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View Poll Results: Barrel size for Lee Enfield

Voters
134. You may not vote on this poll
  • .311

    12 8.96%
  • .312

    27 20.15%
  • .313

    20 14.93%
  • .314

    51 38.06%
  • .315

    16 11.94%
  • .316

    21 15.67%
  • .317

    7 5.22%
Multiple Choice Poll.
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Results 41 to 45 of 45

Thread: Actual barrel dimension of bullet size for the Lee Enfield?

  1. #41
    Boolit Master
    woodbutcher's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    LaFollette Tn
    Posts
    1,398
    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
    People never lie so much as after a hunt,during a war,or before an election.
    Otto von Bismarck

  2. #42
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Whitefish, MT
    Posts
    184
    .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).

    Click image for larger version. 

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  3. #43
    Boolit Grand Master 303Guy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    9,078
    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.
    Last edited by 303Guy; 12-10-2019 at 02:57 AM.
    Rest In Peace My Son (01/06/1986 - 14/01/2014)

    ''Assume everything that moves is a human before identifying as otherwise''

  4. #44
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Mar 2022
    Posts
    20
    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

  5. #45
    Boolit Master Bad Ass Wallace's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    1,958
    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.
    Hold Still Varmint; while I plugs Yer!

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check