Sporterizing the British Enfield

Recently, one of my favorite customers asked me to build a rifle for his son to use on an upcoming deer hunt. He and I share a fondness for surplus military rifles’M ausers, Mosin-Nagants, you name it. My task was to take a badly abused British SMLE (No. 4 Mark 1) and make it look good and shoot great. It would require extensive work; someone had already hacked several inches from the end of the muzzle and "customized" the original wood. At the next local gun show, I found a replacement stock and got to work.

It is said that the Germans build hunting rifles, Americans build target rifles, and the British build battle rifles (or something like that). If you’ve never had the opportunity to work the bolt action on a British Enfield, you’re in for a treat; it’s probably the slickest, quickest bolt gun on the planet. But all this comes at a cost.

The action has a reputation for being "springy," and along with a generally oversized chamber, is so rough on cartridges that most shooters get only one or two fullpower loads from their .303 cases before they split in half. This was never a problem for military use, of course, and for hunting, it just means using new brass. But it could be a consideration for target shooters. The Enfield has also been criticized by some hunters for not being as powerful as the .30-06.

Ballistically, it’s closer in strength to the .308, but miles ahead of the .30-30. Then there’s the matter of the 10-round magazine, illegal in most states because it holds too much ammo. Thus, there are lots of things that need to be addressed before the Enfield is ready to go after a trophy buck. The first step in a project like this is to field strip, give the rifle a thorough cleaning, and make a careful analysis of what you’ve got to work with.

If you don’t already own a copy of Bolt Action Rifles by Frank de Haas, I’ll stop here while you get one. Got it? Good. This book is an excellent source of information, with diagrams and drawings that make the disassembly process a snap’and it covers almost every bolt-action rifle ever made. With the barreled action spotless, the first check is for headspace. For one reason or another, many of these rifles will be found to have too much headspace and a quick check with a set of headspace gauges will tell the tale.

No gauges? No problem. When these rifles were assembled at the factory, the range of acceptable headspace measurements was .064 to .074. Headspace on a rimmed cartridge (like the .303) can be measured by using an empty brass case. First, use a micrometer or digital caliper to find the thickness of the rim of that particular piece of brass and then insert it into the chamber. More than likely the bolt will close easily.

Next, obtain some shim stock (cut up a soda can) or find some various thicknesses of sheetmetal in your scrap bin. Cut apiece of metal the same diameter as the brass, measure the thickness of the two items together, and use a bit of grease to hold the shim in place. Now gently close the bolt on it. Continue adding shims until the bolt will no longer close easily. While this method is not tremendously precise, it will give you a fairly good approximation of your Lee Enfield’s headspace.

If you suspect your measured headspace is in excess of .074, a set of .303 gauges will be a good investment (see Figure 1 for Brownells part numbers), and then you’ll know for sure. When dealing with excess headspace, most other rifles require you to The other item here is a shorter bolt head minus the extractor.

remove the barrel, cut a couple of new threads on the lathe, put the rifle back together, and recut the chamber. The crafty Enfield designers came up with a simpler, easier solution’re placeable bolt heads. The bolt head (the piece that rests directly behind the cartridge case) merely unscrews from the front of the bolt assembly, allowing quick replacement and testing. These heads are available in a variety of lengths, each one .003 inch longer than the last.

The higher the number stamped on the bolt head (from 0 to 3), the longer it is. When you find the one that gives the proper headspace, you’re ready to go to the next step. This particular rifle required a change to the next size bolt head to make things right. The next step in this project was major surgery: The barrel needed to be shortened. It’s times like these I wish I had a lathe, because a hacksaw seems so crude.

I have two good friends who own lathes and mills I can use when necessary, but in this case I settled for hand power. While the initial cut looks (and generally is) kind of rough, another hand-powered tool can be used to dress up the muzzle rather nicely. Over the years, I’ve purchased several facing cutters and they do a fine job of ensuring the muzzle is square with the bore. While a fairly good finish can be obtained with a file, I’ve never been able to match the perfect 90-degree angle a cutter makes.

For the final cut, a 45degree muzzle cutter will cleanup the lands and grooves. The final finish is made with a brass screw from the hardware The 45-degree cutter uses the same handle and pilot to crown the barrel. On the right side of the photo are rimmedcartridge headspace gauges next to some .303 rounds. store, mounted in a hand drill. The screw is spun at slow speed to allow an abrasive (valve-grinding compound will do the job) to remove the tiny burrs left by the 45-degree cutter.

When doing this deburring, go slow and move your drill in a figure-eight pattern to make sure no spot is polished more than another. The great thing about a project like this is that you can use your imagination and do as much or as little as you like. I wanted to do away with the original sights and mount a scope, so out came the hacksaw once again. The rear peep sight was removed, as was the base it was attached to.

After a few minutes work with a saw and a file, the receiver was no longer cluttered up with excess material. The SMLE action makes mounting Figure 1. Brownells Part Numbers for To .303 Headspace Gauges – #184-100-302 & 184-100-303 .303 Cal.

Action-Proving Dummies – #669-303-005 Acra-Glas Kit – #081-003-002 Book: Bolt Action Rifles – #251-903-601 Scope Mount Rings – #962-070-104 Spray-On Lacquer – #083-046-806 Williams Scope Mount – #962-070-071 a scope in the traditional fashion (on top of the receiver like a Mauser) somewhat problematic, but the Williams Company provides a handy solution to the problem. This scope mount is attached to the left side of the receiver with three screws and uses offset rings to center the scope over the action.

