I have a spare complete SMLE bolt and receiver. The barrel is a bent sewer pipe. I also have some wood removed from some "sporters" I restored over the years. I would love to turn my box of parts into a .45acp plinker and suppressor host. I am not looking to make anything historically correct, just something fun. Any suggestions? I remember kits years ago but they seemed to have dried up about the same time as all the cheap and plentiful surplus SMLEs

http://www.specialinterestarms.com/index.php?page=enfield_conversions
http://www.specialinterestarms.com/index.php?page=delisle

Let us know if you go with Special Interest. I have a Mk 4 No 1 that was converted to 308 Win back in the 60s that I'm considering as a 45 ACP build.

I've got one of the Special Interest Arms kits.


*Disclaimer: I assembled it myself and broke the ejector*

It's a neat rifle, albeit a little quirky. During assembly I damaged the ejector and removed it from my rifle. As long as you are not being a sissy when running the bolt the majority shells eject fine, despite the demonstration in the video I'm usually 9/10 rounds ejecting right. I'm not really impressed with the kit's standard ejector stud anyways and if I was going to do this again I'd send the receiver to Richard at SIA to have his improved tig welded one installed.

The other quirk seems to be mostly magazine related. I've got Wilson Combat 47D's, Chip McCormic Powermags, and a Remington 1911 mag. The feed lips on 1911 magazines are seemingly too short and if you are not running the bolt like you got a pair the rounds can slip past the feedlips and miss the extractor, thus becoming airborne. The fault in the design of this conversion, in my opinion, is the distance the rounds have to travel from the time they leave the feedlips to being chambered. It is quite a long distance and requires a lot of inertia to maintain. My understanding of the original DeLisle carbine is that the barrel's chamber actually come quite far back into the receiver and there is no long distance for the cartridge to travel



Also, I've also yet to get this gun to reliably feed with more than 5 rounds in the magazine. But like I said, I believe this to be a magazine issue.

Despite all of it's quirks it is one of my favorite rifles to shoot and will be in my collection forever. It's surprisingly quiet. Minimal recoil. I can run it well enough that I would not hesitate to take it out rabbit hunting.

I have e-mailed SIA asking about kits and or conversion services but not yet received a reply. It's only been a couple days. I kinda get the impression from the website that they are not really interested in these projects anymore so I don't know how responsive they will be.

Personally, I would love a conversion kit and the challenge to make something neat out of what is essentially a box of old, take-off, SMLE parts I have right now.

R3, sweet build

I am not looking to do anything that refined. More of a Godfray De Lisle meets Jed Clampett sort of thing.

I'd slap my own mother for a DeLisle 

I just realized that I also have a spare Sterling folding buttstock assembly left over from a parts kit. This build has potential if I can find a .45acp conversion kit.

Having a real one (Delisle that is), I can say it is the crown jewel of my collections. It's a 2 tax gun, but worth every penny. And never ceases to put a smile on my face when fired.

It's truly a gentleman's rifle.

Pictures, please! Is it a Valkyrie Arms one?

I'm out of town with work right now, and it's at my dads place (same trust). It is a valkyrie arms reproduction. Having seen a real one in person and having shot them side by side, I can honestly say the Valkyrie models are the closest anyone is going to get with out a time machine or spending an ungodly amount of money.

They have a few cosmetic differences. But they sound the same and unless you're Ian McCollum you'd probably not be able to tell the difference without having them side by side to compare.

If you strike out, Rhineland still offers kits for sale, but it will be for Mauser actions here

This thread caught me eye because I don't understand why there are still no inexpensive 9mm or 45 bolt actions being produced.  Talk about cheap suppressed fun.  If I did not have my 300 BO I would go insane.

It's a pretty small market. SIA started building 9mm bolt guns he starts with the armscor base gun. I've shot one and it is pretty quiet. I just wish there was a cuper cheap simple auto like a camp carbine available currently.

Guess I'll stick with Sub2k and maybe chop it to 5" or so.

$750 for the armscor conversion.  If they can make a centerfire bolt rifle for $350 at wal mart, they can do a pistol caliber bolt (much less stress on an action) for $350.

The sub2k would be handy, but still not as quiet as a locked breach gun.

Maybe I need to come up with some sort of bolt lock for my 9mm AR?

Richard at SIA said he's pretty busy with current orders, trying to get them out until Christmas.

I know he's lacking in the customer service field, but he's doing the work and trying to reply to hundred of emails.

My Silent Carbine turned out great! I was sad to see he's shelving any new Silent Carbine orders to focus on new projects.

NICE

Hope to do a similar build one day on a No.4 I have, (it's present guise is bored out single shot .410)
Luckily, we're not stuck with a $200 type fee here for silencers, etc....and integrally moderated guns are just listed as ".45 rifle" on the paperwork, so not even a need to use a "slot" for the moderator.
We can go down as short as 12" barrels as standard = so just a case of timing the purchase/conversion & getting the gunsmith to do the work

Anyone have a source for Sterling SMG folding stocks/grips?

The stress has nothing to do with the pricing it’s all volume. A 9mm bolt gun with detachable mags is every bit as complex as any centerfire.

I won't disagree.  

I just wish they would come up with a smaller length action, budget orientated pistol caliber bolt