SMLE MkIII "Tanker"
Printed From: Enfield-Rifles.com
Category: Enfields
Forum Name: After Market Enfields
Forum Description: What have you done to that Enfield??
URL: http://www.enfield-rifles.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=6052
Printed Date: June 04 2023 at 9:57am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: SMLE MkIII "Tanker"
Posted By: Aligator944
Subject: SMLE MkIII "Tanker"
Date Posted: June 10 2013 at 3:52am
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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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Replies:
Posted By: paddyofurniture
Date Posted: June 10 2013 at 5:30am
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The SMLE MkIII Carbine.
------------- 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. |
Posted By: A square 10
Date 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 |
Posted By: Canuck
Date Posted: June 11 2013 at 1:08am
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Looks good! ------------- Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually |
Posted By: paddyofurniture
Date Posted: June 11 2013 at 1:25am
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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. |
Posted By: Aligator944
Date Posted: June 11 2013 at 2:24am
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. |
paddyofurniture wrote:Posted By: Zed
Date Posted: June 11 2013 at 4:22am
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That looks really cool! much better than the sporter version. Very nice job on the wood. I like it ------------- It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice! |
Posted By: BlackAck
Date Posted: June 11 2013 at 6:21am
| Fun. It's like you washed it on too high a setting....Honey I shrunk the Enfield! |
Posted By: paddyofurniture
Date Posted: June 11 2013 at 10:28am
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How does it shoot?
------------- 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. |
Posted By: SW28fan
Date Posted: June 11 2013 at 10:43am
Interesting, I (Ultra Purist) kinda like it. ------------- Have a Nice Day If already having a nice day please disregard |
Posted By: paddyofurniture
Date Posted: June 11 2013 at 11:11am
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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. |
Posted By: SW28fan
Date Posted: June 11 2013 at 11:47am
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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. ------------- Have a Nice Day If already having a nice day please disregard |
Posted By: 303Guy
Date Posted: June 11 2013 at 4:06pm
It's a snub nosed SMLE! Way cool!  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.
------------- 303Guy |