S&T Lee-Enfield has landed !

[Nick G]

Genuine front cap fitted, needed very slight fettling, and my Father in laws bayonet .

Not the greatest picture, I'll take more at the weekend.

[Spartan09]

1 hour ago, Nick G said:

Genuine front cap fitted, needed very slight fettling, and my Father in laws bayonet .

Not the greatest picture, I'll take more at the weekend.

Nice.

 

How much fettling was required to get the nose cap to fit?  Thinking of doing the same to mine.

 

I dont have a real bayonet, but I did purchase a rubber replica from vintage airsoft (along with a rubber commando Dagger for a seperate ww2 loadout) ,  so at least I can skirmish with it

 

Crap pics I know, I took them late last night...

[Nick G]

9 minutes ago, Spartan09 said:

Nice.

 

How much fettling was required to get the nose cap to fit?  Thinking of doing the same to mine.

 

I dont have a real bayonet, but I did purchase a rubber replica from vintage airsoft (along with a rubber commando Dagger for a seperate ww2 loadout) ,  so at least I can skirmish with it

 

Crap pics I know, I took them late last night...

It really was a very small amount of fettling. 5 minutes with a file . I popped off the black plate behind the front sight (it's just a press fit) and filed the front lip down a bit , kept trying the front cap and filing  untill it fitted . I deliberatly left it at the 'quite tight' stage . The original front cross bolt and lower screw went straight back in.

[Armo1000]

Anyone know if you need to lubricate the bolt at all (seems a bit stiff) or if it will just loosen up with use?

[EDcase]

21 minutes ago, Armo1000 said:

Anyone know if you need to lubricate the bolt at all (seems a bit stiff) or if it will just loosen up with use?

Can't hurt to oil it.

Moving parts always have to wear in.

[Nick G]

Ran mine today, very impressed with how it shoots out of the box. Seems happy on .30's decent range and accuracy . Going to keep the power level at 'skirmish' levels rather that sniper. Fun to use it that way.

[EvilMonkee]

4 hours ago, Nick G said:

Ran mine today, very impressed with how it shoots out of the box. Seems happy on .30's decent range and accuracy . Going to keep the power level at 'skirmish' levels rather that sniper. Fun to use it that way.

Yeh mine chronos at 335 on .2s and 235 on .3s.  Perfect for just leaving as it is.  Decent range too. Not fielded it in a game yet though

[Nick G]

Has anyone fitted an optic ? and if so what mount did you use ? A mate wants an optic on his, I'm quite happy with the irons on mine .

[Armo1000]

On 24/03/2022 at 19:08, Nick G said:

Has anyone fitted an optic ? and if so what mount did you use ? A mate wants an optic on his, I'm quite happy with the irons on mine .

 

Personally I would never put an optic on an SMLE. Historically this rifle was rarely scoped, and even though there was one sniper version it was not really favoured and rarely seen. An Enfield No4 on the other hand, i would love to see an airsoft version scoped one day (G&G im looking at you), but this isn't that model sadly. Also drilling some modern rails on this 100 year old rifle, is just a big no from me lol. But that's just my preference. 

 

If you really wanted it, at a push i would suggest this configuration but would be very difficult and expensive to fabricate.

 

Edited March 30, 2022 by Armo1000

[SilentSparky]

So an update, over the past couple of months, I've slowly sanded off the original varnish and just about finished recoating.

 

I used 3x coats of water based wood stain (Dark Walnut), then 3x coats of Danish oil.  I picked up a repro butt plate and tarnished with some salt & vinegar, it's not perfect fit, but better than the metal one it comes with.

 

Happy enough with it, it's far from perfect, but then that adds a bit of character 🙂

 

Original vs real steel

 

Sanded

 

Reoiled

 

 

Butt plate

 

Edited October 10, 2022 by SilentSparky

[JamesAirsofterAgent]

On 10/03/2022 at 21:04, Spartan09 said:

Nice.

 

How much fettling was required to get the nose cap to fit?  Thinking of doing the same to mine.

