A RALEIGH WW1 MILITARY BICYCLE

with its Pattern 1917 Enfield rifle shown further down this page

The original wreck initiall disassembled

 

Frame cleaned up

 

Test rigging of cleaned and painted components.

Progress temporarily halted, waiting delivery of more paint.

 

Rifle brackets fitted, and Boer War "Long Lee-Enfield in place.

 

Remaining ancillary components cleaned and primed

Brake fittings, rear carrier and Lucas "King of the Road" Challenger bell.

 

More original Brooks saddle located, as well as early cross-bar tool bag.

 

Highly topical advertisement for Raleigh cycles

 

Arrival of new "vintage" tyres and tubes

 

The almost finished article, which rides well, but cannot stop until the brakes are fitted!

(Although firing a few rounds from the rifle may act as a retro-rocket)

 

Ready for the off.

 

And, finally, , for comparison, the before-seen WW2 brother,

the parachutist's folding BSA bicycle.

 

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PATTERN '17 - 30.06 inch calibre U.S. ENFIELD "No.3T" SNIPER RIFLE

as carried on the subject bicycle.

____________________

Aldis Pattern 1916 telescopic sight fitment.

 

This is an all-original rifle and 'scope, bar the necessary replacement for the front 'scope mount, missing after deactivation of rifle.

 

Plan of components for mount - and the three newly made sections

 

Offset boring of base plate

 

Fettling of eccentrically bored base plate

 

Newly turned flanged cylinder pressed into base plate, and unit tacked to tapered-bore barrel sleeve

 

Mk.I mount in situ, and video of Mk.II mount weld up

 

Removal of fore-sight for fitment of finished mount to barrel - (using ball-joint breaker!)

 

Part stripped rifle

 

Telescope in place on new front mount

with rare back-up "U"-notched rear-sight protruding through woodwork of upper handguard

 

Finished rifle RHS

 

 

and LHS