new barrels for Enfields?

[rondog]

Anybody know of a source to get a new barrel installed on a No.1 Mk.III? I have a 1917 BSA I'm restoring which is in good shape overall but the barrel is ruined. I'd like to at least make a shooter out of it rather than just a wallhanger.

Thanks!

[Outpost75]

Rebore to .35/.303!

[rondog]

Rebore to .35/.303!

Who does that? Do they cut new rifling? Details?

[bubba.50]

springfield sporters & sarco sometimes have parts for these old guns. another option would be to have the existin' barrel lined.

[JeffinNZ]

Centurion could do well out of a run of .303 Brit barrels IMHO.

[CENTEX BILL]

Check out JES reboring. www.35caliber.com

[Bullshop Junior]

JES does 3 groove rifling in 35 cal I believe. Best thing for cast bullets since the cast bullet came into being.

[bruce drake]

Jeff is right. Centurion would make a killing on doing a run of new 303 barrels. I have two No 4s that I'd save my $$$ for new barrels.

Bruce

[MUSTANG]

Maybe contacting Criterion to see if they might make a run of barrels for this application. They are making P14, US Model 1917, M-14, and... (http://criterionbarrels.com/barrels/p14-enfield ). If there is sufficient requests/need, they may take the leap.

[rondog]

I contacted one of the barrel mfgs once, they seemed to think it was funny. Jeeze, there's a LOT of people that love to own, restore and shoot old milsurp rifles, they make barrels for many different old rifles, why NOT Enfields?

I have five of them, Lord only knows how many millions there are in private hands. Most of which have eat-up barrels from corrosive primers and Cordite. Still great fun to shoot them, but even more fun when they're accurate.

[rondog]

Check out JES reboring. www.35caliber.com

OK, this is interesting! Basically they enlarge the bore a tad and recut new rifling, and you still use .303 brass but move up to .35 bullets? I'm gonna have to call them.....

[bruce drake]

I sent them a note asking them to add the barrel to their line of products.

[303Guy]

I do believe a 35/303 is a great cartridge. Even better for cast boolits. Think in terms of a 35 Remington on steroids.

[zuke]

Part out the rifle with the bad barrel and look for one with a good barrel.

[bruce drake]

Good news was waiting in my inbox this morning. here is a cut and paste from the email. Please pass on to every one who loves Enfields that new barrels will be forthcoming soon.

Bruce

Good afternoon,

We are currently in the process of developing a pre-fit barrel for the Lee Enfield No4. We have a 95% complete prototype in the shop, and are expecting the full release to occur later this year. The only thing keeping these barrels from completing production are a few cuts to complete the original contour.

The No1 is the leading candidate for a follow-on model. Please follow us on Facebook or sign up for our email newsletter to receive notifications regarding this product's upcoming release.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Josh Buege


W172 N13050 Division Rd.
Germantown, WI 53076
ph: (262) 628-8749
fax: (262) 997-1137

[Janoosh]

Outstanding!!!.....Thanks....

[rondog]

Good news was waiting in my inbox this morning. here is a cut and paste from the email. Please pass on to every one who loves Enfields that new barrels will be forthcoming soon.

Bruce

Good afternoon,

We are currently in the process of developing a pre-fit barrel for the Lee Enfield No4. We have a 95% complete prototype in the shop, and are expecting the full release to occur later this year. The only thing keeping these barrels from completing production are a few cuts to complete the original contour.

The No1 is the leading candidate for a follow-on model. Please follow us on Facebook or sign up for our email newsletter to receive notifications regarding this product's upcoming release.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Josh Buege


W172 N13050 Division Rd.
Germantown, WI 53076
ph: (262) 628-8749
fax: (262) 997-1137

Excellent! Thank you! I'm assuming this is Criterion?

[bruce drake]

Yes. Criterion. Their little graphic didn't come over in the cut and paste.

[zuke]

Now that's a VERY nice surprise!!

[bruce drake]

Just got another email from Josh at Criterion.

