011 Here are a couple more .22 variants: The first one is very similar to that in the original post but was a slightly earlier conversion This is a MUCH earlier conversion and a type approved for Naval use only (converted from MLE I* in this case but some made from MLM too) See N stamps and markings This is a bit of an odditiy - a New Zealand "cadet" conversion - not apparently an official pattern but quite a lot exist - thought to have been coverted for cadets or school groups the butt is considerably cut down/and thinned and they have a receiver mounted peep sight fitted. Mine is converted from a 1910 SMLE. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 5 April , 2011 Author Share Posted 5 April , 2011 And, just for TonyE and the others ambling down memory lane - Still in .303 not converted to .22 but a great war vintage SMLE fully FTR'd in the UK in 1953 and about as close as one is going to get to a new SMLE in terms of condition. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted 5 April , 2011 Share Posted 5 April , 2011 You are just trying to make me jealous! That will cost you an extra beer in St.Louis. Regards TonyE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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