My new 1916 BSA SHT.LE

[tac]

Standard set of Birmingham civilian proofs there, Sir. Nothing unusual with YOUR Smellie.

Replacement wood is very common - NON-replaced wood is extremely rare in a gun that my have gone to war twice. Can we please have better close-ups of the proof marks and around the top of the Nock's form, too - both sides.

TVM.

tac

 

[Fjordforder]

Still figuring out how to get the wood off, it looks like one of the screws is rusted in place.
Opposite side:



Top of the receiver:

 

[tac]

If you are taking ALL the wood off, then you'd better know what you are doing to put it back. Also note that the gun is not just screwed into the lower forend, but located on a pre-tensioned packing shim that exerts precisely ten pounds upwards pressure on the forend. Removing the stock also requires a special screwdriver with a slot in the blade, at least 18" inches long. Stocking the SMLE was a very skilled job, undertaken by specially-trained technicians in the day.

Best get the instructions off the internet before you do some irreparable damage.

tac

 

[Fjordforder]

Don`t worry, I`m not new to milsurps, only L-Es. I don`t bother too much with those things. I hope the pics are satisfactory?

 

[Velzey]

Great photos thanks!

 

[teflon6string]

Interesting posts and good pics of a cool rifle!

As a lifelong motorcyclist, I've always admired "Beezers" and those with the skills/patience to keep them rumbling. Many riders (even some of my vintage) don't realize that BSA originally made weapons, and owned Triumph. Some info here for those who like such stuff.

Birmingham Small Arms Company - Wikipedia

 

[Fjordforder]

He speaks the truth, great article there. My first boss was a huge fan of the Beeze bikes (as he called them) even if he rode a Triumph.

EDIT TO ADD

He also used to say that his greatest regret was selling his Lee-Enfield. Based on the description it was a sporterized No4 Mk1. He said he used it as a boat gun when he spent the 80s chasing the sun up and down the West Coast on his boat.

This one`s for you, Mark.

 

[tac]

I've got three BSA rifles, all .22s - one b/a from 1910 and two Martinis from the late '50s/early '60s.

All shoot very well.

tac

 

[Fjordforder]

It is worth noting that the stock disc is unmarked as well.

 

[tac]

No FTR stamp either, too, as well.


tac

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

So im wanting to learn here; BSA rifle? knew the bikes of course, but people are saying this is a SMLE? parts certainly look like a SMLE.

Incidentally, narrowly missed out on a nice MMKIII few weks back, certainly looking for one (casually).

 

[Fjordforder]

So im wanting to learn here; BSA rifle? knew the bikes of course, but people are saying this is a SMLE? parts certainly look like a SMLE.

Incidentally, narrowly missed out on a nice MMKIII few weks back, certainly looking for one (casually).

That`s right. Rifle is (was) made by the guys who used to make bikes.

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

But is it a Lee?

 

[Fjordforder]

Yes, it is. Short Magazine Lee Enfield.

 

[tac]

Yes, it is. Short Magazine Lee Enfield.

Being a total pedant, it is actually the Short, magazine, Lee-Enfield to avoid conflict with its predecessor, the long rifle Lee-Enfield. Usually called the 'smellie'.

The Lee came from James Paris Lee,the American inventor of the action, and the same Lee who invented the US Navy Lee straight-pull short rifle.

In order of Lees -

Lee-Metford - using the Metford rifling form and a 200gr RN paper-patched bullet over a compressed BP load. Made by BSA and a number of other companies. The Lee-Speed was a very small run, mostly for sporting purposes. His great Grandson, Jon Speed, is the famous author of the Mauser books, among others, and the guy who found the backsight for my 1937 ES350B .22cal Mauser after I'd spent fifteen years trying to find one in vain.

Then smokeless powder came along, and the bullet weight changed to a 174gr, gilded spitzer, and it was mass-produced in the Royal Arsenal factories at Enfield Lock, North London and titled Lee-Enfield. It was at that time a long unwieldy rifle with a 24" sword bayonet... BSA was THE prime, non-government-owned contractor, making millions of them. The were made in the Sparkbrook Birmingham BSA works, Fazarkerly Liverpool, and later on in Lithgow Australia and Ishapore India. WW2 saw a redesign to a simpler and better format in the No4, also made everywhere including Long Branch Ontario, Canada and Savage Arms of Utica NY.

tac

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

Now SMLE i did know, but interesting about the short and magazine being separate statements, i did wonder about it as it holds 10.

Did not know about the 'smellie' - And this rifle here is stated as a BSA, and i hadn't heard that before, so it's a full SMLE?

 

[tac]

Now SMLE i did know, but interesting about the short and magazine being separate statements, i did wonder about it as it holds 10.

Did not know about the 'smellie' - And this rifle here is stated as a BSA, and i hadn't heard that before, so it's a full SMLE?

British military nomenclature - Short refers to the fact that it's physically SHORT, shorter than the previous Lee-Enfield rifle by about six inches. Magazine means that is has, uh, a magazine. And Lee-Enfield because it's a Lee-Enfield. British military ALWAYS have nicknames for their kit - SMLE easily turns into 'smellie'. 'Brown Bess' mean anything to you? So do US soldiers - the 155mm gun was called 'Long Tom', and the 240mm atomic cannon was called 'Atomic Annie'.........'Warthog', 'Huey', et al.

Now THIS is a genuine British military nomenclature, of an article that could be found in the British Military Psychiatric Hospital in India during the days of the Raj -

Bowl, gutta-percha, handles [without], officers for the use of.

It's a kind of rubbery porridge bowl made so that officers who have gone 'Doolali', - the location of the hospital - could not break it and self-harm.

I bet you ALL wanted to know that one, right?

tac, fullacrap

 

[tac]

so it's a full SMLE?

Says so, right there. Short Model Lee-Enfield.

Told ya.

tac

 

[Goosebrown]

That is exactly what mine cost. I think you did well.

Otherwise we both got bubblegumed

 

[Velzey]

We need a sticky in the C&R section just for SMLE rifles, and their maze of identification.