SPORTERIZED 303 BRITISH

[BIG POPPA]

I bought this rifle used and like a dummy never fired it. I sighted it in at 25 yards with a scope. Can not get a grouped pattern. The scope is new and has been boresighted. You may shoot one time and it'll be dead center and the next shots will be all over the paper. The scope seems to be tight. Somebody told me my barrell may be shot out. If it is where can I get a new barrel or if I can't get a new barrell can I possibly get a barrell of a different caliber that will fit the gun? Any info will be appreciated.

[gunnut69]

Indeed the barrel may be worn out, or the scope may be shifting.  The scope may have a problem itself.  These rifles are available for very modest amounts.  This makes rebarreling usually a poor financial idea.  Where was the rifle purchased?  Most gunshops will allow a return if the rifle has problems, within a reasonable timeframe.  Does the rifle group better with the open sights?  That would indicate a problem with the scope or it's mounts.  Enfields are good solid rifles.  They have some drawbacks but are quite effective rifles.  
Good luck!

[BIG POPPA]

I had the barrel checked and there is no riffling left in the barrel. It looks like it's completly worn out.

[Naphtali]

BIG POPPA:

Many years ago I wrote an article on the No. 4 Mk. I series -- which I believe is, perhaps, the finest turn bolt action to use except target shooting. But guys, please, let's not fight about this.

Anyway, having a shot-out barrel, you have an opportunity to have made a barrel that will fire: factory .303 British, factory .30-40 KJ; and what I describe as .30-40 KJ Improved. This is nothing more than a chamber for any of the improved versions of the Krag -- but includes an exaggerated leade. The barrel is .30-caliber, not .303-caliber. The chamber with leade allows the .303 factory-loaded ammunition to slightly resize the .303 bullet without raising pressure beyond No. 4's intended safe parameters. So premium 30-caliber bullets can be used in your handloads, as well as .303 bullets in off-the-shelf ammunition.

The principle behind this is not my own. Circa early 1900s, the German army converted many M1888 Commission rifles to the new .323 spitzgeschoss bullet by exaggerating the leade in .318 M1888 rifles. These converted rifles were used by reserve troops during World War I.

In the case of the SMLEs headspacing on the rim adds a safety margin because: it's simpler to create correct headspace; and rimmed cartridge breeching of SMLE is inherently safer than rimless cartridge headspacing.

While you can throw a lot of dollars at the solution and buy conversion kit for 7.62x51 mm, why bother?

[Ed Harris]

You should be able to find a new No. 4 replacement barrel in .303 fairly inexpensively, but unless you have one of the better actions, such as a late WWII Cdn Long Branch or Savage I would not put much money into any gunsmithing, as these guns aren't worth much on the used market. The metallurgy on many UK WWII manufacture .303s is questionable.  

I would stick with the original .303 caliber, as ammunition is common and cheap, and the rifle feeds more reliably and is safer in its original caliber.  Even with the better late actions, it is still rear locking and is marginal at best when converted to 7.62mm NATO.  

I have a custom No. 4 Mk2* Long Branch which was rebuilt into a half-stock, target rifle, resembling the Enfield Envoy, with quick detachable scope mount, and A.J. Parker 8/53 target conversion of the Mk.I battlesight, done about 25 years ago.  Its hammer-forged barrel was made by Heym in W. Germany and has a heavy barrel of contour similar to a Remington 700 varmint, and has standard NATO military 7.62mm, 4 groove rifling dimensions, but it was chambered in .303 British.  The gunsmith who did the work used a reamer made by JGS from a Winchester accuracy test barrel print dated 1940, used for acceptance of Lend-Lease amunition.  You could just as well use a SAAMI dimensioned pressure-velocity barrel reamer, which has similar dimensions, and which will give much better case life and general accuracy than the typical sloppy "trench chamber" normally found.  

Accuracy is excellent with any normal factory .303 ammunition, Mk.VII and Mk.VIIIz, as well as commercial softpoints.  Action operation is smooth and rapid fire opening is easy with no pressure signs resulting from use of standard .303 lead-core ammunition in the tighter .30 cal. barrel.   My rifle also loves handloads with common .308" jacketed match bullets and groups as well as an accurized M1 rifle back, about 1.5 moa out to 600 yards.  Beyond 600 it will out-shoot all but the very best Garands, due to the strange "compensation" feature common to the No. 4 in which individual shots having slightly lower muzzle velocities are launched at a slightly higher angle of departure than higher velocity rounds, which tends to reduce vertical dispersion.  This quirk is very well documented and produces interesting results beyond the "cross-over" point, which occurs at about 800-900 yards.

I couldn't afford to have this work duplicated today, but am sure glad that I found this particular one, which outshoots a mid-1950s Holland & Holland reworked No. 4 Mk.*T  which it replaced.  If you ever find a Commonwealth Target Rifle in .303 do jump onto the opportunity!

[SeaBass]

You didn't say what model rifle you have but Numrich has used enfield barrels with good bores for just over $20.00.  That would be the cheapest way to end up with a good shooter.

http://www.e-gunparts.com/productschem.asp?chrMasterModel=1990zNO.1%20MKIII

[csam]

there are a few makers that make barells in the .311 bore that could be made to fit to your action.  If you like the gun, there is no reason not to do it other than it will never be worth as much as you have in it.  I for one have had a couple and love 'em.  One is an excellent condition No4 MkII, that is actually one of the more accurate rifles I own,  the other  was a chopped up sporter that I sold to a friend to do the same thing you are looking to do.   You could also sith another calibre, but there are better actions for higher pressure cartridges, and the .303 british is a great cartridge.  

I like the feel of the No4 action and the No1 for that matter.  They are some fast and smooth actions.   Since it is already chopped up, you are not destrying anything of real value, and it is a great starting point.  

Get a new barrel and check out this link, he will contour yor blank and barrel hedspace your action for about $100 I think.  He built me a 22-250 on a Mauser action and an ebay barrel that came out great.

http://www.jimsgunsmithing.com/

[Mikey]

Check out the Montana Rifleman for a new barrel for that 303, if you intend to rebarrel it - that is, if your action is one of the better ones.  That would be either a Long Branch action or a Stevens Action.  

The Montana Rifleman will rebarrel your SMLE with a nice tight brand spankin' new 303 barrel in .311 diameter bore.  They will not rebarrel in a caliber the action is not designed to handle.  I'm not certain of the cost of their 303 barrels but their workmanship is of excellent quality.  Also, you can buy a mil-surp bbl for about $20 and that's what you get, a mil-surp barrel that was pulled from another rifle and they are worth $20.  

I have always liked that 303 British caliber and feel it doesn't give up anything to the 308, when properly loaded.  The 303 Brit used to take the Wimbleton Cup at the 1K yd line away from the 30-06, until they developed a heavy bullet (190 gns) for the 06, so that tells you something about the 303 British caliber.  HTH.  Mikey.

[Fla Brian]

You also might want to consider having it rebarreled in .45-70. Gibbs Rifles is selling such conversions right now. It should be able to handle loads at least in the Marlin lever gun class.

I've got a converted Siamese Mauser, and a .45-70 bolt gun is a real neat kind of rifle to shoot.