I went to the Northern Shooting Show in Harrogate the weekend before last and came home with this. It is a SMLE Pattern 14 No.2 training rifle. It is converted from a 1914 dated SMLE MkIII. The barrel has been bored out and a .22 liner added. The bore is bright and it shoots OK. The numbers match on the receiver, barrel, bolt, nosecap and forestock. The rear sight has been renumbered to match. The volley sight pointer is missing. The conversions were approved in 1916 so I presume it would be about this time the conversion was done. They were originally not issued with a magazine but later an empty box was added to catch the empties. The odd thing about this rifle is the magazine well has had a plate added to form an internal box to catch the empties. I don't know if this has been done by a local unit armourer or a later civilian owner. I would be interested if anyone has seen this before. A few pics.
Regards
Peter.
SMLE Pattern 14 No.2
Moderator: blackisler
- DuncaninFrance
- Global Moderator Sponsor 2011-2017
- Posts: 10948
- Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:08 pm
- Location: S.W.France
- Contact:
Re: SMLE Pattern 14 No.2
What a great rifle Peter. I have seen this magazine base creating a box on other converted early rifles but I do not think it was an official modification as it is not shown in Skennertons book..........
Duncan
What contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch? -- W.C. Fields
"Many of those who enjoy freedom know little of its price."
You can't fix Stupid, but you can occasionally head it off before it hurts something.
What contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch? -- W.C. Fields
"Many of those who enjoy freedom know little of its price."
You can't fix Stupid, but you can occasionally head it off before it hurts something.
- Aughnanure
- Moderator
- Posts: 3133
- Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2005 5:59 am
- Location: Glen Innes, NSW, Australia
Re: SMLE Pattern 14 No.2
Beautiful, Peter; I have one of these converted from an earlier conversion of an MLE to a SMLE Mk II, but mine has a magazine case.
Still shoots really well.
Still shoots really well.
Self Defence is not only a Right, it is an Obligation.
Eoin.
Eoin.