A 1918 #1mk3 was my first "hi-powered" rifle,and I still love it,,the gun,,the cart.,,the way .303 sounds when I say it....all of it!! I really love the way people look at me when I out-shoot thier latest and greatest!!!So now...be honest,,,how many of you down under boys are still using this old warrior??

Yep I have one and have used it on Pigs in the NT. Its not my "go to" gun but I don't mind it.

Been through a few of them now,i always have at least one #4 around ,tho the one i got at the moment has been rechambered to the epps improved version ,still shoots standard factory ammo well to.

I have one in the gun cupboard that belonged to an old time local shepherd who used it for pigs mostley. Iirc it began life as a Long Tom and was fitted with a smle barrel some time after WW2 due to the old barrel running out of rifling. hate to think how many pigs that rifle accounted for , and wild cattle too in those early days.

the old guy was 80-something when I acquired the gun , and hes been gone for probably 25 years now.. Part of the local history , even if it doesnt get used anymore.

A 303 pig

HEY GUYS,my SMELY isn't my 1rst line shooter,( m70 in .300 win.) but I really love to carry it in the southern woods,and it is my pig gun as well!I use the .300 when I am back home in s.w. Montana.My smely is also my back up for a SKS in my SOCIAL battery,,I am thinkin' on shortening the bbl to 20",,but I like the longer sight radias for open irons.She's slick an'quick and goes BANG 10 times........WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE!!!!!!!!!!

American gun writer Mike Venturino has a thing for all W W 2 military rifles. He's written a lot about loading for them and the Enfield is one of his faves, but the flexing of the bolt with it's rear locking lugs gave short case life, only a few loadings. No problem at all with cheap military surplus Berdan primed ammo readily available but eventually they won't be cheaply fed.

quote:

my first "hi-powered" rifle,and I still love it,,the gun,,the cart.,,the way .303 sounds when I say it....all of it!!

Hell Yeah! Ummmm.... is there any other rifle?

My first 'high power' was an old 1902 MLE that had been 'sporterized'. I rebarreled with a No4 barrel (which tightens the chamber) and made a stock for it. (The butt piece was pre-socketed). The fore-end was from scratch. I made a 'temporary' scope mount (and discovered that there is no such thing as 'temporary'). I did fit a MkIII (SMLE) trigger to it. I still like that rifle! Now I am starting to shoot lead through it (and PP). Then I recently aquired a 'stuffed out' No4 with the idea of chopping the barrel real short for pig hunting and just generally dragging through the bush. It turned out to be a shooter and is now my favourite go-to rifle! There just aint nuttin better! No sir!

Oh yes, I needed a varmint rifle so I got me a 303-25 on a SMLE action. That's a marvelous cartrige too. And I am not biased!

Yes, indeed, it is an intriquing rifle and cartrige. (And they work damn well too!)

My beauty


My 'Ugly' beauty


My 303-25 beauty


My next project (before my job evapourated) was to have been a 303-375 carbine. (No pics cause it didn't happen).

quote:

GOES BANG 10 times........WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE!!!!!!!!!!

Exactly! And very slick and quick!

quote:

... but the flexing of the bolt with it's rear locking lugs gave short case life, ...

Well, if that were so then how come I'm still loading and shooting my 25 year old cases? I'm not talking mild loads either (but definately not hot loads).

Now THIS is one of my favorites. A Mauser Verguerio in 8x57.

Mate - even a ratty Mauser is twice the rifle a SMLE 303 is.....

Hah! But a No4 is twice that again! OK maybe not but there is no way any other rifle in the world has the same sex appeal as the Lee Enfield! And that is my unbiased opinion!
(Of course, I secretly wouldn't mind having a genuine, un-altered, military Mauser but I would never actually admit to that!)

Say, Bakes, (nice pics) I see you are very gun-safe! (Bolts open in both pics).

Thats because I have no ammo left after bombing up all those NT pigs

hEY 'BANGER,I wish I could find some of that cheap berdan primed stuff,,,,or ANY cheap .303 ammo,,Paki,,Greek,, Yugo,,any CHEAP .303!!!,,,303GUY,NICE STICKS!!!,been itchin' for a .25/.303 for a while now,,those "CANS" real?,,,Bakes!,,the Verguerio is the one withe split rear bridge isn't it??,,never ever seen one in the flesh but want one,,PORK CHOPS!!,,MUZZA!I am DEDICATED to the mausers,,,but because it was my 1rst hi-power,,and have had so much history with it,,the SMELY is special,,,,,,,,my German and Austrian forebarers are cussin' from the grave!!!,but I had relatives ON BOTH SIDES in both wars!!!I AM COOKED EITHER WAY I GO!!!

From what I understand the problem with case life is more related to the oversize chambers on them Chambers are big enough so that dirty ammo would be no problem some Ive seen would take a handful of gravel not really but they are oversize The military don't reload so it doesn't matter.-so cut off a thread and rechamber for better accuracy- longer case life- My first HIGH power rifle was a #3 that my folks ordered from Sears&Roebuck for $9.95 the old cordite fmj was $2.00 @ 100rds I still have a#4 action -Savage and a new BSA bbl I will put together some day Still have a N.Z remarked #3 22 training rifle Had a As new #5 till it got Too valuable Too loud-Too short- sore nose. I noticed the Moderators / suppressors on the SMLEs-what are the laws/ rules on them down there?

quote:

Originally posted by Bakes:
A 303 pig

Nasty, ugly horrible brute...

Good to see a No I Mk III put to good use.

The pig's a good one as well. (Don't tell you didn't see it coming )

First high power rifle I shot was my Ol' Man's SMLE, which he later had converted to a 270/303 to compy with the regs of the time.

Great grunter gun!!!

sadly all pics of me as a kid vanished when I flicked my ex.

Still have a SMLE in the safe (FTR'd in 1954) and it's a shooter... haven't had the opportunity lately to use it on grunters, but you'd be pushing your luck trying to prise it out of my young blokes hands.

Loverly rifle.

quote:

I had relatives ON BOTH SIDES in both wars!!!

Me too! Hey, I admire the Mausers, make no mistake! But the Lee Enfield with all it's quirks and funny's and oh so slick and quick is just the Bee's Knee's! They do have crappy magazines though but they work. My 303-25's magazine rattles. My No4 doesn't eject if I don't cycle it quick enough. My MkI mag drops rounds when out the gun but it ejects perfectly. And that gun is 107 years old and I got it from my Uncle. I love the dust cover on the bolt.

Those cans are real alright. The one on the No4 is a very special one. It keeps mud and debris out the muzzle! The fact that it cut recoil and muzzle blast is important too. It cuts muzzle flash big time (in the dark). All my cans are over barrel with very short overhang.