No4Mk2

[2Tite]

I'd been eyeballing this thing in a local shop for a month. Perfect bore, matching #'s even the magazine, it's pretty close to new. Dated 1952. It's been a fretful week or so but we're together now. After slugging the bore, where's the best place to start? Don't load 303 so need a good source for brass and a suggestion for powder. . I'll probably try the 314299 Lyman. I'm capable of opening the diameter up alittle if need be. Is there a better bullet to start out with? Where could a fella get one of those Parker-Hale target sights for this thing? A lot of questions I know.....but theres a lot of qualified help here......and this isn't anything that hasn't aleady been done by you guys. Thanks in advance for the help........

[JeffinNZ]

I have a No4 Mk2 and it shoots very well though I have worked it completely. Where to begin?

Bullet: 314299 would be a very good start. I have not shot this bullet in mine but it has a huge following and is designed for the .303 Brit. Your groove should be .311-.312 as the latter rifles were much more precisely made. Shoot the bullet at .314; pretty much 'as cast'.

Powder: I burn H4227 in mine for velocities in the region of 1600fps. This gives superb 100m accuracy. With WW alloy you will be able to go as high at 18gr without any problems. Beyond that you may have to slightly harden the alloy. Better might be WW over 20-22gr 4198 or 22-26gr 3031.

Rifle: If you are going to accurise the LE here is what I have found to work. I bedded the receiver under the knox form (chamber area) right the way to the rear of the action. Don't bed between the very end of the wood work and the housing for the butt stock however. I then pressure pointed top and bottom the barrel in the region immediately under the band on the hand guard approx an inch fore and aft. This is TIGHT and effectively locks the barrel in the middle - I used 1/8 engineers felt. At the muzzle I have downward pressure on the front end of the barrel. This is opposite to everything you will read as all popular literature will state 12 pounds of UPWARD pressue. My rifle begs to differ however.

Sights: You will be looking for a Parker Hale PH5C. There is a lot to be had in my part of the world but I don't know about the US. They are great old sights and mine has an iris peep with colour discs. The colour filters are not great anymore and only the blue is clear but on a really bright day the blue filter is magic.

Check out Jays site for some good info also.

http://enfieldrifles.profusehost.net/ti18.htm

[KCSO]

GPC sold out the last sights of these a couple years ago, now they go on the net for 2 -3 times the cost of a rifle IF you get lucky.

[Boz330]

Try about 20gr of 4759 with that boolit. It works well in my #4MK2 give or take a little.
The PH sights are pricey but there is a replacement for the standard sight with a hadley cup that can be had or used to for $50 or so. The other option is to watch e-bay or one of the Brit gun specific sites. I have one for a #1 but the gun doesn't shoot up to the sights with cast. Throat erosion I think.

Bob

[Brownie]

I see those Parker-Hale sights for sale once in a while at the gun shows in southern Ontario. they usually are asking about $250.00 for one in excellent condition.

Brownie

[curator]

Lyman's 314299 is a pretty good bullet design but could use a bit more nose diameter for the .303. Mine measures .302/314 when cast of wheel wight alloy with 2% tin added. I played around with this bullet for several years in my No4Mk2 rifle and got the best performance with 16 grains of Alliant 2400 or 18 grains of WC680 (AA1680). I bedded the action as Jeff recommended, and fiddled with up and down pressure at the muzzle end but always got 2 1/2 to 3" groups at 100 yards. I have the PH5C sights and also Armalon scope mount so sighting wasn't an issue. I finally send a throat slug off to Veral Smith of LBT and had him cut a bullet mould specifically for this rifle. Bullets cast from the same alloy come out .305/314, and usually shoot 1 1/2 inch 10 shot groups when I do my part.

[JeffinNZ]

Oh, forgot to mention in my original post.................don't full length size the brass!!!!! Get a Lee collet die and your brass will see you out.

I also like to fireform my new brass. I tend to use 15gr Green Dot and top it off with polenta or such. Leave the cases a bit slippery with case lube and flare the mouths to centre them or create a secondary shoulder so they only just chamber. Touch them off then collet die from there on.

[Piet]

To maximize case life I size the neck to 8 mm and then the .303 Br. sizing die is adjusted until the bolt just closes on the case. Putting one turn of tape around the base also helps with centering.

[Pepe Ray]

Focus on Jeff's post #7

Why??
Because I've seen chambers so oversize that cases wouldn't stand a reload.
They were so distorted that they wouldn't stand up straight. They'd lean like the Tower of Pizza. Such a chambered rifle would be an expensive challenge to shoot.
Thankfully there not all like that, but too many.
Good luck.
Pepe Ray

[DanM]

Your No.4,Mk2 is the cream of the Enfield crop. As was mentioned, they usually have tighter bores and fewer headspace problems than most. The Lee 314-180 shoots very well in mine, but is often too small for older model Enfields. The Lyman 314299 also does well. I punch my loads up a little more than some folks. I like R7 with dacron fill for a 1700fps load, and IMR4350 with COW compressed fill for 1800+fps. Others have mentioned the Lee collet neck die, and I agree. It should be standard equipment for Enfield reloaders. You will enjoy this rifle. They are real shooters....

[JeffinNZ]

Oh yes, they shoot REAL well. This was my effort yesterday at a full 100m/110y and it used my homemade GC's.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/100-0048_IMG-1.jpg

[2Tite]

Good information ....exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you................No need to re-invent the wheel when help's available.