Ripe For Conversion!

John Milewski studies a remarkable airgun modification

Once again, I am indebted to Airgun World reader, Dave Matlock, for the loan of this month’s test rifle, which he has assembled from new and original parts. Dave has competently modified several air rifles to resemble firearms, and the rifle we have before us started life as a Pre-Charged Pneumatic (PCP). Dave wanted the rifle to resemble the Lee Enfield No 4 Service rifle and sourced original woodwork before fusing his vision together in his workshop.

Firstly, an apology; last month I mentioned Dave’s M1 Carbine lacked a magazine. Dave did make a dummy magazine to hide the rifle’s plumbing, but it dropped out of the gun bag and into a dark corner of my gunroom before my wife found it when cleaning – sorry Dave!

SERVICE RIFLE

The No 4 was Britain’s primary service rifle from the Second World War until it was replaced by the semi-automatic L1A1 in 1957. It saw service around the world and made a good account of itself in varying theatres of operation due to its robust nature and reliability. The No 4 came with aperture sights as standard and was also used in service rifle competitions for decades at Bisley, where it was considered an accurate and well-made rifle. Dave has placed an SMK 900 action within a No 4 stock, and then machined fittings such as barrel bands, a working bolt and sights, which has resulted in an eye-catching replica that is hard to tell apart from an original at first glance.