Making a No7 Lee

OkayShooter

OkayShooter

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I know a 303 barrel can be lined to 22LR.

I can get a RF bolt head, I assume a firing pin can be made, as seen one for 75$. Can you mod a No4 Extractior for 22LR? How do you adapt the No4 bolt body and firing pin to be off set? Shortern firing pin and a harden sleeve/piston?
 
FP can be made from a piece of steel rod of the correct diameter using an electric drill as a lathe. Spin the steel against a file to reduce the diameter until it is a good smooth fit in the hole in the bolt head. Adjust the protrusion.
The .303 barrel will require the chamber to be filled, with the filling piece protruding until it reaches the bolt face. It is taking up the space occupied by the .303 rim. Run the liner drill through the bore and the filler piece. I turn these to fit the chamber, others drill out the chamber and use a cylindrical filler. Bond the liner in, face off both ends, chamber & crown.
A .303 bolt head can be adapted. Solder the cut off firing pin to fill the hole. File the bolt face smooth. Locate and drill the smaller diameter hole through the bolt head. Reverse and drill the larger diameter hole deep enough. Lots of fiddling around, easy to mess up, start over.
Buying a .22 bolt head for $45 is worth it, unless you really want to convert a .303 head. The # of the bolt head doesn't matter - the breech protrusion is adjusted to reach the bolt face, and chambering sets headspace. Use a "0"; these are last desirable in .303. Don't pick a #3, these are useful if a .303 has excess headspace.
I don't think a .303 extractor is convertible. Maybe the end could be forged flat and recut. No. 7 and .22 SMLE extractors are close enough that either will work in either bolt head with a bit of fitting. Making an extractor is a possibility.
The extractor cut in the barrel breech takes a fair bit of careful filing. Files the right size are needed. Might be an idea to rework some to be safe edged. The cut must be carefully located. Probably have the barrel off and on a few times before the cut is correct.
Complete No. 7 rear sight sets are getting hard to find. Easy to use any of the No. 4 target sights.
The bayonet lugs can be turned off for a No. 7 appearance. Leave them on for a No. 9 look.
One of the LB .22 receivers can be used - or a .303 receiver. Only physical difference is at the right side rear sight mounting.
If using a 5/16" liner, it is not unusual to see traces of rifling left when the bore is drilled out. Doesn't matter as far as conversion goes, but says something about groove diameters.
IMG_1217.JPGIMG_1234.JPG
 
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Thanks, I found this.

No2 MkIV firing pin.jpg

5/32 is .156 close to .148

Would this be an Alternative method for a barrel, if I don't want to use a liner?

What about using a shot out barrel for the threaded section and making a stub barrel? To use like a Cooey or other 22LR barrel?
 
OkayShooter said:
I know a 303 barrel can be lined to 22LR.

I can get a RF bolt head, I assume a firing pin can be made, as seen one for 75$. Can you mod a No4 Extractior for 22LR? How do you adapt the No4 bolt body and firing pin to be off set? Shortern firing pin and a harden sleeve/piston?
Click to expand...
The CNo7 .22 extractor is half the size of a .303 one, so if you shave the width down to just the thickness of the pin shank, it would be a plausible comparison.

The FP is not hard to make but it needs hardening. The .303 FP needs to be nicked at the spring seat and dressed flat and true.

That’s about all that needs doing to convert a .303 bolt to .22 bolt as long as you have the correctly headspaced No7 bolt head.
 
hondroid said:
The CNo7 .22 extractor is half the size of a .303 one, so if you shave the width down to just the thickness of the pin shank, it would be a plausible comparison.,,,
Click to expand...
The extractor must be slimmed down as mentionned.
But the .22 head diameter is much smaller than the .303, and the .303 rim thickness is much greater.
 
hondroid said:
The CNo7 .22 extractor is half the size of a .303 one, so if you shave the width down to just the thickness of the pin shank, it would be a plausible comparison.

