A question for target shooters

R

Rumpelhardt

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As posted in the Service Rifle Forum. It was recommended I come here.
I purchased an Enfield No1 target rifle and am trying to learn some of it's history. On the butt stock of the rifle there is this stock disk

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I was wondering if any one here might recognise the name.
Thank you for your time.
 
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Definitely a Target rifle. I would write or e-mail the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association, (DCRA) who should have records if this man competed. I would say that this guy was a serious target shooter so there are probably records of him shooting at Connaught.

I would not be surprised if this rifle had been to Bisley. SMELLIE and I were basically told the same thing way back in the old days when we were shooting on the ranges. "If you want to play with the Big Boys, then get a Number 1 rifle."

Generally, out to 600 yards, most people used the Number 4 Rifle. At 800 yards, the Number 1 Rifles started coming out of the cases, and at 1000 yards, there was not a Number 4 rifle on the firing point.

The reason for this was that the Number 1 rifle "compensated" better at longer ranges. I am not going into an explanation of "Compensation" as it has been covered several times here in previous posts, so anyone interested can look it up for themselves.
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Try checking with the DCRA; they should be able to tell you the years in which he was active.

WILL they, is something else.

If he won any of the big prizes, he should be easy to find. Prize lists are public.

Worth a try.
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Some pictures of the rifle in question.

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A lot of you have probably seen it already in the half dozen or so other forums I posted it on.
 
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As I said, "Definitely a Target Rifle." But, what a beauty!

The overall views are good, but you need to post good pictures of the various markings on it. Especially the markings on the butt socket, receiver, and the barrel.

This is no "run of the mill" rifle, but obviously one that was especially crafted for a Shooter who took pride in his firearms. It is probable that this one was made up by Parker, Fulton, or one of the Firms that specialized in Target rifles.

Have you had it apart? Is there thin strips of Cork under the fore-end wood? Are there any markings such as "Regulated by #########xx" on it?

The wood "furniture" has obviously been selected and made from a better grade of Walnut.

The interesting thing about this rifle is that the fore-stock has been made a little "larger and fatter" from the butt socket to just behind the front band, where you can see that it has a "scallop" back to regulation width. This is to give a fuller, better and more positive grip on the rifle, and not a feature found on ordinary Number 1 rifles. The man who ordered this one built, and shot it knew what he was doing.

What do you think, SMELLIE?
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DEFINITELY a custom job, no doubt.

That woodwork is gorgeous enough, and then it is not QUITE standard, but just that little bit better.

Man who ordered this one knew what he was asking for and the people who built it knew what they were about, too.

I'll betcha a piece of raisin pie that the bore is .301 or.302 and it was given about 3 swipes with the diamond lap AFTER it was burnished.

Beautiful rifle, but I'm not good enough to shoot it the way it should be shot.
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smellie said:
DEFINITELY a custom job, no doubt.

Beautiful rifle, but I'm not good enough to shoot it the way it should be shot.
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Click to expand...

But you were good enough at one time! You and I and a lot of other old fart target shooters who were raising a family and could not afford to go to Bisley, even though we quailfied to do so, and were quite content with having a GOOD Number 1 Mark III to shoot, are probably drooling over the pictures of this one.

I would have loved to fire that rifle 40 or even 30 years ago. I'm getting the strangest craving to dig out my old BSA Commercial No.1 Mk III and some of my remaining stock of DI 44 ammo and head for the range.
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If you have not taken it apart but plan to, first look for screws in the mag well that go through the wood into the butt socket. These have to come out first or it will not come apart. If you see no screws but have trouble getting it apart take off the butt and look fro screws going the other way that you can't see. These were used to pull the wood tight to the rear, I have one set up like this.
 
Neat gun and great thread.

I always enjoy seeing things like this and having those who know tell us about it. Thanks to those with the knowledge, experience and the willingness to take the time to educate the rest of us.
 
The first time I went to Bisley, 79, the cost was $250 with great support from DND. Back then if you were not in the top eighteen in the Bisley agg there was a good chance you would not be going. Today it costs over $4000 to go on the team with no support from DND. The current teams are only a shadow of what they used to be. If you shoot the Bisley agg at DCRA then you will be on the team if you can afford to go, not much skill required, just money.
 
buffdog said:
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The interesting thing about this rifle is that the fore-stock has been made a little "larger and fatter" from the butt socket to just behind the front band, where you can see that it has a "scallop" back to regulation width. This is to give a fuller, better and more positive grip on the rifle, and not a feature found on ordinary Number 1 rifles.
Click to expand...

That's just the profiling for the long-range sight, with the subsequent machining steps omitted. Until the Blanchard copying lathe wears out there was no reason to change it.
Having a custom stock made for you like that would get you DQ'd from S.R.(a) and likely from S.R.(b) too, at least until the rules were relaxed somewhat towards the end of the .303 era. You'd be warned off from Bisley for the rest of the season, and possibly forever.
 
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