Italian Navy Enfields

[browningautorifle]

I don't recall seeing a #1Mk3 dressed in Beech...before. I'm aware the Aussies used virtually all wood from white to black, but this is the first one of these I've seen.

Information

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[Brian Dick]

Beech was used quite a bit during WWII or post WWII FTR. A good portion of all SMLE production were restocked at some point over they're long carriers.

Limpetmine has the answer why they haven't been imported in quantity to the USA. If I was rich I'd buy up a bunch and sit on them until reality struck the collecting public here in the USA. Unfortunately, it ain't the case! I looked at a bunch of wartime No.4's a few years ago, all original, British WWII issue that had never seen full blown FTR. Some had mismatch bolts but all were in spec and in nice shape. I left them alone for the same reason. Checked on them a year or so later and the prices had increased some more!

---------- Post added at 10:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:30 AM ----------

Oops, typo. Should read "their".

[Simon P]

What I like about the Italian ones is the fact they are genuine military surplus and are in original military condition, free from any DIY gunsmith who has tinkered with them, they all have dents & bruises but are honest.

I sold a really nice one to a club member who immediately stripped it polished the brass butt plate and sanded the wood removing all the originality & inspectors marks then varnished it.........then brought it to the next shoot to show of his restored rifle.

[limpetmine]

Simon, you should choose your friends better!!!!

LoL

What I like about the Italian ones is the fact they are genuine military surplus and are in original military condition, free from any DIY gunsmith who has tinkered with them, they all have dents & bruises but are honest.

I sold a really nice one to a club member who immediately stripped it polished the brass butt plate and sanded the wood removing all the originality & inspectors marks then varnished it.........then brought it to the next shoot to show of his restored rifle.

[Simon P]

What I do refuse are requests for deactivation, I cant believe how many requests I get for rifles to be deactivated, some even get quite upset because I wont deactivate a perfectly good rifle.

We had a request to deactivate a really nice matching No4T which we had for sale in December, we offered to build him one at the fraction of the price, but he was adamant he wanted this rifle and it had to be deactivated. It didn't get deactivated and is now in Denmark.

Simon, you should choose your friends better!!!!

LoL

[Roger Payne]

I agree with Simon absolutely re the 'Italian' SMLE's. I have also recently been lucky enough to have the opportunity to look over a large batch of them & pick out some particularly nice rifles. They have all been very well maintained, greased up, & probably saw relatively little use whilst in Italian service, at least, in the case of the majority. Some I looked at appeared to have new barrels of Italian manufacture, though most had British barrels on them - all were serviceable & some near new. I gather pretty well all of these rifles had matching bolts when released from store, but the bolts were all stored separately & the inevitable happened. But even so, about a quarter of the rifles I have do have matching bolts, so I guess someone started off with good intentions, even if they didn't last long.......! Of the ones I saw, there were no volley sighted rifles, but plenty with cut-offs & windage rear sights. I even found a cond Mk IV dated 1905 amongst them (& have kept it!), so it's always worth having a rummage. These are decent well maintained rifles; used but not abused.

ATB.

[muffett.2008]

Jeez Bindii, if you cut down your travel a bit, you might be able to afford a digital camera to catch up on the photo's you've never taken.

[Bindi2]

[QUOTE=muffett.2008;299433]Jeez Bindii, if you cut down your travel a bit, you might be able to afford a digital camera to catch up on the photo's you've never taken.[/QUOTE

Muff why would i let you know what i have. YOU WOULD KNOW THEN WHAT i had to buy. Still want to see your sight collection and have a shoot with you then a beer disscussing all things Lithgow.

[PrinzEugen]

So when would these SMLEs have gone over to the Italians - and why? Was it just cheap guns available in large quantities after WWI? Why were the Italians unable to arms themselves, as most European nations tried to do?

Re Simon P's 'refurbished' one - horrifying - why do these people buy old rifles???

[Roger Payne]

Prinz, we gave them to the Italians as part of the victorious allies' programme of helping 'friendly' countries re-equip & re-arm after WW2. That is why a lot of Enfields also ended up in Belgium & Holland. Many if not the majority of these SMLE's are 'N' marked & it is thought that they were supplied either by the RN &/or the RCN to the Italians. At least this is as much as I have heard - if anyone else has more info on these rifles then feel free to chuck it in this direction....

ATB.