1914 BSA SMLE .22RF sub caliber tube, bolt & magazine shell "brass catcher" fitted!

[BFMIN]

"Victoria" is back at home, finally after over a year with the first 'Smith who just sat on it till I had to reclaim it from when I moved.
Thanks to "Doco Overboard" she is now proudly wearing her custom-fitted .22RF conversion kit! This is my "tip 'o the hat" to those '50's shooters with the SMLE matches @25 yds. Sight is an A.G. Parker #9W with the 6 aperture eyepiece.
I didn't get a chance to check her out it at the range yet, It was pitch dark & heavily fogged at the rod & gun last night but it looks sweet!
I'll get her checked on Rem. Thunderbolts, & CCI H.V as well as Std Vel. & see which she prefers.
She even came bearing gifts! .22 sized targets for the (Mods, If I can't mention this pls delete the reference) "Enfield _Rifles" long running target match.
Venison Steaks & chopped meat! OUTSTANDING!
Seriously thank you so much.

 

[Doco Overboard]

We were going over the nose cap with shortened ears and globe dovetails last night.
Were going to fab up one of those spare f/s bands, mill off base then dovetail every thing together nicely to try and additional allow windage adjustment.
If you could send vertical measurement from back sight aperture to approximate center line of body/ bore using a tight fitting cleaning rod the front band and sight mounting can be made for parallelism and minus zero adjustment.
If the globe-ancillary parts we exchanged are for another rifle like that Lithy just let me know.
Have fun, it will shoot!

 

[BFMIN]

I'm going to play with the #20 sight, I have a few ideas there Invert & braze the long tube using a spare Front sight as a base.
Maybe you can play with the smaller #17 sights which you have? One or the other should be "better" than the other & I can go with either. Whatever works!
Windage isn't such a big deal the A.G.P. No9 has an abundance of that. As long as we can get the front globe's tube not touching the truncated ears I think we're GTG?
Oh & Thanks again.

 

[BFMIN]

I actually want to add a little height (that pesky bolt knob hitting the eyepiece thingy).
On the Lithy we raised the rear sight (which was zeroed with the original front-sight 23 (1/2 MOA) clicks which is the same as the AGP). I don't think we need 20, 10 maybe? that 6-hole eyepiece is nowhere near as "chubby" as the Gehmann.

Oh, someone knowledgeable mentioned we need to keep the globe's tube clear of the front end of the upper hand-guard. I don't think its a big problem from this image.
(sorry the images printed in reversed order) Top is the smaller, bottom the larger tube.
or this one, which is closer to what I did?
I think that's the smaller #17 Lyman or an equivalent? They come in multiple heights BTW!

 

[BFMIN]

I was poking about in my parts bin & discovered I have an extra one of those brass conical rod guides.
I wonder if that, with a couple of mods might not make a splendid self-centering muzzle bushing spacer?
Basically drill or ream out the existing hole to be a snug fit over the tube & clean up the "pointy end" of the conical section for desired length of the spacer?

 

[Doco Overboard]

I was thinking about shortening the barrel and re-threading the exterior.
Sort of like a conical/domed shaped bit that a spanner could be adapted to.
But large, sort of like the same shape as a streamlined steam locomotive.
Maybe made out of brass or aluminum.
Loosen that nut, shoot it and tighten it till it settles in.
I think the protrusion on the bolt head has a bearing for how they shoot but I cannot definitively prove that.
Theyre too much fun to shoot and I get sidetracked when doing that.

 

[BFMIN]

That would be even better.
Maybe a brass knurled "nut" a bit like the cylindrical section of the guide? A couple of flats on it for a wrench?
Shortening the barrel & retreading would look far more elegant for sure.
The barrel is held by spring tension up against the "lugs" in the nosecap at 11 & 1 o'clock. but nowhere else. Sometimes they're hard to see because they're really tiny. if the "locking nut (or whatever only contact the actual .303 muzzle it should be fine as it stands about 1/16" proud of the nosecap face.
The extractor actually retracts when chambering in .3003, not sure about .22 though so there's nothing exerted as a twisting or side thrust. The bolt face should be true to the standing breech though.

 

[Doco Overboard]

Yes 11 and 1, Not sure how many really notice that. That relieved area is very subtle hard to see if your not looking for it. What a wonderful system and indicator for good stocking up.
Vibration should be negative when the bullet quits the muzzle is my understanding.
Have you had a chance to give it a go?

 

[BFMIN]

Not yet. I'm itching to "drop a round or two into the tree stump", but I know its a bad idea so I'm refraining!

 

[owldo]

"Victoria" is back at home, finally after over a year with the first 'Smith who just sat on it till I had to reclaim it from when I moved.
Thanks to "Doco Overboard" she is now proudly wearing her custom-fitted .22RF conversion kit! This is my "tip 'o the hat" to those '50's shooters with the SMLE matches @25 yds. Sight is an A.G. Parker #9W with the 6 aperture eyepiece.
I didn't get a chance to check her out it at the range yet, It was pitch dark & heavily fogged at the rod & gun last night but it looks sweet!
I'll get her checked on Rem. Thunderbolts, & CCI H.V as well as Std Vel. & see which she prefers.
She even came bearing gifts! .22 sized targets for the (Mods, If I can't mention this pls delete the reference) "Enfield _Rifles" long running target match.
Venison Steaks & chopped meat! OUTSTANDING!
Seriously thank you so much.

Very Nice ... Here is my Stock SMLE .22 lr Trainer ....

 

[mawkie]

Very Nice ... Here is my Stock SMLE .22 lr Trainer ....

Thanks for sharing! Safe to assume that's a Canadian C7? Either that or a British RN No9 because of the full length bolt body which precludes it being a British No7.

 

[owldo]

Thanks for sharing! Safe to assume that's a Canadian C7? Either that or a British RN No9 because of the full length bolt body which precludes it being a British No7.

Yep ... She's a Canuck !

 

[BFMIN]

Very nice.
Mine's just a post service conversion.
I can't wait to try it out.

 

[mawkie]

I have my "Mawkie C7 hybrid conversions" that I assembled from spare parts. The core was a bunch of four barreled British C7 receivers that I bought at the old Monroeville PA gunshow in the 90s for $100 OTD. Then bought four No 4 MKI gunsmith specials for $75 ea from Century to provide furniture and misc. hardware. Ended up with a decent copy for fun time at the range for a price 10x cheaper than an original British No7.