I built this little carbine some time ago out of parts that came out of my junk drawer. Each component is a take off from other projects that I could not use in a restoration either because it had been modified, or the surface was too pitted. When I had an assembled rifle, it felt like I had a freebee.
The thing has accompanied me in the bush and has not seen an easy life. It has never missed a beat whenever I needed it.
Although a frankenfield, it is one of my favourites. It is kinda sorta like a NZ carbine in form. It points well and has great balance in the hand.
I do have genuine examples of NZ carbines in my collection, but not something that I would want to bounce around behind the seat of the truck.
I had quite the collection of parts in that junk drawer again, so I put together another freebee.
I just used my last cavalry carbine nose cap, so have switched out the pattern in the duplicator to produce NZ carbine wood.
This is a project that has been on the back burner for some time. I have been adding to its assembly as parts came along.
I started with just a stripped carbine receiver. It has the New Zealand acceptance mark, rack number and date marked on the right hand side of the receiver ring, which tells me that it was once a carbine from the New Zealand contract circa 1901-04. The receiver rattled around in the junk drawer for a few years, I always had the intention to restore it back to its former Kiwi spec.
Since I had most of the trigger group and screws in the bins as take off parts from other rifles. And since I had a cut down barrel from a sporter, I made a start on it.
The barrel was taken from a sportered long rifle. I cut it to length and draw filed the taper and diameter to that of the NZ carbine.
What I find interesting is that the barrel is a commercial marked BSA unit with factory mark for service rifle competition. Pre 1910 proof marks.
It is a long Lee Enfield barrel but the extractor is cut for the Sht.LE extractor. Maybe only interesting to me, but the bore is like a mirror, this was probably on a target rifle of some kind. With the extractor, I am wondering if it were once a heavy barrel for a Sht.LE. I'll never know as bubba cut it short.
The gun sat in the rack wearing bubba's woodset until today when I was on a roll in the workshop.
No where near finished but I thought that I would show it off and chronicle its progress.
I will be fitting it up as a commercial sporter (no handguard, fishbelly mag, maybe even some checkering), which actually pre dates the NZ contract by almost ten years (Carbine fitted to accept 1888 pattern bayonet)
First fit up. I installed a bolt and fired it into the backstop. It cycles beautifully.
Now to work on the sights.
How do I post bigger pictures????
The thing has accompanied me in the bush and has not seen an easy life. It has never missed a beat whenever I needed it.
Although a frankenfield, it is one of my favourites. It is kinda sorta like a NZ carbine in form. It points well and has great balance in the hand.
I do have genuine examples of NZ carbines in my collection, but not something that I would want to bounce around behind the seat of the truck.
I had quite the collection of parts in that junk drawer again, so I put together another freebee.
I just used my last cavalry carbine nose cap, so have switched out the pattern in the duplicator to produce NZ carbine wood.
This is a project that has been on the back burner for some time. I have been adding to its assembly as parts came along.
I started with just a stripped carbine receiver. It has the New Zealand acceptance mark, rack number and date marked on the right hand side of the receiver ring, which tells me that it was once a carbine from the New Zealand contract circa 1901-04. The receiver rattled around in the junk drawer for a few years, I always had the intention to restore it back to its former Kiwi spec.
Since I had most of the trigger group and screws in the bins as take off parts from other rifles. And since I had a cut down barrel from a sporter, I made a start on it.
The barrel was taken from a sportered long rifle. I cut it to length and draw filed the taper and diameter to that of the NZ carbine.
What I find interesting is that the barrel is a commercial marked BSA unit with factory mark for service rifle competition. Pre 1910 proof marks.
It is a long Lee Enfield barrel but the extractor is cut for the Sht.LE extractor. Maybe only interesting to me, but the bore is like a mirror, this was probably on a target rifle of some kind. With the extractor, I am wondering if it were once a heavy barrel for a Sht.LE. I'll never know as bubba cut it short.
The gun sat in the rack wearing bubba's woodset until today when I was on a roll in the workshop.
No where near finished but I thought that I would show it off and chronicle its progress.
I will be fitting it up as a commercial sporter (no handguard, fishbelly mag, maybe even some checkering), which actually pre dates the NZ contract by almost ten years (Carbine fitted to accept 1888 pattern bayonet)
First fit up. I installed a bolt and fired it into the backstop. It cycles beautifully.
Now to work on the sights.
How do I post bigger pictures????
Last edited:
