New Match grade barrels for Lee Enfields

Would you be interested in a Match-grade replacement LE barrel?

  • YES, in original .303 caliber (.311 bore)

    Votes: 87 64.0%

  • YES, but would like to use .308 bullets

    Votes: 46 33.8%

  • I would like a stainless option

    Votes: 12 8.8%

  • I would just use Chromoly to blue and keep orginal look

    Votes: 28 20.6%

  • not interested

    Votes: 9 6.6%
  • Total voters
    136
O

Obtunded

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I have been in discussion with Krieger regarding the regular requests I get for LE barrels and the fact that there seems to be demand for these.

I did make a post about this in the gunsmithing forum, but I think it is worth mentioning here...

I am looking for a shagged-out but dimensionally intact #4 Mk1 barrel that I can send to Krieger for them to copy. Helmut, their chief barrelsmith is keen to take this on.

At the end of it all, I will bring in a quantity of Match-grade replacement barrels for LE's. Discussion has taken place as to whether these should be the traditional .311 bore, or if we should order them with 308 bores to open up a much wider range of bullets. I suspect we will offer both.

I have included a poll here to see if this is a workable option. pick multiple options

I am looking for a donation of an old barrel (I would actually like a couple) I can send down to Krieger. It must NOT be bubba'd, as this will be used as the basis for producing replacement barrels.
If you have one you would be willing to donate to a good cause, I will get you the dinished replacement at bare bones cost if you so desire.
 
I know I have 2 spare barrels, I have to check them one is still attached to a crushed reciever and the other was removed. I have to check if they are still straight as the 6.5 barrel I took off another crushed receiver from the same batch was bent a little :(

I'll be able to check this weekend when I'm out at the farm (where the real shop tools are :) )
 
Got a barrel sitting here on the chair beside me.Just have to takeoff the front sight assembly.Coming to Salmon Arm soon?With the gizzilion No 4s down there how come he needs a barrel from here? Lots of paper work issues aren't there?
 
I could always buy a new barrel to hold onto for the someday time when my bore is worn out. Question, do you plan on No.I Mk.III barrels as well as No.4?
 
In terms of caliber, I am referring to a 30-303: 303 cartridge using a 30 cal bullet.

a .308 chambered option would be possible, but being built for a rimmed case, you LE experts would have to tell me if the LE bolt face would work on a rimless cartridge.

Right now, the issue is getting a profile to reverse "engineer"

Cheers,

Ian
 
"...if the LE bolt face would work on a rimless cartridge..." Extractor groove gets filed deeper. Not by much though.
"...using a 30 cal bullet..." It is a .30 cal.
"...I will take 2..." Krieger barrels run $300ish US.
 
I don't need one right now and I don't know when/if I really will, but if you get No.4 barrels made with a proper bore for .303British and not stainless, I will certainly buy one on principle.
 
Obtunded said:
In terms of caliber, I am referring to a 30-303: 303 cartridge using a 30 cal bullet.

a .308 chambered option would be possible, but being built for a rimmed case, you LE experts would have to tell me if the LE bolt face would work on a rimless cartridge.

Right now, the issue is getting a profile to reverse "engineer"

Cheers,

Ian
Click to expand...

Ian- another issue...chamber dimensions.

They vary a lot. On a clapped out wartime barrel, when you fire a .303 round, the shoulder expands forward like 3/8 of an inch or so...haven't measured that but it's very sloppy.

Then I fired a 50 Long Branch with very low miles, chamber dimension was much tighter. The shoulder hardly moved forward, just a touch.

Also, you want to make sure the headspace is correct, which with a rimmed case means the machining of the barrel has to be right from the start.

Just as it goes into index, and as the extractor cut lines up, the headspace should be at Go with a 0 bolt head.

You should have a barrel with good headspace with a 0 bolt head, and a tight chamber.

With a rimless case like .308, the chamber can be made shallow and then reamed deeper afterward. .303 rimmed is different.

I'd almost think it would be nice to leave a shallow chamber and ream to taste but who has a .303 chamber reamer?

This is all off the top of my head, if anyone can correct me have at it.

BTW, you could contact Brian #### at BDL in South Carolina, he's a good guy and a Canuck and could probably lay his hands on a No 4 barrel if asked.

ht tp://www.bdlltd.com/
(remove space between the t's)
 
The .303 rifle has a .303 X. .311 groove/bore configuration

A 308 win is .300 X. 308

303 bullets will work if the throat is cut to the right dimensions.
 
I would be interested in a .303 British Chamber with a .311 bore, but since bullets are hard to find, a .303 brit chamber with a .308 bore would be nice.

On a side note, I would also like to see some 7.62/.308 chambered barrels, but a .303 replacement barrel would be a great start.
 
Def. interested, call me when they're ready. Don't know what I'd prefer, I like the original 303 chambering but if it was (as LeeEnfield4 mentioned) a 303 using 308 bullets it would make finding bullets a bit easier. This is a great idea.
 
Allright, I'll bite.

Will these barrels use a copy of the original Enfield rifling (5 grooves, left hand, 1 turn in 10 inches, lands and grooves EQUAL width) or will they use more-or-less standard rifling with grooves 3 or 4 times the width of the lands?

Enfield rifling would be great for restoring originals.

Wide-groove rifling would be just the cat's meow for boat-tailed bullets.

There are a lot of possibilities here. Might even think of a few 30.2 inches long; there are a lot of Bubba'd Long Lees still floating around and absolutely NOTHING available. They were the same butt-end and shank measurements as the Number 4 barrel, just no bayo lugs.

Any idea what kind of $$ we are looking at?
 
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I can pretty much say for certain that rifling will be the standard 4-groove for which Krieger is so well-known. Re-creating LE 2-groove of any other "original" rifling will essentially push the costs of these barrels over the top for most.

There is not reason however, why 5R rifling could not be used in a .308 bore.

As to costs etc. I do not know. Referring back to my original post, the stage I am at is that I need a barrel (preferably a couple) to send to Kriger to have them reverse engineered. I've had lots of interest, Krieger is willing to do it, but I need an example to send them.
 
Good idea but your poll is not well formulated.

I would suggest:

1. Chrome-moly in .303 with original dimensions. (Good for service rifle competitions etc)
2. Stainless steel in .308WIN/7.62x51mm @ 22" (long enough for no flash hider, but short enough to cut down to Jungle Carbine dimensions of 18" with a shoulder for the flash hider)

Of course you could just do full length with lugs in both and if somone wants to cut down to Jungle Carbine length they can.
 
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Hey, guys, let's forget the American propaganda for a minute.

So-called '5R' rifling IS Enfield rifling, just with a right-hand twist. Take a look at the specs.

What has happened is that the Americans have finally discovered that there are still a lot of P-'17s out there that still are shooting well, even though the barrels have seen a lot of rounds over the last 93 years. So they took a look at the rifling, decided that it just HADTA be American, and claimed it as their own. They turned it from LEFT to RIGHT because 'everybody knows' that the Limeys can't do anything right.

The guys at AI might have a few things to say about that.

But 5R IS Enfield, make no mistake: odd number of lands and grooves, lands and grooves of equal width. That's the spec for 5R rifling. It is ALSO the spec for Enfield rifling. Only fly in the American ointment is that the Limeys had it in production in 1896.

Works REALLY well.
 
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