The top portion of the scope mount (where the rings are attached) must be parallel with the top of the receiver’which can get a little tricky. When setting up to bore the three holes, the barreled action needs to be mounted in a vise very securely, and the vice should be firmly mounted to the table of your drill press. Many vises have an aggressive pattern on the jaws which can mar a rifle, but placing a few copper pennies at strategic places will allow you to achieve a tight fit without damaging the action.

Of course, other metals and other materials can be used to pad vice jaws, but pennies always seem to be convenient for me. Plus’and this is a big advantage’a few pennies only costa few pennies! The rear of the scope mount will be approximately .040 in front of the ejector. (The ejector is basically a screw that is positioned forward of the safety). The receiver also has a ridge running parallel with the top of the ac-

tion, and the mount should slide down the side of the receiver and come to rest on that ridge. Lock the mount in place using C-clamps so that the location of the holes can be marked. When the holes are drilled and tapped and it’s time to mount the scope, use a thread-locking compound on the threads. Even though the .303 doesn’t kick very hard, enough shooting will eventually loosen the screws.

Many states mandate a maximum five-cartridge capacity for deer rifles, so the next step was to modify the trigger guard/magazine holder to legal capacity. The following is a procedure that works well for me: Remove The electrical tape was added to show how it would be attached to prevent the stock and action from being glued together. The threaded object in the middle is the stock-attaching bolt. the spring and follower from the magazine and the magazine-catch mechanism from the trigger guard.

Use the now-empty magazine-holder portion of the trigger guard with apiece of heavy paper or thin cardboard and trace the outer dimensions. That tracing can then be used to fashion a magazine bottom plate. Once you’ve cut out the tracing, place it on apiece of thick sheet metal and transfer the pattern to the metal. When the basic bottom plate is formed, make sure it fits the trigger guard and remove any rough edges with a file or sandpaper.

At this point, you will need to make a decision on the finishing process you want to use’bluing, sprayon coating, etc. The floorplate will need to be attached to the trigger guard by brazing or silversoldering, and bluing will not stick to either. If you plan to blue, great care must be taken to ensure no gaps can be seen and that any joining materials are removed from visible surfaces. I avoided this problem by using bake-on lacquer spray finish. It’s easy to apply, and perfect for afield gun.

My choice of color was "Parkerizing Gray," which is non-reflective and just looks "right" to me on this rifle. Before the brazing process begins, take the magazine (minus the spring and follower), and push it up into its normal spot in the assembled receiver.

While holding the magazine in place, take a scratch awl or scribe and scratch a line even with the bottom of the triggerguard. (For size reference, note the photo of the modified trigger guard, magazine spring, and the shortened magazine.) Cut the magazine a little distance below the line and assemble the pieces when the new plate has been brazed to the bottom of the trigger guard.

You may need to file off a bit more metal from the bottom edge of the magazine, as the first cut may leave the modified magazine too long to fit on top of the new floorplate on the trigger guard. Obviously, proper magazine fit is necessary to ensure the rounds will feed properly into the chamber. I dealt with basic stock work in my article in the May 08 issue, but a two-piece stock is a different animal altogether.

The forward portion of the stock is fairly simple (just copy the original wood), but the buttstock needs special treatment as recoil can eventually crack or chip it. Look at the socket where the rear stock "plugs into" the receiver. It needs some help. Use whatever tools are at hand to

roughen up the interior area of the socket and finish with brake cleaner or lacquer thinner; this area needs to be surgically clean. Support the action so that the threaded stock-bolt hole is parallel with the ground. We’ll be filling part of that cavity with Acra- Glas epoxy. Mix a batch according to instructions and pour enough to almost cover the protruding metal in the upper left portion of the socket (see photo).

Let the mixture cure overnight and it’s time for "Phase Two." To ensure the buttstock is as strong as possible, cut off some of the forward stepped edge of the wood’ enough so it will not touch the dried Acra-Glas filler when plugged into the receiver. Drill a series of small holes or make some nicks in the wood which will allow the epoxy mixture to attach firmly to the stock and spray that area with brake cleaner.

Liberally apply the release agent (a quantity comes with the epoxy kit) to all the inner and outer surfaces at the rear of the receiver, the dried Acra-Glas at the base of the socket, and the threads on the stock bolt. (We want to strengthen the stock, not permanently glue it to the action.) Now find your roll of electrical tape, which is needed for the next step. Place apiece of the tape on the outer lip of the stock, shiny side toward the end of the receiver (see photo).

Once the process is finished, this tape will leave just enough of a gap between the metal and wood to allow for stock swelling when the weather gets humid. Whip up another quantity of Acra-Glas, and pour enough into the cavity at the rear of the action to fill the space created by the shortened stock. (By "enough," I mean that a small quantity of epoxy will ooze out around the electrical tape.) Let it cure for three to five hours, then remove the stock and allow the mixture to finish hardening overnight.

This whole stock-strengthening process could be considered overkill, but to my way of thinking, it means the rifle can withstand hard use and the wood will remain in good enough shape to be handed down to the next generation. Before the finish is applied to the metal, assemble the complete rifle’ scope and all. Get your hands on some dummy .303 rounds (no live ammunition should ever be in the shop) and make sure the action feeds and cycles the dummy cartridges through the magazine. Check the trigger pull.

In my opinion, it should be at least 4 pounds. Look the entire rifle over one more time before you put the finishing touches on the metal and wood. You certainly don’t want to do a great refinishing job on the wood and metal and then find out that something doesn’t work just right. So there you have it. In this project, an old beat-up war club was turned into a fine hunting rifle.

With the shortened barrel, anew, correctly dimensioned stock, and a scope for more accurate shot placement, it will be a joy to carry in the woods. I think I’m going to build another one just like it for myself. I