- Location
- Central AB
Delisle Carbine Project FINALLY FINISHED
The Delisle carbine was a modified SMLE chambered in 45acp, complete with an integral suppressor, build during WW2.
Like many others, I find the Delisle carbine an interesting and desirable gun. Also like many others, i find that any reproductions of the gun are either not historicaly accurate, or are prohibitively expensive. Most often a combination of both.
The reason for the expense in producing a Delisle carbine is due to the amount of machining/fitting required. I've read that original Delisle required more man hours to build than a Bren gun.
So like a few other intrepid souls before me, I decided not let common sense or fear deter me, and started sourcing the various parts needed to make a reproduction Delisle.
Picture of a Delisle, hopefully my repro will end up looking like this.
To this point I've disassembled a Sporter SMLE, and removed the barrel.
Next step was to bore out the action, openning it up to .750" wide in order to allow the 45acp barrel to be set back into the action. In the picture below you can see the bright areas, and see how much metal was removed.
I had purchased a 20" 45acp barrel blank. The picture below shows it after i machined it to size, and threaded it for the SMLE action.
Heres a picture of the barrel partially threaded into the action.
Have finished shortening the bolt.. Picture show the shortened bolt along a standard length one. Also shown is the recessed bolt face with the new ejector slot milled in the side. And a picture of the plastic bumper dovetailed into the underside of the bolt handle. This was done on the originals to quite the "clank" of the bolt handle closing.
Work done to complete the bolt:
- anneal the bolt body and head
- cut off bolt handle to allow bolt body to be held in collet on the lathe
- cut bolt body to length
- drill and tap body for thread on bolt head
- drill deeper spring channel in body
- cut firing pin to appropriate length and thread end
- cut firing pin spring to appropriate length
- plasma weld bolt handle back on
- cut dovetail in underside of bolt handle for plastic bumper
- cut recess in bolt head
- mill an ejector slot in side of head
- re-heat treat and temper bolt body and head
- fit plastic bumper to bolt handle
- lots of filing and fitting, lol.
Due to limits on the number of pictures that can be attached to a post, future pictures of the build will be attached to new posts further in the thread.
The Delisle carbine was a modified SMLE chambered in 45acp, complete with an integral suppressor, build during WW2.
Like many others, I find the Delisle carbine an interesting and desirable gun. Also like many others, i find that any reproductions of the gun are either not historicaly accurate, or are prohibitively expensive. Most often a combination of both.
The reason for the expense in producing a Delisle carbine is due to the amount of machining/fitting required. I've read that original Delisle required more man hours to build than a Bren gun.
So like a few other intrepid souls before me, I decided not let common sense or fear deter me, and started sourcing the various parts needed to make a reproduction Delisle.
Picture of a Delisle, hopefully my repro will end up looking like this.
To this point I've disassembled a Sporter SMLE, and removed the barrel.
Next step was to bore out the action, openning it up to .750" wide in order to allow the 45acp barrel to be set back into the action. In the picture below you can see the bright areas, and see how much metal was removed.
I had purchased a 20" 45acp barrel blank. The picture below shows it after i machined it to size, and threaded it for the SMLE action.
Heres a picture of the barrel partially threaded into the action.
Have finished shortening the bolt.. Picture show the shortened bolt along a standard length one. Also shown is the recessed bolt face with the new ejector slot milled in the side. And a picture of the plastic bumper dovetailed into the underside of the bolt handle. This was done on the originals to quite the "clank" of the bolt handle closing.
Work done to complete the bolt:
- anneal the bolt body and head
- cut off bolt handle to allow bolt body to be held in collet on the lathe
- cut bolt body to length
- drill and tap body for thread on bolt head
- drill deeper spring channel in body
- cut firing pin to appropriate length and thread end
- cut firing pin spring to appropriate length
- plasma weld bolt handle back on
- cut dovetail in underside of bolt handle for plastic bumper
- cut recess in bolt head
- mill an ejector slot in side of head
- re-heat treat and temper bolt body and head
- fit plastic bumper to bolt handle
- lots of filing and fitting, lol.
Due to limits on the number of pictures that can be attached to a post, future pictures of the build will be attached to new posts further in the thread.
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