Project has taken almost tens years.? Done!

[englishman_ca]

Started out on this one with only a 1909 manufacture dated 22 rim fire military barrel and the bright idea to build it back up into a Mk.I trainer.

Sure. Just find the rest of the parts of the assembly of a rare conversion of a rare rifle and bring back to original specs. Sounds straight forward. No?


Everything is pretty much 'correct', other than the trainer never actually had a receiver mounted safety catch fitted, this one does. I got tired at looking at the empty safety lever cut out.

I assembled this rifle one piece at a time gathering up by buying and horse trading for correct and original parts from all over the globe. Shipping often cost me more than the actual part.
All of these parts were from collectors' spares and junk drawers. Some of the small parts and screws are new old stock. Nothing that I used was from an auction site.

The later pattern of 1912 Sht.22 Mk.II Naval Trainer shows up quite often in Ontario and seems to be not too difficult to find. I believe that many made their way onto the Canadian civilian market in the 1920s when the Brits sold off a lot of obscolete trainers .

But not so with the earlier pattern of 1907 Mk.I version. I have never seen one in Canada. There has to be somebody here with one, but nobody that I know of. I believe that there were around 14,000 of theses converted.
I have relied upon help from collectors around the world to put this one together to be as correct as I can. I have been posting pics of it over the years and received a lot of great input.

Although a total mix match of makers from different sources, it actually looks like that it has been together for a long time.

If you read the rifle, the story it tells is of the conversion of a 1890 Enfield MLM Mk.I* into a Sht.22 Mk.I Naval Trainer at RSAF Enfield in 1910.
It has a mismatched serial number barrel and a mismatched serial number bolt (of course it does, itsa bitsa, no two pieces are from the same rifle).

This trainer has been a big challenge to complete. I aint gonna do that again!
I'll stick to the more common 303 Metford Mk.I and Mk.I* rifles.

But I am quite pleased with the way this one has turned out. The rifle shoots like a charm and is surprisingly accurate.
I'm calling it done and moving it from the project rack into the collection.

Information

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[smle addict]

outstanding job!

[CINDERS]

Like you I went the same way with my 1916 Lithgow that was missing bits sound idea but the execution of getting period correct was itself a long arduous path waiting for pieces to come up or be at military fairs and as we only have 2 per year in the whole state there is not much to pick through.
So good for you that its done and like you I ain't doin' it again nice looking example.

[Patrick Chadwick]

That deserves a medal for sheer perseverance! Well done!

[nijalninja]

Isn't she beautiful? I find it amazing that you had the patience to not only get all these pieces but get them in such good condition is insane. Well done mate.

[browningautorifle]

Nice looking little rifle...

[Roger Payne]

Lovely job. Well done!

[englishman_ca]

Thank you gents. I am so, so happy I am finished, well almost......(projects are never finished).

I just looked at my notes and the parts to assemble the rifle were sourced from Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, South Africa.

There are only two fabricated parts in the entire assembly (the safety lever, and the converted breech bolt), which I have initialed and dated S.Y '18.
There is also my signature and date inside the barrel channel in pencil (pencil doesn't bleed or fade).

I have made a little note on acid free paper with pencil about the rebuild, put it under the butt plate for somebody to find in the future.

This one is without doubt one of my rare pieces. I know what it cost me to gather up (too much) but have no clue at all as to its current value, and really don't care. I do know that if an original one ever did come up for sale, I probably could not afford to buy it!

There is a place in my collection for it, so no plans of it leaving my hands any time soon.
But my hope is that this one will still be around long after I am dust.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Now that is truly a labor of love.
Well done.

[HarryB]

Congratulations Englishman. Well done!