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1936 BSA No1 MKIII* Iraqi Contract
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I find it a little odd that a 1936 rifle should marked with sights that were recalibrated in around 1915.
The HV SC (high velocity short cone) modification was done when the ammunition changed over from the MkVI 215g round nosed bullet to the MkVII 174 grain spitzer bullet.
Are there any signs that it may have been a rebuild of an earlier rifle ?
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Nice supprizingly good nick for it’s age and where it come from
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If that 1936 rifle was marked ER it would be a very rare rifle.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bindi2
If that 1936 rifle was marked ER it would be a very rare rifle.
It must have been a very early 1936 as Edward was crowned 20th January 1936 and abdicated 11th December.
Maybe a rifle produced from a run of less than 3-weeks is actually 'rarer' that one from an 10 month production run.
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Have you ever seen an ER 1936 rifle.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Alan de Enfield
I find it a little odd that a 1936 rifle should marked with sights that were recalibrated in around 1915.
The HV SC (high velocity short cone) modification was done when the ammunition changed over from the MkVI 215g round nosed bullet to the MkVII 174 grain spitzer bullet.
Are there any signs that it may have been a rebuild of an earlier rifle ?
I don't think it looks rebuilt, but I have only precursory knowledge of Enfields. Here are the markings under the handguard.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...606135a5-1.jpghttps://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...feea4576-1.jpghttps://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...026296b2-1.jpghttps://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...85008f9c-1.jpg
---------- Post added at 08:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:57 AM ----------
On a side note I hate removing those spring clip handguards. Always worried about cracking the handguard when removing it, and often catch the webbing of my hand when reinstalling, which I just did.
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I think the HV SC became a standard marking on barrels produced for MkVII ammunition, although I'm not absolutely sure on this & would welcome confirmation. It wouldn't have that elusive 'ER' cypher as it looks as though BSA likely assembled it from NOS parts that were in store when the contract came in. If you look carefully at the butt socket markings the cypher & the '19' of the year date have all been applied together, with the '36' being added later. This is very common on interwar rifles, certainly of BSA mfr. I have a few of their 1930's dated barrelled actions & IIRC they are all marked like so. Waste not want not, I suppose!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Roger Payne
I think the HV SC became a standard marking on barrels produced for MkVII ammunition, although I'm not absolutely sure on this & would welcome confirmation. It wouldn't have that elusive 'ER' cypher as it looks as though BSA likely assembled it from NOS parts that were in store when the contract came in. If you look carefully at the butt socket markings the cypher & the '19' of the year date have all been applied together, with the '36' being added later. This is very common on interwar rifles, certainly of BSA mfr. I have a few of their 1930's dated barrelled actions & IIRC they are all marked like so. Waste not want not, I suppose!
I agree with you on the HV SC marks. I have come to the conclusion that there was a run of BSA receivers made and stamped with the GR and 19 for future use and dated as required. It does appear that there was not a run made with the ER stamp as they were not needed. I will stand corrected when one is produced proving me wrong. Enfield or BSA. The BSA serial prefix will be after L. I would also like to see an Indian ERI 1936.
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So does everything look correct?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Roger Payne
I think the HV SC became a standard marking on barrels produced for MkVII ammunition, although I'm not absolutely sure on this & would welcome confirmation. It wouldn't have that elusive 'ER' cypher as it looks as though BSA likely assembled it from NOS parts that were in store when the contract came in. If you look carefully at the butt socket markings the cypher & the '19' of the year date have all been applied together, with the '36' being added later. This is very common on interwar rifles, certainly of BSA mfr. I have a few of their 1930's dated barrelled actions & IIRC they are all marked like so. Waste not want not, I suppose!
Agreed - so any barrel that was modified for the use of MKVII would have been after its introduction in 1915.
The marking was put on to show they had been modified, 'new production' would have incorporated the mods, so, would not be marked.
Why 21 years later would they mark a 'newly made' rifle / sight with the "HV SC"
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6 Attachment(s)
You might well be correct Alan, but my assumption, & it is only my assumption, but based on having had a few SMLE's in my hands over the years, is that the marking was applied to all barrels that conformed to that specification (ie, were for High Velocity ammunition & possesed of the Small Cone).......ie. including new manufacture......not just conversions. If that is the case, finding HV SC on a 1936 SMLE would be the norm. But again, I have only based this view on seeing a few & I could have seen an unrepresentative sample.
Capt14k, within the limits of my experience, I think your rifle is well loved but essentially as it should be.
Photo's - Later addendum. Alan, I bought a load of rusty relic 'back from the Middle East' BSA inter war rifles from one of the bigger UK dealers a few years ago. They are real restoration challenges, to say the least. Most are 1920's BSA MkIII*'s & late 1930's BSA MkIII's. I enclose a few photo's which show the HV SC as well as their vintage. They are all L prefix rifles with what appear to be their original barrels.
The consolation was that they were cheap......!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Roger Payne
Photo's - Later addendum. Alan, I bought a load of rusty relic 'back from the Middle East' BSA inter war rifles from one of the bigger UK dealers a few years ago. They are real restoration challenges, to say the least. Most are 1920's BSA MkIII*'s & late 1930's BSA MkIII's. I enclose a few photo's which show the HV SC as well as their vintage. They are all L prefix rifles with what appear to be their original barrels.
The consolation was that they were cheap......!
Many thanks for that - every day is a school day.
I was always under the impression it was used to mark a modified barrel and sights.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
capt14k
So does everything look correct?
If you don't like it send it my way :D
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bindi2
If you don't like it send it my way :D
Actually this one and the No2 MkIV* I like the most of the ones I recently purchased
