Need help with SMLE

Hi
I recently aquired a 1941 Lithgow Mk III* that was very crudely mangled into a 'sporter'. I'd like to give her back her dignity and put her in military fashion.

Can someone tell me how the inner band should be attached to the barrel and where exactly it goes in relation to the rear sight base? Currently the inner band is missing and since it currently has a hacked #4 lower stock 'fitted' with duct tape to the barrel, I don't have a point of reference.

Also, where is the best place to get all the stock and fittings?

Much appreciate some help.

Cheers

PM Tertle and Private Joker on here
Both are SMLE gurus.

Ps, try Dogmatix as well

The barrel band goes forward of the rear sight base. Remove the foresight and slide the barrel band on. The smle stock has the location of the band identified via an inlet in the stock to the rear of the middle band.

Post up photos of bubba's 303.

It might not be worth the money and effort to restore.

Is the barrel full length, good condition and not drilled and tapped? What about sight's?

Wow. i learned more from members posts than scouring the internet! thanks!
I'll admit its not the best candidate for refurbishment, but i can gain experience and knowledge by doing the work on this one. Eventually I'll find a better example and I can swap the furniture and turn this one back into a better version of a sporter. I have a soft spot for historical arms and if i can put them back in condition I always try.

at least its numbers matching with no rust and the inside of the barrel has good rifleing with only a few small pits. the sights are complete. I haven't decided what to do with the Parker Hale scope
mount.
my first step is cleaning the parts and barrel and then reblue while i'm waiting to find all the stock pieces.

here are some pics

after i removed the parker hale scope mount base i found the dreaded "DP" stamped on the barrel underneath. i dug around trying to find a set of 303 chamber gauges to buy but all i found were out of stock. so i went to option 2:

drove down to the local 'test paddock', loaded a round; tied the trusty string; moved back 20 meters and pulled! gun fired and brass looks ok. did that 3 more times. all brass within specs except for neck expansion (out not up). no pushed out primers or shiny rings. I put on my safety glasses and covid face shield and fired first from the hip and then 2 more times from the shoulder. gun shot to point of aim at 30 meters and no excess gas. I did notice that the extracting the brass is quite 'draggy' feeling. i tried it with unfired rounds and it feels the same. don't know if this is normal or something to fix.

so why is the barrel marked DP? the serial numbers aren't crossed out (like the DP norm). only DP marks are on the top of the barrel and a very lightly pen engraved dp on the bolt.

After shooting i cleaned out the barrel with BoreTech Eliminator (great stuff) and the bore is shiny and about 7-8 out of ten with very minor pitting.

My two questions now are; since the charger base and chamber were drilled for the scope mount base, does removing it weaken the action? Second is why if it shoots good is the Lithgow barrel marked DP?

Any insights appreciated.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kimber 7mm-08

The barrel band goes forward of the rear sight base. Remove the foresight and slide the barrel band on. The smle stock has the location of the band identified via an inlet in the stock to the rear of the middle band.

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thanks for the tips. i acquired a barrel band and i've ordered two sight bases with pins just in case i mess this up!

Those drilled holes unless stupidly large on the chamber end have no effect on the safety.
Main lug on the bolt and side of the action the important bit

@nowool Drill Purpose could be for any number of factors. It could be as simple as the storeman needed the another rifle for non-firing rifle drills (marching, etc), right the way through to an identified critical fault somewhere in the rifle. Personally I wouldn't not fire a DP marked rifle, as I treat 'DP' to mean condemned. Others may have a different view of course.

so ASSUMABLY the dreaded DP (learnt something new today)was on rifle BEFORE it had scope mount fitted...MAYBE it couldve had crap headspace and a longer bolt head was found by the gunny who fitted bases and thus restored it to OK to use....
good on you for restoring an old girl.

pretty sure there was 303 guages on trademe last week.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

pretty sure there was 303 guages on trademe last week.