They have export deals in place with C96 Trading in Australia http://www.c96trading.com/ and are in discussions with a distributor in Canada as well. He told me the Canadian company's name but since the deal isn't complete I told him I wouldn't publicize the company in a public format until the agreement was complete in order to not skew the deal.

Bruce

[rondog]

I sent an email to them this morning too and Josh replied, confirming this is true! #4/1 barrels are first, to be followed by #1/3 barrels, which should take a shorter development time because they have no front sight or bayonet lugs like the #4/1 barrels.

This is awesome news! They're going to have a corner on the market and will surely make a killing, especially with exports too. There's got to be a jillion old Enfields out there with toasted barrels.

[Red River Rick]

It's nice to hear that someone is finally going to make re-placecments, especially if there MAY be a Canadian distributor.

I've re-barrelled a number of No1's and No4's. But, rather than use a .311 diameter barrel, I used .308's. There's a lot more bullets on the market in .308 diameter than .311. And the .308 diameter bullets shoot just as good, if not better than, the .311's.

Marstar had B/N surplus No4 barrels a while ago, not sure if they have any stock left.

FWIW.

RRR

[craig61a]

Wow - that's great... I'll have to keep an eye on their site. I could do with a few each.

[walltube]

This is excellent news for those orphaned Enfields. Not to mention their respective owners..

A question, will Centurion make the No. 1 and 4 barrel swap for us? My last communication with those folks say they will not re-barrel a P14. Any M1917, 1903, '03-A3, Garand are welcome, but not the P14. Sell you the barrel, but no installation.

Where will we all go to for such a service? Enfield actions have peculiarities unlike Mauser types and require an experienced hand to make a safe and sound installation. Yes, I am a worry wart about such things.

There you have it,
my two sou.
wt.

[JeffinNZ]

You winner!!!!! That's awesome.

[bruce drake]

Jeff, I think you can get them from their Australian distributer a lot cheaper and faster than trying to import it in from the States directly.

RRR, I'll PM you the name of the Canadian company tomorrow when I get back to the office email. Perhaps you can send them a note of support in closing the deal with Criterion.

Bruce

[bruce drake]

Walltube, you should put a call out on our gunsmith forum. I believe there are several who have swapped these barrels out with slightly less worn barrels. That is what I'll be doing once I get one in my grubby mitts.

RRR, If I was to rebarrel with a 308 bore, I'd make it a 30-40Krag.

Bruce

[loadedbutbroke]

Hi
Just spotted your post. Nice to see someone is doing something about Enfield barrels. No 4 Barrels are just about completely unobtainable in the UK. However I do believe No 1 barrels for SMLE are still available try Henry Kranks www.henrykrank.com or possibly Fulton's of Bisley www.fultonsofbisley.com .

Regarding converting to .308 Winchester remember the . 303 round is rimmed so the extractor and possibly the bolt head will need to be changed. The profile of the barrel its self might be different so some alteration to the woodwork may be necessary. I believe many SMLE's that went to India were converted to .308 however I think I read somewhere that it was not always that successful and of course you need to be careful of over pressure as the .308 is a much more potent round than the .303 but I am sure you know that!

Regards to all

Adrian

[walltube]

Maj. Drake,

Thank you for your reply. If what the response here to the new No. 4, and then No.1 barrel availability indicate, competant gunsmiths will be swamped with work. I envision a "Lee mould group buy" waiting time going well into my next three-quarter century. :mrgreen:.

Our barrels runneth over... ;)

Gratefull regards to Ya'll member's leadership, time and labor for getting this together,
Harold

[Jack Stanley]

Another plus to think of is you'll finally get a barrel that doesn't have a huge chamber to ruin brass with .

