No.1 MkIII WWII dispersal rifles

[twh]

Here are a couple of photos of my two dispersal rifles. One came from a gun show several years ago and the second from an auction last weekend.

Information

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[Brian B]

Thanks for sharing!!

[Giove]

The first and the second year. Well done.


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[Roger Payne]

I've often wondered whether at least some of the BSA c1937-40, & early dispersal factory rifles may have been assembled from 'left over' Great War components. Rifles made at BSA Small Heath in the late '30's & 1940 tend also to show the phenomenon of the last two digits of the date of mfr being hand stamped. These do too, although I suspect the old bunters were either modified by grinding to remove all but the 'B' of BSA, the last two date digits, & so on, or new bunters appropriate for the dispersal factory rifles were made, presumably with the date again just left as '19 X X'. The 1940 rifle shows clear evidence of the butt socket being linished before the new markings were applied, so could just possibly be a recycled WW1 body. They make an interesting study in their own right.....

[Alan de Enfield]

I've often wondered whether at least some of the BSA c1937-40, & early dispersal factory rifles may have been assembled from 'left over' Great War components. Rifles made at BSA Small Heath in the late '30's & 1940 tend also to show the phenomenon of the last two digits of the date of mfr being hand stamped. These do too, although I suspect the old bunters were either modified by grinding to remove all but the 'B' of BSA, the last two date digits, & so on, or new bunters appropriate for the dispersal factory rifles were made, presumably with the date again just left as '19 X X'. The 1940 rifle shows clear evidence of the butt socket being linished before the new markings were applied, so could just possibly be a recycled WW1 body. They make an interesting study in their own right.....

It is known that in the second wave of dispersal rifles (in early 1945) they certainly used 'pre-used' parts and 'refreshed' earlier built rifles.

[Roger Payne]

I'd read about that before, re the late rifles, but I can't recall seeing anything definitive about the early ones. (But then again my appalling memory is well known!). BSA were the second largest producer of SMLE's during the Great War & also carried on producing & refurbing during the inter-war period, as orders came in, so I suppose they may well have had quantities of parts to hand....

[82Trooper]

If I may ask....what does the term "dispersal" rifle reference?

[Alan de Enfield]

If I may ask....what does the term "dispersal" rifle reference?

Dispersal Rifles

Up until 1940, BSA made normal high-quality No1 MkIII* on limited military contracts, marked with the usual Crown and BSA&Co, as well as identical rifles just marked "BSA&Co" for commercial sale and export.
With the invasion scare, the Ministry of Supply ordered BSA to make rifles out of whatever parts it could get together. Hence the rifles were made of mixtures of commercial and military parts, mixed walnut and beech wood (or all-beech), later on No4 butts and firing pin/cocking pieces. A second wave of production in 1945 even used recycled and re-dated receivers.
About the same time the emergency rifle production was started, BSA was ordered to disperse its many Birmingham factories away from the bomb-target central area, and also to increase war production by diluting experienced staff with war staff. BSA was a huge engineering group, and this "Dispersal" programme led to 70 seperate factories being set up, moved and/or expanded. Rifle production involved several of these factories (both No1s and No4s), and this type of "all available parts" No1 has become known as a "Dispersal rifle". Technically, even the No4s were Dispersals, as well as motorbikes, bicycles, aircraft parts, machine guns and heavy weaponry...
BSA marked these rifles with just the first "B" of BSA&Co. Presumably this was to dissociate the company from these slightly less-than top quality peacetime rifles!

[82Trooper]

thank you for taking the time to respond.

[Charlie303]

1942 SMLE III* Dispersal Rifle.















4 groove barrel. Did other Enfields have them?