I think I'll use the Enfield a little

[Jack Stanley]

I've been using several surplus rifles in the last year , used the Mosin a little , the 1903A3 a lot and both the number one and the number four Enfields . Now that I think I've finally used up all of my purpose built-for-thirty-caliber-bullets , I can go on to the next bullet pile I happen to be tripping over .

I used up a pile of HXP surplus in a Savage number four this past summer and have got the cases all trimmed , deburred , polished and ready to load . I've used the number one mkIII a good bit this year so I'm thinking maybe I'll work with the number four mkII and see if I can learn how it runs .

The bullet I have in mind is a 314299 that comes from the mold at or about .3125" and I've used a bunch of these sized at .311" in my A3 and they work real well . I think it's the bigger nose that helps guide it in worn thirty caliber bores . I do have a small stash of bullets from this mold I sized at .312" that should work in this mkII . The best I can tell the barrel on this rifle is just under .312" though the chamber will accept .314" bullets .

The little that I've used this rifle it seems to like my hundred ninety-five grain bullet and twelve and a half grains of Unique . I've shot a little bit of 2400 with charges of nineteen and a half grains but can't say it really LIKES the powder . I tried a little Blue Dot and it's so-so , maybe I'll try them both with this 314299 and see what happens . For now I think I'll keep the tryouts limited to different powders and just use this one bullet . After they are gone I can always warm up my "fat 311291" molds and size those .

Not sure what level of load I'm looking for got a few different powders and would like to find one that will make the rifle a nail driver 8-)Wouldn't we all :roll:

Sorry for the ramble guys , just thinking out loud I guess .

Jack

[MBTcustom]

Sweet Enfield......I got to get me another one of those. Kinda hard to put my finger on what I like so much about them.
Try some loads with IMR3031. I had some good luck with that powder.
Whats the groove diameter on that #4? Mine was a whopping .3195! (of course that was a #4 MK1).

[Jack Stanley]

Mines .312" as best I can tell . It's the closest I've ever had to what the groove is "supposed" to be .

Jack

[MBTcustom]

gorgeous! I'd love to find one like that.

[JeffinNZ]

Try 14gr of 2400 under the 299.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Sweet Enfield......I got to get me another one of those. Kinda hard to put my finger on what I like so much about them.
Try some loads with IMR3031. I had some good luck with that powder.
Whats the groove diameter on that #4? Mine was a whopping .3195! (of course that was a #4 MK1).


What sort of starter load of 3031 would you be using with the #314299?Robert

[303Guy]

There is a sort of appeal to the Lee Enfield. Hard to put one's finger on it but what the heck - just go with it!

[JeffinNZ]

Swore I'd never own one cos they were so ugly. Stuck to that promise too. I don't own one. I think there is four.......

[MBTcustom]

I'm with you Jeff, I swore I wouldn't own one because its as ugly as homemade soap, but then my no-brother-good-in-law let me shoot his and I was hooked.
That rifle was ahead of its time by50 years.

What sort of starter load of 3031 would you be using with the #314299?Robert
The Lyman Ammunition Reloading Handbook from 1957 gives data for a 215 grain jacketed bullet (should work just fine for cast cause its slow).
It just says 3031:
Starting grains: 36.0 for a sugested velocity of 2070fps
Max grains: 40.0 for a suggested velocity of 2265
If you would like me to take a picture of the page and post it here, I would be happy to do that.
Another IMR powder I had good luck with was 4227, but that was with paper patched loads.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Sweet Enfield......I got to get me another one of those. Kinda hard to put my finger on what I like so much about them.
Try some loads with IMR3031. I had some good luck with that powder.
Whats the groove diameter on that #4? Mine was a whopping .3195! (of course that was a #4 MK1).


Yes, I would appreciate it if you could print that loading page. I have a goodly amount of 3031 from loading "J" bullets in various other cartridges and could use another way of useing it. Thanks. Robert

[Jack Stanley]

While I don't mind the homelyness of the rifle my eyes aren't as good as that blasted front sight wants then to be . For whatever reason I tend to shoot the old number one better than the number four mkII [smilie=b:

Today I tried some Unique loads that ran good in the number one so all I changed was to the 314299 bullet . I had to drop from twelve point five to eleven point five grains and still didn't get the accuracy the number one gets . I could still hold the ten ring of a B-3 target at thirty-five yards ..... but just barely .

I have used nineteen and a half grains of 2400 with this bullet and commercial cases in this rifle and got good results . Not great but good , but then I can be hard to please . So today , I tried the same load with these HXP75 cases . Youd'a thought it woulda worked :roll: , nope I had to drop the charge down a grain to eighteen and a half . I never tried fourteen grains Jeff , maybe that's the one eh?

Someone said try Blue Dot so I ran from fifteen to sixteen and a half and it seemed the recoil was a bit different . One might recoil a little more than the next kind of thing . I might be all wet on that it was the last eighteen cases of the day I tried and I was getting tired .


I remembered why I want this 314299 bullet to work so bad .... it's because it feeds so well . My LBT bullet with the little flat on the front sometimes hangs up and my "fat" 311291 hangs up more on its round nose than the LBT does . The nose of this 314299 won't fit into the muzzle so I'm guessing there is hope I'll find what works for this rifle . I can't really seat it much farther out because I'm on the last thread of my seater dies . Maybe I need to try seating it deeper huh? :mrgreen:

Jack

[leadman]

Blue Dot has changed in burning speed since the improvement to make it cleaner burning.
If you want to try BD again start at 13grs and work up.
I do agree the recoil is different with that amount of BD. I also noticed a difference in the sound of the muzzle blast.
I have been haveing excellent results with SR 4759 in my Mil-surps and other rifles. Harder to measure but when the groups drop to under 1" at 100 yards it brings a smile to my face!

[Shooter]

Quit wasting your time sizing. Pan lube 314299 over 26 Gr. 4064. You'll like it.

[303Guy]

You might try a load that 3/4 or more fills the case and use a filler (like wheat germ or wheat bran) that will act as a wad under the boolit.

[Jack Stanley]

I am really hoping that I don't have to go as far as filling the case up or even using fillers if I don't have to . I think I have about seven hundred cases prepped and ready to fill a couple ammo cans .... once I find a nice load .

I found a heavy load using the 314299 in my 1903A3 that chronographs at just over twenty-three hundred . So If I want recoil there it is ... for an 06 [smilie=l:I think my hope is to find something in the sixteen hundred foot per second area that'll drive bullets into the same hole .

It would be nice to have a load that both the number one and number four used well . I think the groove diameter difference isn't going to allow that .

I tried Reloder seven with the heavies and accuracy wasn't to bad though recoil was starting to get noticable . I have some Varget , surplus 4895 and some Accurate Arms 2520 I wonder if that might be of some use . This can't be as hard as it seems to be , I just never had an Enfield act this way . About to try some loads with different over all lengths , so I'll see how that does .


Jack