Cut Down Lee Enfield

[lee edwards]

just a thought, what if they were not fireing 303 but instead fireing 410 shotgun shells would this then make it a practical weapon for trench clearing

Enfield MKIII "Sawed Off" 410 Shotgun : Other at GunBroker.com check out this one

[m3bobby]

Was the .410 not a later modification carried out mainly in India?

[lee edwards]

you are right, the 410 was a later conversion but as far as i know the conversion was to just smoothbore the barrel i dont think the chambers was altered at all.

i have used 410 shotgun enfields during re enactments and just used 303 blanks as we all did. i think they are pritty much the same bore size.
my thought is that this cut down could well have been made with the purpous of useing 410 shotgun shells making it fairly practical for trench clearing and a lot less recoil than a 303 round

i still wouldnt want to fire the thing though but there's ALWAYS one nutter.. lol

[m3bobby]

Yeah, I think the .410s just a smoothbore .303 rather than a modern .410 cartridge.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

Everyone seems to have overlooked the cocking-piece on the modified gun, as far as I am aware - this is the later pattern cocking-piece used after the great-war. I always thought that the cocking-piece on the 14-18 rifles were without the ribs and had the rounded extension at the back to grip. Iknow you find 1st war dated rifles with this type on, but I was lead to believe these were fitted after the war. I do recall seeing a gun like this when I was in the Army Cadets in the 1960's, it was used for teaching cadets how the bolt action worked. I am not trying to imply that is what this particular example is though. But I doubt if it was for firing the standard ball-round for ANY reason!

Harry.

[canadianpatriot]

The .410 version of the SMLE was issued to indiginous troops that were of doubtful loyalty to the Crown in many areas of the Empire, bbut particularly in India. The breech and clip were modified to accept the parallel .410 shell as oposed to the tapered .303 shell. The piece was also a smoothbore.
When I was a boy (several centuries ago) in the far north of Ontario my father gave one .30-.30 cartrige as my 'life saver'. I could chamber it in my .410, put the barrel in the mouth of the climbing bear and pull the trigger. The barrel would look like a banana and my wrist may be broken but I would be alive.

[canadianpatriot]

As to the cockong piece, I don't think you can date an SMLE by that. I have seen the same model with a variety of pull knobs. It depended on the machinery available at the time of frantic mass production runs. The teaching versions used in my classes in Army Cadets were cut aways .

[Johnny-D]

put the barrel in the mouth of the climbing bear and pull the trigger. The barrel would look like a banana and my wrist may be broken but I would be alive.

Brilliant!! That comment just made me laugh out loudly!!

[canadianpatriot]

We hunted partridge and rabbit all year for food and the possibility of a bear was real. My older brother would accompany us with his pattern 17 .303 in the spring when the bear is very hungry and cubs may be around.

[legionaire]

Hi, I think it is original, any weapon that could be altered to suit someone on a raiding party's personel protection would be used, And there would be plenty of damaged lee enfields lying about to alter, just imagine standing in front of that going off, the flash would make you panic if he did not hit you,
Cheers Tim.