Jack

[Outpost75]

Good article here which addresses successfully using a normal US .30 cal. barrel chambered in .303, using the SAAMI-dimensioned chamber (NOT "trench" chamber) on a Long Branch No. 4, as well as some mention on how the 7.62 NATO conversions were less than satisfactory.

http://www.hensleygibbs.com/edharris/articles/A%20Full%20Race%20.303.htm

the most interesting portion is:

"....There were always "issues" of one sort or another trying to make a reliable 7.62 rifle based upon the No.4. While Long Branch and Savage receivers had better steel than UK production and ample strength, feeding was never 100%. This was of no matter to British NRA and DCRA shooters because all their matches were fired single-loading, prone, no sustained or rapid fire..... When 7.62 converted No. 4s ....headspace loosened and they often had to refit the next larger size bolt head "before the barrel was shot out." I was advised in the strongest possible terms to forget about 7.62, but to keep the rifle in its original .303 caliber, I would be much happier. I was also told it was completely OK to go ahead and use match quality .308 groove diameter barrels, of 10-inch twist, to enable use of common bullets and adequately stabilize everything. And that you could shoot ordinary .303 ammo down the .30 caliber barrel and this was just fine!

I was skeptical of that claim, but Ruger had a special order for No.3 single shots chambered in .303 British to be exported for commercial sale in Canada. This provided justification to build pressure barrels with both .303 Brit and US cal. .30 rifling dimensions, because William B. Ruger Sr. [WBR] sure as hell wasn’t going to tool up to make .303 barrels just for a relatively small 1000-gun order. Ruger’s Engineering Department ordered .303 radial copper pressure test barrels cut to both sets of dimensions from CIL's contractor. We shot everything, Canadian and UK military, US and Canadian commercial and hand loads with Sierra and Hornady bullets of both diameters. Bottom line, OK, yes, pressure is higher, but no, it is not dangerous, and resulting levels are within design limits of a sound Long Branch, essentially +3500 psi or 48,000 max vs. 44,500 max. - still much less than 7.62 NATO at 52,000+ which gave problems with bolts compressing, receivers stretching, and spotty feeding."

[bruce drake]

I've been chatting with them for a couple of years now regarding an Enfield Line of Barrels. Especially after they were able to produce an excellent reproduction for the P14 Enfield. Once they got the quality control down for that barrel and its 5-groove rifling it was a much easier discussion with them once I reminded them of the thousands of these rifles that were sold in the US as surplus in the 80/90s as well as the thousands of these rifles still in use overseas in former British dominions.

BUT! All credit goes to Criterion for doing the official market research as well as commitment of capital to develop the line. I was probably not the only canary on their shoulder asking them to do a run of these barrels.

Bruce

[303Guy]

RRR, If I was to rebarrel with a 308 bore, I'd make it a 30-40Krag.That's a thought. Long neck in the bargain for cast boolits. On my side of the planet we don't find too many Krag cases on sale (about zero). Pity.

If one were to use a .30 barrel why would the neck be large enough to accept a standard 303 round? I'd make the neck and throat to suite a 30 cal bullet, I'd think.

[sthwestvictoria]

Armalon in the UK have purchased the Parker-Hale barrel works and are producing new barrels:
http://www.armalon.com/

Their agent in Australia is T-bone shipwrighting:
http://www.t-boneshipwrighting.com.au/shop/
T-Bone list but do not currently have in stock new .303 barrels by Armalon. Not low priced however at $AUD850, compared the Lothar K98 in 308 or 8x57 barrels they also list at $AUD420.

[loadedbutbroke]

Hello again from the UK

This a fascinating thread. As you probably guessed I am a big fan of Enfields No 1 and No 4 also Martini Enfield in .303 nitro proofed; so have an interest in sooner or later changing a barrel or two. In my previous reply I mention that I thought No1 barrels may still be available and was pleased to see from sthwestvictoria the information about Armalon.

However I believe, having made enquires, that there is a problem with exporting millitary barrels to the USA. Sporting barrels yes but the No1 and No4 barrels are apparently still considered to be military barrels. Therefore it cant be done. Sounds ludicrous to me perhaps someone in the know could confirm this and the reason?

I also read the full article from Hensley Gibbs which I thought excellent and which would seem to correspond with my understanding that converting to 7.62 for the No1 has never been that successful. What I would suggest to rondog is to keep the old girl as near as original as possible. The .303 is a great round and is frequently shot in rapids and snaps in Classic rifle competitions shot by the NRA and Historical breech loading clubs in the UK. Both No 1 and No 4 are charger loading and as long as you make sure the rims of the cartridges are overlapped in the right way in the charger then they feed beautifully.

As for the rounds themselves they are easy to reload using a neck die (not full length ) brass should be readily available in the states as both Remington and Winchester make it (Privi partisan is also popular in the UK but avoid S&B like the plague). If you use cast boolits or proper copper jacketed the barrel will last a lot better (S&B are copper washed steel) I have mostly used 174grn Mk 7 ball however more recently 170grn FMJ BT PPU (Privi) which go like buttered rattlesnakes. I estimate I have put 12000 rounds through my 1905 No1*** and the barrel still has plenty of rifling left. Vituovori N140 works well for me.

Adrian

[bruce drake]

For our American brethren who may need a RIFLE barrel from the UK.

You can bring in rifle barrels from overseas with the proper importation forms and stamps with prior approval from the BATF Director. The big No-No is handgun barrels but rifle and shotgun barrels can be imported in if you do the legwork. And don't be scared by the legalese below about licensees. I called the BATF and they allow a one time importation of firearms and parts by regular citizens if they are willing to go through the process. A ONCE IN A LIFETIME import is available from the BATF should you not have a FFL willing to do the Form 6, Part 1 for you to buy the part.

BATF Form 6 part 1

27 CFR 478.113 - Importation by other licensees.

§ 478.113 Importation by other licensees.
(a) No person other than a licensed importer (as defined in § 478.11) shall engage in the business of importing firearms or ammunition. Therefore, no firearm or ammunition shall be imported or brought into the United States or a possession thereof by any licensee other than a licensed importer unless the Director issues a permit authorizing the importation of the firearm or ammunition. No barrel for a handgun not generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes shall be imported or brought into the United States or a possession thereof by any person. Therefore, no firearm barrel shall be imported or brought into the United States or possession thereof by any licensee other than a licensed importer unless the Director issues a permit authorizing the importation of the firearm barrel.

(b)

(1) An application for a permit, ATF Form 6—Part I, to import or bring a firearm, firearm barrel, or ammunition into the United States or a possession thereof by a licensee, other than a licensed importer, must be filed, in triplicate, with the Director. The application must be signed and dated and must contain the information requested on the form, including:

(i) The name, address, telephone number, and license number (including expiration date) of the applicant;

(ii) The country from which the firearm, firearm barrel, or ammunition is to be imported;

(iii) The name and address of the foreign seller and foreign shipper;

(iv) A description of the firearm, firearm barrel, or ammunition to be imported, including:

(A) The name and address of the manufacturer;

(B) The type (e.g., rifle, shotgun, pistol, revolver and, in the case of ammunition only, ball, wadcutter, shot, etc.);

(C) The caliber, gauge, or size;

(D) The model;

(E) The barrel length, if a firearm or firearm barrel (in inches);

(F) The overall length, if a firearm (in inches);

(G) The serial number, if known;

(H) Whether the firearm is new or used;

(I) The quantity;

(J) The unit cost of the firearm, firearm barrel, or ammunition to be imported;

(v) The specific purpose of importation, including final recipient information if different from the applicant; and

(vi)

(A) If a firearm or ammunition imported or brought in for scientific or research purposes, a statement describing such purpose; or

(B) If a firearm or ammunition for use in connection with competition or training pursuant to Chapter 401 of Title 10, U.S.C., a statement describing such intended use; or

(C) If an unserviceable firearm (other than a machine gun) being imported as a curio or museum piece, a description of how it was rendered unserviceable and an explanation of why it is a curio or museum piece; or

(D) If a firearm other than a surplus military firearm, of a type that does not fall within the definition of a firearm under section 5845(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and is for sporting purposes, an explanation of why the firearm is generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes; or

(E) If ammunition being imported for sporting purposes, a statement why the ammunition is particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes; or

(F) If a firearm barrel for a handgun, an explanation why the handgun is generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes.

(2)

(i) If the Director approves the application, such approved application will serve as the permit to import the firearm, firearm barrel, or ammunition described therein, and importation of such firearms, firearm barrels, or ammunition may continue to be made by the applicant under the approved application (permit) during the period specified thereon. The Director will furnish the approved application (permit) to the applicant and retain two copies thereof for administrative use.

(ii) If the Director disapproves the application, the applicant will be notified of the basis for the disapproval.

(c) A firearm, firearm barrel, or ammunition imported or brought into the United States or a possession thereof under the provisions of this section may be released from Customs custody to the licensee upon showing that the licensee has obtained a permit from the Director for the importation of the firearm, firearm barrel, or ammunition to be released.

(1) In obtaining the release from Customs custody of a firearm, firearm barrel, or ammunition authorized by this section to be imported through the use of a permit, the licensee will prepare ATF Form 6A, in duplicate, and furnish the original ATF Form 6A to the Customs officer releasing the firearm, firearm barrel, or ammunition. The Customs officer will, after certification, forward the ATF Form 6A to the address specified on the form.

(2) The ATF Form 6A must contain the information requested on the form, including:

(i) The name, address, and license number of the licensee;

(ii) The name of the manufacturer of the firearm, firearm barrel, or ammunition;

(iii) The country of manufacture;

(iv) The type;

(v) The model;

(vi) The caliber, gauge, or size;

(vii) The serial number in the case of firearms; and

(viii) The number of firearms, firearm barrels, or rounds of ammunition released.
(Paragraph (b) approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1140-0005; paragraph (c) approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1140-0007)
[T.D. ATF-270, 53 FR 10499, Mar. 31, 1988, as amended by T.D. ATF-426, 65 FR 38199, June 20, 2000; ATF-11F, 73 FR 57241, Oct. 2, 2008]

§ 478.113a Importation of firearm barrels by nonlicensees.
(a) A permit will not be issued for a firearm barrel for a handgun not generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes. No firearm barrel shall be imported or brought into the United States or possession thereof by any nonlicensee unless the Director issues a permit authorizing the importation of the firearm barrel.

(b)

(1) An application for a permit, ATF Form 6—Part I, to import or bring a firearm barrel into the United States or a possession thereof under this section must be filed, in triplicate, with the Director. The application must be signed and dated and must contain the information requested on the form, including:

(i) The name, address, and telephone number of the applicant;

(ii) The country from which the firearm barrel is to be imported;

(iii) The name and address of the foreign seller and foreign shipper;

(iv) A description of the firearm barrel to be imported, including:

(A) The name and address of the manufacturer;

(B) The type (e.g., rifle, shotgun, pistol, revolver);

(C) The caliber, gauge, or size;

(D) The model;

(E) The barrel length (in inches);

(F) The quantity;

(G) The unit cost of the firearm barrel;

(v) The specific purpose of importation, including final recipient information if different from the importer; and

(vi) If a handgun barrel, an explanation of why the barrel is for a handgun that is generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes.

(2)

(i) If the Director approves the application, such approved application will serve as the permit to import the firearm barrel, and importation of such firearm barrels may continue to be made by the applicant under the approved application (permit) during the period specified thereon. The Director will furnish the approved application (permit) to the applicant and retain two copies thereof for administrative use.

(ii) If the Director disapproves the application, the applicant will be notified of the basis for the disapproval.

(c) A firearm barrel imported or brought into the United States or a possession thereof under the provisions of this section may be released from Customs custody to the person importing the firearm barrel upon showing that the person has obtained a permit from the Director for the importation of the firearm barrel to be released.

(1) In obtaining the release from Customs custody of a firearm barrel authorized by this section to be imported through the use of a permit, the person importing the firearm barrel will prepare ATF Form 6A, in duplicate, and furnish the original ATF Form 6A to the Customs officer releasing the firearm barrel. The Customs officer will, after certification, forward the ATF Form 6A to the address specified on the form.

(2) The ATF Form 6A must contain the information requested on the form, including:

(i) The name and address of the person importing the firearm barrel;

(ii) The name of the manufacturer of the firearm barrel;

(iii) The country of manufacture;

(iv) The type;

(v) The model;

(vi) The caliber or gauge of the firearm barrel so released; and

(vii) The number of firearm barrels released.
(Paragraph (b) approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1140-0005; paragraph (c) approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1140-0007)
[T.D. ATF-270, 53 FR 10499, Mar. 31, 1988, as amended by T.D. ATF-426, 65 FR 38200, June 20, 2000; ATF-11F, 73 FR 57241, Oct. 2, 2008]

[rondog]

What I would suggest to rondog is to keep the old girl as near as original as possible.

Oh, absolutely! I have no desire to convert my 1917 BSA SMLE to any other caliber, it's a .303 and I want a new .303 barrel. I'm in no hurry, have no money anyway, so I'll wait for Criterion to make them. I'm not going to jump through hoops to import anything, I don't need it that bad.

[Red River Rick]

That's a thought. Long neck in the bargain for cast boolits. On my side of the planet we don't find too many Krag cases on sale (about zero). Pity.

If one were to use a .30 barrel why would the neck be large enough to accept a standard 303 round? I'd make the neck and throat to suite a 30 cal bullet, I'd think.

We have the same problem up here as well, finding 30-40 Krag brass is next to impossible.

I had a .303 chamber reamer that I stoned the neck portion of the reamer a bit, making it cut a few thou smaller than was originaly designed for. One would think that any chamber newly cut would be much better than the oversized factory chambers in surplus .303's.

I only neck size my brass, so even with a unaltered reamer cutting the chamber, the amount of resizing is minimal.

RRR

[Red River Rick]

Armalon in the UK have purchased the Parker-Hale barrel works and are producing new barrels:
http://www.armalon.com/

Their agent in Australia is T-bone shipwrighting:
http://www.t-boneshipwrighting.com.au/shop/
This list but do not currnently have in stock new .303 barrels by Armalon. Not low priced however at $AUD850, compared the Lothar K98 in 308 or 8x57 barrels they also list at $AUD420.

Sthwestvictoria:

Thanks for sharing that information.

Interesting to know. P-H used to "Rotary" forge their barrels, very good quality. So, if Armalon has the old equipment, the barrels should be as good, if not better.

RRR

[loadedbutbroke]

Hi rondog

I think you are absolutely right. The cost of importing from the UK would be massive anyway, and all that beaurocracy as reported by bruce drake looks unbearable to me.

Do I assume your rifle being a No1 Mk 3 has the magazine cut off? If so the idea was that during general fighting across the trenches you had the cut off on so that you loaded single aimed shots. Then when the enemy charged you knock the cut off off and then have 10 rounds rapid fire to really tear into them. In addition with the charger holding 5 rounds you can top up easily at any time. The Germans at Mons, Belgium, thought the British had machine guns rather than rifles. If you have the later No 1 Mk 111* then it probably wont have the cut off; but this will not diminish your rate of fire or fun!

An excellent book, although rather weighty on the subject, is The Lee-Enfield Story by Ian Skennerton.

Good luck with the project and I hope those new barrels appear soon and hopefully will be available in the UK too!

Adrian

Incidently, and you probably already know this, James Paris Lee was a Scottish- born American.

[rondog]

Hi rondog

I think you are absolutely right. The cost of importing from the UK would be massive anyway, and all that beaurocracy as reported by bruce drake looks unbearable to me.

Do I assume your rifle being a No1 Mk 3 has the magazine cut off? If so the idea was that during general fighting across the trenches you had the cut off on so that you loaded single aimed shots. Then when the enemy charged you knock the cut off off and then have 10 rounds rapid fire to really tear into them. In addition with the charger holding 5 rounds you can top up easily at any time. The Germans at Mons, Belgium, thought the British had machine guns rather than rifles. If you have the later No 1 Mk 111* then it probably wont have the cut off; but this will not diminish your rate of fire or fun!

An excellent book, although rather weighty on the subject, is The Lee-Enfield Story by Ian Skennerton.

Good luck with the project and I hope those new barrels appear soon and hopefully will be available in the UK too!

Adrian

Incidently, and you probably already know this, James Paris Lee was a Scottish- born American.

I don't know, I'll have to dig it out and look. Only real oddity about it is it's clearly stamped 1917, but the 7 has been lightly overstamped with an 8, but the 7 is very clear. The 8 is exactly the same size and font as the other numbers, and was positioned very carefully. Almost like the stamper forgot the year had changed. Anybody ever seen this before? It's a BSA.

[robertbank]

I wonder if the Canadian Gov't would consider rebarrelling their #4 rifles for the Rangers. It would be cheaper than buying new rifles. Just thinking out load. I would hate to see all the old Enfields most of which are Longbranch made, cut up.

Take Care

Bob

[Outpost75]

I wonder if the Canadian Gov't would consider rebarrelling their #4 rifles for the Rangers. It would be cheaper than buying new rifles. Just thinking out load. I would hate to see all the old Enfields most of which are Longbranch made, cut up....Bob

This is a viable suggestion, provided other spare parts needed to complete the FTR on rifles in the field exist. Is there anything more up to date than these blurbs, which indicate continued wheel spinning until 2017?

http://canadiandefence.com/new-enfields-still-suggested-as-canadian-ranger-rifle-replacement/

A number of Defence Watch readers have pointed out some solutions to the issue of replacing the Lee Enfields used by the Canadian Rangers. As noted on my site here the project has been limping along. The Army says one of their main problems is the availability of funding (in other words a lack of funding) as well as “confirming performance requirements.”

Canadian Army briefing documents obtained by Defence Watch through the Access to Information law indicate that the plan to replace the Second World War-era Lee Enfields has fallen three years behind schedule.

The new rifles will be delivered between 2017 and 2021. But according to army documents they were originally to be distributed to the Rangers this fall.

[zuke]

Have they decided which rifle to use for the replacement?

[Outpost75]

Have they decided which rifle to use for the replacement?

It appears that they intend to rebuild the No.4s....

[robertbank]

Have they decided which rifle to use for the replacement?

No, some of the locals mentioned they were looking at the .308 cartridge as a replacement. I don't think a rifle was selected but rumour was the Remington 700 was in the running.

The Government is trying it's best to balance the budget and keep it balanced in order to reduce the Federal Debt. I would think replacing the Rangers rifle would be a very low priority for the Army given the budget cuts they must undertake due to the end of our involvement in Afghanistan.

Take Care

Bob

[BruceB]

I don't know how well a M700 would hold up under the rigors imposed by Ranger service, but I DO know what a 700 does under the conditions supplied by "Ma Nature" in the Arctic.

A left-hand M700 in .30'06 came to me (used!) from a friend back around 1970.

For the next 25 years, that rifle was used in Arctic conditions , and killed in excess of 150 game animals for me.

On snowmobiles, in trucks, in boats (no salt water), in temps down into the thirty-five-below-zero bracket (and maybe colder), that rifle never missed a beat....it was completely reliable (and with ONLY handloaded ammunition... no factory loads at all).

The trigger was dry of lube, the bolt was dry of lube, and due attention was paid to the problem of condensation on the rifle when going from "cold" to "room temp".

But the bottom line.... IT WORKED for me 100% of the time.

In the hands of the Rangers....?

[robertbank]

Well I suspect the question is moot right now. I doubt they will be getting anything new any time soon but that is just a guess on my part. As you know the rifles are kept at home by the Rangers so the only rifle they are going to get I would assume is a bolt gun. Not many choices to choose from assuming the rifles would have to come from either Canada or the US...more likely the US. No benefit to Canada to buying offshore. Canada has an agreement for manufacturing/supply with the US for offset military purchases.

In the Arctic the rifles are primarily used by the individuals to hunt with. Aside from bear protection locally when the Rangers are doing their thing in the field I don't see much else they use them for but I am a civi with an eye on where and how my tax dollars get wasted.:smile: The Rangers do a worthwhile job in the Arctic for us. In the south....not so much in my opinion.

Take Care

Bob

[bruce drake]

Those Rangers in the South are to keep us wily Americans from invading north...