Enfield 303
- Thread starter Eagleman
- Start date
Mike Irwin
Staff
You can, but I don't know how available they are in this country.
The Canadians and the Austrialians, where these guns were popular and available for a long time, did various neck-ups & neck-downs of the .303 Brit cartridge and rechambered/rebarreled Enfield rifles.
There was one, a 6.5/.303, that had some really interesting ballistics.
The Canadians and the Austrialians, where these guns were popular and available for a long time, did various neck-ups & neck-downs of the .303 Brit cartridge and rechambered/rebarreled Enfield rifles.
There was one, a 6.5/.303, that had some really interesting ballistics.
No.4 rifles can be rebarreled to .308 Win. The conversion requires a new extractor and magazine and, if you want absolute reliability, some machining of the feed lips in the receiver although you can do without this if you don't mind the occasional failure to feed.
Most of the ones done in England were heavy barrel ones with the woodwork cut back to about halfway. They ranged from professional conversions with new stocks to minimum necessary to make it work. A few military profile barrels were also made but these are scarce.
The SMLE is insufficiently strong for this conversion.
Some work with No.4s has also been done on .223 conversions and 7.62x39mm
Most of the ones done in England were heavy barrel ones with the woodwork cut back to about halfway. They ranged from professional conversions with new stocks to minimum necessary to make it work. A few military profile barrels were also made but these are scarce.
The SMLE is insufficiently strong for this conversion.
Some work with No.4s has also been done on .223 conversions and 7.62x39mm
Just one more thing, I bought a #4 Enfield .303 about a year ago at Big 5 Sporting goods, great deal, only $70 plus registration. It took visits to three different stores to find one in satisfactory condition, but I am really happy with what I got. While there, I also saw some enfields that were already rechambered to .308 and all had actions that were completely new. They went for about $130 on sale and would also be a screaming deal. one tip though if you go this rout, be sure that the action isn't over greased to cover up any binding, and also check the barrel for any fouling. You must remember that most of these guns are 50-60 years old. If you keep your eye out and play your cards right you can't go wrong, these guns were built to last.
Anglewood, you must be talking about Ishapore Enfields. Those were made specifically for the 308 cal in India in the sixties. That's a whole different ball game: they were made to withstand the pressure.
Among the different versions based on the 303 cartridge, besides the 6.5-303, there's the 25-303 that was quite popular at some point, but the hot ticket for the time being is the 303 Epps, some sort of fireformed 303 with less body taper and blown shoulders, kinda of Ackley Imp style. Zorro's got the URL right.
Among the different versions based on the 303 cartridge, besides the 6.5-303, there's the 25-303 that was quite popular at some point, but the hot ticket for the time being is the 303 Epps, some sort of fireformed 303 with less body taper and blown shoulders, kinda of Ackley Imp style. Zorro's got the URL right.