My Lee Enfield .45acp conversion

[tbx-4]

Moleman,
That's exactly right.
No mod to the action, only the extractor is mod'd. Grind a little off the tip and inside so it doesn't hit the barrel and can grab the .45 rebated rim.

[tbx-4]

Had to make a poor man's head space gage. Used layers of white Avery adhesive labels till it measured 0.920" then trimmed to fit. The Avery labels don't compress like masking tape so it's very repeatable.




Don,
You asked about reliable feeding. I found with a full 8 rnd mag the spring pressure caused the first 2-3 rnds to nose dive causing fail to feed. There's a gap between the 1911 mag and the Enfield feed ramp where the round dives into. So I made a little filler piece out of some black micarta and epoxied it into the front of the mag adapter. That seems to take care of the problem.




Also, the instructions say the Rhineland mag adapter should fit tightly... Well, it didn't fit at all. Had to remove some metal from both sides, probably a good 1/16" total to get it to fit "tightly". Nice thing is you can't see the "white" when the adapter is in place.




I also experimented with installing another ejector screw closer to the breach so the extractor doesn't have to drag the spent shell all the back to the original ejector screw. It helps but still not 100%. I find tipping the rifle to the right when extracting sheds the spent case sufficiently.




In the 2 photos above you can see the rough machining on the action. It actually looks worse than the photos show. There are no clear markings on the receiver so it wasn't like I butchered a restorable/collectable action.

[tbx-4]

So living dangerously and defying the "stay at home order" I decided to go out to the woods to really put this little rifle through it's paces. There's a little old quarry that I like to shoot at only few minutes away. Unfortunately I'm not the only one who likes it. There're certain yahoos who trash the place out so I spent about an hour picking up the trash.



I set up a poster board with 5 small "Shoot and See" targets. Targets 1-4 were at 25 yards, target 5 was at 50 yards. One 8 rnd mag per target. Not too bad, though I was a little wobbly on target 5 at 50 yards and it shows. Even target 4 was starting to spread, I was a bit tired after running around picking up the trash. If I had a bench set up the groups would be much tighter. Anyway, I shot about 100 rnds at the quarry and had a great time.

Oh, and the flyers on targets 1 & 2, that was just me, I could tell when I pulled the trigger and yes it is annoying.

[dverna]

Not too bad IMHO shooting without a proper bench and iron sights.

Will follow your progress with interest.

[tbx-4]

Thanks Don.

The only thing left to do now is strip it all down and finish/refinish the metal.
Yesterday I found a new set of sling swivels and sling I bought years ago and never used so got that all on and adjusted. Carries well and at 7lbs 5oz it's not too heavy.

[Gtrubicon]

What an awesome project!

[samari46]

Could you please explain how the barrel is installed in the action?. Looks like the barrel is screwed in and what looks like a barrel nut is used to lock the barrel in place. I have a #5 action that I cut down the left hand side wall so I could mount a scope closer to the barrel. Iron sights such as the military ones cannot be used as their attachment points are no longer there. Was given to me over 30 years ago, just a barreled action and nothing else. Started ordering the missing bits and pieces from Liberty Tree this year. This stay at home and only go out for food,meds,and fuel is driving me nuts. Been messing around with a Parker Hale sporter to keep me occupied. Frank

[tbx-4]

Samari46,
You got it right, there’s a barrel nut that tighten’s the barrel to the receiver. This makes setting head space pretty easy since the chamber is already cut. I just put an empty case in the chamber, screwed barrel in till bolt closed freely, then screw barrel out ~1/8 turn then try no-go gage. If bolt won’t close you’re set, if it does close tighten barrel a smidge and try no-go gage again, repeat as needed till bolt doesn’t close, then tighten barrel nut. Small drop of Lock Tight 242 or 243 (blue) don’t hurt none.

Edit to fix typo.

[iomskp]

Wit a bit more work you could replicate a De Lisle carbine

[tbx-4]

Thanks Gtrubicon!

[tbx-4]

Iomskp,
Yes. Maybe on the next one, I bought two of the kits so still have one left.

This one is another "woods walking" gun. And it goes good while carrying my 1911 on my hip too.