The FP is not hard to make but it needs hardening. The .303 FP needs to be nicked at the spring seat and dressed flat and true.

That’s about all that needs doing to convert a .303 bolt to .22 bolt as long as you have the correctly headspaced No7 bolt head.
Click to expand...

I never expected it to be a drop on. Saw this and thought it def could be thinned down, metal added and reshaped.

I mean every No7 I shot, ejection was a pocket knife blade.
 

Screenshot_20260622_125850_Chrome.jpg
 
Here a legality question. So Im talking to a friend, who is also thinking of making a 22 LR Lee and got thinking.

A barrel can be cut only to 18" if it manual. Now many people sleeve barrel to 22LR. Now does that bypass the 18"? So could you make it say 16"?
 
The thought is that the 16" .22 barrel is a new barrel and not a cut down .303?
Don't think I would want to argue that in court.
For a shorter project, how about a No. 5 clone in .22?
 
tiriaq said:
The thought is that the 16" .22 barrel is a new barrel and not a cut down .303?
Don't think I would want to argue that in court.
For a shorter project, how about a No. 5 clone in .22?
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Yes, he thought that sleeving it would negate being under 18".

I found No2 extractors.
 
Cooeyrepair said:
Why not just use a pre 1935 Cooey boys rifle barrel?
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To much hassle.

Diameter would have to be reduced if it was going to be used for a sleeve, and if it was just used to sleeve the Knox area, it wouldn't "look the part."

22 caliber sleeves are relatively cheap and can easily be held in place with any good two part epoxy.

I have a C No7 receiver that I've been threatening to put onto a full length rifle for a few years as a faux "T" rifle, single shot, for years.

I have all of the other bits needed for assembly, including the extractor, firing pin, bolt head, and rear sight with diopter. Due to a bad knee, walking on concrete is a killer, so even though it was scheduled for this summer, it's likely not happening until after Christmas.
 
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bearhunter said:
To much hassle.

Diameter would have to be reduced if it was going to be used for a sleeve, and if it was just used to sleeve the Knox area, it wouldn't "look the part."

22 caliber sleeves are relatively cheap and can easily be held in place with any good two part epoxy.

I have a C No7 receiver that I've been threatening to put onto a full length rifle for a few years as a faux "T" rifle, single shot, for years.

I have all of the other bits needed for assembly, including the extractor, firing pin, bolt head, and rear sight with diopter. Due to a bad knee, walking on concrete is a killer, so even though it was scheduled for this summer, it's likely not happening until after Christmas.
Click to expand...
This thread is more of No4 to rimfire converting, than making a Correct No7. It wouldn't gotten much traction in the rimfire section.

I considered making a No8 inspired build.. As the upper handguard will hide a Cooey barrel in a stub barrel.
 
I have a No 7 clone I bought years ago that was made up using one of the surplus receivers and a real No. 7 barrel.
These days, No. 7 barrels are as rare as hen's teeth. Lining a No. 4 barrel with a poor bore is a viable option. Given that most of the barrel is covered by stock and handguards, setting a .22 barrel into a breech stump is possible. The muzzle can be turned down, and a scrap No. 4 muzzle can be fitted to ease front sight mounting. More work than lining a barrel. Finding a good .22 barrel longer than 25 1/4" can be a challenge.
I've lined several No. 4 and SMLE barrels. Could use a couple of SMLE stock sets to finish off No. 2 Mk. IV clones. One set I had went for a SMLE project with a Whitehead style scope mount.

Lots of low value clunker Lee Enfields around.

The Shotgun News gunsmithing project book has a faux No. 4T .22 featured.

Over the years, numerous service rifles were reworked into .22 training rifles. Martinis, Mausers, M1917s. Lee Enfields are easier than most because the barrel and bolt face are readily accessible. The Israeli K98K conversions are at the other end of the scale, the barrel and bolt faces being far into the receiver rings. A Mosin Nagant might be interesting, and the separate bolt heat would facilitate conversion. Interesting projects for a hobbyist.
 
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