Restocking an Enfield.

[toolittletoolate]

IDK where you got your info. But EVERYONE I've ever talked with says LEs are accurate. And mine with irons can do quarters at 100yrds.

[a.tinkerer]

I've been handling/shooting/working on firearms for all of my life, which started in the 60's.

IDK where you got your info. But EVERYONE I've ever talked with says LEs are accurate. And mine with irons can do quarters at 100yrds.

From very early in life, I'd created an attitude about the .303 Brit and the Enfield rifles. Somehow every LE I'd ended up shooting was a brass-wrecking scattergun that just wouldn't print an acceptable group to save it's life. From that perspective I had no interest at all in looking much further into the issue. My sense was that the collector community was simply stoned on crack, in some perverse love affair with 'those butt-ugly battle rifles..'

One afternoon at the ranch, our friend produces a really neat Francote pattern martini sporter in .303
I'd never been a big fan of the martial martinis either, or the western sporters often seen built on them, but this old Francote was a super slick Golden Age safari rifle with the proper british sporting pattern stock configuration, express sights, banded swivel etc -- it was light and handy and really sweet to shoot.

much like this

It too was a brass-wrecker though, and with any kind of factory ammunition it just wasn't accurate.
But it got me interested.

We ended up taking the challenge of finding a load that would get it to shoot, and I think it was one of Ken Waters' loads from the 'Pet Loads' book that finally got it to print.
With that load and WW brass, with the shoulder put where it needed to be and with the right OAL, it didn't destroy brass either.
Cool!

The groups were in the 21/2" neighborhood over the express sights on the 100 yard target board.
Good enough to have fun and good enough to hunt.

Years later I ended up with a Lee-Speed Sporter from Westley Richards by way of a long-distance trade.

much like this, but without peep-sight

I didn't expect great results, but figured it'd be OK to have a 'starting point' to work with.
Didn't take long, and I realized 3/4" groups with 175gr SNRN Hornadys over the iron sights at 100 yards!
Woot!

That's done wonders to correct my bad attitude about the .303 and the LE rifles.
I'm not fan of martial rifles, but I will suggest that anyone who's on the fence over these rifles or the cartridge should 'give it a shot'
You might end up pleasantly surprised!





Cheers
Tinker