Is it worth the effort? SMLE MK 111 rebirth

I picked up a sporterized MK 111 in a trade deal. It is rough but I always thought it was a cool military rifle. It was drilled and tapped for a rail so I am stuck with the holes. The barrel is original and matches the reciever but as you can see the last six inches to the crown are beyond repair.

Is it a worthwhile project to buy an Ishapore drill rifle and replace the missing furniture? and what does a surplus barrel cost? how much to install it?

I had a MK 111 made in 1916 as a kid. This one is dated 1940. Any suggestions?

I personally think it’s always worth trying to save a piece of history but that’s just me.


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It's going to have to be a labor of love since it will never be worth what you have in it.

That thing could have been a Somme vet too

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Can it be economically restored? No way. Especially if you cant rebarrel it’s yourself. Only you could decide if the juice is worth the squeeze.


On a side note, I know a guy looking for sporterized/bubba’d MK III’s to build DeLisle clones off of. He’s a cheap bastard, so he wouldn’t give much.

IMHO I'd make a DeLisle out of it. Always wanted a trashed but functional/repairable SMLE action to build a Delisle on. Form 1 turnaround is under 1 month, and Rhineland Arms has the .45 acp conversion kits:

https://www.troupsystems.com/product/enfield-45-acp-kit/

Could never bring myself to chop up a decent Enfield but that one looks like a good donor.

I've got one of their .45 ACP small ring Mauser kits but haven't gotten around to installing it yet. Parts looks to be of high quality, though.

Sell it and put the money towards a III that does not need restoration. Aren’t they available for $400-500? Or keep it and shoot it and buy a III. I think its nice looking. Has nice lines to my eye.

Ive re-barrelled a number of mk 1 rifles. The problem would be finding someone who understands the LE system and has an action wrench available to do the swap. Also making adjustments to the bolt fitting would almost certainly be required because of the hand fit individual nature of the rifles and to make sure head space has been done correctly.
Sarco has or did have new Mk1 rifle barrels in stock a few months ago for a more than reasonable price. I bought one just to have a spare, one on hand in case I needed it. They may have even had take offs for a little bit less I cant remember.

Prestigious wood rifle stocks out of Canada has reasonable replacement timber to dress it out. I haven't used any of their products yet but wouldn't hesitate to give them a shot based on feedback from others and review of product information. Uncut wood work is getting more scarce than ever.

Even then, stocking up would present some difficulty unless you got it to someone who has experience with the system.
Brian Dick at BDL would probably be the best choice if you didn't want to dive into something yourself and take advantage of the learning opportunity.

Ive used DP stocks-timber in the past but almost always had to replace the draws, fix cracks etc. Thats another project that can be done at home with a few caveats but sometimes outside of the realm of the average hobbyist, not because of lack of skill but more for having someone available for questions and answers or to lend some tools/ help if needed.

More than likely you would be ahead of the game for purchasing a decent rifle without incurring additional unnecessary expenditure like what has been mentioned previously.
The sheet metal front site ramp on your rifle is an additional bonus that came with your trade, its not that they are rare but usually sistered up to a sported working rifle. JJco used them in the past for some of the sported versions.

If you want to unload it, Im always looking for Mk 1 thru 4 parts for the restorations I do for a hobby.
Almost always that's not a financially sound decision, but you wind up with some cool pea shooters to have fun with.
The holes are another detraction from a workable rifle but at least it would be easier to get glass on it if you wanted too.
Good luck with your rifle, theirs plenty of enjoyment there whatever you decide to do.
That would be a good starting point for a retro dangerous game Franken rifle with a little imagination, some free time and a couple of duckets.

