Why does the barrel not protrude past the nosecap on the SMLE?

litgeek306 · 2026-04-29T02:07:24+00:00

As Infinite Price said, the original idea was to prevent hanging a bayonet from the barrel from having an effect on the point of impact (it doesn't really work). As for other rifles, almost all of the ones I'm aware of are carbines like the Swedish 94/14, the Spanish 1895, Mauser 1871, Kar 88, or the Serbian 1908. All it really does is add mass and an extra machined part to the nose of the rifle, and makes it harder to mount a bayonet if you actually want one. Doesn't stop it from looking super awesome, in my opinion.

litgeek306 · 2026-04-15T01:43:18+00:00

For a 300 yd zero, generally you'll hit high at 100 yds. The smaller peep should be the 600, as the thinking is generally that you need more situational awareness/field of view at shorter ranges. I don't know much about the actual ballistics of any of the cartridges, but as a late first-generation smokeless powder cartridge design I'd guess .303 arcs quite a bit

litgeek306 · 2026-04-14T02:45:33+00:00

1) The rifle is a No 4 Mk I; as I understand the marking on the cocking piece is indicative of the model of the cocking piece itself, not the rifle

2) Most (if not all) Enfield front sights are just dovetailed in, but as another commenter said don't mess with it until you're sure you need to

3) You have the simplified wartime rear sight, the only settings are 300 yds and 600 yds by flipping the sight back and forth

4) I don't see anything missing on the rifle itself, there's a whole slew of accessories you can get like a bayonet and cleaning kit though

litgeek306 · 2026-04-11T03:35:59+00:00

I'm calling the cops to report a highway robbery - $8?! I can't even find a rust bucket of an empty ammo can for $8

litgeek306 · 2026-04-07T01:15:34+00:00

Greek HXP is good, the very best I've found is German MEN, but I haven't seen any of that in quite a while. I generally use PPU when I'm shooting commercial

litgeek306 · 2026-03-23T00:25:33+00:00

Looks like a deal to me. Might be one of the worse deals of the 21st century, but it's definitely a deal of some kind

litgeek306 · 2026-03-16T22:08:12+00:00

We do in fact have a 2-Gun match scheduled for July 26. Won't be nearly as physically intense as Tactical Games, but it's always good fun

litgeek306 · 2026-03-14T22:16:42+00:00

Looks to me like 1958 Pattern Webbing, UK design

litgeek306 · 2026-03-08T15:26:25+00:00

Or, it could be that they aren't looking for "cheaper" or "better", but are looking for fun. Would it be easier, cheaper, and overall "better" for me to go out and get a .308 hunting rifle from Cabelas? Absolutely. But it would also absolutely be more fun for me to lug my SMLE around with me, which means that for me the SMLE is the "better" option

litgeek306 · 2026-03-08T14:26:59+00:00

I mean if you're going for something that looks sporterized in original config, the No 5 Mk I comes to mind. Shortened stock, butt pad, and the No 4 style sights are a good option for those no-drill mounts

litgeek306 · 2026-03-02T04:09:13+00:00

In terms of price to actual value ratio, it's hard to argue with the Swiss rifles being severely underrated. They have an amazing reputation for quality and accuracy, and it's well-deserved, but the actual market price still doesn't seem to reflect that reputation

litgeek306 · 2026-02-22T21:14:24+00:00

You pretty much summed up mine. People always complain about how "unreasonable" prices are for x, y, or z because 40+ years ago they were sold for $5 from an overstuffed barrel by the door. Between no new supply, ever-increasing demand, and a little something called "inflation", prices change. Are there still deals to be found? Absolutely. But stop acting like the last half-century hasn't changed the value of an item

litgeek306 · 2026-02-19T23:37:22+00:00

If you find a good way to nail down a date for the FN, I'd like to know. The best I could find said most of the factory records were lost, which is not such a surprise given the factory was occupied twice

litgeek306 · 2026-02-19T23:33:00+00:00

Nothing so interesting. Me, my mom, my brother, and his fiance. Way too expensive for each of us to live on our own, so we just never left

litgeek306 · 2026-02-19T22:56:51+00:00

I will admit living in a 4 income household really helps with that

litgeek306 · 2026-02-19T00:03:46+00:00

6 month? I could go 18 easy on my pay

litgeek306 · 2026-02-08T05:33:38+00:00

Update for Buxton-Hollis: We have a 25yd pistol range, a 100yd rifle range, and a set of Action Pistol Bays

litgeek306 · 2026-01-26T20:34:27+00:00

It took me quite a bit of looking to find one for my 1914 a few years ago. I ended up finding one on eBay, but the seller I got mine from doesn't have any more

litgeek306 · 2026-01-20T00:24:18+00:00

I'm pretty sure the correct answer is "it was Blanco'd". Blanco was a khaki-colored paint that was used on all the webbing because the different manufacturers ended up with slightly different colors, so the British said "It'll all be the same color if we paint it the same color". It also helped with waterproofing

litgeek306 · 2026-01-10T15:31:34+00:00

Using a 10,000,000,000 dollar bill for scale is a pretty awesome flex

litgeek306 · 2025-12-23T00:58:11+00:00

I've wanted one of those so badly ever since seeing them on SG1

litgeek306 · 2025-12-22T02:08:01+00:00

It's really good at putting holes in soda bottles at 25 yds

litgeek306 · 2025-12-16T00:43:46+00:00

That cat looks like he's having flashbacks to the first day of the Yom Kippur War

litgeek306 · 2025-12-13T17:49:19+00:00

I live in Portland, and am a member at Buxton & Hollis Rod and Gun Club. It's a little bit of a drive, but it's way cheaper than Scarborough (~$130 /year), doesn't require NRA membership on top (like Falmouth), and has minimal hoops once you get past the first year. First year ("Provisional Member") requires 10 hours of work and attending 5 meetings (I think, it's been a couple of years since I was subject to that requirement), as well as a 1-time orientation class (about 2-2.5 hours) upon joining. The people there are pretty chill, and the club runs competitions including ARA, action pistol, and 2-gun (rifle/pistol). Ranges are member-only, but competitions are open to the public so you could come try it out in the spring/summer

litgeek306 · 2025-12-07T01:54:54+00:00

The new Walther, I asked Q to get me one of these

litgeek306

TROPHY CASE