Adapting a vickers barrel to a SMLE

[Frederick303]

A 18 years ago very nice, like new Fazakerley 1953 to 1955 No 4 barrels were available for about 25 dollars, US from Sarco. bought a bunch.

Around 20 years ago new BSA 1956 dated No4 barrels were available for the same sum from Springfield sporters. Bought 2...sigh, what was I thinking....... Well a very nice No 4 was 100 to 150 max, a new 1955 Fazkerley was 200 that was what I was thinking.

Same was true of the SA No 1 barrels, 25 dollars from Springfield sporters. Around the 1998 to 2004 period you could buy new Indian No 1 barrels in either .303 or .410 for around 25 dollars. Laurence ordnances H barrels were a bit more pricey, I think when they last sold they were around 155 each, though that might have been the price for 2. I don't recall thinking they were that pricy when I bought them.

Sadly none of the original barrels are to be found any place in the US anymore. The all got used up or are squirreled way in collectors spares bins. There is an occasional used barrel in nice shape that comes up, or a barreled action with a good example but they are no longer the norm. P14 barrels are the hardest to find of all. I still have a few No 4, No 1 regular weight barrel and one Winchester P14 barrel in the shop but they are the ones that did not index correctly.

[tiriaq]

I remember the new in the grease BSA barrels, 3 for $100, and this was before the US export regulations kicked in. Wish I had bought more. Only have one left; saving it against the day that a sported 4T or some such comes along.
Also had the hammer forged Enfield 7.62 TR barrels for No. 4s.
I guess I'm now old enough to fondly remember the good old days.

How did that retired 7.62 barrel from my Nielson target rifle work out in your No. 4?

[Peter Laidler]

It was my old boss in NZ, a WO2 'Jock' Annandale who told me that it was simple to rebarrel any weapon to fire another cartridge. The problems lay in the other bits. Like unlocking, ectracting, cocking, feeding, loading and locking up again. How true! Then showed me how to machine a VIckers barrel down to fit and function in a No1 rifle. And let me test fire it on our new 25m Armourers test range at the Base Ordnance Depot.

[Smellymarkfive]

First on the agenda: No.4
Second on the agenda: No.1
Third on the agenda: No.5 or heavy barrel SMLE.

We have the prints drafted for the heavy barrel variant (thanks to Nailcreek for providing the original barrel for reverse-engineering), it's just a matter of determining if there's enough demand to move a 50 piece production run.

Hi Criterion
I recently bid on a heavy barrel that ended up selling for more than I could pay for. I think the demand is there judging by how many people were bidding. Barrels haven't been available for so l think they will be inhaled.

[Bindi2]

First on the agenda: No.4
Second on the agenda: No.1
Third on the agenda: No.5 or heavy barrel SMLE.

We have the prints drafted for the heavy barrel variant (thanks to Nailcreek for providing the original barrel for reverse-engineering), it's just a matter of determining if there's enough demand to move a 50 piece production run.

A 50 piece run for No 5 barrels will disappear before the dust rises as will the H Bs.

[Brian Dick]

The biggest reason they've dried up in the USA is because ALL surplus military barrels were banned from importation in July 2005. That's soon to be ten years ago.

[Vincent]

And after 10 years the US barrel makers are still not able to make an AKM barrel that’s as good as the eastern bloc barrels.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Unless your local makers are into hard-chroming bores, you could be in for a long wait.

Furthermore, the chrome seems to be applied a little "thicker" than is done for, say, an M-14 barrel.

If the barrels you have seen are dimensionally OK but don't last long due to a heavy diet of "fast food", the application of proper chroming, (or one of the other, more modern coatings) is probably the answer.

[tbonesmith]

Ive got several newly manufactured no1 mk111 standard and heavy profiled .303 barrels awaiting customs clearance in Australia. I will have complete "H" prefits in quantity in September.

[Surpmil]

There's another barrel you'd hardly ever see now: the sub-calibre barrels made for artillery training purposes. Saw one stuck onto the remains of a LE Carbine recently. The thing about those is they didn't come with dispersion built in and were longer than MG barrels.