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So, after seeing photos on the web-site, I dug the old credit card out and sent off an order for what seemed to be a bubba’ed S.M.L.E. that someone had installed a Lee Speed sporting butt-stock on.

Received the rifle in due course, actually in jig time considering the Christmas mail rush, and then started thinking about what other parts I could scrounge off it, as someone had removed the action charger strap. While contemplating my navel, I gazed down the bore & thought something was amiss. Looked at the muzzle and after admiring the nicely-executed crown, had the feeling that the bore kind of looked large. Oh no, thinks I, another over-size bore, despite having beautiful rifling. I dug out one of my NOE 314299 cast bullets. Down the bore it went & fell on the floor. Grrrrr! Wait a minute, maybe it’s a re-bored barrel. Slipped a .338” bullet down the muzzle & down it went to again exit the chamber! Hmmm. Tried the same thing with a .358 bullet. Same result! Tried one of my 350 gr. 9.3 slugs. Slid into the muzzle kind of loosely, but stopped at the driving band. Hmmm. Tried one of my .375 cast bullets & lo & behold, it just engraved the nose of the bullet. Starting to get excited, I started going through my brass. Tried one of my 375 Fl. 2 ½” cases. No luck. Stopped half-way into the chamber. Tried a new 303 case; same thing. WTH! Looked down the chamber; it appeared to be a slightly tapered hole right to the leade. Ok, what’s smaller than a 303? Racking my brain to figure out what cartridge was smaller than a 303 case that I might have, I dug some 30-30 brass out & into the chamber it went. Dug out an old 38-55 cartridge and it snugly fit. Holy smokes, looks like someone at sometime made up a 38-55 Enfield, but with a .375” groove, instead of the .378-.380” normally found on such a calibre. Now to find a .375 Fl. N.E. 2 ½” reamer & fix the under-size chamber!

;-)

In the meantime though, 5 38-55 cartridges fit into the magazine & feed, after a fashion!

Not too shabby, at least I think, for under $200.00 Cdn.

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