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SMLE MkIII "Tanker"

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303Guy View Drop Down
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    Posted: June 11 2013 at 4:06pm
It's a snub nosed SMLE! Way cool! Thumbs Up  Good job with the wood work.

You really should consider shooting it a lot.

I'm a little worried about the 'pounding' of the fore-sight into place.  I have a rifle that had the barrel shortened and the fore-sight hammered on.  It buckled the barrel!  I cut off the barrel to 15 ½ inches and straightened it.  After fire-lapping to remove the heavy rust scale, only paper patch bullets would shoot in it.

Anyway, that snub nosed SMLE sure looks pretty cool!  I've once before seen a photo of one like it - it was a truck gun used for shooting coyotes.

Sooo .... how does it shoot?

Oh, if you reload for it, you might consider a faster powder like W748 in reduced charge with a tuft of Dacron to position the powder against the primer.  Not too reduced, mind you and most certainly not too much.  Having said that, I was using 44gr of H4350 under a 194gr paper patched boolit.  That's a full case of slow powder but pressure with paper patch is quite a bit lower than with jacketed bullets.  I did fit a suppressor to mine.  



Not as cool as yours by any means.  I never did fit a fore-end to it but I borrowed a high comb stock from my 303-25.  I'm going to put it back to open sights.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SW28fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 11 2013 at 11:47am
The tanker name come from a very small run (less than 200) of Garands that were made as a test for tank crews. The result was yes they were convenient to fit in a tank but tank crews really do not need a rifle and the project was dropped.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote paddyofurniture Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 11 2013 at 11:11am
I am unsure about the "Tanker" name. As al the tankers I have know had handguns or SMG.

I am think it a Navy's WWII X-craft, mini-subs.
Always looking for military manuals, Dodge M37 items,books on Berlin Germany, old atlases ( before 1946) , military maps of Scotland. English and Canadian gun parts.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SW28fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 11 2013 at 10:43am
Interesting,  I (Ultra Purist) kinda like it.Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote paddyofurniture Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 11 2013 at 10:28am
How does it shoot?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BlackAck Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 11 2013 at 6:21am
Fun. It's like you washed it on too high a setting....Honey I shrunk the Enfield!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 11 2013 at 4:22am
That looks really cool! much better than the sporter version. Very nice job on the wood. I like it
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Aligator944 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 11 2013 at 2:24am
Originally posted by paddyofurniture paddyofurniture wrote:

Needs to have a photo taken with a bayonet mounted.



I just ordered a bayonet from Sarco, and a repo sling. The bayonet was only $25, so we will see what I get (no picture on their website). I may try to find the early shorter bayonet, or a cut down Indian bayonet for it since it would be more fitting.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote paddyofurniture Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 11 2013 at 1:25am
Needs to have a photo taken with a bayonet mounted.
Always looking for military manuals, Dodge M37 items,books on Berlin Germany, old atlases ( before 1946) , military maps of Scotland. English and Canadian gun parts.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Canuck Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 11 2013 at 1:08am
Looks good!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote A square 10 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2013 at 11:31pm
i like it , i agree with the aspect of starting with a sported rifle that had been done many years ago , it turned out very nicely
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote paddyofurniture Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2013 at 5:30am
The  SMLE MkIII Carbine.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Aligator944 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 10 2013 at 3:52am
So I bought this 1917 BSA SMLE way back in high school, over 20 years ago. It was sporterized and I always wanted the full wood and all the embelishments, not to mention the long bayonet! But being young with no money and after I ran out of old surplus ammo, it became a safe queen. There is sat with my other guns, unused, until this year. My son just turned 13 and I decided it was time to get back into shooting, mostly just plinking out of town.

My interest in the enfield I started looking around for parts to convert it and came across some tanker conversions and thought they just looked neat. So I ordered about $32 in parts from Sarco, barrel band, nose piece, rear sight protector, swivel and assorted screws. I got some walnut I had laying around and started to make the front wood, front hand guard and an extension for the lower stock. I joined the lower stock extension under the sling swivel so it would be hidden.

I then used a hacksaw to cut the barrel down to about 17". Using my bench top belt sander I thinned the barrel end down to fit the front sight, that took quite a while. Sanded it smooth and pounded the front sight on. I don't plan on shooting it much so I will just go with a single pin through the front sight to hold it in place. I used some cold bluing on the barrel.

I used three different stains to get the new lighter and softer walnut so it would match the 100 year old English walnut. Added a few coats of tung oil for the finish.

I know I destroyed any collector value with this rifle, but I figure it was already sporterized and now it looks bad ass enough that I could certainly sell it for more than it was worth pre-chopped. But she is a keeper now and I am very happy with how it turned out. I may look to do a No4 next! The first pic is pre chop and the next ones are after.



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