Howdy from South Texas |
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Ranch Dog
Groupie Joined: February 21 2018 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 63 |
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Posted: February 21 2018 at 2:06pm |
I've become an SMLE hunter by chance, and have really come to appreciate the performance of the 303 British as it relates to my hunting needs here on the ranch. I'm also a fan of scout rifles. My No. 4 MKI was sporterized and spent its life on another ranch. To say it was beat up would be an understatement, but the important parts and bore had been cared for so it made a perfect candidate for a project I had in mind based on my first SMLE, a sporterized No. 5.
I'll introduce you to my second rifle first, the No 4 MKI. |
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Honkytonk
Senior Member Joined: December 30 2017 Location: Brandon Mb Status: Offline Points: 4770 |
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he!!o and welcome. Nice. ATI stock? May I ask what brand of scope?
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Ranch Dog
Groupie Joined: February 21 2018 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 63 |
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Thanks! Yes, an ATI stock. The scope is a Weaver K4 Classic Scout.
Boses Gun in Nebraska rebuilt the rifle for me, he has done a number of projects for me over the years, and his work is outstanding. The mount is the XS Scout, which is no longer offered. The barrel was cut to 20", and a ramped William's Firesight regulated to the stock 300M peep was installed. I bought three new production 10-shot magazines from Classic Firearms as the original had been through the ringer. My first SLME, a No 5 sporter is a pretty strange rifle, and I figured that I, like a Rem 600 fan, was the only person that would buy the No. 5. It is a gunsmith school project gun from the '60s, and you guessed it, it was modeled after the 600 but with a steel vent rib. The rib incorporated a front and rear sight. The split rear receiver ring had been bridged with metal which incorporated a rear scope base, and the receiver forward of the ejection port had the forward base welded to it. Oh, it has a Fajen stock. The trouble was that the bases were cracked, probably from the heavy Vortex scope that sat on top of all this. I sold the scope, ground the scope bases off and mated a scout base to the rib, which I drilled and taped plus epoxied in place. A weird looking rifle, but one heck of an accurate South Texas hog killer. As I said, I'm probably the only fellow that would have bought it, and I hated to see it sit there and not find a purpose. Durn me, I forget about my Gibb's Summitt who is vacationing in Nebraska if that is a thing. Boses' has it and is machining a scout base for the 45-70 Govt barrel. It and the No. 5 both wear the Weaver K4 Classic Scout. Down here along the coast we have a critter that, the nilgai, that is from India & Pakistan. This is going to be one of my nilgai rifles. I wonder how many SMLEs have taken nilgai in their home land?
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A square 10
Special Member Donating Member Joined: December 12 2006 Location: MN , USA Status: Offline Points: 14452 |
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welcome , glad you have joined us ,
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SW28fan
Special Member Donating Member Joined: July 02 2007 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 2951 |
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Welcome from Fort Worth
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Have a Nice Day
If already having a nice day please disregard |
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Honkytonk
Senior Member Joined: December 30 2017 Location: Brandon Mb Status: Offline Points: 4770 |
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I've seen that scope configuration on other rifles. I think mostly European. Can anyone enlighten me as to the reasoning on such a forward mount? It looks kinda cool, but I imagine it would take a lot to get used to. I also suspect it is a fixed variable. Thanks!
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Shamu
Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Online Points: 17606 |
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The forward mounted scope is to allow for the use of chargers still.
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Honkytonk
Senior Member Joined: December 30 2017 Location: Brandon Mb Status: Offline Points: 4770 |
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Has anyone else on this forum shot a rifle with this set-up? How difficult is it to get used to? I'm not sure I could do it.
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Ranch Dog
Groupie Joined: February 21 2018 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 63 |
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Typically, a scout scope, set up properly, allows the use of either scope or receiver sights if the scope uses quick release rings. The forward mounted scope also has a great field of view as you can truly shoot with both eyes open. I've found situations where I'm following a sounder of hogs, end up in thick brush and remove the scope. If I go back into the open, the scope goes back on the rifle. The scout scope is normally lower over the bore and allows full access to the receiver opening/ejection port. In the case of the SMLE, yes, stripper clips can be used to charge the magazine.
With my No. 4 MKI, the idea was to create a rifle similar to my two Savage 10 FCM scouts, one a 308 Win the other a 7.62x39. Unfortunately, the tooling for the XS mount disappeared. They don't know what happened to it and the volume was always low for the product offering so money will not be spent to retool.
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Shamu
Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Online Points: 17606 |
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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paddyofurniture
Senior Member Joined: December 26 2011 Location: NC Status: Offline Points: 5256 |
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Welcome from NC!
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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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Honkytonk
Senior Member Joined: December 30 2017 Location: Brandon Mb Status: Offline Points: 4770 |
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Ranch Dog. I think the term "Stripper Clip" is Verboten on this site!😁 I believe it is called a "Charger"!
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hoadie
Moderator Group Joined: March 16 2006 Location: Niagara/Canada Status: Offline Points: 9003 |
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STRIPPER CLIPS??!! What?! I missed that...who said??
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Loose wimmen tightened here
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Shamu
Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Online Points: 17606 |
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Quick, hold 'im down lads I'll get the tranq gun out.
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Ranch Dog
Groupie Joined: February 21 2018 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 63 |
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Yikes!
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Honkytonk
Senior Member Joined: December 30 2017 Location: Brandon Mb Status: Offline Points: 4770 |
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Easy Hoadie!! We had your back! Ranch Dog, again, welcome. You have some very nice Enfield rifles and you will not find a more knowledgeable group of people that live for them! I'm a new member myself, but soon after joining, like me, the forums goal is to keep this unmatched battle rifles history alive for another 100 years. I feel privileged to be a member.
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