Chester837 Posted 20 October , 2013 Share Posted 20 October , 2013 Found this for sale courtesy of a company Skipman posted the link to. I cannot believe there are so many No1 MkIII's knocking about over in the USA that they can afford to hack them apart to produce these! http://www.militaryantiquesmuseum.com/military_antiques.php?step=20&searchunder=prodid&searchfor=7799 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 20 October , 2013 Share Posted 20 October , 2013 You'd think firing one of these in a confined space like a tunnel would bust yer eardrums an' blow yer eyeballs out! Is there any substance to the story? I could believe a very few individuals might've experimentally modded SMLEs, but I've never seen anything like this before. Regards, MikB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 20 October , 2013 Share Posted 20 October , 2013 (edited) There have been several threads on these cut down weapons - and there are some pictures of them knocking around (I think in "Beneath Flanders Fields" there is a diagram of one) although I agree MikB (consensus seemed to be that while a revolver or other pistol would have been preferable they were in short supply.....) There have been thousands upon thousands of SMLEs imported into the US and in recent years lots of really tatty Indian used rifles (not all Ishapore made) - some of which have already been deactivated by drilling the chamber etc. They can usually be picked up for about $50.00 -75.00 on the retail market .... so a a few minutes work with a hacksaw and stick it on a board with some other bits and bobs -- pretty nice markup. This is probably made from an Indian used rifle as it has a transverse screw through the fore-end (aka Ishapore Screw) Chris Edit just read the description and they too mention Beneath Flanders Fields Edited 20 October , 2013 by 4thGordons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chester837 Posted 20 October , 2013 Author Share Posted 20 October , 2013 Tatty Indian rifle or not, I think it's ashame to see them hacked apart like that. I have quite a few American friends and many of my wife's family live over there, I am definatley not 'anti american' but sometimes I just look at them and wonder what goes through their heads. As far as using cut down SMLE's; why not just use a gun that has already been made with a short barrel ie a revolver? Must have been a right pain to re cock with no shoulder stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 20 October , 2013 Share Posted 20 October , 2013 Tatty Indian rifle or not, I think it's ashame to see them hacked apart like that. You will get no argument from me on that score Quite a lot are also being "parted out" these days too. It would be interesting to see the date on the rifle - India continued making SMLEs throughout WWII and up until the mid 60s and again in small batches late as the late 1980s -- so I wonder if it is even a great war period rifle? Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chester837 Posted 21 October , 2013 Author Share Posted 21 October , 2013 Chris, The blurb states that it is a 1916 manufacture date and the photo does seem to back that up. If it were a 1960's Ishapore made rifle I wouldn't be too fussed but it looks like they could be using pukka great war era rifles to butcher. Something not quite right with the stock either, apart from the obvious lack of wood! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 21 October , 2013 Share Posted 21 October , 2013 Ah right I actually didn't look at the individual one just the one displayed on a board with other memorabilia. I am actually quite partial to Ishapore rifles of all vintages! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitedog Posted 21 October , 2013 Share Posted 21 October , 2013 Good looking rifles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiegeGunner Posted 21 October , 2013 Share Posted 21 October , 2013 Cut-down SMLEs certainly exist, and here is a photo of one, but alas I am not sure where it came from. As I recall, it has been discussed before and a consensus emerged that pistols were much more practical weapons for mine-gallery fighting and that as and when SMLEs were cut down, it was for use to propel or initiate some other improvised weapon to be used above ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calibre792x57.y Posted 21 October , 2013 Share Posted 21 October , 2013 Siege Gunner - I think you will find that your photo is of a cut down rifle in the Museum at Passchendaele. - SW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulfrik-the-wanderer Posted 21 October , 2013 Share Posted 21 October , 2013 weren't cut down SMLE's used in vehicles for firing grenade launchers? sure there is pictures knocking about of them in use in vickers armoured cars in the 20's? and essentially the breech of an SMLE used in firing toffee apple mortars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbox Posted 21 October , 2013 Share Posted 21 October , 2013 weren't cut down SMLE's used in vehicles for firing grenade launchers? sure there is pictures knocking about of them in use in vickers armoured cars in the 20's? and essentially the breech of an SMLE used in firing toffee apple mortars? Yes and yes. The debate about the ones associated with tunneling is whether the rifles were used as weapons, or whether they were only used in a documented role as initiators in auxilliary firing circuits (where det cords are terminated in a wooden box filled with powder or cordite, initated by a rifle action firing a blank or de-bulleted round). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom W. Posted 22 October , 2013 Share Posted 22 October , 2013 Found this for sale courtesy of a company Skipman posted the link to. I cannot believe there are so many No1 MkIII's knocking about over in the USA that they can afford to hack them apart to produce these! http://www.militaryantiquesmuseum.com/military_antiques.php?step=20&searchunder=prodid&searchfor=7799 After the AK-47, the Lee-Enfield is the most-manufactured firearm on earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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