1911 BSA MkIII

Auction sleeper! NZ$456 OTD
One of the best early MkIII's i have seen in a auction & one of the cheapest :dancingbanana::dancingbanana:

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Do you mind if I just sit in the sock closet, quietly, by myself, and have a really good cry?

That critter is just incredible. I didn't think there were any that nice outside of museums.

Bore looks good, too. You'll have to give us a shooting report.

Congatulations on a FINE addtion to the family!

Any idea on the markings? Some those stamps are NOT familiar.
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Uh yeah, there she is. My holy grail.

Congrats on a great find!

What an incredible find! Congratulations to you.

wow, i have a 1909 bsa with cutoff and volley sights that almost looks as good as that. WOW!!!

Good buying Stuart, how many do you have now!
Regards S

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Originally Posted by S-A-M3

Good buying Stuart, how many do you have now!
Regards S

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Hi Stuart, do you mean volley sighted SMLEs :super:
Regards from another S :wave:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSMLEMK1-1.jpg
1904 EFD Mk1

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...KIIISMLE-1.jpg
1907 BSA MkIII

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...HT22MKIV-1.jpg
1909 EFD MkIII (No2 MkIV*)

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1911 BSA MkIII

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...IIIHSMLE-1.jpg
1916 Lithgow MkIII (No1 MkIIIH)

Wow.... Nice find and nice collection of early Mk.III's!!! Thanks for the pics.

B@#$%@ South Islanders pinching the mainland gear(1916) Good collection 5Batt

Mine does not count for a 1911 but it is pretty much correct except it needs a rear volly sight spoon and front stacking swivel. 1917---#2294.

Oh, yes, the one finger is broke off the wood that goes around the rear sight.

Breech is stamped England.

Nice shooter though considering the age.

Has anyone deciphered the markings on 5th Batts SMLE? I ask because we have a Lanchester with similar undecipherable markings.

Any ideas from your neck of the woods 5th Batt

Doesn't "RANB Victoria" stand for "Royal Australian Naval Brigade", which was the predecessor to RANR (change of name c.1920)?

The mark appears on quite a few Enfields, some of them with cancelled Army ownership marks.

Peter i suggest a copy of The Broad Arrow by I D Skennerton. Thunderbox is on the money
Only colonial i know.

Hey, come off it Bindi.......... I write books..... I don't buy 'em! Does it mention these markings. If it is Royal Aust Navy Reserve it could be an ex RAN Lanchester. But I don't recell the RAN having many Lanchesters at all. Only those few from ex RN ships like the submarines based in Singapore.

Thanks for that Bindi and T/box

R A N B and R A N R are both mentioned in the book. I seem to remember a photo from the veitnam era with a sailor on board a RAN ship up there carrying one

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

Has anyone deciphered the markings on 5th Batts SMLE? I ask because we have a Lanchester with similar undecipherable markings.

Any ideas from your neck of the woods 5th Batt

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Peter, i see your Q has already been answered.
The roundel stamped into the butt has NAVEL on top with VIC in the middle, the bottom is unreadable.
Here's another RANB VICTORIA stamp, this one on my 1917 Lithgow.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...17Lithy2-1.jpg

Hi Stuart,
Great photos of your amazing early Smle`s, especially like that Lithgow! Not going
to be able to make the auction in Fielding this year. Keep up the good work.:clap:
Regards Stu.

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Originally Posted by S-A-M3

Hi Stuart,
Great photos of your amazing early Smle`s, especially like that Lithgow! Not going
to be able to make the auction in Fielding this year. Keep up the good work.:clap:
Regards Stu.

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Been a very good year for me, found some good quality rifles, hows yours been?

Friend of mine was in the SBS during WW II. They did have Lanchesters, but did not like them, they were too heavy.

Had a bit of a P14 fetish going[11], finally got some with good barrels, been doing bolt action service rifle shoots up this part of the country with, believe it or not a K98, `cos there is lots of cheap
ammo about! Also spent too much time sorting out an M305 to shoot in semi classes[got big hate for Gay 15`s] Any spare time that is left I have been making No1 Mk1 stocks, so can`t complain.
Trying hard not to buy anymore Enfields, but doesn`t work.
Regards Stuart.

My 1912 BSA is about 18000 rifles after yours, and is nowhere near as tidy. Mind you, for $150 AUD, and with all matching and original numbered parts, I'm happy.

Mine has the NSW RANR stamp on the butt as shown;

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...10/BSA01-1.jpg

Any info on this stamp would be most welcome. It has the sold out of service marks which have been cancelled;

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...10/BSA03-1.jpg

The pre-WW1 SMLEs are a favourite of mine. Lovely rifles there.

Cheers,
Matt

An Old Contemptible if ever there was one! Conde Canal and rapid fire...

The canceled "sold out of service" marks on the receiver are interesting. Looks like it must have been brought back into military service at some point from civilian hands. WW2 and the threat from Japan? Then based on the knox form, sold out of service again. I love rifles with character :D

nice smle jollygreenslug, it looks like it has a little bit of rust on the reciever. you might want to swab some gun solvent on it. it will kill the rust and prevent more rust from forming, but it will NOT harm the origional finish. you should also do that after you have touched the metal parts with your hands because the salts on your hands will cause rust.

heres my pride, my 1909 bsa mkIII. its all matching down to the cocking piece. theres a little bit of freckling on the knox, but thats it. the bore is amazing for a 101 year old rifle. ill have to make a vid. of shooting this gun. I guess it will be like my birthday guns, a few rounds a year with a bottle of champane.