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Shooting & Reloading - Mausers, Big Bores and others >> Rifles
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NitroXAdministrator
.700 member


Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39890
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
New rifle, the good old SMLE
      #8113 - 03/02/04 02:35 PM

The paperwork finally came through for my old cheapie SMLE .303.

it is a No1. MkIII from 1920 from the Australian Lithgow Armoury.

Just bought it for nostalgia as I have always wanted a MkIII full wood rifle. Originally I wanted it to hang on the wall as a working decoration, however with the new laws, now its into the safe . As a kid I remember seeing a SMLE and a Mauser 98 from WW1 hanging on the wall of a local "stately home" now a museum and thinking, "Great".

I did buy some mil ammo as well so will bust a few plastic bottles with it.

I do think the old .303 is an under-rated calibre and will kill anything in Australia, though buff on foot is probably not the wisest. I do like the 10 shot magazine, and another one or two might be added one day. A sporterised version perhaps for one in .303 with peep sights and another in .405 or .375/.303 as a "big-bore" SMLE. I have always liked the .25/.303 too (oops what was I recently saying about the .25 ) That's for the future though.

In the meantime I aim to have fun with this bit of Australian history.


--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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RLI
.375 member


Reged: 01/10/03
Posts: 534
Loc: Victoria, Australia
Re: New rifle, the good old SMLE [Re: NitroX]
      #8115 - 03/02/04 03:08 PM

They are great ol' rifle ,I have several Lithgow's and a "Jungle Carbine" No. 5, I also have a Lithgow made in 1953 which is last year of production. How are you for ammo? it is getting scarcer (military). I may be able to help if you need some. Thanks

RLI

--------------------
"Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid." — John Wayne

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Gibbs505
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Reged: 09/08/03
Posts: 442
Loc: BC, Canada
Re: New rifle, the good old SMLE [Re: NitroX]
      #8372 - 07/02/04 06:16 AM

I agree, much underrated!!

--------------------
So I can't spell, so what?

Those who beat their swords into ploughshares, will plough for those who don't!

Those who fail to learn from history will be doomed to repeat it

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mehulkamdar
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Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 3688
Loc: State of Ill-Annoy USA.
Re: New rifle, the good old SMLE [Re: NitroX]
      #11481 - 14/03/04 12:34 AM

NitroX,

You can't go wrong with the good old 303! Even when my country's socialist Tsars banned it, the Indian Ordnance Factories brewed up a version with an 8mm bullet in the old rimmed case and it became a favourite here.

Now, we can shoot the old warhorse again and if I am right, the world's only sporter rifles made on the old Enfield "Smelly" action are made in India right now - they are nowhere near as well made as the old ones from Ischapore were, but they still account for a lot of the pigs shot in India.

Good hunting!

--------------------
The Ark was made by amateurs. Experts built the Titanic.

Mehul Kamdar

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NitroXAdministrator
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Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39890
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Re: New rifle, the good old SMLE [Re: mehulkamdar]
      #11530 - 15/03/04 02:24 AM

Mehul

And better still I run off a magazine full rapid fire at a 50 metre target after shooting a session on the bench with my .450 and you know, the .303 felt and sounded like an air rifle!

Always good to shoot medium something after. They are then such pussycats.

I think by pure chance I purchased one with all serial numbers matching. At the shop they told me they didn't match so I didn't even have a look but my mate at the police station when registering it had a look at it and all the parts did have matching SNs. It is from the Australian Lithgow manufacturing plant.

I want to get another and cut it back to a sporter just as a fun knockabout bush rifle. The large capacity magazine will also be very useful.



--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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RLI
.375 member


Reged: 01/10/03
Posts: 534
Loc: Victoria, Australia
Re: New rifle, the good old SMLE [Re: NitroX]
      #36236 - 21/08/05 02:59 PM

John,
Just reading some old posts, if you have not "sporterised" a smle yet why don't you get a "Jungle Carbine" or proper name No5 MK1 its already done for you plus B-Square makes mounts with no drilling needed for scope use .

Steve

--------------------
"Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid." — John Wayne

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HiWall
.275 member


Reged: 01/11/03
Posts: 85
Loc: Brisbane, Qld
Re: New rifle, the good old SMLE [Re: RLI]
      #36289 - 22/08/05 10:54 AM

If you don't love the Smellie, you have no heart - I only have 4 of them, but I need some more. My little collection has a Lithgow No1 MkIII*, a Savage No4 Mk1*, a Faz No5 Mk1 and an RFI No2 Mk4*.

Looking for one of the Ishy 308's now - any hints where I can find one in Australia??

Please don't chop up another SMLE, find one that someone has already butchered, or get a No5 and a no drill mount as Steve suggests.

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RLI
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Reged: 01/10/03
Posts: 534
Loc: Victoria, Australia
Re: New rifle, the good old SMLE [Re: HiWall]
      #36300 - 22/08/05 01:44 PM

Whitehorse Arms had one 3 weeks ago

--------------------
"Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid." — John Wayne

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HiWall
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Reged: 01/11/03
Posts: 85
Loc: Brisbane, Qld
Re: New rifle, the good old SMLE [Re: RLI]
      #36301 - 22/08/05 02:08 PM

Thanks for that, just called them and missed out. He had two, both sold

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RLI
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Reged: 01/10/03
Posts: 534
Loc: Victoria, Australia
Re: New rifle, the good old SMLE [Re: HiWall]
      #36302 - 22/08/05 02:15 PM

Cobb & Co may have one

--------------------
"Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid." — John Wayne

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HiWall
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Reged: 01/11/03
Posts: 85
Loc: Brisbane, Qld
Re: New rifle, the good old SMLE [Re: RLI]
      #36310 - 22/08/05 06:04 PM

Thankyou, they had two, now only one. The other will be on its way to Queensland very soon.

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RLI
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Reged: 01/10/03
Posts: 534
Loc: Victoria, Australia
Re: New rifle, the good old SMLE [Re: HiWall]
      #36311 - 22/08/05 06:16 PM

Good to hear! I do know of a Sterling (No4 .303 converted to 7.62 in England) in a target setup that would be a good shooter with a scope. I have quite a few Lithgows some unissued ,nice rifles

Steve

--------------------
"Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid." — John Wayne

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SeekHer
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Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 17
Loc: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Re: New rifle, the good old SMLE [Re: NitroX]
      #37636 - 17/09/05 01:35 AM

Nitro X

My first gun that I ever bought, with paper route, lawn mowing and snow shovelling monies, was an Mk.4 #3 Lee-Enfield .303 but sporterized by Parker Hale of England, with a semi gloss Monte Carlo stock, recoil pad, scope mounts and a Weaver 4x scope.

I thought it the most beautiful rifle I ever saw, even with the ten round magazine hanging down (got a 5 round for it later).

The price, complete in 1964, was $48.98 CDN (I still have the original sales receipt from the Hudson's Bay store).

It is now battered, stock gouged, blueing off in places, rides behind the seat in the truck with me everyday, but still shoots 3 rounds into 3 cm @ 100 M every time.

It has accounted for deer, moose, caribou, seal, walrus, musk ox, black bear, wolf, coyote and beef cows (culling the herd), by myself, friends and relatives for the past 40 years.

I'll probably get the stock refinished, and the action/barrel re-blued, one of these years, and pass it on to the kid. She shoots it now and likes it...will probably get another 40 years of hunting with it.

I hope that you will get the same enjoyment and reliability with yours as I have had with mine.

I haven't read about anything on the cartridge, for conversions. How does the .416/405/375/8mm/280/250 X .303 perform compared to the original of that cartridge and the parent cartridge. I mean is a .416/303 as good as, better or worse than the .416 Rigby/Rem it represents?

My edification awaits your expertise.



--------------------
There is a certain type of mentality that thinks
if you make certain inanimate objects illegal
their criminal misuse will disappear!


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Pondoro
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Reged: 15/09/05
Posts: 8
Loc: Norway
Re: New rifle, the good old SMLE [Re: SeekHer]
      #37664 - 17/09/05 01:03 PM

I love them too, have a 1919 No1 Mk III that was parachuted in to the resistance movement in occupied Norway during WW2 and a 1945 Mk V Jungle Carbine..

I still shoot WW2 cordite ammo....aaahh the smell and the bluegray haze......real nostalgia.....

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