Looking for a custom Lee Enfield - anyone interested?

Yes, I understand that this project is intricate, but I'm hoping there is someone out there that can and is willing to move forward with this project.

I know the bumping of this thread can seem like it's nagging, but I try to keep it at once a day so that it allows those potential gunsmiths who don't frequent the sub-forum as often to see a recent thread. I may even be in the wrong sub-forum this whole time :(

Maybe it will help to post a picture of the rifle design? It probably won't help to show the exterior design I had in mind but maybe it's something different to try out to get someone on board.
 
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Well, you can't just "rechamber" a .303 barrel to 7.62x39; you will have to rebarrel, which will run up your cost considerably. The No. 5 butt pad is probably the worst recoil pad ever put on a rifle, but the 7.62x39 recoil is fairly light, so it might not bother you much.

I think converting the magazine to the much smaller based cartridge will not be easy, but it can be done, though at some significant cost, and maybe at the expense of a few magazines.

Modifying the No. 5 clip guide to accept SKS clips would not be difficult but would be time-consuming and probably costly, as it would involve welding up the existing guide and recutting the slot, probably with a Dremel tool.

Are you planning to do the work yourself, or have a gunsmith do it, or a combination? The problem I see is that you will spend a lot of money, wreck a fairly desirable collectible (if the No. 4 is in good shape), and end up with a rifle that you will like but which will likely be little interest to anyone else should you ever try to sell it.

Jim
 
Yes, I understand that there must be a rebarrel done, and I'm sure the conversion implies many more internal details. I'm hoping there's a gunsmith out there that can do the majority/all of the conversion, and the aesthetic detailing is secondary.

I really want the rifle to match the original design but with a little bit of a personal touch. So, I figure a No.5 style rubber butt pad matches nicely, and functions better than the brass one.

I plan on keeping this converted piece and not selling it.
 
As long as you know what you are getting into, have at it and I hope you have an active gunsmith who will help you.

Jim
 
Marstar is sold out of AIA rifles. The 7.62 x 39 rifles are long gone too. I believe AIA is gone as well.
Using a non-previously bubba'd No. 5 will cause a riot. Few Stateside smithies have the capability to turn the threads. They are no where near standard American receiver threads.
"...No. 5 style rubber butt pad..." Friggin' thing is India rubber.
 
I'm looking to customize from a No.4 that needs some cosmetic TLC, but is mechanically good.

Otherwise, I'd keep the original parts and source extras for the mod.
 
Hi Lee Enfield
After considering this project, I don't think I have the time to take it on right now. If you are still looking in January or so, we can talk.
 
I'll take you up on that Scorch. Instead of the 7.62x39, I'm thinking it fires both 7.62x51 and 308 Winchester. I know the Ishapores and DCRAs are there but I want to control for quality and ensure that both calibers will fire.
 
Bad idea.

.308/7.62x51 are higher pressure than then .303 the rifle was designed for.

Yes, India made some 7.62 NATO Enfields, but they were designed for the higher pressure.
 
Mea culpa with the wording.
I don't mean that I believe it will fire both calibers as is.

I'd like the No4 Mk2 modified to fire 7.62 Nato and 308 calibers, instead of the 7.62x39.
 
That doesn't change the fact that the the Enfields actions designed for .303 British were never intended to handle the pressure of a .308 or 7.62X51.

Can you get away with it? Possibly, of you can find a smith willing to do the work, but it doesn't mean it is a good idea.

At minimum, you will need a new barrel, bolt, extractor, magazine, and probably some other stuff. Ishapore also used a different stronger alloy and heat treating, something you can't do to your rifle.

It would probably be cheaper just to buy an Ishapore Enfield, like this one:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=444268849
 
It will be costly and involves new parts for the modification, but I don't mind.

I'm just not a fan of the Ishapore's aesthetic design.
 
Look up the Enfield Envoy target rifle and L42A1 sniper rifle.
They were 7.62 NATO conversions of No 4 rifles.
The armorers kit included a barrel, magazine, and bolt head, as I recall.

The Ishapore 7.62 is not just an aesthetic difference, it is a different machine, being based on the No 1 rifle, upgraded by use of stronger steel to make up for its limber design.
 
I was able to look up those details and the L42A1 before on the 'net.

However, if I go that route, I'd still have to change the design a bit on the L42A1 to make it look the way I want, and keep the original parts.

I do prefer the original No4 (aesthetic) design.
 
I'm sorry, what is wrong with the rifle now?

You wanted originally 7.62X39, which I can understand from a price of ammo and reduced recoil standpoint, but neither of those exist with .308. Price is a little less, and availability a little more currently, but this is not always the case.

If you handload, it is a wash.

The .308 is more powerful than the .303, but not by a large margin, only a hundred FPS or so in most bullet weights. If you hunt, there isn't anything you could shoot with a .308 that a .303 wouldn't kill just as well.
 
I am hoping to get the rifle made to shoot both 7.62x51 and 308 Winchester.

The 308 Winchester is an, "if it can be done, why not" add-on.
 
You may not want the look of the L42A1, but it shows the mechanical changes necessary to convert a No 4 to 7.62 NATO.

By the way, the difference in 7.62x51 NATO and .308 Winchester are very slight and based mostly on the need of the Army to fire automatic weapons hot, dirty, and with ammo from all over the Western world. A minimum .308 chamber might not handle some of the crap surplus that turns up every once in a while. I don't care, I don't shoot surplus.
 
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