Approach it as a Sporter . Embrace the spirit of 1950- 65 era USA hunting rifles .

does anyone know who might have the delisle kit? it seems to not be available anywhere. Also who has a barrel vise setup for an enfield?dx

captainstashu said:

does anyone know who might have the delisle kit? it seems to not be available anywhere. Also who has a barrel vise setup for an enfield?dx

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There is no “kit” for a DeLisle. Rheinland Arms makes a mag adapter and barrel to convert over to .45 acp, but it is far from anywhere close to correct for a DeLisle. If you want a DeLisle, it is a full custom build. There are a couple guys in the country that do them, but they are EXPENSIVE and the wait is long. There’s a guy in Germany who makes a lot of the custom parts for a DeLisle, but won’t export to the US. I’ve shot his rifles in Germany, and they are Hollywood movie quiet.


I have a receiver wrench for the Enfield and a barrel vise. However, I’m out of the state for the next month or so. I also have a #4 mk II with the Rheinland adapter if you want to see how shitty their products are.

Thanks for the response. I know the Rhineland kit is only a shooter and not anywhere near n accurate copy. I was just curious as what I could do with this old warhorse.

captainstashu said:

Thanks for the response. I know the Rhineland kit is only a shooter and not anywhere near n accurate copy. I was just curious as what I could do with this old warhorse.

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Sky's the limit for what you can do. It only depends on how much time effort and money you want to tie up.

As far a diminishing returns on value and all that, its an obsolete rifle-you get to decide what value it has to you, the owner.
Who cares what other people think when it comes right down to it, they're not paying the freight.
Any as built or conservation, rebuild etc is rarely a fiscally sound proposition.
But, at least you get to shoot it when your done.
On something like this, where you'll lose is paying someone for work who doesn't understand the system, or even worse thinks they do.

The DeLisle barrel needs to be ported....would need to be a better machinist than me to do that.

I would put it away and begin keeping my eyes open for a barrel. I betcha a No.1 MkIII barrel will turn up sooner or later. Watch eBay and GB. In the meantime you can round up new wood, and the furniture that goes on it. (Why are people now erroneously calling stocks "furniture"? Furniture is the stuff that's attached to the stock, ie: swivels, butt plates, nose caps, etc. A stock is, well, a stock.)

Someone mentioned it could've been on The Somme? Hardly, it's 24 years too new if it was made in 1940.

I did not want to ruin the dream. This old design has been around forever and a day. I was surprised when I saw that this one was made in 1940.

Well, questions OP...Do all the numbers match on the action, bolt and barrel? Have you shot it? If so, how does it shoot? If it should shoot ok, leave it as it is and search for a more original...but it is your rifle.

As far as it being late at 1940, Lithgow in Australia was making them likely into the 50s and Ishapore made them well into the 60s and maybe the 70s but the later ones were 7.62 NATO.

The numbers do match. It is made in England. I know they continued making them throughout the empire. I just did not know they were still made in England. It is still shootable. Looks like one of those alligator shooting guns in the swamp. It looks like it could be cut down to mimic a jungle carbine.

captainstashu said:

The numbers do match. It is made in England. I know they continued making them throughout the empire. I just did not know they were still made in England. It is still shootable. Looks like one of those alligator shooting guns in the swamp. It looks like it could be cut down to mimic a jungle carbine.

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1940 would likely make it what is referred to as a "dispersal" rifle. During the Blitz right after Dunkirk the Brits were short of rifles and the Nazis were bombing the factories so the manufacturing was moved to small locations around the country like auto repair shops and etc. to make rifles out of spare parts. They still made the #4s but made #1s as well because they lost a lot at Dunkirk. I kinda think it makes yours a interesting historic piece. Enjoy.

OP, given the late year of production and the fact that it's English-made and not an Ishapore or Lithgow, it's likely a BSA Shirley as they made approximately 250,000 No.1 Mk.IIIs during the war.

I personally think it's an interesting piece given the relative rarity of a BSA-made No.1 Mk.III from WWII vs all of the pre-war guns and No.4 rifles of various "marks" that saw service or were made during WWII .

I can keep my eyes out for a donor gun for the barrel. DP furniture should work fine for it.

thnx. good info.