Shtle III* History

[Daan Kemp]

Would it be amiss of me to comment on 'butt stock' again? Its been bothering me for quite a while. The butt is the rearmost part of the stock, so correct wording is butt, not butt stock.

[browningautorifle]

Could be hammer marks from somebody trying to break it loose if and when it was tight.

Never thought of that...maybe...

There were a number of short butt stocks converted to normal length when there was a production shortage at Enfield

Hadn't heard that one...

[Parashooter]

. . . The butt is the rearmost part of the stock, so correct wording is butt, not butt stock.

So, by extension, shall we discontinue "forestock" and just call it the "fore"?

[englishman_ca]

Its a bit fuzzy in my mind, but as I recall, at one time the standard lengths of the butt stocks was rationalised and adjusted by half an inch. Normal became short, long became normal, a new longer long was introduced, and short became bantam length. I probably don't have this correct, but is was something like that.

There was a considerable factory inventory of older short butts and a need for what had become normal length. So to keep war time production going, (or simple Brit frugality), the RSAF added the extension to produce normal length.

The butt stocks with the extension are not uncommon. Just not recognised by many as as a factory mod. The joint had a neat vertical dovetail that is visible from above and below. The blanking disc was added at this time too, at a glance one can see it appears a little further forward than standard, due to the rearward extension. This gives me a clue to when it was done, at a time when the disc was obscolete (post 1916?) and no longer used.

[browningautorifle]

The joint had a neat vertical dovetail that is visible from above and below. The blanking disc was added at this time too, at a glance one can see it appears a little further forward than standard, due to the rearward extension.

Good info and something to keep in mind when inspecting from now on.

[Daan Kemp]

Parashooter - the 'fore' is known as the fore-end, wood on top of the fore-end known as the front and rear handguard.

[englishman_ca]

Fore stock, butt stock, upper hand guard, lower hand guard.

Semantics.

Wearing vest and suspenders to the hotel in Canada would be fine. Doing so in the UK might get you beat up or offers of free drinks.

In Toronto, if you smoke cigarettes, never ask somebody if you could bum a ***, unless again you were looking for free drinks.

[Brian Dick]

Proper SMLE nomenclature from the Illustrated Parts List.

Stock, fore-end
Stock, butt
Guard, hand, front
Guard, hand, rear

You guys should all invest $10 plus post on Skennerton's SAIS Series booklets. It's all there and eliminates confusion.

[Peter Laidler]

Brian has it dead right once again

[Roger Payne]

By implication then, the butt swivel will be a little further forward on these extended butts (as measured from the butt plate).