I remember the ads too Geoff, interested to know if the barrel on these propose converted pieces is thicker than the smooth bored .303's?

I can remember lots of different smooth bored firearms for sale back in the day as "shot guns", from 24 inch barrel semi auto Sten mk5's (yes you did hear me right, the most bizarre looking Sten you ever did see) and Garands, Bren guns etc, I wouldn't mind betting there is still quite a few out there in peoples attics and long forgotten at the back of wardrobes.

You just know the junior hack saw came out on the Sten gun don't you .... few collectors could resist, I am sure!

These were all swept away with the 1988 firearms amendment act, they all reverted to Sec 5 and that was that.

For collectors, it was an easy way of collecting classic military rifles etc without an FAC, as Geoff said, getting a shotgun certificate was simplicity itself, individual shotguns weren't registered to the certificate and needed no secure storage either.

So in reality, no one really knows how many of these conversions were completed and for that matter, how many of those were subsequently handed in for destruction when the law changed.