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Shooting & Reloading - Mausers, Big Bores and others >> Lee Speed Forum & Archive

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Nailcreek
.300 member


Reged: 13/08/08
Posts: 150
Loc: Saukville, WI, USA
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #226077 - 28/02/13 12:16 AM

Other views of the BSA ...




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Veni, Vedici, Veggie ... I came, I saw, I had a salad.

Edited by Nailcreek (28/02/13 12:18 AM)


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Sarg
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Reged: 20/01/07
Posts: 1365
Loc: Nil
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #226088 - 28/02/13 06:34 AM

That is a "Lee Speed" as we call them,(as all the "Lee Speeds" are made by BSA, bar a few by LSA) just a low end one, the BSA sporters (the later ones) have the lobbing sight holes factory filled, so that is even better than we/I thought !

Very well done on that pick up !


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Nailcreek
.300 member


Reged: 13/08/08
Posts: 150
Loc: Saukville, WI, USA
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Sarg]
      #226355 - 04/03/13 01:20 AM

I ran photos of the rifle past Ian Skennerton, who thought the magazine came from a No.4 Enfield - I haven't received the rifle yet, so I'm waiting to see what will actually turn up. It does look like a pretty good base from which to begin however.

--------------------
Veni, Vedici, Veggie ... I came, I saw, I had a salad.


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rgg_7
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Reged: 22/10/07
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Loc: Canada
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #226361 - 04/03/13 03:18 AM

Mag housing is definitely No4. These were manufactured for SanteFe in Japan...may also be stamped Parker Hale. Follower has been swapped for a No1 MK111. Still looks good and will suffice until the real deal shows up. Ron

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Nailcreek
.300 member


Reged: 13/08/08
Posts: 150
Loc: Saukville, WI, USA
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: rgg_7]
      #226393 - 04/03/13 01:03 PM

Thanks, Ron ... I'm tempted to have my gunsmith try and replicate the magazine ... Lee Speed parts are about as common as hen's teeth!

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Veni, Vedici, Veggie ... I came, I saw, I had a salad.


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Rolland
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Reged: 31/12/06
Posts: 281
Loc: Camp Verde, AZ
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #227202 - 18/03/13 03:59 PM

Nailcreek

Here are a couple of guns I have built on the Lee Enfield. They were built from rifles that had been "sporterized" by someone with a hammer and dremel tool. I used the action on the bottom one, its a 45-70 now and the top is a .303 with original barrel. Boyds stocks. I reshaped the magazine on the .303 to five rounds both have the charging bridge removed and holes tig welded closed. I could not find a rear sight for the .303 so I used a Williams peep sight. The 45-70 magazine is an old Navy Arms I found.


I left the cut-off on the .303 this is one of the most accurate rifles I own, both rifles had the butt stock and forearm glass bedded as I had slimmed them down enough fit well but not sure if it was strong enough.


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Nailcreek
.300 member


Reged: 13/08/08
Posts: 150
Loc: Saukville, WI, USA
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Rolland]
      #227376 - 22/03/13 09:22 AM

Well, got the Metford in and fired. It headspaced fine, but with standard 303 FMJ Privi Partizan ammo, it keyholes at 50 yards. It's not a disaster however, as it's been rebarreled at least once - the current time is a SMLE barrel, which apparently is shot out. As I've a basically new SMLE barrel, I'll likely have it rebarreled again, with the goal of making into a #2 sporter.



Update ... I've pretty much solidified on re-barreling the rifle. The bullets used were .312, so they wouldn't normally keyhole. A look down the barrel also shows rifling, but also pitting and wear.

The barrel will likely be a new-ish SMLE No.1 barrel, with express sights, and rust bluing. Haven't settled on the front sight however. The magazine will also be replaced with a No.1 magazine as well. Everything's at the gunsmith now, so more to come eventually.

--------------------
Veni, Vedici, Veggie ... I came, I saw, I had a salad.

Edited by Nailcreek (24/03/13 05:39 AM)


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Nailcreek
.300 member


Reged: 13/08/08
Posts: 150
Loc: Saukville, WI, USA
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #237890 - 17/11/13 05:13 AM

As a part of this continuing saga, some might recall that I've been playing with a sporterized No.1 Mk.III Lee Enfield, with the idea of turning it into a reasonable copy of a Lee Speed sporting rifle.