[samari46]

Many thanks for the installation of the barrel and lock nut. Seems even I could do it. Would need another forend,stock bolt and maybe some other goodies. Liberty Tree has so far been my source for parts for the other Enfield I have been playing around with. I have a parker Hale sporter barrel cut to 21" and then the forend cut back.Back of the stock was badly cracked due to the draws being cut poorly. So working on that cracked section with a piece of walnut and that will be epoxied in place, Once that is done. The draws will need attending to. will cut away the damaged wood and fit two new draws made of oak. Then glass bed the whole action and knoc's form and some epoxy out in the center of the new forend I've been working on. Long branch 1942 will have to find some iron sights for the rear and a sporting bead sight for the front. That's about the only thing this quarrantine has been good for and giving me time to bushog the grass,cut trees down and make a new set of doors for my outside storage shed. That alone should keep me busy for while. Glad to see your project turned out so nice. Have fun and stay safe. Frank

[tbx-4]

Samari46,
I do have an extra No4 stock set (sporterized) in fair condition if you need it. Less screw though.

[oneofsix]

tbx-4, do these kits fit only a certain type of SMLE?
I have the kit in the cart, want to make sure before I checkout...
The donor rifle I bought quite a while back was already a project gun, someone chopped the forearm and removed the sights. On the wrist it's marked "MA Lithgow, S.M.L.E. III* 1942"
And just above it on the rear of the receiver it's marked "Australia .303"
There's many more proof marks here and there.
Originally I wanted to make this into a 7.62x39 rifle, but seeing these kits out again changed my mind. Well, that and the bore is a sewer pipe, looks terrible.

[tbx-4]

oneofsix,
Your Lithgow is an Australian version of the British No1 Mk3 and these kits will work on all No1 and later Lee Enfields. So yes, it will work.
These kits even work on the Ishapore 2 and 2A in 7.62x51 because the 2 & 2A are just later versions of a No1 Mk3.
Rhineland Arms mentions in the instruction that the Ishapore 2 & 2A extractor is a drop in replacement and doesn't need to be modified for the rebated rim of the .45ACP.

[oneofsix]

oneofsix,
Your Lithgow is a No1 Mk3* and these kits will work on all No1 and later Lee Enfields. So yes, it will work.
These kits even work on the Ishapore 2 and 2A in 7.62x51 because the 2 & 2A are just later versions of a No1 Mk3.
Rhinland Arms mentions in the instruction that the Ishapore 2 & 2A extractor is a drop in replacement and doesn't need to be modified for the rebated rim of the .45ACP.

Nice! Thanks for the quick reply.
Did you have to use/make a jig to hold the receiver when removing the old barrel?

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[tbx-4]

Yes, I used a barrel vice and action wrench but to get the barrel to even turn I had to put the barreled action in a lathe and cut a groove just in front of the action to relieve the pressure. See photo below. It wouldn't budge otherwise.
Once the barrel was off everything else was easy.
If you don't have or want to invest in the tools, a good gunsmith should be able to get the barrel off for you.

[Texas by God]

A relief cut can be made with Very Careful use of a Good hacksaw if you don’t have access to a lathe.

[oneofsix]

tbx-4, Texas by God; thank you both for the info, my kit is ordered and a shipping label created. I'm excited!
Been looking at doing something like this for years, having fallen head over heels with Delisle repros I've seen on the web.
I'll try to document the build best that I can-
Thanks again!

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[samari46]

Looks to have some nice figure in the butt stock. Any decent finish like tru oil or linspeed should do the trick. Buddy at work had both a #4 and and a 98 mauser which he wanted to get the barrels off. I had a 2 and a half piece of 1" bar stock that I drilled for the u clamps used on exhaust systems. And a half piece of 1.5 brass pipe. barrels were toast so stuck as much in the shop vice tightened it down and installed my gizmo. The brass pipe went over the receiver ring to prevent scratches on the 98 mauser. One good whack with a 32 oz ball pien hammer loosened that barrel and a 10" pipe wrench did the rest. The #4 got the same teatment and came off as well. Surprised the mauser came off so easily. The #4's barrel also came off easily. So goes to show you that all barrel installations are not equal. Some come offeasily and others fight you tooth and nail. Frank