Do I have a no1 Mk3 sniper? (Incomplete)

[Badger]

Check the MKL and compare yours against the hundreds of close up pics displayed for both versions of the HT snipers.

1917/1945 No.1 MkIII* H.T. Sniper Rifle (Short Bracket)

1916/1945 No.1 MkIII* H.T. Sniper Rifle (Medium Bracket)

Hope that helps...

Regards,
Doug

[Seaforth72]

I too suggest that you keep the original barrel on the rifle and tag it as unsafe to shoot. IF you decide to change the barrel, KEEP the old barrel and tag it so that you or your Executor can pair it up with the rifle. If you leave the barrel in place, by all means try to locate a correct spare heavy barrel and tag it so that a future owner has the option. Such barrels might be found now, but in 20 years ... probably not.

I have a 1918 No.1 Mk.III* that was used on the Dieppe Raid in France in August 1942 by a member of the Essex Scottish Regiment. It was brought back to the UK by one of about 50 men of that unit who returned to the UK from that raid, probably a wounded man (there is more to the story). It was written off in 1943 and my father got hold of it and repaired it with the help of the Essex Scottish Armourer. Then Dad carried it with that unit and when he was attached to No.4 Commando in 1943. He brought it home to Canada in 1943-44 when hospitalized, complete with bayonet, frog and sling. I damaged the barrel in the early 1970s :-( !!!! and had the barrel replaced (it was still HIS rifle then). I now regret that I did that and that I do not have the original barrel to put back on.

[Ridolpho]

BlAAA: Where is the pitting? Is it internal or external?
Ridolpho

[Bruce_in_Oz]

If it were, in an earlier(late 1930s) life, a "range" rifle, the civvie owner may have succumbed to club voodoo and opened out the barrel hole in the original nosecap.

Officially replaced nosecaps should be "unmolested" and have the rifle number stamped on them, even if that meant grinding off/ striking out the old number.

Look on the underside of the fore-end. Just to the rear of the outer band (with the sling swivel), there should be a round wooden plug where the inner band screw would normally go. The "H" barrel is too fat to accommodate the inner band AND the "H" barrel also had quite different vibration characteristics, so the band and its screw and spring were deleted and the hole in the fore-end plugged.

There have been murmurings about reproduction mounts and scopes (P-18 -Aust) being made, but nothing substantial has arrived in my mailbox, yet. The fitting and collimation of the scope is NOT a task for the faint-hearted or mechanically challenged.

Your rifle may have NEVER had a scope fitted. WW2 ended with the project just getting into its stride, and that was that. Snipers with the first Australian Infantry battalions sent to the 1960s "South East Asian War Games", were still issued with these rifles. No ammo in country, rifles boxed up and sent home.

[henry r]

a thought about barrel replacement. personally i'm all for replacing the barrel, it is already missing its matching scope and rings and matching them back up will be difficult.
i'm not sure about you but personally I have enough toys I can't play with so want my firearms to all be functional.

you may possibly be able to have your cake and eat it too. i'm not sure if this is a sensible or safe idea and I imagine it would be difficult to do correctly, but...

could the original barrel be removed, cut off somewhere in front of the chamber (keeping all of the original markings), be bored out, then internally threaded and a new/NOS barrel turned down and threaded to fit inside. thus ending up with a totally new chamber/bore/crown with the original markings.

[BLAAA303]

BlAAA: Where is the pitting? Is it internal or external?
Ridolpho

Pitting is in the inside of the barrel mate about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up.

All going to plan I have no intention of molesting the rifle irreversibly.
How ever I do believe it should be shot and used not abused just put to work on occasion doing what it was designed and built to do as long as its able to be.

I'll have 2 other .303s to put the hard yards on anyway all going to plan.

so I'll see how badly gone the barrel really is if I can get a scope inside it or the likes if even possible after giving it a solid tidy up.


Does anyone know if these scope mounts a company called "accumount" produce are compatible with the original bases?
They look very similiar in design and function but state they are for the P14.

[musketballs]

hey guys just to confirm what jared is asking about, and crikey its taken me some time to find a post relating to this, there is the plug fitted to the underside of the stock, and the # 28 on the mounts appears to be a part number as both are stamped the same way with the same numbers.... but there is also this stamp on the underside..
regards,
Muzz

[bigduke6]

Nice find, Don't want to state the obvious but have you tried a pull through and a bronze brush to check the pitted area is pitting looking at one of the pics it looks like its got something in there? only ask I thought a 4T I bought in an auction had the same fate but it was just a bit of crap and dust........even with a a bit of pitting I wouldn't worry about it.

I've had rifles with barrels like sewer pipes and have shot just fine.

As for scope and mounts just bide your time, obvious the matching scope will be like finding a needle in several hay stacks if its out there, but its possible.

Patience is the key, put a post in the rifles looking for scopes you never know........

[Jollygreenslugg]

Don't want to state the obvious but have you tried a pull through and a bronze brush to check the pitted area is pitting looking at one of the pics it looks like its got something in there? only ask I thought a 4T I bought in an auction had the same fate but it was just a bit of crap and dust........

What a great find! Nice to learn that some HTs kept their original timber too.

[Brian Dick]

I'm with bigduke6 on this one. The barrel may be just fine as is. I'd be more worried about the oil soaked coachwood coming apart at the seams under recoil. It's just a fact that it isn't the best gunstock wood in the world. I've seen so many forends that were just destroyed beyond economical repair and replacements are hard to find and expensive. I had one of my own crumble while shooting too many years ago.