SMLE Mk V restored from sporter status (lots of pics)

[smle addict]

I keep telling myself to stop rescuing and saving rifles, but just like the rest of the world, I didnt listen to myself...
A few years ago I was at a friends gunshop. He had three sporterized SMLE Mk V trials rifles sitting in his back room. One was missing its rear sight and had a chopped stock. The other was a barreled action only (missing cut-off), and the third had its rear sight intact, but a mismatched bolt and horribly butchered stock. I figured these were lost causes due to the rarity of parts unique to the Mk V's. I quickly forgot about them.
Earlier this year, I heard about Prestigious Wood Stocks. I saw they make reproduction SMLE Mk V furniture. This got the wheels turning, and I began inventorying my small parts bin.
This is how the madness starts:


From these meager beginnings, a rifle would be re-born. I quickly amassed a few other components, and began the attempt to re-form an SMLE hinged band into an front band for the Mk V. Lots of heat, hammering with a ball been hammer, and comparing to an original (I have an unmolested 1924 Mk V in my collection), and I got as close as I could to an original. I bought a few DP marked bands to practice with (very cheap). Used a TIG welder to close up a non DP band hinge, and then ground it smooth.

I had recently changed the oil in my jeep, so I heated the finished band then oil blacked it in a bucket of old 40 weight engine oil and 90 weight gear oil. The smell was awful.

I ordered up a repro stock set from prestigious, and here it is after unwrapping it. This is an very high quality stock set, and I couldn't be more impressed with their work. They sent me a buttstock without the stock disc hole, so I cut one with a Forstner bit.


Last week, I was at my friends shop, and I purchased one of the MK V's. It is a 3-digit 1922 dated rifle. This was the least molested of the the three.


He was gracious enough to let me scavenge the rear sight off another rifle. We broke five drift punches trying to get the small pins out of the rear sight hinge pins. Once back at my house, I installed the rear sight on the rifle.


Next, i used a chopped SMLE Mk III action body to act as a template while I sanded and fitted up the wood to the draws and butt-socket. I slowly fitted the Mk V action to the new stock. Lots of fine sanding at this point.


Also fitted the handguard clip, and used new brass rivets to secure it to the new handguard.


Once I was happy with the fitting, I did a final sand of 150 grit, I added several coats of red-chestnut stain and RLO to get the stain as close as I could to period correct rifles of the era. Did a final rub down of RLO-soaked 0000 fine steel wool. Here is the end result:


All said, I have about 55-hours into this project. I cant speak highly enough of Prestigious' work. These are not drop-in stocks. They do require fine fitting and sanding, but I'd rather have a little "meat" to work with, rather than an undersized stock. The upper band shows my crude handi-work, but at least its correct. I'm going to try to get it to the range next week some time. Hope you all enjoy the pics.

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