Please help Lee Enfield Mark III keyholing

Yeah will do just waiting on my replacement cleaning kit to come in the mail. Only thing I can't find locally is a nylon or stainless brush. As soon as she's scrubbed I'll try her again and show how she shoots
 
It can take literally weeks to clean a heavily fouled bore. Layers and layers of different kinds of fouling...it's like archeology.

Let's hope when you've finally cleaned down to the bottom of things, that the bore isn't dark, pitted or frosted and that you still have some rifling.

I had a Ross and it was so bad that the bore was coming out on my patches...it was literally disintegrating. :eek:

The problem with .303's is there was a metric ****ton of corrosive ammo made for them...and if it was left in there...
 
Petten709 said:
Yeah will do just waiting on my replacement cleaning kit to come in the mail. Only thing I can't find locally is a nylon or stainless brush. As soon as she's scrubbed I'll try her again and show how she shoots
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By far, your best bet would be to find a can of "Wipe Out" foaming bore cleaner. Give it a one second shot into muzzle. (You want foam to just emerge from chamber end). Let soak overnight. First thing in morning, push a patch wrapped around a nylon bristle bore brush through the bore. Will be bright blue (copper) and black (carbon). Give it another one second shot. Soak another 12 hours. Repeat and repeat until the patch comes through white. No need to scrub - just let the stuff do the work. Took me seven days (14 cycles) to clean out my father-in-law's BSA Pattern 1917 30-06, last fired in the 1970's and who knows how long since cleaned before that!
 
I have a 303 it appeared fine rifling looked good but it was fouled. I finally cleaned if with jb bore paste nothing else would clean it.
 
Your options really depend on what the problem is. If the barrel is shot out, then another barrel is needed. Barrels are where ever you can find them.

If all your rounds are key holing, I would guess the barrel is the problem. Is there anyone qualified close to you that you can take your rifle to? It's really hard to determine what is wrong from your pictures.

Whatever the problem actually is, (beyond a vigorous cleaning) you will have to take it to a gun smith anyway.
 
Well I guess it's time to slug and see if a factory load comes close to the barrel.. Cleaned her with copper solvent for 3 days tell the patches stopped taking on the blue Color and the verdict.. Still keyholing
 
I have to admit 2 key holing in the 10x ring is not bad shooting. I think it is your ammo now, try some 174 Grn. Remington FMJ. They most closely replicate the original MK 7 loading out of current manufactured ammunition. If they still keyhole slug your barrel and cast a lead bullet that is 2 thousands over groove diameter.
 
Petten709 said:
Well I guess it's time to slug and see if a factory load comes close to the barrel.. Cleaned her with copper solvent for 3 days tell the patches stopped taking on the blue Color and the verdict.. Still keyholing
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What's wrong with that, x marks the spot, right in the bullseye. I don't believe I've ever seen such precise, acurrate shooting form such and inaccurate, imprecise rifle :p Not that I'm saying it's the case here, but, I've spent days cleaning an old rifle only to switch to another cleaner, wipeout in this case and was shocked at what was left after days of scrubbing with more conventional cleaners. Some really are worth their weight in gold
 
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OP - If you want to take this further, why don't you measure the diameter of the bullet you pulled? It should be in the order of .310 or .311 inches, but the results may surprise you. FWIW - the largest diameter commercially available bullet are the Hornady bullets - 0.312 in.
 
You used copper cleaner, but there are other things fouling your barrel. Try some Wipeout, and perhaps some strands from a Chore-Boy heavy copper pad wound around a brush. I've even used steel wool on a brush on a bore that looked horrible, but it cleaned up pretty good. Drastic measures...

Don't let the Wipeout get on the stock or blueing, and shake it up before use. It doesn't take much, but make sure the hose is right into the chamber. Press the button for a second, maybe two, and it'll shoot foam out the muzzle like shaving cream.

I like to have a bit of rolled up cleaning patch handy to plug the muzzle end, and let it stand overnight.
 
cosmic said:
Ok - This is mechanical engineering stuff. Years ago, I had a P-14 that keyholed like yours. Bore was reasonably tight like yours, and visual inspection showed lots of rifling but with quite dark and pitted grooves. I scrubbed the bore, got it recrowned, used various bullets, all to no avail. Talked to a former RCEME armourer, and he commented that the bullet will take the path of least resistance down the bore. A pitted bore, with rounded leading edges on the rifling, can prevent the bullet from gripping the rifling and spinning down the barrel. Instead the bullet rides over the lands and skids down the part or all of the barrel.
So - If it doesn't shoot after a good cleaning, the odds may be against you...
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Check for subtle bulges down the length of the barrel... It will cause the above mentioned effect also.
 
NV - I read post 30, I should have stated jacketed bullets. Unfortunately, Steve Redgwell is no longer making oversize jacketed 303 bullets, which may have worked. I guess its moot if the OP doesn't reload.
 
So either the bore is oversized (very likely), the rifling is worn out such that it doesn't engage the bullet properly and it just skids down the barrel, or a barrel bulge does the same thing..

Would be interesting to see a pic of a recovered bullet, if there were a way to find one.

From Steve's writings, it may well be possible to get it to shoot using oversized bullets.
 
Possibly worn/damaged muzzle, but did anyone mention trying bullet weights in 174 and heavier? Original .303 called for a 215gr. before settling on 174gr. Mic' your bullet to see if .311 or .308".
Place a bullet in the muzzle and note how far it goes in before engaging rifling. It should only go in about 1/3. If it slides right in theres your problem (worn muzzle).
Also, as you run a tight patch through the bore from chamber to muzzle, do you notice if the resistance is same? Can you see if the might be a slight bulge somewhere in the barrel.
Thats it, I'm out of ideas.
Either way, keep your Grandfathers rifle.
Also, keep that target. It's very unique.
Best of luck
 
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