While the metal is away at the gunsmith (having an SARCO express sight installed, barrel recrowned, front swivel installed on the barrel and likely re-blued), I've been working on the wood.

So far ...



I'd like to have the traditional alkanet root stain and oil finish, as mentioned above. I've mixed up the stain using 1/2 gum turps/1/2 BLO, with alkanet root powder mixed in. I've attached a photo of the results on a scrap buttstock.

Here's a test:



For the oil finish, I'm going to try the one described by John Bivins ...

More to come over time!

--------------------
Veni, Vedici, Veggie ... I came, I saw, I had a salad.


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Old_Glass
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Reged: 17/03/10
Posts: 113
Loc: BC, Canada
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #238066 - 20/11/13 06:24 PM

You will need a Long Lee Enfield bolt with the safety lever on the cocking piece. The bolt will need to be lapped in with valve grinding compound or something like it.

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Nailcreek
.300 member


Reged: 13/08/08
Posts: 150
Loc: Saukville, WI, USA
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Old_Glass]
      #238467 - 01/12/13 04:27 AM

Next step has been inletting a steel buttplate from Track of the Wolf (http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/671/2/BP-SHOT-C-2-I), which is proving a little long for the stock.

Let's just say that I'm not giving up my day job just yet. It's been quite awhile since I've pulled out my chisels, so my inletting skill isn't that much better than that of semi-trained weasels on crack ...






--------------------
Veni, Vedici, Veggie ... I came, I saw, I had a salad.


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Sarg
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Reged: 20/01/07
Posts: 1365
Loc: Nil
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #238482 - 01/12/13 08:21 AM

Thank you for sharing this with us, very ambitious of you on the heel plate, looks to be coming up !

Liking the stain, have to use that on one of mine .

I'm working on a few of my Lee Speeds & BSA sportier's, now I'm back home for a bit .


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Nailcreek
.300 member


Reged: 13/08/08
Posts: 150
Loc: Saukville, WI, USA
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Sarg]
      #238499 - 02/12/13 02:47 AM

It seems that the trick with the stain is that you really have to work it into the wood. If you just apply it and try and let it soak, it doesn't impart the color nearly as well.

With regards to my inletting talent, let's just say that I'm not giving up the day job. Wood dust mixed into accra-glass will cover a multitude of sins ...

--------------------
Veni, Vedici, Veggie ... I came, I saw, I had a salad.


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Ash
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Reged: 10/05/11
Posts: 1652
Loc: Australia
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #241935 - 07/02/14 05:20 PM

Sorry if i missed it, but where'd you get that buttplate, or where can i find one like that? Would love something like that for the Mannlicher project.

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.


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Claydog
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Reged: 17/08/12
Posts: 934
Loc: Katherine, Northern Territory ...
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Ash]
      #241938 - 07/02/14 05:52 PM

Ash
Just above the first photo of the but-plate is a website address that has what you are after.


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Ash
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Reged: 10/05/11
Posts: 1652
Loc: Australia
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Claydog]
      #241951 - 07/02/14 09:52 PM

Definitely blind, that was a rather obvious sentence that linked it!

Thanks Claydog.

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.


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Deutsche_Vortrekker
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Reged: 27/04/08
Posts: 449
Loc: From the Kalahari to the USA
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #245847 - 16/04/14 08:49 AM

I bought my Lee Speed from on old Afrikaner /German family on a hunting trip to the Kalahari .It was sitting above their fireplace and the family had owned the rifle since around 1910 . Unfortunately the bore was totally gone; a 303 bullet would drop entirely through the barrel .I restored the rifle and rebored it to ,338 x,303 .JES reboring did the work and it is excellent. .Same headspace just with a 338 bore. Simple to reload just put a 338 expander ball in a 303 neck size die . I was using a 338 Federal die to seat the bullets which worked fine but recently had a tool and die maker make me a set of custom dies in 338 x 303 Nitro Express which I named the cartridge .I use 303 brass and 200-215 grain bullets .Just a thought if you have a shot out barrel. My project is listed in the Lee Speed forum

Edited by Deutsche_Vortrekker (16/04/14 08:50 AM)


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Nailcreek
.300 member


Reged: 13/08/08
Posts: 150
Loc: Saukville, WI, USA
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #251077 - 27/07/14 04:50 AM

Well, here's the current status of the 1916 BSA. Not nearly as nice as VonGruff's rifle though!

