Piling swivel for a 1915 SMLE No1 Mk3

[RogueAussie]

I just received my MkIII* and I need a piling swivel AND screw for it. Anyone have a spare that they'd be happy to sell and post to me in Australia?

As per the second post in this thread, it's the one on the right in the picture that is offset.

[Buccaneer]

I just received my MkIII* and I need a piling swivel AND screw for it. Anyone have a spare that they'd be happy to sell and post to me in Australia?

As per the second post in this thread, it's the one on the right in the picture that is offset.

Try DS Solutions here in the UK they should be able to help, good luck.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

I thought that the 111* did away with all that extra fruit, (like Volley sights, magazine cut-offs, adjustable rear-sights, etc..), to the point that, whilst the forging for the nose-cap still had the "bump", they didn't bother milling the slot or drilling / tapping for the screw.

It probably gets a bit murky because the 111* was a "minor variant" rather than a new "Mark". Post WW1, there was a bit of "tidying" going on wherein 111* rifles were "reverted" to "111" .

There are rifles floating about that have severe identity crisis issues; originally Mk111, "upgraded to 111* and so stamped (not always very precisely) and then "reverted" and the "*" struck out. Obviously, it is a bit tricky to "retro-fit' a magazine cut-off into a 111* body that has never had the slot and axis hole machined in it.

Yes, there are "late" (but pre-WW2) Lithgow rifles with slotted bodies, but there is probably no way they were freshly made that way. Most likely made a decade or more earlier and set aside because of some minor imperfection, then as the storm-clouds gathered, "corrected", suitably littered with stamps and fitted up as complete rifles.

[Roy]

The piling swivels which are encountered which have a lug which is too thick for a SMLE I believe are from P14 or M17 rifles. I bought several some years ago and I noticed they were overall slightly larger and did not have any acceptance marks which my known SMLE/MLE piling swivels have. I have never owned a P14 or M17 so I have never tested out my theory.

[5thBatt]

I thought that the 111* did away with all that extra fruit, (like Volley sights, magazine cut-offs, adjustable rear-sights, etc..), to the point that, whilst the forging for the nose-cap still had the "bump", they didn't bother milling the slot or drilling / tapping for the screw.

It probably gets a bit murky because the 111* was a "minor variant" rather than a new "Mark". Post WW1, there was a bit of "tidying" going on wherein 111* rifles were "reverted" to "111" .

There are rifles floating about that have severe identity crisis issues; originally Mk111, "upgraded to 111* and so stamped (not always very precisely) and then "reverted" and the "*" struck out. Obviously, it is a bit tricky to "retro-fit' a magazine cut-off into a 111* body that has never had the slot and axis hole machined in it.

Yes, there are "late" (but pre-WW2) Lithgow rifles with slotted bodies, but there is probably no way they were freshly made that way. Most likely made a decade or more earlier and set aside because of some minor imperfection, then as the storm-clouds gathered, "corrected", suitably littered with stamps and fitted up as complete rifles.

Lithgow produced the MkIII with cutoff into 1941 & tend to come with dated cutoff plates such as MA'41, the piling swivel was never part of the MkIII* change, in fact the only change that was the MkIII* was the cutoff slot was omitted, the changes such as the volley sights etc were all made to the MkIII and were introduced in Part 1 of the same 1916 LoC that introduced the MkIII* which was introduced in Part 2

Attachment 105927

[Parashooter]

Hope you realize it was ordinarily removed or omitted in service!

. . . This is the lower sling swivel. And this
Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see,
When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel,
Which in your case you have not got. The branches
Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures,
Which in our case we have not got. . .

from Naming of Parts by Henry Reed, 1942

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Piling Arms seems to have gone out of fashion at some point.

Personal weapons and personal responsibility prevailed, apparently.

Tasked for some non-shooty job? Take your rifle with you. Place it close to where you are working or sling the bloody thing.

The concept of the soldier as just a cypher with a pike (and what is a rifle with a bayonet, but a potentially noisy pike?), died very hard, sadly, unlike the flower of the youth of Britain (and its Empire) and Europe.

[mrclark303]

I just received my MkIII* and I need a piling swivel AND screw for it. Anyone have a spare that they'd be happy to sell and post to me in Australia?

As per the second post in this thread, it's the one on the right in the picture that is offset.

http://raidsmilitaria.com/viewphoto....h=50317&phqu=3

Give them a call, they are a very nice company to deal with...

[5thBatt]

Piling swivels were certainly still fitted to plenty of rifles during WW2 as there are plenty of period photos showing them.

[RogueAussie]

Try DS Solutions here in the UK they should be able to help, good luck.

Cheapest by far so far but out of stock DAMMIT!