 

I dont have a real bayonet, but I did purchase a rubber replica from vintage airsoft (along with a rubber commando Dagger for a seperate ww2 loadout) ,  so at least I can skirmish with it

 

Crap pics I know, I took them late last night...

How much did the bayonet set you back & dont suppose you know if theyre selling anymore? The shop section on their website gives me an error. Just got myself one of these as a rebuild for just over £350, shoots 335 on .28s so it looks like I'll be needing to learn the ways of shooting from afar and also learn how far 30m is for the minimum engagement distance. I've only got the one mag at the moment, can't really see myself needing more than 2?

Edited December 1, 2022 by JamesAirsofterAgent

[Spartan09]

On 01/12/2022 at 01:02, JamesAirsofterAgent said:

How much did the bayonet set you back & dont suppose you know if theyre selling anymore? The shop section on their website gives me an error. Just got myself one of these as a rebuild for just over £350, shoots 335 on .28s so it looks like I'll be needing to learn the ways of shooting from afar and also learn how far 30m is for the minimum engagement distance. I've only got the one mag at the moment, can't really see myself needing more than 2?

I dont recall how much the bayonet cost from vintage airsoft,  however I would avoid it anyway as the blade was too brittle and snapped off in the scabbard before I could use it much.

 

VA also seems to have closed his stores down, as even his Etsy page is blank.

 

 

If you want a bayonet, I just bought another one from Shoot and Scoot. 

https://shootandscoot.co.uk/products/smle-bayonet

 

Blade is a little less floppy than the VA version and it's made from a single rubber moulding, rather than a plastic blade screwed between 2 halves of a handle like VA... I havent skirmished with the S&S bayonet yet, but it feels of better quality than the one from VA.

 

 

As for magazines,  it depends how trigger happy you are..   I have 5 mags and can easily get through 4 1/2 mags in one game (though I am still trying to master the art of long distance shooting, so take from that what you will...  😃 )

[Armo1000]

Just seen this. Was expecting S&T to put this out for some time. Interesting to see how it compares to the Ares No4.  

[Spartan09]

3 hours ago, Armo1000 said:

Just seen this. Was expecting S&T to put this out for some time. Interesting to see how it compares to the Ares No4.  

Damn..  and just after I bought my G&G gas No.4...

 

Still, if the quality is as good as the SMLE, it should do well...  plus if the mags are the same, even better

[The_Lord_Poncho]

I've been tempted by a Lee Enfield for a while. Hopefully this has ironed out the minor kinks that existed with the original - which I understand was somewhat better regarded than the Ares, despite being cheaper?

 

And if so, once I've been able to see a few reviews I might have to cave in! The weathered examples of the original model earlier in this thread look fantastic, and I suspect that's a rather fun process to undertake.

[Armo1000]

1 hour ago, The_Lord_Poncho said:

I've been tempted by a Lee Enfield for a while. Hopefully this has ironed out the minor kinks that existed with the original - which I understand was somewhat better regarded than the Ares, despite being cheaper?

 

And if so, once I've been able to see a few reviews I might have to cave in! The weathered examples of the original model earlier in this thread look fantastic, and I suspect that's a rather fun process to undertake.

 

Not sure the S&T is so much better regarded that the Ares, than it is preferred due to its much lower price. I own both and i must say that the Ares is one of the most realistic feeling and expertly finished airsoft replicas i own. If you want a high quality replica, you have to pay for it. And even that said, its very good value for money considering real No4 rifles and especially the No4T are in the thousands. I like the S&T allot, especially for its price (i got mine for £299) but it doesn't hold a candle to the finish of the Ares. 

Edited March 1 by Armo1000

[gavinkempsell]

Like/love my S&T MkIII, I'll add a MkIV some day.

Shame the hop adjust is so obvious.

Edited March 1 by gavinkempsell

[Enid_Puceflange]

3 minutes ago, gavinkempsell said:

Like/love my S&T MkIII, I'll add a MkIV some day.

Shame the hop adjust is so obvious.

 

But must make hop adjustment on the fly,easy if necessary?

[gavinkempsell]

Presumably, but not planning to using it in game, got a set of 1908 webbing just in case I change my mind.