357 mag lee enfield

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NEVER.ENOUGH.AMMO

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So grandpa is long gone but his no 1 mk3 is still in the family, my father is done with it and it was passed to me a few years ago. I've shot it a ton and would love to keep it going to someday pass it down the line once again. Unfortunately it no longer shoots, it needs a new barrel, now here is my question to all of you. Do you think a 357 barrel could be installed? I feel like the no1's flat bolt face would work, and obviously one would have to figure out some sort of magazine (maybe a shortened desert eagle mag inside of the no1's) and probably just run a xs style scout rail for sights. I already was planning on buying a m77/357 but thought if this project was doable not only would it be a fun gun but would keep grandpas gun running. I see bits of pieces supply's green mountain barrels which sell a 357 blank for 100 US then all the gun smithing of course. Anyways that's the idea, thoughts and suggestions please.
 
Myself if your grandfathers gun lookeds great (is it original and unmolested?) I wouldn't mess around with it and keep it for a good keepsake. With all the work and $ involved wouldn't it just be easier to go buy m77/357 and hang your grandfathers gun on the wall.
 
I see your point, but yes grandpa himself molested it haha, cut the barrel back to 21'', stock is hacked, but nice, and reciever bridge removed. the work he did makes me think he wouldnt roll over in his grave if i did work to keep it going. the more i think about it the more excited i get. im thinking of rebarreling it, if the blank is 100-150 i dont think getting it contoured, threaded and installed would be much more than 300-400 more. then if a guy could seat a shortened pistol mag up tight to the front of the original enfield mag there would be lots of room to drag and drop the fired case into the empty space left behind the pistol mag, thus never having to pick up brass! blue the barrel and it would look just like it always has but be alot funner and cheaper to shoot the heck out of, and pair up nicely with my 686. i think im gonna pull the trigger on this project.
 
There is no reason a 35 caliber barrel couldn't be installed. You don't mention whether or not the rifle has been sporterised. I was going to suggest getting the barrel sleeve but No 1 barrels are much thinner than No4 bbls. You may be able to get away with installing a sleeve if you can live with a shorter bbl. That would certainly make it handier. If you can find an extractor from an Indian 2A1 you should be ok as far as extraction goes. Your biggest issue is getting a magazine that will feed properly. In the end, it will be very expensive no matter what you do.
 
I think you should try it, I had a No5 action that I had built into a 45-70, it was kind of a pain, and cost more then quoted or anticipated, but was an experience where I learned some things about rifles, and gunsmithing services,...

The barrel work and chambering will be the most expensive, getting the extractor pulling perfectly, the magazine feeding perfectly and the feed path lined up will take some time or money though.
 
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If you were a home shop gunsmith I'd say that this would be an amazing project. And in fact your idea just added one more entry on my on "Dead Sea Scroll" of projects. (insert exagerated valley girl like sarcastic "THANKYOU!" here :d)

But really, if you are going to pay a smith to do such a project I just can't see this happening due to the cost. Or would you get the smith to only do the barrel work and then YOU take on modifying the action and SMLE mag to hold a Desert Eagle or Coonan mag and modify the bolt as required to work with this ammo? Because that is going to be where the really serious time will be needed. And if you have to pay for that time then this is going to get rather stratospheric in a hurry.
 
A Lee Enfield in .44 Magnum would be sweet, and could be fed from Desert Eagle magazines. Plus it would be a more than sufficient deer round withing 100 yards.
 
Blastattack said:
A Lee Enfield in .44 Magnum would be sweet, and could be fed from Desert Eagle magazines. Plus it would be a more than sufficient deer round withing 100 yards.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the .357 would be able to handle .38 rounds, but I suppose the .44 mag would shoot .44 special, which are a little harder to come by
 
ya i dont hunt and the 357 choice is just cause its the same as as my revolver, and we can only use pistol calibers at the silhouette range so it would be great there. yes the barrel work will be the only thing being done by the smith...i got lots of time and ammo to fiddle with the rest
 
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