As moderator of the Colonial Adventures board, it falls to me to award you membership of an elite society, one which dates back to LAF's early days: The Wrongly-Painted Rifle Club. Don't feel bad, I am a founder member myself, and there is no shame in it.
You see, the upper part of a SMLE is mostly made of wood...
But painting it as metal is such an easy mistake to make, quite a few of us have done it.
So welcome to the club, the first drink is free, and do keep us informed with the progress of this project, however you paint the rifles (and don't worry about it, it's just a bit of fun).