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Ishapore SMLE MKIII* - What's the Prognosis?
Let me preface:
I have had this rifle for about seven years, during which time it has had about 60 rounds of PPU through it.
I have never accuracy tested it, merely shot at steel gongs (24"x24") out to 300yds.
On a whim, I decided to get a borescope and see what it up, since it will be useful for my other milsurps from other countries.
First thing to note: the camera turns everything bluish with the LEDs.
Just with my ole failing MK1 eyeball, the bore looks dark, but I can see what looks like very strong rifling; so I stuck the camera inside and found this.
Right before the crown (you can see the inner crown/bore)
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Going backwards from muzzle to chamber
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I have no idea what the bits sticking above the lands are. I would guess dust or fibers from a bore mop after failing to remove copper?
Chamber
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Throat
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Apologies, the pictures arent great, but they are the limit of my dirt cheap USB borescope.
The rifle is all numbers matching in same font, appears to be Ishapore refit in 40 and again in 41 (left side) Forend is missing numbers, but sight leaf, bolt, barrel (sort of?), nosecap, and action are all matching. THe Magazine is force matched with a straight line through the old serial. Not sure if the rifle started in Ishapore since the left hand side of the receiver is marked 'Enfield Rifle MKIII 3332 U.K. or something similar. Very hard to read.
Anyway, the barrel is part of the refit because on the underside of the chamber there is a different serial stamped in. Is this barrel worth using, or is it scrap? There are NOS MK3 barrels out there for under $200USD so if I can extend the rifle's life, I might hit up BDL and see what he can do.
I'm just not sure how this looks compared to your average FR rifle or if its even worth shooting. And what the heck are those things going across the lands?!
I know I will need to scrub the bore and chamber more, but would greatly appreciate any input folks can provide. Thanks! Yes, I believe that is still some grease in the rails and extractor groove.
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Today, on "This Old Wood"
Well, the forestock is not looking promising. I see substantial work ahead. I see enough work ahead, that I ordered a set from Prestigious Wood Stocks to use for shooting.
Also, this poor thing needs a really good boiling/steaming as you will see later.
First up, a brief overview. I think it's rather pretty. Nowhere near pristine, it's definitely lived a hard life. Right side of the socket is scrubbed, which seems to be common from Ishapore FR rifles from what reading I can find.
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There is evidence of an armorer's work, though there are no markings on the wood except for an 'M' at the base of the butt, and an 'X' under the forestock.
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Sadly, that armorer was long gone when the wood started to degrade. It looks like maybe... beech? I'm thinking either that or meranti (Phillipines Mahogany)
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The draws are..... gone. There was a thick black goo where they should be and I think it's a mix of grease and pulped wood. The fit was so loose that the forestock just lifted straight off with the rifle in my lap. No tapping, no wiggling, just loose release.
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I'm not sure if my woodworking is good enough to properly save this one. So it will get some RLO and each piece will be individually wrapped for storage until a time when I decide to either have an expert perform accurate arsenal repairs, or just kept with the rifle for posterity. I may elect to do the armorer repairs myself after I get some practice doing the same to my M95; which will happen after I practice doweling and clamping spare timber.
I elected to go with prestigious wood stocks instead of period pieces, because if I ruin those it's not as big of a deal.
Next up... metal.