Quote Originally Posted by Colonel Enfield View Post
Bakelite turned out not to be great for making rifle stocks with (couldn't handle the pressures generated when the rifle was fired repeatedly), but modern polymer plastics would be more than up to the task - so it's certainly possible and feasible to make a reproduction SMLE stock out of modern plastics that would look and function like the originals, while being considerably cheaper to make and more durable than wood...
An old friend now deceased once told me about a visit to AJ parkers in the 1950's as part of the RAF Rifle Team.
Whilst there one of the team saw an SMLE with target sights in SR"b" configuration with unusual figured furniture. It turned out to be Lignum Vitae
and at that time AK Parker's were experimenting with it on the basis that the heavy wood could be useful in target rifles.
The team were allowed to borrow the example for trials but it did not produce the goods in the way of reasonable scores and it was returned to parkers.
I've often wondered if it's still out there somewhere?