This 1917 dated SMLE MkIII* is a recent purchase and is in very good condition except that it had been varnished, now removed. The 5A sight was already fitted and apart from that it appeared to be a standard rifle until I removed the butt plate and saw the considerable modifications done to the inside.
I weighed the butt and it came in at 13.7oz (387g) as opposed to another albeit beech butt of the same length which weighed 22.2oz (629g). This amount of weight loss would alter the C of G considerably, I can only assume to make the front heavier and more stable for target shooting? The work looks very professional almost done at manufacture, has anyone else seen this kind of modification before?
