7.62mm DCRA LE No4 conversion thread
- Thread starter Airborn_69
- Start date
stencollector
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- shilo MB, the armpit of Canada
I suspect there would be just about as many of those rifles as there were DCRA members over the 50s and 60s.
I just picked up such a rifle a few weeks ago at the Regina gunshow. It even came with some providence, and included the Parker Hale range record book (the one with the windage scales built into the cover) and even the Parker Hale pencil. Best of all, it came with 500 rounds of amunition.
Here it is. I bought a conversion #4 from my club to start. It had wrong wood and a Sportco barrel but action is very good with matching serial and DCRA numbers (657). I have accumulated enough parts to build an unfired conversion. The barrel was new in the white given to me about 35 years ago, the wood and all the parts were unused and are marked LB or CA except for the butt which is only arrow C and the follower. The rear is an AJ with a 7.62 scale although any of these or PH would be correct, the range scale was never used so is irrelevant. The vast majority of the screw were unused. It took me longer than I thought it would to put it together, a good day in total, had to use a breaching washer on the barrel and the unused wood took a bit of fitting in the draws, it is not centre bedded right now. I guess once you have done a few hundred they would go together very quickly. So overall it's as close to new as I could make it, the wood although never on a gun does have some handling marks which I guess is to be expected. I thought this was more fitting than the livery it was wearing.
just picked up a 1944 converted to 7.62 DCRA # 1340 with enfield 1965 10 rd mag and yes the receiver has been milled for it to function correctly....i sold this rifle 18years ago to a friend and he just decided to let me buy it back .....awesome
DCRA rifle #1010
Good Day,
I recently purchased DCRA #1010 that was built on a Longbranch 1945 rifle. I had been looking for one for awhile and am very happy to have found it. I've noticed that the DCRA number on the receiver ring is below the woodline. Most of the other numbers I've seen have been above the stock on the right. Also, there is a burnished area with an additional number sequence (CAI 30275) above the rifles serial number (90L6879) on the left side of the buttstock socket. Has anyone seen this before or know what it signifies?
The rifle unusual because the front globe aperature and rear sight was made by JOHN WILKES PRECISION MFG
Thank you,
Michael
Good Day,
I recently purchased DCRA #1010 that was built on a Longbranch 1945 rifle. I had been looking for one for awhile and am very happy to have found it. I've noticed that the DCRA number on the receiver ring is below the woodline. Most of the other numbers I've seen have been above the stock on the right. Also, there is a burnished area with an additional number sequence (CAI 30275) above the rifles serial number (90L6879) on the left side of the buttstock socket. Has anyone seen this before or know what it signifies?
The rifle unusual because the front globe aperature and rear sight was made by JOHN WILKES PRECISION MFG
Thank you,
Michael
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I would love to see the rear sight if you have a photo. Thank you very much.
#1071 for sale at joe salters
Serial #94L5799, 7.62mm NATO (.308), 25" barrel with an excellent, bright bore. This rifle was designated Project 3026 XP 225-28 by CAL and was an attempt to produce a competition rifle based on the No. 4 chambered in the newly adopted 7.62mm rimless round (much like the British L8 series). This example has matching serial numbers on the receiver and bolt with matching conversion numbers on the receiver, bolt, and barrel (1071). The metal retains 97-98% of the original blue finish on the metal with the balance faded slightly to a dark plum-brown patina along the edges and projections and there is a small unobtrusive import mark on the underside of the muzzle. The bolt also has some plum-brown on the handle while the body retains its original armory bright finish (now a dull pewter gray). The rear sight mount is vacant and there is no front sight currently fitted although there are two small drilled and tapped holes near the muzzle where a target front sight was once installed. The "C/A" marked forend and "C/(Broad Arrow)" buttstock have a lighter-toned original varnish finish with scattered minor handling marks and small blemishes, and there are four wooden pegs at the rear of the receiver serving to bed the action. The rifle was intended to be used as a single-shot but comes with its original, fully functional .303 magazine (to be used as a loading platform for single 7.62mm rounds). About 1000 of these rifles were ordered, however CAL determined that the 7.62mm cartridge stressed the No. 4 action to its limit and only about 200 or so rifles were actually built. As a result, these are a real rarity for the Lee-Enfield collector and this example rates fine condition overall. {Ref. The Lee-Enfield A Century of Lee-Metford & Lee-Enfield Rifles & Carbines by Ian Skennerton, 2007} FFL or C&R
