Any R.B. Boys MK1 .55 Anti Tank Rifle for sale somewhere?

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dauph197

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I wonder if any of these rifles are turning in Canada? What is the regulation around this particular rifle? Prohibited or restricted? We don't have any at the Museum in Quebec City.

Here a nice picture of the Regiment de la Chaudiere in training with this rifle in England prior to D-Day.

Tell me if I'm wrong but the guy in the middle of the picture is having a No1 Mk III rifle instead of No4 MkI?

 
Pretty sure they fall into the same category as the PTRS and PTRD rifles - non-restricted, but rare as hen's teeth. Also, ammo for them would be a case of custom milling your own.

Can't tell for sure, but that Enfield might very well be a No1 MK III. Although Canada was well on the way to transitioning to the No4 MK I by the time WWII started, we still had a lot of the older rifles in inventory, and especially at the beginning of the war there was a very big case of "if we have it and it shoots, use it" going on. I have a BSA built 1917 No1 MK III that was (as far as I can tell by the various stamps on the receiver and barrel), surplussed to Canada after WWI, had the barrel completely shot out in training between the wars, was re-barrelled by Longbranch at the beginning of WWII, got the C broad arrow stamped on it and accepted back into inventory.

Unfortunately, after WWII, Bubba got hold of it and chopped the crap out of the wood and literally ground off some of the stampings, so a lot of the history is forever lost on that rifle. I'm slowly bringing it back to military configuration as a long term project.

Most of the No1 MK III's went to homeguard type militia units and support battalions (transport and logistics), but not all. They floated around.
 
Boys (Boyes) AT Rifle is Non-Restricted but rare and generally fetch 6-12k. In the US they are a Dangerous Device (DD) so getting parts out of the US is difficult/impossible. You can get export permits if importing to a Museum.

Original 55 Boys rounds fetch $10-50 - and many people suggest not firing these collector rounds and some people state that many will no longer function. Many rifles were also converted to 50 BMG (By the US Marines or Post-War by Users - completed using a none-chrome lined M2 barrel).

You can use sized 50 BMG cases to load 55 Boys Rounds but you would need to mill or size your own projectiles. Woodleigh has some bullets - but they are too large (Trade-Ex). There is a Gent in Australia (Ex- Canadian) that loads for these rifle but to export/import you are looking at $30-50 a round (he uses 50BMG re-sized brass).

There are also 22cal practice cartridges - makes shooting much more affordable.

A buddy of mine (agentcq) has one but it is not for sale. Generally the Calgary Easter Show has 1-2 for sale - last time $10-12K.

I know ammo is the biggest concern - Agentcq has 1x stripper clip of rounds which took 3x years to accumulate and the 22cal practice cartridge - he has been tempted to convert it to 50 BMG - Ellwood Epps will do the smithing.
 
that is a no 1 rifle, those are early war helmets, remember, the no 4 wasn't the official rifle until 1941

i think you have to solder a belt onto the case as well to use bmg brass
 
I have one, and know three, no four, no wait, five other owners of these fine rifles. They are just as fun to shoot in 50 cal as they are in 55, and a whole lot easier to find ammo for.
Mine was redone in 50. I had a line on a loose 55 barrel, but in the end decided to go with the 50 for ease of ammo. You are lucky to find Boys ammo in Canada at all, and when you do it will run from $25 to $50 a round.

Here is a shot of two Boys rifles (Mine and a friends)on our bren carriers at a display last summer.



 
Here is a photo of 2 boys and a PTRS during a winter match a number of years ago here in Shilo.

71d70r4.jpg
 
owned one, bought it from an old fella up neer threehills. when I went to get it he helped me load it up and we were saying out goodbys and I said " now I need to find some ammo" hold on a sec I forgot I have some for it. off to the shop we went. 300 rounds on strippers in the lil canvas bags thrown in with the deal. that was a very fun summer
 
I found mine around 2003 in Toronto hanging up in a paint ball store. It was incomplete and had a torch cut on the barrel. Upon further inspection it was an Inglis MkI. It had the large harmonica brake, CARRY HANDLE in front of the magazine and some parts were missing. So, two Airsoft guns later, I strapped it onto my Jeep roll bar and drove home with it! So I scoured the planet to find the magazines, missing parts and accessories. Only just receitly I was able to find the bipod and in the process of it being converted to .50BMG. I have been a fan of these things for a long time and only been able to handle half a dozen examples of these rifles, two were in the US.
 
bnzmauser said:
Boys (Boyes) AT Rifle is Non-Restricted but rare and generally fetch 6-12k. In the US they are a Dangerous Device (DD) so getting parts out of the US is difficult/impossible. You can get export permits if importing to a Museum.

Original 55 Boys rounds fetch $10-50 - and many people suggest not firing these collector rounds and some people state that many will no longer function. Many rifles were also converted to 50 BMG (By the US Marines or Post-War by Users - completed using a none-chrome lined M2 barrel).

You can use sized 50 BMG cases to load 55 Boys Rounds but you would need to mill or size your own projectiles. Woodleigh has some bullets - but they are too large (Trade-Ex). There is a Gent in Australia (Ex- Canadian) that loads for these rifle but to export/import you are looking at $30-50 a round (he uses 50BMG re-sized brass).

There are also 22cal practice cartridges - makes shooting much more affordable.

A buddy of mine (agentcq) has one but it is not for sale. Generally the Calgary Easter Show has 1-2 for sale - last time $10-12K.

I know ammo is the biggest concern - Agentcq has 1x stripper clip of rounds which took 3x years to accumulate and the 22cal practice cartridge - he has been tempted to convert it to 50 BMG - Ellwood Epps will do the smithing.
Click to expand...

Do you by chance have contact info for the gentleman in Australia? Im looking for someone to make me some 13.2x92sr rds, i heard there was someone in Australia that makes them, i wouldn't be surprised if its this guy.
Thanks!
 
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