enfield sporter?'s 303 to 375 win?
- Thread starter cody c
- Start date
klondike bob
Member
- Location
- whitehorse
why not go to a 303-375 (38-50 remington) just rebore or replace the barrel, I have done many of them that way ,brass if common and very minor if require change to the feed ramp
Absolutely, similar performance to the 338 federal Id guess, the only reason I wouldnt do that is posted above, wanting to keep to an off the shelf available ammo.
The reason i ask about the 375 win is that it's belted and may fit in an enfield magazine nicely and its a factory round. I already have a 45-70 mk5 so no need for another that size.
The rimmed .375 Winchester would work just fine in the No. 4. The rim is smaller than the .303, so ejection might be an issue. Getting a magazine to feed reliably would take experimentation. Back before WWI, Lee Enfield sporters were made in .375 Nitro, which is much along the same idea. A present, there are brand name .375 barrel blanks for sale in the EE for $200. Pretty hard to beat the price. But these are blanks, would need to be contoured.
Do the work yourself, it would be an interesting project. If you are paying a gunsmith to do it, it is going to be a very pricey undertaking.
Do the work yourself, it would be an interesting project. If you are paying a gunsmith to do it, it is going to be a very pricey undertaking.
That is much more helpful, as for spending money at the gunsmith, my 45-70 is at a gunsmith getting $150 worth of front site attached to it and reblued after all the other work it has seen, this will be the third smith in two years; I'm starting to understand what costs are!
I'll check out those 375 blanks, thanks for sharing that!
Last edited:
I ordered two of those blanks, I think they are at the post office right now.
The long term plan is to get it on a mk4 with flip up sight, and maybe one of the mounts accurate action sells (site sponsor). I will also do another one off stock, probably a fancy grade wood but a little more conservative then my zebra wood 45-70.
The long term plan is to get it on a mk4 with flip up sight, and maybe one of the mounts accurate action sells (site sponsor). I will also do another one off stock, probably a fancy grade wood but a little more conservative then my zebra wood 45-70.
I agree with Tiriaq that you might run into problems with feeding and ejection. The feeding will be much easier to tweak in the #4, since it should only involve adjusting the feed lips on the magazine. Ejection might need a longer ejector screw, but you won't know for sure until you try it. It might work great without any modifications at all. Let us all know how it turns out; I'm now tempted to try the same thing.
What do you mean by ejector screw? I had to tweak the ejector on the #5 (45-70) I have a bit in order for it to grab the wider case, it didn't want to feed up and on the right position on the face of the bolt, I had to take a bit of the lip off the catch and mod the spring so it isn't as stiff otherwise it would push the cartridge in at a bit of an angle and not feed properly.
Just got the barrels in the mail, there still wrapped and in my truck outside, I'm looking forward to unwrapping them and having a good look when i get home.
BTW, the difference on the width of the rim (flange) on the .375 is that it is .034 narrower in diameter (.017 less protruding for the extractor), I don't think it will notice the difference, the taper is about 1/4 of what the 303 is, but perhaps polishing the chambering will work, or maybe the smith has some other suggestions to help if it's sticky.
Last edited:
The ejector in a Lee Enfield is the screw that is inserted from the left side of the action. The extractor pushes the cartridge case to the left, and either the drag of the rim on the receiver wall, or contact with the tip of this screw causes ejection.
The .375W may or may not eject cleanly. Easy enough to find out. Just put a .375 case into the .303 chamber as far as it will go, open the bolt and see what happens.
The .375W may or may not eject cleanly. Easy enough to find out. Just put a .375 case into the .303 chamber as far as it will go, open the bolt and see what happens.
Ive been looking for 375 win ammo locally to see, may be more difficult to find then I thought, only winchester appears to be making it, and the shooting edge said there distributors couldnt tell them when they will see more of it. Here's the big barrel blank, well one of them, the other is still wrapped up. The barrel weighs more then the P-14 pictured above it.
where can I find out more if an enfield action will handle the .375 win, I've been looking at pressure ratings and Im starting to think either I need to get an ishapore action or go to an alternate action
.303 brit 45,000 CUP, 52,900 CIP
.375 win 52,000 CUP, 64,000 CIP
7.62x51 NATO 52,000 CUP,
.308 win 64,000 CUP
Any links to what the no4 action will handle or are they just stamped as per the 303 brit?
.303 brit 45,000 CUP, 52,900 CIP
.375 win 52,000 CUP, 64,000 CIP
7.62x51 NATO 52,000 CUP,
.308 win 64,000 CUP
Any links to what the no4 action will handle or are they just stamped as per the 303 brit?
Last edited:
You COULD just go to the old .375 Nitro, as suggested.
It is based on the larger-diameter .303 case, blown out. No feed problems at all.
Larger case keeps pressures lower.
The old .375 Nitro was a custom chambering on LM and early LE actions from several British gunmakers.
It is based on the larger-diameter .303 case, blown out. No feed problems at all.
Larger case keeps pressures lower.
The old .375 Nitro was a custom chambering on LM and early LE actions from several British gunmakers.
I will look into the Nitro, the main reason I am stuck on the 375 win, is that if I sell or pass it on to someone well, unless they reload it doesn't do them much good. I know phuk all about the nitro but will look into it, if it were a caliber I could find ammo off the shelf for it somewhere in alberta I would probably go that way, it may be a good alternative to the winchester though and I appreciate your perspective.
smellie,
Is it the 2 1/2" case you are referring to?
http://www.ammo-one.com/375NitroExpress.html
Can it be fire-formed from 303 brass? If so, that makes it very interesting.
This suggests that it is slightly longer than a 303 case.
http://www.lee-enfieldrifles.com/nitro.html
Dies aint cheap...
.midwayusa.com/find?dimensionids=12428
Another consideration is the amount of backthrust.
Load on the chamber walls is a hoop stress, and is not related to the action. It is the barrel which contains it.
Backthrust, on the other hand, is very relevant to the action.
You can calculate the amount of backthrust by considering the area of the inside of base of the cartridge case, and the peak pressure applied to it. A smaller cartridge case at higher pressure may generate less backthrust than a larger case at lower pressure.
The older Thompson Center single shots were made in high pressure small cartridge chamberings, but only in lower pressure larger cartridges. The design could not handle larger diameter cases at higher pressures.
Get out your calculator, and compare the backthrust generated by .303B vs .375W.
As far as the Ishapore 7.62m action is concerned, there are reports that a better grade of steel was used, along with a modified proof testing regimen.
It has also been reported that no special steel was used, but only proof testing was altered, to eliminate bent receivers.
It was a proof load with an oiled case that would bend SMLE receivers - because of the increased backthrust. Eliminating the oiled proof load solved the problem.
In the days when 7.62mm No. 4 rifles were used for target competition, shooters learned to keep their ammunition dry when shooting in the rain. The change in backthrust resulting from firing a wet round affected the vibration pattern of the action and barrel, resulting in a flyer from the group.
Ongoing supply of factory .375W ammunition could be problematic. As you have noted, distribution is spotty - that isn't going to improve. Perhaps handloading could be a significant factor in the future of the .375W.
