1970 RFI No1 MK111*

[S12A]

G'day all!

i picked up my first SMLE a few weeks ago for a really good deal and though i would share it.
It's a 1970 marked RFI No1 Mk111* , has matching numbers except the woodwork and nosecap.
the wood work is SLAZ 52 on the Butt and 43 elsewhere and it has a brass buttplate rather than the indian (zinc?) grey butt plate.
the Slazenger forend wood had been stained to match the indian butt that came on the rifle and the metal was covered in the usual paint but it was very patchy

these are the purchase pics:




I wanted the rifle to shoot my clubs 300 yard days which are mostly dedicated to 303's in a full-bore shoot, so from this rifle i want as much accuracy as i can get.

so without changing anything i fired the rifle in a comp and shot 23 out of 50 . not great but not bad.

so here begins the project:
I cleaned the wood using 0000 steel wool and methylated spirits which removed heaps of grime and the stain from the coachwood forend.
after that i cleaned off the remnants of the paint which revealed a very nice and even parkerised finish.

from there i decided the butt did not match so i needed to replace that which thanks to the generosity of a nice bloke i have done with the appropriate butt. this was also important as the indian butt was a loose fit but this new butt is a nice tap in fit which should hep with accuracy
i gave all wood a couple of coats of BLO hand rubber and with 0000 steel wool before applying a finishing wax with 0000 steel wool (oil wont leech out on hot days).

the bore on this rifle is bright like a mirror with very deep rifling and the bolt face shows very minimal signs of firing. the crown however was pretty average so i did polish that up:


i found a Central No4 Sight plate at a gun show along with a piling swivel and fitted those up.
i recieved a central sight from another legend of a bloke and fitted that up as well. i sighted in with that setup and i can already tell a big increase in my accuracy potential.
i adjusted the fitting between the two pieces of top wood which were contacting beside the rear sight.
Thanks to a mate i fitted up a target swivel for the main screw and a sling.

this is where i am at now:




Further adjustments to come:
the trigger needs work. while its not bad it does not have a full first stage due to the poor adjustment of the bush around the main action screw.
i also need to find a correct long trigger guard screw for the central sight as i am using a makeshift screw with nut setup.
i may need to adjust the fit of the forend as it is not hard against the receiver ring , there is a fair gap but it is at least an even gap on both sides.

I really am enjoying owning this rifle, it is my first rifle like this and i am having heaps of fun already with it, twice a year my club runs a shoot using a trench at 300 yards involving rapid, snap and deliberate serials and i am really looking forward to having a solid crack at that.

thanks for reading and please add any thoughts or suggestions to what i am planning to do.

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