good and bad points of the Gibbs No 7 Enfield?

[Deadman]

Here in Australia because of the registration process ( permit to acquire ) it basically becomes a one gun per month type deal.

I should receive my first permit to acquire by mid October for a .22 cal rifle.
So once I have a CZ 452 varmint I will immediately send in the second permit to acquire for my first centerfire rifle.

Unfortunately money has suddenly become a factor so I'm leaning towards a good quality Enfield, specifically the Gibbs No. 7. ( I'm in the Aus. Army reserve and
would prefer to stick to standard military calibers )

So what I'd like to know, is the Gibbs No. 7 the best .308 enfield available?
How is the accuracy compared to a No.4 enfield.
And all the other normal concerns - reliability, recoil etc.

As an aside if you could only have one rifle for a survival scenario ( not a shtf scenario, just survival ) would you take a No.7 and have better ammo availability, or would you
take a No.4 Enfield.

And lastly if there is anything else I've missed please speak up.

Thanks.

 

[James K]

The Gibbs No.7 is a cut down Ishapore 2A rifle. It is, AFAIK, the only 7.62x51 (7.62 NATO) Lee-Enfield available at the moment, so it is both the best and the worst. The 2A was made of better steel than the old Rifle No. 1 Mk III, but it is basically the same except for caliber.

I don't know if there is any availability in Australia of the 7.62 conversions of the Rifle No.4, but that would be a better platform for the caliber than the 2A.

There are credible reports that the 2A (and hence the Gibbs No. 7) has not stood up well to firing commercial .308 Winchester loads, which have a higher pressure than the military spec 7.62 NATO.

I have a 2A and it is very accurate; I do not have a Gibbs No. 7, so I cannot answer for them. I think that if size and weight are not a factor, I would prefer the original 2A before it was cut down. That way, you avoid any problems that the conversion may have created, and the cost is probably less.

You might want to check out the Lee-Enfield forum on www.gunandknife.com, where there has been a lot of discussion on the Gibbs rifles (mainly negative because the group is Enfield collectors who hate to see the rifles cut up) and some objective reports of shooting tests.

Jim