SMLE

History

This rifle was manufactured by BSA Ltd as a SMLE No1 MkIII* in 1918.

After the second world war it was FTR’d and was one of the 10,000 SMLE’s and No4’s sent to Italy as part of the re-armament program for the new Italian Armed Forces. Over the following years the rifles went unused and remained in long term storage. In 2006 these rifles came onto the commercial market and despite the grubby exterior, the rifles mechanics remained perfect and therefore ideal for restoration. For further information on the Italian Enfield's, please follow this link: www.euroarms.net/EFD/introduction.htm

Woodwork

The woodwork on this rifle has been replace with original beech furniture and has to be precisely fitted. The forend has been bedded using two pack epoxy resin to maximise the rifles accuracy. Once correctly fitted and bedded, the woodwork was cleaned of all the years of grim, correctly stained, grain sealed, historical markings are retained and a new finish in keeping with the original has been applied.

Trigger, Barrel & Action

The rifle has matching numbers throughout and unlike many SMLE’s appears to have retained most of it original parts. The rifle has been fully stripped, all the parts are cleaned in solvent, years of debris, rust and solidified oil is removed. Parts are polished and checked for wear or damage and the rifle rebuilt to its original specification. In this case the customer wanted the rifle fully re-blued and therefore the old finished was removed and the barrel/action re-blued to a very high standard. Minor chemical blueing was applied to screw heads that were de-burred and re-profiled. Barrel, headspace and firing pin protrusion are gauged and the trigger pull measured. The action is function tested to ensure all the rifles mechanisms operates correctly and dummy rounds are cycled through the rifle to ensure the rifle feeds, extracts and ejects without fault.

Sights

Rear and foresight are standard on this rifle and there is no requirement for other work, therefore restoration is limited to a major service of both sights.

Accuracy Test

Although at customers request, many rifles are accuracy tested both pre and post restoration to ensure the rifle is fit for restoration and once fully restored accuracy is improved.

Customer Feedback

"I doubt I'll ever own a Spitfire or Hurricane, but I'm now custodian of a very special SMLE MK3* and piece of history. Paul Green's eye for detail is exceptional. Throughout the restoration process Paul has kept me informed every step of the way. The results surpass all expectations. Stunning! - Paul Costall'