1918 B.S.A CO SHT LE iii

[kennymo]

Not all refits were marked. Many were repaired and refitted in the field in these sorts of conditions:

There's a non SMLE mixed in with that pile of rifles. You can see the barrel extending upward above the rest. It's also lacking an exposed magazine and the wrist/grip on the stock is different. Anyone make out exactly what it is?

 

[points]

It's a beautifull rifle. It does appear to be a rebuild. That is defenitely a #4 butt and butt plate. I think with the bayo it is getting close to 500 but only just. If I bought it I would change the butt stock and plate. I have a few so pm me if you buy it

 

[Nitroxrunsthrume]

It's a beautifull rifle. It does appear to be a rebuild. That is defenitely a #4 butt and butt plate. I think with the bayo it is getting close to 500 but only just. If I bought it I would change the butt stock and plate. I have a few so pm me if you buy it

can someone show me how this butt stock was never on a model 1918 B.S.A? most of the ones ive seen share the same design and brass plate, also in my hands the wood grain even matches im not trying to say i cant be wrong but this really does look to have been on rifle since its day one and the pics ive seen of other rifles show the same stock even videos and when i see this safity notch it looks like its been added on after the fact.........the rest of the rifle being clean cuts and these notches look as if there hacked in almost like it was an after thought due to a bit of a production rush maybe this one was crated before any one fixed it ive also been seeing other rifles with out the disk fill......i would just like some proof of a miss match if nothing else for my education

So after some searching.....im finding some rifles with out the disk and brass butt plates, why do some not have a disk
like these and by the same logic these are wrong? these but stocks dont match there rifles?

 

[Kirk1701]

There's a non SMLE mixed in with that pile of rifles. You can see the barrel extending upward above the rest. It's also lacking an exposed magazine and the wrist/grip on the stock is different. Anyone make out exactly what it is?

I'm almost certain it's a Gew98. You can see from the shape of the triggerguard and the screw/bolt directly under the chamber. Probably a battlefield pickup.

 

[GrantR]

There's a non SMLE mixed in with that pile of rifles. You can see the barrel extending upward above the rest. It's also lacking an exposed magazine and the wrist/grip on the stock is different. Anyone make out exactly what it is?

MY guess would have been a Ross Mark II (Model 1905) -

(Triggerguard looks a bit off ... but then it looks the wrong shape for a Mauser also --- perhaps just distortion or a trick of the light, in either case ....)

The CEF definitely kept Ross rifles in limited service for sharpshooting/sniping after the SMLE was general issue .....

 

[Kirk1701]

MY guess would have been a Ross Mark II (Model 1905) -

(Triggerguard looks a bit off ... but then it looks the wrong shape for a Mauser also --- perhaps just distortion or a trick of the light, in either case ....)

The CEF definitely kept Ross rifles in limited service for sharpshooting/sniping after the SMLE was general issue .....

I had assumed the trigger guard was the winter version of the Mauser, but it's just as likely a Ross. It may be a one-off field adjustment of the triggerguard to get it back into service. The quality of the photo isn't good enough to be sure.

 

[GrantR]

I had assumed the trigger guard was the winter version of the Mauser, but it's just as likely a Ross. It may be a one-off field adjustment of the triggerguard to get it back into service. The quality of the photo isn't good enough to be sure.

Aaahhh .... not being a German military firearms guy, I was unaware of such a variant .....

Following further examination.... and judging from the screw/bolt visible on the fore-arm below the chamber, and what appears to be a sling swivel stud close behind the knob of the pistol grip - where one sees them on Gew98 rifles, but not the Ross to my recollection - I am actually now inclined to agree with your assessment!

 

[5THBATT]

can someone show me how this butt stock was never on a model 1918 B.S.A? most of the ones ive seen share the same design and brass plate, also in my hands the wood grain even matches im not trying to say i cant be wrong but this really does look to have been on rifle since its day one and the pics ive seen of other rifles show the same stock even videos and when i see this safity notch it looks like its been added on after the fact.........the rest of the rifle being clean cuts and these notches look as if there hacked in almost like it was an after thought due to a bit of a production rush maybe this one was crated before any one fixed it ive also been seeing other rifles with out the disk fill......i would just like some proof of a miss match if nothing else for my education

So after some searching.....im finding some rifles with out the disk and brass butt plates, why do some not have a disk
like these and by the same logic these are wrong? these but stocks dont match there rifles?

No1 on left, No4 on right, the main difference is the butt trap.


Note difference between relief cuts for the safety catch.


Link to my 1918 BSA MkIII* this one appears to be "as original" as you can hope to find & the No1 used for the above photos.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/933181-1918-BSA-MkIII*-SMLE

 

[5THBATT]

As for Piling swivels, they weren't deleted until 1941 so your rifle may have had one fitted for its entire service.

 

[Nitroxrunsthrume]

No1 on left, No4 on right, the main difference is the butt trap.


Note difference between relief cuts for the safety catch.


Link to my 1918 BSA MkIII* this one appears to be "as original" as you can hope to find & the No1 used for the above photos.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/933181-1918-BSA-MkIII*-SMLE

AH!!! okay now thats real, thank you okay so i think its been cleaned up and had a stock change in its life, but i think the stock was added before he orderd it the woods aging and finish some equal years of use like smacked off the side of a stump pushing thru the muck after some moose, i can see the guy refinishing it and cleaning it up he really seemed to take care of his stuff and in his mind its just a nice old rifle and i would agree, i think ill keep this buttstock on it, i still feel good at 5 after doing so good on my jungle carbine in all im in 800.00 for the both of them 400 bucks a pop for some beautiful firearms,

so now the disk......i would really like some info on why on some you see them and some ya just dont? like an issued vs into crate, also how are they interrupted

As for Piling swivels, they weren't deleted until 1941 so your rifle may have had one fitted for its entire service.

Nice, Thanks the pics are great!!

 

[GrantR]

so now the disk......i would really like some info on why on some you see them and some ya just dont?

At some point during WWI, the marking of unit information on rifles (i.e. stamped on the butt disk) was eliminated .... supposedly to deny that sort of intelligence (i.e. what units were located where) to the enemy from any captured or recovered rifles. Existing ID disks were removed and the hole filled in - or the disk was replaced by a blank one - and they quite cutting the disk recess on newer-production rifles altogether.

 

[5THBATT]

As so many rifles have been retro-fitted with discs & many others that did have a disc had them removed, or the butt was replaced with one without provision for a disc, this falls into the unknown but i do know the butt disc was deleted in 1941 along with the Piling swivel & the cutoff.