| Story |
| (.333 member) |
| 29/08/22 12:46 PM |
BSA No 3 Pattern barrel pedigree
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So I dug out my BSA after a few years.
The barrel markings look like a surplused 1910 Lee Metford
So. Did BSA fit surplus barrels directly?
| kuduae |
| (.400 member) |
| 30/08/22 01:29 AM |
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Re: BSA No 3 Pattern barrel pedigree
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Imho this Lee – Speed was rebarreled sometimes, using an ex – military barrel, just as mine. Mine now has a barrel from a No. 1 Mk III* SMLE. No change of inletting was necessary. Just the sights, sling loop and foreend screw socket had to be reinstalled.
| Story |
| (.333 member) |
| 30/08/22 12:38 PM |
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Re: BSA No 3 Pattern barrel pedigree
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Quote:
Imho this Lee – Speed was rebarreled sometimes, using an ex – military barrel, just as mine. Mine now has a barrel from a No. 1 Mk III* SMLE. No change of inletting was necessary. Just the sights, sling loop and foreend screw socket had to be reinstalled.
Thanks. What scope is that? Do you have a pic of how it's mounted.
And yes, rebarreling was common when necessary.
I'm curious about the rifle's first barrel.
The 1908 Catalog for the Number 3
would seem to imply that 30" Lee barrels were fitted
| Hunter4752001 |
| (.300 member) |
| 30/08/22 04:40 PM |
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Re: BSA No 3 Pattern barrel pedigree
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"Lee Speed Patents" was a patent marking and not a model. Lee was the original designer of the action and Speed was the manager of the factory. The Lee Speed Patents cover the original design plus the improvements made by the factory. Rifles for the UK armed forces were made under the Crown and didn't require the patent marking. Rifles made for the commercial market did require the marking up until when the patents expired in 1919.
Rifles with the "Lee Speed Patents" markings came in all sorts of configurations from the classic sporting rifles, target rifles through to full military form. It was generally on the right hand rear receiver wrist under the bolt handle. The Australian War Memorial has one such example https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C318168 which was purchased by the Western Australian Government and was carried during the Boer War. The Victorian Government also purchased a large number of these rifles, military configuration but stamped "Lee Speed Patents". In fact this would have been the case for most rifles purchased throughout Australia until the Lithgow SAF started in about 1912.
The rifle in the original post doesn't appear to have the "Lee Speed Patents" marking. I'm a long way from having any expertise in the area, but to me it looks like a very nicely executed sporter conversion of an early Lee.
| kuduae |
| (.400 member) |
| 30/08/22 10:17 PM |
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Re: BSA No 3 Pattern barrel pedigree
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Quote:
Thanks. What scope is that? Do you have a pic of how it's mounted.
It’s a pre-WW2 2 ¼ x Zeiss “Zielklein“ scope in an equally prewar German Akah side mount.
| Story |
| (.333 member) |
| 31/08/22 01:20 AM |
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Re: BSA No 3 Pattern barrel pedigree
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Quote:
The rifle in the original post doesn't appear to have the "Lee Speed Patents" marking. I'm a long way from having any expertise in the area, but to me it looks like a very nicely executed sporter conversion of an early Lee.
Indeed, but thanks for sharing what you do know.
The absence of the "Lee-Speed patents" mark simply signifies that the patents had expired after 17 years and so were public domain.
Since this occurred about 1910, that jives with the date on the sold-out-of-service date on the 30" barrel.
Then again, there's the swanky grip safety (used with the non-safety bolt) which was a factory option (see red-lined 1908 Catalog text excerpt above).
| Story |
| (.333 member) |
| 31/08/22 01:22 AM |
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Re: BSA No 3 Pattern barrel pedigree
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Quote:Quote:
Thanks. What scope is that? Do you have a pic of how it's mounted.
It’s a pre-WW2 2 ¼ x Zeiss “Zielklein“ scope in an equally prewar German Akah side mount.
Ooooooooooooooo, that's neat. Thanks for sharing that.