Loving my new Enfield

Don Doucette

Don Doucette

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Tonight a buddy and I went out to the range, I had a couple of new acquisitions to check out and a new ammo to try in my mini-14 Target.

Well... I recently purchased a 1942 Lee Enfield No1 MkIII Lithgow SMLE from a fellow CGN"er, I purchased this rifle because I shot one many years ago in Army Cadets and have always been fond of the Enfield.

This Enfield although sporterized has all matching serial numbers with an HV barrel but due to it's age I hadn't really expected much but when the rifle arrived I was quite happy with the state of the rifling, clean and sharp.

I disassembled the Enfield and cleaned every inch of her then gave it a nice coat of Hoppes #9, checked all functions, it all seems tight and and smooth.

I was using Federal 150 gr soft point (soft point was a mistake) and at 350 yards we had 10 shot groups under 9 inches and we were just sitting at a bench hand holding the enfield. We shot 100 rounds and over and over again we had the same sort of groups.

Sorry I don't have the targets to show you all but after walking 350 yards through 2 feet of snow to hang 10 targets in -16c I wasn't about to walk back to get the targets. Brrrrrr...

Some thoughts...
First thing I will do is to use FMJ only in this rifle, every second round (right side of mag) would be hard to chamber as it would seem to stick on the feed ramp.

I am going to have my local gunsmith have a look at the front sight as I think it's off and need some adjustment.

Next trip to the range I will use a proper support to remove human error and see if the groups tighten up.

I have ordered a synthetic stock for this rifle and I am having it bedded.

I am thinking of ordering some new magazines for it does anyone have any recommendations here?

My Dillon 550B arrived today so I will begin loading some custom ammo for this rifle to see if I can find what she likes.

All in all I am truly pleased and excited with this rifle, I am anxious to bring out all the accuracy I can squeeze out of this Enfield.
 
Congrats on your first Enfield! I suggest restoring it to original if it hasn't been chopped or D&T'd. I'm sure shooting from a bench supported your groups will tighten, but don't expect miracles. From what I've heard full wood Enfields can usually out shoot the sporterized ones. The feeding issue you're having could be caused by a weak magazine spring. You could try taking it apart and stretching it, replacing the spring, or the mag entirely. (this might not be the issue if it's only the 2nd round that has problems) There are lots of original mags out there, so there is no need to get a reproduction one. Also, it could be how you're loading the rounds. With the rimmed casing one needs to pay attention how the rounds are stacked so they feed properly. As far as the front sight, the original ones can be adjusted yourself pretty easily.
 
D&T'd??? Not sure what this is.
I am not happy with the shape of the mag itself it is quite rough, I have tried to clean it up but it is rough.

I would purchase any mag as long as it is a quality magazine original or aftermarket.

I believe this Enfield to be all original and untouched except for the sporterization, I am waiting patiently for a certain supporting dealer to take delivery of unissued Enfield furniture and I will at that time purchase two complete sets for my enfield however I AM installing a synthetic stock and having the enfield bedded to see how that will affect accuracy.

I am not expecting miracles but I have read good things about Enfield accuracy and so I will pursue the limits of my rifles capabilities.

Thanks for your info and comments, I appreciate your knowledge and willingness to share!:)

Don


Vimy Ridge said:
Congrats on your first Enfield! I suggest restoring it to original if it hasn't been chopped or D&T'd. I'm sure shooting from a bench supported your groups will tighten, but don't expect miracles. From what I've heard full wood Enfields can usually out shoot the sporterized ones . The feeding issue you're having could be caused by a weak magazine spring. You could try taking it apart and stretching it, replacing the spring, or the mag entirely. There are lots of original mags out there, so there is no need to get a reproduction one. As far as the front sight, the original ones can be adjusted yourself pretty easily.
Click to expand...
 
Don Doucette said:
D&T'd??? Not sure what this is.
I am not happy with the shape of the mag itself it is quite rough, I have tried to clean it up but it is rough.

I would purchase any mag as long as it is a quality magazine original or aftermarket.

I believe this Enfield to be all original and untouched except for the sporterization, I am waiting patiently for a certain supporting dealer to take delivery of unissued Enfield furniture and I will at that time purchase two complete sets for my enfield however I AM installing a synthetic stock and having the enfield bedded to see how that will affect accuracy.

I am not expecting miracles but I have read good things about Enfield accuracy and so I will pursue the limits of my rifles capabilities.

Thanks for your info and comments, I appreciate your knowledge and willingness to share!:)

Don
Click to expand...

Drilled and tapped. Sounds like you're on the right track my friend. :cool:
 
So I stopped by my LGS tonight to see if they had any magazines laying around for sale, yep they sure did but they wanted $90 for them!!!! $90!!! I paid $110 for my enfield, I mean really?! Think at that price I'll just buy some more enfields and get some spare parts ta boot! gawd!:rolleyes:

Don
 
Some key things to remember with regard to reloads for the LE. First, neck sizing is your friend. You do not need to full length resize your brass if you're shooting it in 1 rifle, and if you're not constantly stressing it by full length sizing, brass lasts longer and reloads are more accurate. Second, overall length is generally best left to the size of military ball. Take the guesswork out and set your seating die using a military ball round. Third, maximum charges are virtually never the most accurate.
 
Keep in mind that this is NOT C1A1 or an AK47 or an AR15! The rifle is meant to use ONE magazine and be loaded with chargers. The magazine was only intended to be removed for cleaning.
I should think that the magazine spring is NOT the problem, but rather an adjustment of the feed lip on the side that is causing the trouble is in order.

The ONLY time an extra magazine was issued with the rifle was BEFORE charger loading, and that would be with a Metford or long Lee, and that only lasted a year or two.
 
Personally, I congratulate you for your purchase and your reloading! Second, as for shooting off a rest, I always shoot freehand. I prefer to calculate human error into the mix
 
I realize that the enfield was meant to be loaded with charger clips (I have none, trying to buy some) but I would still like to purchase a couple of extra mags and hopefully find a good one.

Thanks so far to those who have been so kind as to share their knowledge and insight.

Don
 
If you still want another magazine, P&S Militaria has Savage Made No.4 mags for $35 each. But be aware, lots of rejected magazines are on the market. These were rejected for functionality reasons. I am not saying the ones from P&S are bad, just that their are a number of bad mags out their.
 
I spent some time tonight studying the Enfield magazine and after watching cartridges being fed into my Enfield I decided the bolt side of the magazine could use a little adjustment as the ear seemed to be low when compared to the feed ramp. After a couple small tweaks the cartridges are feeding much more smoothly now and I feel like this rifle is capable of firing all 10 rounds in rapid succession. Finally the feed path matches the butter smoothness of the action. Hooray!:sniper:

Thanks for all the help guys, I have had a couple of generous offers to sell mags and I will respond to those shortly as I still believe it would be a good idea to have a couple extra around in case of failure.

Don
 
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