Safe to shoot? - Page 2

Tamara · November 10, 2008, 10:03 AM

Ah. Mine's still in 8x50R.

Sulaco2 · November 10, 2008, 06:36 PM

At a recent Gun Show I picked up a 6.5 Swiss bolt action made in 1902. Absolut Beut! Still ammo around in bulk packs and that rifle built like a Swiss watch still groups < 2" at 100 yards with the non standard peep site somebody put on it last century for competion shooting. Most of the older last century guns put modern ones to shame.

Still on the down side most of the old original ammo is corrosive and cleaning them is a real problem. Add to this that most of the sellers of the old ammo don't know if its corrosive primed or not but tend to tell you its not...

Falcon5NZ · November 10, 2008, 08:30 PM

If it's got a black primer its corrosive or so I've been told.
The orders for the old smellys (kiwi colloquillism for SMLE-Short Magazine, Lee-Enfield) were two quarts (or maybe pints? Whichever's bigger) of boiling water down the barrel after action. I know my mates old man works for DOC (Dept of Conservation) and was using an SMLE to euthanise beached whales after efforts to free them failed. Old ex-military corrosively primed AP or Ball in a saltwater environ. Great for the rifle.

Slightly off topic but are Lee Enfields regarded as collectables in the US?

Darren007 · November 10, 2008, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Slightly off topic but are Lee Enfields regarded as collectables in the US?

Absolutely!!!

Tamara · November 10, 2008, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falcon5NZ

Slightly off topic but are Lee Enfields regarded as collectables in the US?

Yes, to a greater or lesser extent.

Scarcity and value-wise, Ishapores and Lithgows and No.4 Mk.I's of the Long Branch persuasion are at the lower end of the totem pole here, rising up through other No.4's, then Mk.III* SMLE's, then pre-Great War rifles and No.1 Mk.V's, and reaching a pinnacle with the various sniper variants.

You could pick up a .308 Ishy for ~$150 USD, up to a few grand for a nice No.4 Mk.I (T).

I have a 1918 BSA "Smelly" and a '53 Faz No.4 Mk.II, myself.

Falcon5NZ · November 11, 2008, 03:37 PM

SMLE's are a dime a dozen for a sporterised ones here. We had/have a real deer problem here so we employed people as "cullers" to shoot them. Parts of maps with "UNCHARTED" stamped on them were guaranteed to have .303 casings in them. Even a fully wooded one is only about NZ$550. They are regarded as good cheap first rifles. We even modified them to launch nets to live capture deer.

simonkenton · November 15, 2008, 12:18 PM

I have a Swedish Mauser made in 1898. I fire it all the time.
Probably the best-built and most accurate military rifle ever made.

November 10, 2008, 10:03 AM	#26
Tamara Moderator Emeritus Join Date: March 11, 2000 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 16,002	Ah. Mine's still in 8x50R. __________________ MOLON LABE! 2% Unobtainium, 98% Hypetanium. The Arms Room: An Online Museum.

November 10, 2008, 08:30 PM	#28
Falcon5NZ Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2008 Location: Somewhere North of the Roaring 40's...Just Posts: 275	If it's got a black primer its corrosive or so I've been told. The orders for the old smellys (kiwi colloquillism for SMLE-Short Magazine, Lee-Enfield) were two quarts (or maybe pints? Whichever's bigger) of boiling water down the barrel after action. I know my mates old man works for DOC (Dept of Conservation) and was using an SMLE to euthanise beached whales after efforts to free them failed. Old ex-military corrosively primed AP or Ball in a saltwater environ. Great for the rifle. Slightly off topic but are Lee Enfields regarded as collectables in the US? __________________ It is New Zealand's role to send out its bright young men and women to help run the rest of the world. And they go, not hating the country of their birth, but loving it. From this loving base they make their mark on the world. Pro-1080 Poison and proud of it!!

November 11, 2008, 03:37 PM	#31
Falcon5NZ Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2008 Location: Somewhere North of the Roaring 40's...Just Posts: 275	Yea, you guys would hate NZ SMLE's are a dime a dozen for a sporterised ones here. We had/have a real deer problem here so we employed people as "cullers" to shoot them. Parts of maps with "UNCHARTED" stamped on them were guaranteed to have .303 casings in them. Even a fully wooded one is only about NZ$550. They are regarded as good cheap first rifles. We even modified them to launch nets to live capture deer. __________________ It is New Zealand's role to send out its bright young men and women to help run the rest of the world. And they go, not hating the country of their birth, but loving it. From this loving base they make their mark on the world. Pro-1080 Poison and proud of it!!

November 10, 2008, 06:36 PM	#27
Sulaco2 Senior Member Join Date: June 5, 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 1,247	At a recent Gun Show I picked up a 6.5 Swiss bolt action made in 1902. Absolut Beut! Still ammo around in bulk packs and that rifle built like a Swiss watch still groups < 2" at 100 yards with the non standard peep site somebody put on it last century for competion shooting. Most of the older last century guns put modern ones to shame. Still on the down side most of the old original ammo is corrosive and cleaning them is a real problem. Add to this that most of the sellers of the old ammo don't know if its corrosive primed or not but tend to tell you its not...

November 15, 2008, 12:18 PM	#32
simonkenton Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2008 Posts: 891	I have a Swedish Mauser made in 1898. I fire it all the time. Probably the best-built and most accurate military rifle ever made.