We had a couple of spare SWIFT trainers at work plus one incomplete but easily repairable/restorable with a few simply made parts. One marked to 4th Battalion DEVON Army Cadet Force and dated 1951 or so and the other marked RAF Shawbury(?) as I recall.
I put one on EBay and it sold for £80 and the next one........ they withdrew as it was a firearm in spite of my flowery description of said trainer. I don't think that they are expensive here in the UK
. Incidentally, they were made on the Botley Road in Oxford by a local firm that only ceased trading a few years ago. The metalwork was supplied to them by another local company close by in Jericho (now closed). Wood was all local too, from Hinksey!
Just found the original EBay blurb. If this should be elsewhere, moderators please feel free to move it.
NOTE: READ THIS FIRST. If you are going to grass me up to Ebay please note that this item is described as a ‘rifle’ but it is nothing of the sort. Please read the description before you get your knickers in a twist. This ‘rifle’ has never been a firearm, was not made as a firearm nor could it ever be deemed to be a firearm, contains no parts whatsoever that originate from a firearm and is totally outside all the rules covering firearms.
Offered for auction is a 1940 Swift training rifle. These were manufactured by a little woodworking company in Oxford that has only recently ceased trading. Their records show that approx 1,850 of these were manufactured before production ceased. The intricate woodwork cost more to manufacture than the woodwork for a real rifle! They were manufactured primarily from seasoned Birch and Poplar wood and fabricated pressed steel in order to train the Home Guard, Militia, Cadets and in some rare cases, RAF recruits in the use of the Lee Enfield, the Pattern 14 and 17 rifles. The Swift ‘rifle’ was the same approximate weight and configuration as the real rifle and used to teach recruits how to hold, aim, steady and shoot a rifle without the use of ammo or a 25 or 100 yard rifle range.
This ‘rifle’ is extremely rare as it is an ex RAF version and marked with the RAF stores number of 9B/1588 in the ‘B’ series. Those that know better tell me that the B series Swifts were based on the P-14/M17 configuration. The serial number is 3259. The RAF acceptance marking is present, stamped into the underside of the wrist of the butt. Don’t ask me why the serial number is 3259 when they only made 1850 or so because I don’t know. I’m telling you what they told me! But it’s thought that the RAF contract started at 3,000. An authority on Lee Enfields has told me that these rifles deserve a rightful and worthy place among any worthwhile collection of Lee Enfields
It is difficult to describe something that’s 65 years old as mint because everyone thinks that you’re spinning them a load of old bull-sh … er, bullshine but this piece is truly MINT. There are no chips or dings or bits missing. The black sheet metal work is superb and even the screw heads are untouched. The pointers are like new - indicating that it’s never been stripped or misused in the past. It hasn’t been tarted up with a quick lick of varnish or quick blow job with a can of paint. It’s exactly as it left the factory 65 years ago. I can safely say that this ‘rifle’ is in mint condition. In fact it’s SO mint that I haven’t even blown the dust off where it’s been laying in the attic since the 50’s. Please don’t offend me by asking if it is original. Be aware that it weighs the same as a real rifle so postage will be commensurate with that weight
Back to thread 11 and health and safety stupidity. An ambulance passed me in slow moving traffic yesterday and there's a sign next to the door which says, in red print 'WARNING - FINGER TRAP HAZARD'. Makes you sit and wonder doesn't it........... It's a bloody door for heavens sake!
PM