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yes there were

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kimber 7mm-08

The barrel band goes forward of the rear sight base. Remove the foresight and slide the barrel band on. The smle stock has the location of the band identified via an inlet in the stock to the rear of the middle band.

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And remember, the barrel band is conical so put it on the right way. Really annoying to notice you got it wrong after you've replaced the front sight base... but I don't know anyone who'd admit they ever did that... )o:<

Only just saw this thread.

Geez, I just sold a SMLE replacement walnut stock set (top woods and lower stock) and the missing front metal parts on the yellow site on Tuesday.

Personally I would only restore it if it hadn't been drilled for the scope mount. But that's just me.

Also, like others, I wouldn't bother with a DP marked example.
Look for another one instead to shoot/restore.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mauser308

There have been instances of rifles being pulled from the grease and marked DP without pushing the grease out of the barrels. It's the military, 'need 20 more DP rifles'. Armourer: 'check'.

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@Mauser308 thank you for posting that, i always cringe when i read blanket statements condemning DP’d 303’s, yes i can appreciate the sentiment, but you risk missing gems

would i buy a DP, Hell yes, by far the best rifle barrel i have is on a NZDF cadet rifle auctioned 303 that i purchased a while back at the Wellington cadet auction, i recall another well know member from this site who also attended looking at the barrel of my new purchase and commenting he didn’t even think the barrel had been fired given its pristine condition, it had a old blanco’d sling a couple of DP stamps, some slight wear but that barrel, so would i buy a DP rifle, yes esp if i wanted something that had possibly little or no barrel use, BUT you need to know what your looking at, so please dont give up on DP markings!

i also still have an early addition to my now much smaller collection of 303’s its the consummate NZ marked DP rifle and for a amateur collector like myself who enjoyed the history of REAL examples of NZ LE history its barrel is challenged but it so looks the part, did i pay too much for it when i bought it, yes, will i make money on it no, should have i bought it probably not, have i kept it and sold off other rifles hell yes!

Cant seem to edit but @dogmatix that wasn’t a dig at you, i think you can easily spot something that would stand out :)

No problems, I was meaning the OP restoring a sporterised DP rifle.
Totally different situation to having an otherwise pristine original DP marked rifle.

I've been reading up (a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing, lol) and I can't decide which path to take with the rear of the fore end.

Do I have to use the stock bolt keeper? some are saying to just use the brass rod. others are saying ditch both and use the #4 style bracket.

I've got a new VMA fore end stock and there is very little wood at the back end now. would i be weakening it further by removing wood to install the stock keeper?

my first time doing this so I am all ears for advice.

yes i think i'm going to have to build it up pin it and then bed it. A closer look shows there is already a crack and there seems to be a lot of rough haphazard scraping. I think Phil send me a used one that someone botched up.

Thanks to all the users useful comments and Kimber 7mm-08 for supplying advice and parts. I changed direction and bought a 1939 Lithgow SMLE No1 MkIII sight unseen off the yellow sight for parts and decided this would now be the restoration project. The VMA stock although very doable is a challenge to a SMLE novice doing a stock fitting (done other stocks from scratch but the SMLE is a whole different challenge). I've been following the Peter Laidler article on SMLE stock fitting and after about 45 hours i'm about 40% done. now i know why the original stocks sell for gold prices. I'm amazed at the time and skill the wartime stockmakers would put into these rifles. I now understand why the soviets went with the PPSH-41 subguns for mass production. I'm using as much of the original wood and parts as possible and not taking any shortcuts (like not cutting off the end of the mkIII stock bolt and using the factory clips). its marked for the long butt and it has its original with butt plate (even had the oiler bottle inside along with the leather washer). I hope to have it done in about a month.

I'm now at the finishing stages to one part of the stock build. problem is the stock was finished in linseed and turps so it doesn't want to take birchwood casey walnut stain which is the strongest concentrate i know of. any advice?

i'm trying that now. its like the Enfield is saying there is no quick fix. its like you are in a long term relationship.