Mk.III Dummy Trainer

Well,

Here are a few pictures of the Mk. III Dummy Trainer I picked up from IMA. Ill post the IMA link again.

Original British WWI Lee-Enfield SMLE No.1 Dummy Training Rifle with Bayonet ima-usa.com

I paid for special select. I guess I did get it. I ask for no major splits or cracks, but that did preclude two rifles spliced together at some point, as you will see in the pictures. The armourers that refit it back together did a really nice job. Almost makes you think it was originally done that way? The wood is definitely two different pieces! The pictures pretty much speak for themselves, other than the wood and the waisted nosepiece, compared to the squared ear Indian version. This dummy rifle has no working parts except for the sliding simulatd sight between the ears in the middle of the rifle. The trigger guard is all cast iron, no moving trigger, maybe lead filled at the magazine with lead strips underside it. Also there is remnants of yellow paint, I am sure it is not for decoration. All the markings on the rifle, is what you see on the butt at the brass disc. I would like to think, FA stands for Field Artillery, but that is just my wild guess....I am sure someone else would have more to say about it.

That's a nice piece. Most guys in the past saw no use for those so they fell into disinterest and were discarded. I think they're an important piece of the collection and if you have the working models, the collection isn't complete without them.

I find it adds a bit more character to my collection even though I only have this one and the Indian version of this style training rifle. I do not have any of the demilled Mk.III DP rifles, usually found from Indian service , I may have to add one of those later. I'll have to do a piece comparing the IMA repop Patt1903 that came with the Mk.III dummy rifle against my original Patt1903, in the near future. I wish IMA would not sell them with the bayonet, I feel I am paying for something in their inventory that is not selling too quickly and an item I really do not want. Which adds to the price i am paying. But that is my 2 cents on that!

I guess I will have to recategorize DP as Drill Purpose, for some reason I am thinking Dummy rifle which does not really fit the description.

I think they all have a place. Mostly because they were used somewhere...fencing muskets...DP...so on.