.303 British scope base only uses rimfire rifle rings only???

C

cm_machinist

Regular
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hey guys,
I purchased a 1915 Lee Enfield .303 that had a scope mounted on it. Long story short, I found out it uses the wrong scope rings. I found out the scope base is a Weaver one piece scope mount. I found the same one at a local gun store and the instructions on the scope mount package says "Uses 'Tip Off' rings only." But there's one problem with that...

The tip off rings are only made for rimfire rifles!

I looked online and I can only find "tip off" rings for .22's. I can't find anything for high-powered rifles. Why would they make a scope mount for a .303 when they only make rings for .22's? Makes no sense to me.

I don't want to take this gun to a gunsmith to put on a different mount. What can I do?

Thanks
 
cm_machinist said:
Hey guys,
I purchased a 1915 Lee Enfield .303 that had a scope mounted on it. Long story short, I found out it uses the wrong scope rings. I found out the scope base is a Weaver one piece scope mount. I found the same one at a local gun store and the instructions on the scope mount package says "Uses 'Tip Off' rings only." But there's one problem with that...

The tip off rings are only made for rimfire rifles!

I looked online and I can only find "tip off" rings for .22's. I can't find anything for high-powered rifles. Why would they make a scope mount for a .303 when they only make rings for .22's? Makes no sense to me.

I don't want to take this gun to a gunsmith to put on a different mount. What can I do?

Thanks
Click to expand...

What do you do? You use the rings that fit on the base. Pretty simple. Warne makes some very nice steel rimfire rings, however, I believe that the weaver mount uses proprietary rings, so use those.
 
It is necessary to use good rings. Make sure the front ring is butted up against the little recoil lugs in the base.
 
.
That mount and "22 tip off rings" has been in use for over 50 years now, and is still being used. While not ideal, it obviously does work.

Several makers of one inch rings make their scope rings to fit the Weaver .22 type dovetails. Use steel rings, not aluminum or alloy ones, and put them on as noted. You need to clamp them on firmly, but really do not need to really crank them down on the dovetail. On the .303 SMLE or Lee-Enfield rifles, a good fixed 4x scope is fine, and the lighter weight of one of these, compared to a larger variable scope, will also help prevent scope movement when the rifle is fired.

People assume that, because of the looks of the mount, and the "hype" about todays rock solid scope mounting systems, such a system is sort of flimsy and unstable, but for the normal hunting ranges, it works very well. Most game is encountered under 200 yards, and that was what Weaver had in mind when they designed this mount.
.
 
tiriaq said:
It is necessary to use good rings. Make sure the front ring is butted up against the little recoil lugs in the base.
Click to expand...
x 2
I've drilled and tapped many a 303 and have used the Weaver TO-1 mount quite a bit. The Weaver TO rings are meant for the TO-1 base. Tiriaq pointed out that it's important to set the front ring against the ring stop on the front of the base. Also, the ring clamps are serrated. Make sure the serrations bite into the base.
 
Just because the rings may say "22 rings" does NOT mean they are weak. There are tons of 303's with narrow rings out there, as well as lots of other calibers. People in my family have been shooting Lee Enfields with T 01 mounts and narrow rings for decades and never had a problem. I've got more than one in my gun safe right now...

I have been told that narrow bases/rings are popular in Europe for most any caliber, but I can't confirm this.
 
Last edited:
Northman999 said:
Just because the rings may say "22 rings" does NOT mean they are weak. There are tons of 303's with narrow rings out there, as well as lots of other calibers. People in my family have been shooting Lee Enfields with T 01 mounts and narrow rings for decades and never had a problem. I've got more thatn one in my gun safe right now...

I have been told that narrow bases/rings are popular in Europe for most any caliber, but I can't confirm this.
Click to expand...


X 2.

Same here; I've seen hundreds of sporter 303's over the years, and 99% of them had Weaver TO 1 bases and 22 rings on them. Rarely any problems unless the scope gets a really hard hit.
 
I have hunted with my 303 with the tip off rings on a 3x9 scope for about 15 years. This includes the yearly sight in exercise and a fair to middlin' amount of plinking with it also. I never had to move the rings after the first installation (except when I did a complete tear down cleaning about 10 years ago. I'd say that they hold pretty well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom