Scoping a Lee-Enfeild

[725]

Any thoughts on how to scope a .303 Lee-Enfield? Would desire a low scope mount, refined enough to look like it came from a good gunsmith and not Wal-Mart.

[groovy mike]

Please DO NOT drill or tap it unless the collector value has already been destroyed by "sporterizing"!

[bruce drake]

You didn't say whether it was a No 4 Mk1 or a No 1 Mk III version which requires different mounts for either rifle.

http://www.scopemounts.com/index.html?instapics.html

This company makes solid mounts that will compliment the rifle and not make it look like it came from Wal-Mart.

Bruce

[screwcutter]

82829
Here is a low mount I made for a No4.
mr

[Uncle Grinch]

I had a no gunsmithing mount on my No.4 Mk1. It was an Accumount and was all steel.You remove the factory rear sight and it was held in place by a cross pin and a tension wedge. It worked quite well, although you needed to raise your cheek off the stock somewhat. I sold it here to another user after I sold the SMLE.

[screwcutter]

8347083471Here are pictures in-progress.
mr

[rondog]

There's a mount on the Brownell's website for No.4 and No.5 rifles that I want, but haven't tried yet. No drill, uses existing screws on the receiver. Do a search.

[RobsTV]

No.4 is easier.

No.1 can be tricky. Skip the ATi and other rails that use pressure to wedge into opening. They will not hold and will end up in a drawer collecting dust.

This works great with No.1.
Has a ring that goes around barrel to keep front of rail planted down and very tight. No drilling of course. Switching to this solved all rail issues.

http://www.brownells.com/optics-mounting/rings-mounts-bases/rifle-bases/insta-mount-scope-mounts-lee-enfield-7-1-3-jungle-carbine-weaver--sku794-001-111-12461-29495.aspx

The best way to do a No4 is like this:
83487

[725]

Thanks for all the info. Going out check out the Brownell's one mentioned in post #8.

[longbow]

I bought one S&K from Brownells for my No. 5 and yes it has a tension wedge but no it has no shaken loose. So far I have no complaints and it is a no gunsmithing scope mount so no drilling and tapping.

Subsequently I bought a No. 4 that had been sporterized (wood only) with an S&K scope mount on it and it is also good and solid.

I like them anyway.

Get the lowest rings you can though. I was unsure and went with mid height and so cannot get a cheek weld on the stock. Next I will be making a removable comb so I get a cheek rest. I think even with low rings this will be an issue.

Longbow

[Antietamgw]

Some more ideas:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?169027-Dril-and-tap-a-enfield-45-70

[John 242]

83799
83800

I'm not sure if this meets your "not from Walmart" standard, but the mount is a William's from Brownells.
The rifle is a No.1 Mk. III*, which as you know, has a rounded receiver. There is a adapter plate that must go between the mount and the receiver to ensure the scope is centered over the bore. You must also use William's proprietary scope rings.

Their are two heights of scope rings available for this mount. Pictured is the higher set of rings. I used the higher rings because the rifle still wears iron sights. The scope is VERY high. I would prefer to install the lower rings, but this isn't my rifle. The drop of the stock is, obviously, designed for "iron" sights. Even with the lower rings, I would imagine the cheek weld wouldn't be what it should be. The British added a wooden cheek piece to their sniper rifles, so I would assume that they had a similar problem.

This mount requires the removal of the stripper (charger) guide, which is riveted on. I removed most of the guide, but left part of the base on the right side, to fill that gap in the stock.

The holes are drilled at an angle, but I forget exactly what that angle was. I can double check my notes if necessary. The instructions that come with the mount, suck. They are generic and don't really explain what needs to be done. However, it is pretty obvious what needs to happen. A mill, in my opinion, is probably necessary. After fixturing the receiver, I nodded the head of the mill to get the proper angle. I then drilled and tapped the first hole, moved the correct distance, and repeated the process twice more. I suppose you could do it on a drill press, but it was easy money on a mill. The holes are 8-40 and the receiver was soft enough that neither drilling or tapping was problematic.

The rings, when viewed from above, rotate. They are held to the base with by a nut that cranks them down to the base. I used a couple of centers to align the rings, sort of like you would do with Leupold rings.

After installation, bore-sight your rifle. I had to hand file some of the adapter plate away to ensure that there was enough windage adjustment. Another option would have been to shim, but that would have left a gap between the plate and the receiver. I would hate to have such a ugly looking gap on such a fine rifle. Besides, the aluminum adapter files really easy.

As a side note, part of this job was zeroing the rifle at 100 yards. Twice, I crept up the stock enough to put a gash in my nose with the scope. The "chin weld" as opposed to "cheek weld," doesn't really help. Groups were respectable (Vague, I know. I only had one box of ammo, and I wasted half of it before I figuered out that there wasn't enough windage. Should have bore-sighted).

Other than the crazy high cheek weld with the high rings, this seems to be a pretty decent set-up. This particular rifle was previously sporterized. The person for whom I did the work, was adamant about mounting a scope on it. His vision is getting bad, and he uses the rifle for short range deer hunting.
I looked at some of the 'no-gunsmithing' mounts, but the feed-back from users seems to indicate that they have problems with rigidity and durability. This is a pretty solid set up, although the rings are a little skimpy.

Although it's hard to tell, the safety is fully functional and not hard to get to.

Anyway, I know I wrote a book here, but if it helps somebody, then it was worth it.
If you need more specific details such as hole spacing and the angle the holes were drilled, shoot me a PM.

[RobsTV]

Here is the No1 with the S&K no drill mount with receiver loop band to securely anchor front of rail. Rear sight needed to be removed for front of scope to clear. Also has the high chin weld, not cheek. Zeroed in at 100 yards.

Not a lot of choices if you don't wish to drill or permanently modify the Enfield, but this does work. Very rigid and durable. The reviews that rate it poorly seem to be from specific versions of the 303 that drift off from original design, such as Ishapore? With an original like mine, no modifications are needed except to slightly remove some internal wood in the stock where the forward retaining band lies. Easily done with small file. Bridge with stripper guide stock with no modding required. Bolt needed nothing done for clearance, easily removed and inserted and all still same as factory original.

83823

[725]

Wow. Thanks for the detailed info. When winter hits, I think I'll get some of the S&K mounts and see how it goes. I have an old scope living on the bench that may help my aging eyes. Just love this old Enfiled.