THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS

John Milewski takes delivery of one of the first SMLE replicas to reach the UK

Collectors have been eagerly awaiting news of the CO2-powered Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) or affectionately called the ‘Smelly’ by generations of British servicemen, for some time. Well, the wait is finally over and I am indebted to Mike and Charlie at the Shooting Party for the loan of one of the first rifles to reach the UK.

Rifle is probably the wrong term, because the CO2 variant is smooth-bored rather than rifled and is designed to repeat on BB/ball rather than fire single pellets. However, the heft of the Smelly is so realistic that the term ‘rifle’ comes to the fore sooner than ‘BB gun’.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Many modern airguns are supplied in nondescript, plain packaging that is soon thrown away, but not so this model. The Smelly comes in a well-illustrated sturdy card box and moulded polystyrene base that keeps the airgun safe from knocks during transit and is worth retaining. There are no accessories other than a hex key for CO2 charging, and a very well presented manual that was clearly written and illustrated by people who are familiar with the gun and its operation. It makes a very nice change to see such a comprehensive manual that has not been translated from another language and written in tiny font, so full marks here. It even demonstrates basic field stripping for added realism.

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