1916 SMLE pitting on barrel...safe to shoot?

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ricohman

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I recently obtained a 1916 SMLE that appears to be all matching. But it has pitting on the external surfaces of the barrel and receiver.
The bore is very nice however. It has obviously been through the armoury a time or two and I bought it as surplus. I'm surprised that this pitting went through the workshop.
I have attached some pictures. Would this be safe to shoot? I realize this rifle is over 100 years old and that it will show some corrosion.
I won't be putting many rounds through it but I don't want my face full of metal bits either.













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The pitting by the receiver doesn’t look that bad but the pitting by the rear sight looks pretty rough. I would definitely get a gunsmith to look at this one for you. As always better safe then sorry.
 
The part of the barrel that contains the most pressure is at the barrel reinforce. As the bullet travels up the barrel the pressure behind it drops off fairly rapidly, so pitting towards the muzzle isn't as critical as pitting over the chamber.

If puzzling as to how deep pitting can be before the barrel integrity is compromised, just imaging as to how deep a drilled and tapped hole would be if you were to mount a sight. That would have to be be pretty deep for pitting.

The barrel is fairly thick over the chamber, so pitting on the outside is often not a concern. Lee Enfields are pretty robust and not known for blowing up. However, there is always a first time.

Pitting on the receiver, I have rifles with much worse.

Wise advice to get a competent gunsmith to look at it. But most smiths will err on the side of safety to cover their butt. So likely that the smith will condemn it.

Unlikely anybody will tell you that it is ok from a picture because of liability. You have to make the judgement call.

Lots of instantaneous pressure going off just inches in front of your face.
Just like a parachute, if in doubt about its condition, then don't use it.
 
Like Engkishman said, a gunsmith would lean towards scraping it as he would not want the liability. I had shot worse but that one is pretty bad. The pitting around the rear sight scares me. It makes a ring part way round the barrel and has weakened it considerably . If you reload you could lighten the loads. If not, sporters go for $150 in decent condition.
 
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Well - I would shoot a few proof loads with the gun strapped to a tire, then inspect for cracks. I would do this as a matter of interest, just to see if the rifle could take it.... Otherwise, everything is just speculation...
 
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