I just got it back last week and am working on the stock now ... getting closer!






Edited by Nailcreek (27/07/14 05:28 AM)


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VonGruff
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Reged: 08/02/09
Posts: 1119
Loc: South Otago, New Zealand.
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #251105 - 27/07/14 09:41 AM

Did you end up having to grind into the checkering to shorten the toe on the butt plate?

--------------------
Von Gruff.

Exodus 20:1-17

Acts 4:10-12


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Nailcreek
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Reged: 13/08/08
Posts: 150
Loc: Saukville, WI, USA
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: VonGruff]
      #251149 - 28/07/14 02:18 AM

Von Gruff, I didn't have to shorten the butt plate too much.

--------------------
Veni, Vedici, Veggie ... I came, I saw, I had a salad.


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Nailcreek
.300 member


Reged: 13/08/08
Posts: 150
Loc: Saukville, WI, USA
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #253060 - 02/09/14 05:02 AM

Well, the sported SMLE is back at the gunsmith having the front sight lowered a bit. It was shooting about 8" low at 50 yards, which I had feared. In the meantime, the BSA sporter (shown in photos earlier in this thread) in this photo was rebarreled with a "new" and unused SMLE barrel. I'm in the process of restocking it using a reworked Fajen buttstock and Boyds forestock. I'm attempting to be true to the tracing provided by "VonGruff" ~ thank you so very much.

Here's where it's at today. I'm likely going to have it re-blued. Not sure about the sights - either a set of NECG express and front blade, or a Metford rear ladder with a front ramp of some sort.




--------------------
Veni, Vedici, Veggie ... I came, I saw, I had a salad.


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VonGruff
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Reged: 08/02/09
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Loc: South Otago, New Zealand.
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #253072 - 02/09/14 03:41 PM

Have to say I like this iteration of the project. It is definitely showing improvements with every showing.

--------------------
Von Gruff.

Exodus 20:1-17

Acts 4:10-12


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Nailcreek
.300 member


Reged: 13/08/08
Posts: 150
Loc: Saukville, WI, USA
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #255037 - 12/10/14 04:47 AM

I thought I'd share some photos of my finished 1916 SMLE "Lee Speed-ish" rifle, in 303. As a recap, I had the sights replaced (SARCO rear express and modified Williams "shorty" front base), barrel crowned, sling point dovetailed on the barrel, and a Boyds buttstock and Fajen forend, both modified and an ebony front tip installed. I also used a bit of ebony for the grip cap as well.

The metal work was done by a local g'smith, and I did the woodwork. The stain was alkanet root based, and the finish was a Sherwin-Williams sealer varnish/Mineral Spirit mix to replicate an oil finish.

Definitely not "London Best" by any stretch whatsoever (maybe "Saukville OK" LOL) ... but it was fun and I learned a bit in the process. Any, yes, it does shoot :-D






The next project is the early BSA sporter, re-barreled with a NOS SMLE barrel ... likely similar in nature, but with checkering and NECG sights.

--------------------
Veni, Vedici, Veggie ... I came, I saw, I had a salad.


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Waidmannsheil
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Reged: 19/04/13
Posts: 2363
Loc: Melbourne Australia
Re: Building a Lee Speed-ish Rifle - Help Please? [Re: Nailcreek]
      #255042 - 12/10/14 09:34 AM

When you say not London Best don't be to quick to judge it down, not all London guns are Best even if they call them that. From where I sit it looks like a beauty, fantastic looking timber and great reddish colour, you should be proud. I to have bought a BSA LE1 and wish to make a Lee-Speed type rifle, if I get the time.

Waidmannsheil.

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There is nothing wrong with vegetarian food, so long as there is meat with it.


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