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:-) Most interesting thread.Thanks for posting.Just an ot question here.In post #29 the picture is blurred.Has phart in ur bucket been messing about with their software again?Noticed this on another site that I frequent also.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo
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1 Attachment(s)
.304" bore... I think.
My one Lee Enfield is the pick of the litter from a crate of unissued 1950 Long Branch No.4 Mk1s I purchased in 1993. It is a five groove barrel. I fell under the influence of Ken Mollohan about the same time, made a lead lap, and lapped the barrel to a smooth resistance end to end. It didn't take much, even with very fine lapping compound, so I don't think I changed the dimensions much.
Unable to find somebody (at the time I started messing with it) to properly measure lands and grooves, I did my best using a cerrosafe casting, magnifying glass, and micrometer. Best guestimate is bore is .304" after lapping; the ball seat right at the point the grooves began on the cerrosafe casting measured .316" for a bit of a distance.
I ordered an Accurate mold (new thread on this bullet and success with it elsewhere here) with a base of .315" and .304" further up. I'm now powder coating, so this is overly large and bullets seat about .3"-.4" too deep in the case with the base of the bullet below the case neck into the shoulder area. Would have been deeper than I wanted even without powder coating.
I don't know if any of the above is of help to anybody, but this bullet based on my best measurement attempts calculating the bore was .304" have been very successful with initial loads: 1.5" groups with randomly chosen cast bullets over 16.0 gr. of 2400.
I might have screwed up my efforts at bore and ball seat measurements, especially after starting to PC after I ordered the mould. But I'm pretty happy with my initial loads and this mould, despite how much I may have screwed up the measuring. (anyone who knows me will tell you I should never be trusted when math is concerned).
Attachment 249805
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That looks like a very interesting boolit. I measured up a throat once by turning brass cylinders and measuring how deep each diameter went into the throat to get the throat profile. I then made a mold and then a sizer to mimic that profile. Not so easy getting the profile right. It was interesting seeing what the the throat profile actually looked like. I measured two throats.
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I have a 1917 SMLE/SHTLE Mk 1/No1 Mk3 with a bore diameter of .303" and a groove diameter of .313"
My No4 Mk1/2 has a brand new post war barrel with a bore diameter of .303" and a groove diameter of .312"
As of yet i havent shot any cast bullets through my Enfields
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As explained by the guru of SMLE's,
According to the Small Arms Identification Series by Ian Skennerton "Magazine Lee-Enfield Rifle" Page 29
1) Lee Metford and Lee-Enfield Mk1:
Barrel Specification:
Barrel Length - 30.5"
Rifling Metford - 7 groove L.H. 1 turn on 10"
Rifling Enfield - 5 groove L.H. 1 turn in 10"
Bore Dia - 0.303"
Metford Rifling Depth - 0.004"
Enfield Rifling Depth - 0.0055
Metford Land Width - 0.023"
Enfield Land Width - 0.0936
From book "The British Service Lee" by Ian Skennerton Page 86
2) Short Magazine Lee Enfield Mk 3:
Barrel Specification:
Barrel Length 25.2"
Rifling Enfield - 5 groove L.H. 1 turn in 10"
Bore Dia - 0.303"
Enfield Rifling Depth at muzzle - 0.0065
Enfield Rifling Depth at breech and to within 14" of the muzzle - .005
Enfield Land Width - 0.0936
From book "The British Service Lee" by Ian Skennerton Page 158
3) Short Magazine Lee Enfield Mk 4 & 5:
Barrel Specification:
Barrel Length 25.2"
Rifling Enfield - 5 groove L.H. 1 turn in 10"
Bore Dia - 0.303"
Enfield Rifling Depth at breech - .005
Enfield Land Width - 0.0936
BSA made factory bore gauges in sizes .3025, .303, .3035, .304, .3045, .305. .305 being considered worn out!
It would seem from this data that an Enfield 303 could be .303" over lands and a bore of up to 0.314" at the breech and to 0.316 at the muzzle.