New memeber: Hi all!

I've just joined what looks to me to be a site I should have known about long ago. Not that I'm a significant collector.... but I do have a couple of nice milsurps (an M-1 Garand obtained through the CMP, an '03 Springfield inherited from my father-in-law, a Polish KAR98).... and a number of Enfields, Mausers, Carcanos, and Moisin-Nagants that I obtained dirt cheap because they had been sporterized, were shot-out, or both. Most of these I have made fairly decent shooters out of.

My latest project was a No. 1 MK III that I bought about 40 years ago for about $25.00, that had a completely shot out barrel and sprayed bullets all over the place... key-holing at 25 yards. The action was in decent shape, but most of the military accouterments had been removed and it had a sporter stock. Because of how it shot, it just sat unused in my gun safe essentially since I acquired it.

Well recently that started to irritate me for some reason, so I decided to see what could be done to return it to useful status. I found a used barrel at Numrich for $48.00. It was a little rusty and had been blued over the original Parkerizing, but the bore was in reasonable shape. I spent about three days thoroughly cleaning the bore (Hoppes foaming bore cleaner), completely stripped the outside of the barrel and re-blued it, and had the barrel re - crowned by a local gun smith who is exceptionally good at that particular task. I then sent the 'new' barrel and receiver to BDL LTD in North Carolina. I would not be at all surprised to find out Brian is one of the more knowledgeable SMLE craftsmen around the country. Enfields are his specialty. He has the specialty tools and jigs to work on them safely, and his rates are extremely reasonable.

He swapped the barrels, checked the headspace, replaced a missing screw with an NOS part, spec-ed out the complete barreled action and bolt, and had the rifle on its way back to me in one day.

As soon as I got it I remounted my scope and took it out back to see how it shot (I have a 168 acre ranch), using PRVI Partizan FMJBT ammo. I know SMLEs are not supposed to like boat tail ammo, but I figured if that kept from keyholing, I'd be able to do fine later with flat-based hand loads.

The accuracy of the weapon stunned me! (especially after what I had come to expect from the old 'knackered' barrel). Using an inexpensive Redfield scope, I spent five rounds getting a 200 yard zero I was happy-with. All the holes were nice and round. The next four rounds were fired at a fifty yard target. All four went through a single hole I could literally cover with a nickel dead center in the X-ring. Although the rifle will never be restored to its original military status, I now have a thoroughly adequate hunter from what was only a short while ago a piece of junk.

I can't say enough about BDL LTD and the work he did for me.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing your story!!

Brian B

Good to hear it all came together for you, even if it is for an old, sporterised one. With accuracy like that it'll make a good deer rifle and I can vouch for the fact that deer are just as dead when hit with a 303 today as they were 40, 50, 60 or 70 years ago.