SMLE Project

Ganderite

Ganderite

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Location
Farm south of North Bay
My latest plinker project is almost done.

I bought a pair of SMLE rifles on EE without requesting pictures. They turned out to be home-made sporters.

I took one, removed the barrel and had the gunsmith polish and blue the action. He then took one of my used 308 target barrels and cut the chamber off, ran a 303 reamer into it, cut it back to 20” and fitted it to the SMLE action.
Boyd’s supplied a nice laminated stock ($200 USD delivered – ouch!) and last night I installed the wood.

Today I shot it. The 303 cases cycled perfectly (of course) and accuracy was fair. I have to take the forend off and give it another dose of the course sandpaper on a socket to free float the barrel.

The heavy barrel, cut back to 20" feels very nice. Not too heavy and balances well. I could hunt with this.

I have a good 5 and a good 10 round mag for it. I look forward to shooting this in the ORA Sporting Rifle shoot in 2 weeks.

By then I will have a set of lower rings and will install a different scope (K4-12 Weaver)









 
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Great looking indeed!!!

With these Boyd's laminate forends, I suggest putting a reinforcing brass pin accross at the back - otherwise, chances are the wee little bit of wood in the middle (behind the sear) will split.
 
I make reinforcing pins by running a small diameter brazing rod through a die to thread it. Drill a pilot hole for the pin, get some epoxy into the hole, more epoxy on the pin, and then screw in the pin. I hold the pin in a variable speed electric drill the whole time. Then just dress the ends. Blind hole can be used, of course.
 
I prefer a strap, but that's just a differing opinion.

I would suggest you cut off the square end of the stock bolt that is supposed to fit in the special notch in the plate at the back of the fore end as well. It often inhibits proper seating in the ways.

John, have you bedded the KING SCREW area???

I do this on sporters by filling the King Screw inletting with epoxy and drilling it out later. I like to fit a pillar from the mag well frame to the receiver as well. This area is just as important as the rear ways for accuracy.

I also like to glass bed the rear ways. Especially on the No1 receivers.

IMHO bedding issues are the only real drawback in these fine rifles.

I recently sold a very similar rifle. It shot better than I could hold once the bedding issues were taken care of.

Once you're happy with the bedding, you may want to try a barrel pressure pad right at the front of the fore end. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't.

Looks like a fun project but getting No1 and No4 rifles to shoot consistently is a whole new learning curve and it all revolves around the ways from the front of the receiver to the rear.

Good luck with that one. I find the Boyd's stocks can be a bit soft in the way shoulder areas. Often when a No1 rifle is taken down the way shoulders have had "copper' shims screwed into place. I was told a long time ago this was because the wood was often soft and would compress under recoil. I don't know, I've seen it on new in grease rifles as well as on refurbs.

I've yet to see a No1 or No4 that doesn't benefit from glass bedding the ways.


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The metal plates on the recoil shoulders are an Australian thing, apparently required with Queensland maple. I think epoxy bedding would be a whole lot easier.
 
The shoulders are bedded with Devcon.

I dug out my notes on how to be a L.E. I had forgotten how to use the dead cat and some of the secret incantations.

But all is good now.

I have just sanded the barrel channel and the barrel is now floated.

It has a Devcon pillar around the king screw.

Next time I shoot I will also try with a barrel pad to see if some pressure helps. This is a short heavy barrel, so I am hoping to get under 2" groups from it.
 
tiriaq said:
The metal plates on the recoil shoulders are an Australian thing, apparently required with Queensland maple. I think epoxy bedding would be a whole lot easier.
Click to expand...

I agree.

I've seen the metal shoulders on British built SMLEs as well. Maybe done in Australia????

TURF THE LIBERALS IN 2019
 
Ganderite said:
The shoulders are bedded with Devcon.

I dug out my notes on how to be a L.E. I had forgotten how to use the dead cat and some of the secret incantations.

But all is good now.

I have just sanded the barrel channel and the barrel is now floated.

It has a Devcon pillar around the king screw.

Next time I shoot I will also try with a barrel pad to see if some pressure helps. This is a short heavy barrel, so I am hoping to get under 2" groups from it.
Click to expand...


I am willing to bet if all is well and the barrel capable, that rifle will produce sub moa groups.

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I have already shot several sub MOA groups with it. But they got spoiled with the second shot.

Actually, my objective is 1.5" with pulled IVI bullets and around 1" with match bullets. This group is about 0.75"



I guess if used Varget or RL15 instead of BLC2 and played with seating depth and used something than more than 9X I could do better. But that was not the purpose of the rifle. Want an interesting, reliable plinker. I think I am almost there.

I would prefer a full floated barrel for the sake of day to day consistency of zero.
 
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How much torque was put on that barrel/receiver???

No1 and No4 barrel/receiver match faces need to be at true to their axis as possible and they don't like less than 10 foot pound of torque or more than 15 pounds of torque in my experience.

From what you're asking of it, it should easily meet your goal.

Were your IVI bullets pulled with a crimp type puller or inertia???

The IVI bullets I've pulled have had to be done with a crimp type puller, such as a Foster. I also use a reinforced inertia puller and find those bullets to be more accurate.

One other thing I've found with IVI bullets is that their weights tend to vary quite a bit. To much for precision work but acceptable for fun shoots.

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My my! Very nice little rifle indeed! I have a couple or three old sporters that I love to shoot. I have a Churchill No. 1 that I bought in 1965, A Churchill No.4 that came to me recently, and a nice old BSA M1917 30-06.

Thanks for sharing the photos and the story! :)
 
I have a nice commercial #1 sporter that has downed more moose and deer than all my other rifles combined.

Because it is my "loaner" rifle. Simple to operate and 100% effective.

I find the #1 sporter to look nicer than a #4. That is what motivated this rifle.
 
Ganderite said:
....

I dug out my notes on how to be a L.E. I had forgotten how to use the dead cat and some of the secret incantations.

...

....
Click to expand...

Years ago Ted Wright, who shot at Mansonville, Sand Hill and St Bruno, placed high enough at Connaught to make the Bisley team. Always a trickster, he conventionally tweaked the bedding on his No.4, with the eye of newt and whisker of cat as you suggest. But he finished the job with a few white chicken feathers under the nose cap. If anyone asked quizzically, he'd say he had 'feather bedded' his rifle.
 
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