Serial #94L5799, 7.62mm NATO (.308), 25" barrel with an excellent, bright bore. This rifle was designated Project 3026 XP 225-28 by CAL and was an attempt to produce a competition rifle based on the No. 4 chambered in the newly adopted 7.62mm rimless round (much like the British L8 series). This example has matching serial numbers on the receiver and bolt with matching conversion numbers on the receiver, bolt, and barrel (1071). The metal retains 97-98% of the original blue finish on the metal with the balance faded slightly to a dark plum-brown patina along the edges and projections and there is a small unobtrusive import mark on the underside of the muzzle. The bolt also has some plum-brown on the handle while the body retains its original armory bright finish (now a dull pewter gray). The rear sight mount is vacant and there is no front sight currently fitted although there are two small drilled and tapped holes near the muzzle where a target front sight was once installed. The "C/A" marked forend and "C/(Broad Arrow)" buttstock have a lighter-toned original varnish finish with scattered minor handling marks and small blemishes, and there are four wooden pegs at the rear of the receiver serving to bed the action. The rifle was intended to be used as a single-shot but comes with its original, fully functional .303 magazine (to be used as a loading platform for single 7.62mm rounds). About 1000 of these rifles were ordered, however CAL determined that the 7.62mm cartridge stressed the No. 4 action to its limit and only about 200 or so rifles were actually built. As a result, these are a real rarity for the Lee-Enfield collector and this example rates fine condition overall. {Ref. The Lee-Enfield A Century of Lee-Metford & Lee-Enfield Rifles & Carbines by Ian Skennerton, 2007} FFL or C&R
So, probably going to make a couple people unhappy here...
I bought one of these rifles off a friend a few years ago. $75, what a steal. I used to parade with a No.4 as a cadet, shot with the DCRA, and have a couple other weapons chambered in 7.62 so I couldn't pass it up.
It wasn't in nearly as nice of condition as a few of the rifles I've seen here so far. Although it does have a set of PH sights.
Bad news is...I didn't know there was such a following of these conversions!
So I've stripped the whole stock down to be stained black, ordered a 1913 rail adapter to mount a scope, short piece of rail for the underside of the handguards for a bipod, the muzzle threaded for a brake, and sent the whole lot off to get parkerized! There were a lot of marks on the metal, and a lot of the finish bad been worn off. The wood was a very dark finish, and had lots of black dings.
Other than not feeding from the mag properly (Has a 7.62 plastic follower in an original .303 style magazine?) it runs like a top, and holds groups inside a Fig.11 at the 1000.
I know a lot of people might cringe at the thought if what I've done, but other than the inside of the barrel it hadn't been shown a lot of love.
Definitely looking forwards to running it when it's finished. Going to make a great hunting and plinking rifle, for another 70 years at least
I remember it's originally dated '43, has 7.62 on the barrel (.....some of which was eaten up by threading...) and I'm fairly sure it was marked Brit FTR.
"Before" pictures to follow, maybe some project pics, and definitely an "After" when it's completed.
I bought one of these rifles off a friend a few years ago. $75, what a steal. I used to parade with a No.4 as a cadet, shot with the DCRA, and have a couple other weapons chambered in 7.62 so I couldn't pass it up.
It wasn't in nearly as nice of condition as a few of the rifles I've seen here so far. Although it does have a set of PH sights.
Bad news is...I didn't know there was such a following of these conversions!
So I've stripped the whole stock down to be stained black, ordered a 1913 rail adapter to mount a scope, short piece of rail for the underside of the handguards for a bipod, the muzzle threaded for a brake, and sent the whole lot off to get parkerized! There were a lot of marks on the metal, and a lot of the finish bad been worn off. The wood was a very dark finish, and had lots of black dings.
Other than not feeding from the mag properly (Has a 7.62 plastic follower in an original .303 style magazine?) it runs like a top, and holds groups inside a Fig.11 at the 1000.
I know a lot of people might cringe at the thought if what I've done, but other than the inside of the barrel it hadn't been shown a lot of love.
Definitely looking forwards to running it when it's finished. Going to make a great hunting and plinking rifle, for another 70 years at least
I remember it's originally dated '43, has 7.62 on the barrel (.....some of which was eaten up by threading...) and I'm fairly sure it was marked Brit FTR.
"Before" pictures to follow, maybe some project pics, and definitely an "After" when it's completed.
Will be at the Kamloops gun show.
