Two Long Term Projects Complete !!!

[Garand Hunter]

I have sporters built by someone else years ago , a O3 and 03A3 and a # 4 Enfield. The Enfield has gone bye bye but the Springfields are still with me.
You an outstanding job !

Psalm 1

[Dirtlaw]

Beautiful work. It deserves to be admired. A job well done.

[Tere_Hanges]

That 03A3 is a real looker. Congrats on finally finishing some builds.

[W.R.Buchanan]

In my first post in this thread I mentioned that the gun shown was a Parker hale "Deluxe Sporter" But My first Enfield was a Parker Hale "Standard Sporter." I paid $200 for!

My intention with that gun was to build an L39 "Replica." (Enfield Target Rifle) since I couldn't afford a real L39 ! I couldn't afford a Real NRA Sporter either but the "Replicas" serve the same purpose as "Shooters", and cost a lot less and I get to show off some of my work in the deal.

This gun still has the full length 25" bbl with 5 Groove Rifling. The Rifling is perfect at .303 bore and .313 grooves, and this gun shoots very well, in fact I shot my best ever Short Range Silhouette Score of 32/40 with Cast Boolits from the Lyman 314299 205 gr mold loaded to about 1600 fps.



I had lots of fun trying to match the colors of 3 different types of wood on this one. The Fore End and Handguard were pretty close, but the Butt Stock was completely different. It still looks good out in the sunlight but you can see the difference!

I also adapted a Redfield Olympic Rear Sight to the gun. It was $75 off Ebay where as a "Parker Hale Competition Rear Sight" was more like $400. I ended up selling several of the Sight Mounts to guys in the UK and AUS who were quite "Chuffed" with it!







The Idea for the Sight Mount came from a picture I saw that had a Redfield or a Lyman Receiver Sight mounted to a #4 Mk1 rifle. It was not a big engineering feat to do once I saw how they attached it to the gun. (no alteration to the gun whatsoever.) Longer Ejector Screw, and 6-32 in from the right side into the mount thru the rear sight ear.



Anyway it is a good shooter and I learned a lot about loading the .303 Brit which I developed 4 different loads for. 150 gr Hornady which I shoot mostly at Long Range Silhouette. 174 gr Hornady which also gets shot at silhouette targets, a 215 gr Woodleigh for big game if I ever get to go. (Tanks!, Still waiting for those Adoption Papers to come thru???) And the 205 gr Lyman 314299 Cast Boolit Load for Plinking and Short Range Silhouette. It is quite accurate.

So there's another one .

Randy

[dfletcher]

So much good stuff - where to start!

Any issues fitting the Boyds stock & forend to the Enfield? I have a Gibbs rework in 45/70 and would like to replace the stock and forend. Using the grey laminate looks best IMO.

Where did you get the longer ejector screw, or what are the specs on it? I have a bolt on side mount for the #4, no screw though.

Re the Sporter, I have a 1928 made that Grandpa (for better or worse) sent to Paul Jaeger a few years later, so original it ain't. Can't tell from the photo, but did you put a metal cross pin behind the front barrel band?

I had no idea the PH adjustable peep was so expensive.

[W.R.Buchanan]

You will have to make your own Ejector. You measure the length of the existing Screw then add the width of the new material it has to go thru.

Then you cut off an 8-36 Filister Head Screw to that length and then turn a step about .060 long to a diameter just below the threads. The whole purpose of that step is so the threads don't get gooned from cases hitting it a bunch of times, so you can't get it back out. The actual British Screw thread size is .161-37 of in SAE language 8-37. Since there is no such thing and 8-36 NF screw will work.

I had to buy a dozen Filister Head Screws from Brownell's because the 8-36 thread size is almost non existent

There was virtually no "Fitting" of the stock and fore end. It was good to go from Boyd's.

I have to install the Cross Pin in front of the barrel band. I have to make one out of a piece of 1/8" rod. I also have to install a 3/32 roll pin in the Front Sight so it stays put. Done, done. 04/27

Randy.

[Ki6vsm]

Nice! I like those rifles.

I was out in the desert just a week ago, firing my #4 for the first time in years. Fired a few of my old Greek surplus .303s that bought over 20 years ago, back when it was plentiful and cheap.

Never got around to trying my latest handloads though. I forgot my paper targets at home! Darnit. So I was left just to shoot at the steel gongs I brought. Didn't want to waste the handloads just to ring 10" steel.

I have some of the 174gr Hornady HPBTs loaded and ready. Those are .312" I believe? Vs. the 180? gr SMKS, which are .311". I'm hoping the Hornadys group even tighter.

[dfletcher]

You will have to make your own Ejector. You measure the length of the existing Pin then add the width of the material it has to go thru.

Then you cut off an 8-36 Filister Head Screw to that length and then turn a step about .060 long to a diameter just below the threads. The whole purpose of that step is so the threads don't get gooned from cases hitting it a bunch of times, so you can't get it back out.

I had to buy a dozen Filister Head Screws from Brownell's because the 8-36 thread size is almost non existent

There was virtually no "Fitting" of the stock and fore end. It was good to go from Boyd's.

I have to install the Cross Pin in front of the barrel band. I have to make one out of a piece of 1/8" rod. I also have to install a 3/32 roll pin in the Front Sight so it stays put.

Randy.

Thank you -

[divingin]

Very nice work. Rifles look great.

[echo1]

Very nice work W.R. I have a couple Enfield sport jobs tool This on can be saved.



This one is to far gone with the muzzle cut. PAX

[W.R.Buchanan]

If the rifling is good in the barrel of the second gun, new wood from Boyd's and a paint job would get it to where mine is.

Lots of the Parker Hale Sporterized guns had the barrels cut off. This usually meant the original muzzle was worn from over cleaning.

These guns are all shooters, they aren't meant to be returned to original status. There's plenty of Originals out there, and Enfield's are not hard to find at all. I just looked at another one today but it was in really bad shape so I passed. It wouldn't even have made a decent Sporter.

A gun that has been sporterized in a good way as a Hunting Rifle is significantly more useful than a bone stock Military gun that you are afraid to shoot due to it's perceived value?

Unless its a very rare model it just isn't worth that much. They made literally Millions of them, and the applicable term is "Plenty more where they came from!"

Here's a pic of the L39 Replica as I picked it up from the gun store. It was a Parker Hale "Standard Sporter." It was in poor shape and I spent many hours getting it to look like the picture above in Post #19.



Which one would you rather have?

Randy

[echo1]

I have no idea if the second is a Parker Hale job. It did have remnants of muzzle damage and a hooded ramp front site installed. I added a slip-on break to cover the muzzle bad and silver soldered it to the muzzle. It looks ok as is and I'm not throwing any change at it. It's a 2-groove barrel and doesn't like boatail boolits. The furniture works and is kinda unique. Handles nice and I added the 5-round mag and foam cheek pad. All that's left to do is add a barrel band sling loop and sling. PAX

[duckman1]

Very nice work, beautiful!


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[GREASY357]

beautiful.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Here's a pic of a loaded round using a Sierra Game King 225 gr soft point.

Expecting about 2100 fps from this one. After firing the case will be fire formed to the chamber and there will be a little more prominent shoulder on the case. Still, it shouldn't be more than .015 on a side.

Randy