Thread: Another .45acp Delisle Comando Carbine completed.

Another one finished. Built on a 1908 Enfield No1 mk3*.
This one got a lovely oiled short (12.5") walnut stock I have been saving and a few brass accents. Metalwork finished in midnight blue Ceracoat.

Just another sporterised lee enfield... (-:

Nice work! Are you doing the original barrel length or the full-length ported style? There is a lot of work in them isn't there! I have a few on the go at the moment.

Originally Posted by gundoc

Nice work! Are you doing the original barrel length or the full-length ported style? There is a lot of work in them isn't there! I have a few on the go at the moment.

Thank you sir.. I have yet to see one of yours but have only heard good things.
Yes lots of work involved but fun builds.
I am doing the short ported barrels the same as the Stirling production rifles but found the muzzle cone and extractor cut out of the Ford Dagenham delisles work a little better so have gone that direction. The suppressors are duralium like the stirlings but 3mm thick so I dont run the brass blast chamber sleeve. The thicker tube wall is a bit quieter and means I can screw the replica Lanchaster rear sight block to it instead of having to use solid flush rivets. Another small improvement I made was directing the rotary ports 30 degrees rearward into the defuser.

Lovely work, well done. It was on my list of to dos.

Originally Posted by gundoc

Nice work! Are you doing the original barrel length or the full-length ported style? There is a lot of work in them isn't there! I have a few on the go at the moment.

retired.........yeah right

Very nice! Do you make them to order?

Stunning
I'd love one
As discussed @wekaman

Accuracy of the 416 stainless steel Vulcan 1-16" barrels have been great! They constanly punch ragged hole groups at 50 yard with factory PPU 230gr FMJs off bags on the bench and I have been working up an even quieter hand load that is shooting inside an inch at 100y. My open sight game is not the strongest so these results are very pleasing.

Originally Posted by Wingman

Accuracy of the 416 stainless steel Vulcan 1-16" barrels have been great! They constanly punch ragged hole groups at 50 yard with factory PPU 230gr FMJs off bags on the bench and I have been working up an even quieter hand load that is shooting inside an inch at 100y. My open sight game is not the strongest so these results are very pleasing.

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Thats great as 45 acp is not the most accurate

beautiful work,that stock sure isnt your average SMLE.... now far be it for me to tell grandma how to suck eggs,but your comment re open sights brings up question..... would it be worth moving sight back the last 3"? available to give slightly longer sight radius,on your next one??? and would it be sacrilege to build one on the model of SMLE that had apertures??? that would nearly double sight radius and SHOULD improve accuracy without slowing down sight acquisition

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

beautiful work,that stock sure isnt your average SMLE.... now far be it for me to tell grandma how to suck eggs,but your comment re open sights brings up question..... would it be worth moving sight back the last 3"? available to give slightly longer sight radius,on your next one??? and would it be sacrilege to build one on the model of SMLE that had apertures??? that would nearly double sight radius and SHOULD improve accuracy without slowing down sight acquisition

Thanks MD.
I stumbled upon a BSA made SMLE sporter in Gun City last year while chasing furniture and other parts that had this butt stock on it.. the rifle was super tidy, it had an FTR in 1953 and looks like it has been in storage since. The walnut figure was peeking out from a dull factory linseed oil finish that I saw potentual in.. I know this was the way it was supposed to be back then and some will call it sacralage but I couldnt help but sympathetically refinish it to uncover its natural beauty. I cleaned it well with acetone, steamed out the few storage dings it had and sanded it very lightly to make the grain pop without removing all the old battle scars. I paid way too much for the guncity donor but the finished result makes me feel a little better about the purchase. While I try to stick to the original side of replication I did throw a little artistic licence into this one.
The originals were painted with the same black baked coating as the later No4s and No5 rifles with the exception of a few of the earlier ones which remained blued with a blueish looking anodizing on the alloy suppressor.. with wood work like this one I oppted for a slightly more ornate midnight blue ceracoat that was matted down a little from it's normal semi gloss mix ratio. I think it looks a little better than the Black ceracoat I usually finish them in.
I also happened across a brass rear rear sling swivel from what I believe was used for a short time on some Lithgow made SMLEs.. I figured "why not? While I was at it I fitted the earlier brass butt plate, stock disk and an inlaid brass bush for the front wood screw. None of those things were used on the originals as they were very weight conscious nearing the end of the war productions.

If Grandma was done sucking eggs and wanted to chase accuracy of pistol rounds she'd probably just mount a rail and scope.. for that matter it could be built on just about anything that would be better and easier than a worn out old Enfield .303Brit.
The sight radius on the 1940s Stirling made Delisles was 12.25 inches which is what mine are built to replicate.
I strive to make my replicas as close to the originals as possible for collectors value and to attempt to appease my OCD.

Fun fact the sight blades on some were painted with some nasty radioactive paint to glow in the dark and assist taking out centuries during night opps..

That looks awesome! The baffles have brass spacers?

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

Thanks mate, yes brass. They make for easier disassembly for cleaning compared to steel which corodes and sticks to the shaft. The baffles are machined out of 2014 T651 (Duralium) which is mispec hard anodized and ceramic ceracoated so should last well. The problem with Duralium is you cant mix it with Stainless steel as they hate each other and the resulting electrolysis fizzes the alloy up like a white chalky Asprin especially once it's full of ammonia and other chemicals from the burned powder and moisture.
Brass is the best material for that jobs longevity.

all good,thanks for taking time to reply...always love seeing your work. radioactive paint!!!!! I just use glow in the dark powder mixed into $2 shop nail polish...actually just mixed up another batch to put blob on my SAR tracking marker icecream sticks...when they out on trail it looks like fairy lights LOL.
the aperture thing came to mind as some of the later SMLEs...mark 4 and 5 I think...were fitted with them.
interesting concept all around and good use of the old gals.... I recall seeing one done into 7.62x39mm some years back...no where near as much work as what you doing but a good use of old gal all the same.Ive often wondered how hard it would be to turn old barrel into insert for .12ga...pretty sure there is enough meat in breach end to turn it down to fit and rechamber it slightly to allow for squared off end.