Using a C No.7 Mk1 receiver for .303?????

If you have a C No7 receiver I think you would have no problem trading it for a regular No4 receiver.

other then that I don't see why you couldn't make a center fire out of it. The bolt will be your problem, but a No4 bolt is easy to find.

I have a 1912 .22RF trainer that was converted to 22 Hornet, all they did was ream the chamber and change the bolt, and fit a magazine.
 
Nobody really knows if they were heat treated the same as the .303 receivers.

They are probably fine...probably.

But they've never been proofed in .303 and were not intended for that use.

So you're on your own as to whether it's safe.

There are so many .303's around....why go this route?

Klondiker said:
Good day folks,

Is it possible to use a .22 C No.7 Mk1 receiver for a center fire build?

Are they made any different than a No.4 receiver? Any info would be a great help.

Thanks!
Greg
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I've been posting looking for a sportered number 4 that isn't drilled and tapped but i haven't had much luck. Either the price is way out or I'm too late and somebody else grabs it.

I have everything required to for the builds, just not the receiver.

It's not likely that what i find will be matching so if can use a nice C No.7 receiver, than that will be fine.

Thanks guys!

Any and all comments are welcome.

cantom said:
Nobody really knows if they were heat treated the same as the .303 receivers.

They are probably fine...probably.

But they've never been proofed in .303 and were not intended for that use.

So you're on your own as to whether it's safe.

There are so many .303's around....why go this route?
Click to expand...
 
Klondiker said:
I've been posting looking for a sportered number 4 that isn't drilled and tapped but i haven't had much luck. Either the price is way out or I'm too late and somebody else grabs it.

I have everything required to for the builds, just not the receiver.

It's not likely that what i find will be matching so if can use a nice C No.7 receiver, than that will be fine.

Thanks guys!

Any and all comments are welcome.
Click to expand...

Someone would likely trade you a whole sprterized No.4 with intact receiver for an original No.7 receiver. Post o the EE. Also, local gunshops get No.4 sporters in all the time. Most are not drilled or tapped.
 
Klondiker said:
Good day folks,

Is it possible to use a .22 C No.7 Mk1 receiver for a center fire build?

Are they made any different than a No.4 receiver? Any info would be a great help.

Thanks!
Greg
Click to expand...

Some C.No7 receivers are salvaged (during manufacture) no4 receivers remarked at Long Branch as .22s. Others were new production.

The easiest indicator of this to pick out without pulling a rifle out of wood is the scalloped shelf on the left side which was discontinued during mid 1943 No4 production.

http://www.milsurps.com/content.php?r=152-1944-C-No.7-.22-Caliber-Lee-Enfield-Training-Rifle

the "1944" dated receivers illustrated at the link are salvaged (during manufacture) 1942/1943 manufactured No4 receivers as they show the scalloped sidewall which was dropped from production during mid 1943. The 1945 & 1946 dated receivers at the link show the straight angled rise to the receiver side.

This salvaging of failed .303 receivers is why you can find 1944/45/46 dated No7 receivers which show machining characteristics which had been discontinued in 1942 & 1943.

I was of the opinion that the 1945 & 1946 receivers were all "new built" as No7s until I found a 1946 dated receiver which showed 1942/43 machining characteristics.

We cannot say exactly what problems (miss machining corrected by welding?? perhaps) caused these salvaged receivers to be set aside and later re-used to manufacture .22 trainers during the war, so I would avoid using them for full power centre fire cartridges.
 
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The local gun shop gets lots of Lee Enfield sporters and sells them for a flat $100, without magazine. At the Orangeville gun show two weekends back, he sold six of them.
 
Ganderite said:
We used a bunch of #7 receivers to build 308 target rifles back in the day. If they are good enough for 308 they are good enough for 303.
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I have seen CNo7 barreled actions chambered in 5.56 and used effectively at the long ranges.

The Lee Enfield design is not especially strong, but I can't imagine the engineers at Long Branch intentionally leaving out a fundamental step. They knew they were making good rifles, and there wasn't much to gain from not sticking to the well-established workflow.
 
The C#7 actions I saw converted to 308 were all post war actions purpose built as #7s. There were a lot of surplus actions floating around. I know Epps had some, too.

It may be that defective 303 actions were also consigned to be made as 22s. I don't know anything about that.
 
If you could pm me the info on the dealer, it would be much appreciated. Any place of i can think in central and southern alberta has turned out to be dry. Even Ellwood Epps doesn't have any.

Any help would be great.
Thanks

slug said:
The local gun shop gets lots of Lee Enfield sporters and sells them for a flat $100, without magazine. At the Orangeville gun show two weekends back, he sold six of them.
Click to expand...
 
Lee Enfield said:
Some C.No7 receivers are salvaged (during manufacture) no4 receivers remarked at Long Branch as .22s. Others were new production.

The easiest indicator of this to pick out without pulling a rifle out of wood is the scalloped shelf on the left side which was discontinued during mid 1943 No4 production.

http://www.milsurps.com/content.php?r=152-1944-C-No.7-.22-Caliber-Lee-Enfield-Training-Rifle

the "1944" dated receivers illustrated at the link are salvaged (during manufacture) 1942/1943 manufactured No4 receivers as they show the scalloped sidewall which was dropped from production during mid 1943. The 1945 & 1946 dated receivers at the link show the straight angled rise to the receiver side.

This salvaging of failed .303 receivers is why you can find 1944/45/46 dated No7 receivers which show machining characteristics which had been discontinued in 1942 & 1943.

I was of the opinion that the 1945 & 1946 receivers were all "new built" as No7s until I found a 1946 dated receiver which showed 1942/43 machining characteristics.

We cannot say exactly what problems (miss machining corrected by welding?? perhaps) caused these salvaged receivers to be set aside and later re-used to manufacture .22 trainers during the war, so I would avoid using them for full power centre fire cartridges.
Click to expand...

I have a pair of the stripped receivers: .22"/Long Branch/1944 and .22"/Long Branch/1945. Both have fully flat left side walls.

As far as heat treatment goes, aren't Lee Enfield receivers induction hardened in the locking abutment areas, but otherwise are quite soft?
 
I recall reading that they are so hard, that on the sniper line, they'd do the drilling and tapping first, and then send the receivers to be hardened after that step.

I've spoken to people that have broken taps trying to tap the things. Harder than the hubs of hell.
 
I've drilled and tapped a lot of receivers, never found a hard one.
If you have a scrap receiver, soak it in rust remover. You will see the two hardened locking abutment areas, they will show a different colour.
 
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