Two Long Term Projects Complete !!!

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have recently completed two Long Term Projects that have been in the works for 10 years+.. Gunsmithing for me takes the form of Improving Operation on Generic Guns like Marlins and Shotguns like Mossberg's, and Refinishing and Building Sporting Guns out of Military Service Rifles from WW1 and 2. Sometimes these projects go on for years simply because of some missing pieces or a missing Skill that I have to develop.

I am a Machinist Toolmaker by Trade so the Machine Work is easy for me and I have the machines to do it. I have also developed decent Wood Working and Finishing Skills over the years So I can make wood look pretty decent. I won't hesitate to refinish a stock on a Gun that I buy that needs some TLC and that gun maybe even be brand new from the factory that didn't do much to finish the wood satisfactorily.

The first gun is a Parker Hale "Deluxe Sporter" that I bought about 2014 for $175. After WW2 Parker-Hale bought up thousands of British Service Rifles and converted them to Sporters. Most of these guns were sold in the US and Canada. My first one was a "Regular Sporter" that was essentially a Enfield #4 Mk1 with the Handguards removed it sold originally for $65 and I converted mine to look like a Enfield L39 Target rifle. #1 Mk3's were also done this way

The Deluxe Sporters were made from the Rifles with worn muzzles from being Over Cleaned. They got the barrels cut 3 " and re-crowned to get rid of the destroyed parts of the barrels, and a new Parker Hale Front Sight Ramp, modified Wood on the Fore End and Sling Swivels. They also got a new 5 Round Magazine which is worth more than the gun itself! These guns sold for $75?

Mine got new Boyd's Gray Laminated Wood with a Pachmayer Recoil Pad. The barrel was bored out to .35-303 by JES Reboring and the entire barreled action and all bottom metals were Cera-Koted. In addition I made an Adapter to fit a Redfield Receiver Sight to the gun which is something I have done before on other Enfield's.

I am pretty happy with how it turned out and am waiting on a Lee Boolit Mold to start shooting it. I am starting with load data for .35 Remington as that is close to what this cartridge will be when sussed out. It is not a new Wild Cat Cartridge as many guns like this were converted in AUS and other British Empire Countries. But it is not that common here in the US. My contacts in AUS as well as JES suggested the .35 Rem as a starting point for load development. Pretty sure this gun with 220 gr Jacketed Bullets will be sufficient for anything in N/A, and most other places as well.

It is functionally a "Hunting Rifle." Handles nicely and whereas it has an Enfield Trigger I got it to where it is not bad at all.

I was going for the Classic 1960's Canadian Hunting Rifle look? I think I got close? Even with the upgraded Laminated Stock?

Here's some pics.

Randy

[W.R.Buchanan]

OK the Second Gun Completed this last weekend is one that has been on the back burner for many years because I really didn't want to just throw it together. IE: Screw it up!

It is my "Springfield NRA Sporter Replica." I say "Replica" because it was built around a "Brand New 03A3 Barreled Action." My good Friend and Metal Shop Teacher from High School bought this barreled action from the DCM in 1965 for $15! I bought it from him around the year 2000 for $150, still a screamin' deal!! I had originally wanted to build a Springfield Sporter out of it and got a sporter stock for it but then found out about the "Springfield Armory NRA Sporter" (See Charles Garfield's gun for an example) which is so much cooler I decided I wanted to go that Route. I was able to pick up the two parts peculiar to these guns, the Butt Plate $100 and the Barrel Band with Sling Swivel $125! off Ebay. a few years back and have had them stashed until recently. It also has a Timney Trigger which is excellent.

I tried many outfits to find a knock off Stock as the stock is also peculiar to these guns but nobody would make one. I finally found one but when it arrived is was Garbage and the people wanted a 25% restocking fee to return it, so I turned the return over to Paypal!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Got all my money back! Last year I ran into a guy in Oregon who had a stock duplicating machine and he also had a NRA Sporter Stock for a template ! I got one from him and it fit perfectly and was decent walnut. Not cheap at $300, but worth it in the end. So now I had all the Piece Parts, just needed the time to get it together.

So last month I sent both the barreled actions for both guns off to my Friends at Vang Comp and got them Cera-Koted Black and they came back perfect! The only other thing done to the Barreled Action was Drilling and Tapping it for a Lyman #48 Receiver Sight. The one I used was a newer model than the ones that were made in the 1920's but still in keeping with the newer 03A3 action. It took me 4 hours to drill and tap those two holes, and I Sweated Blood the entire time as I broke the tip of the same 6-48 Tap 4 separate times and managed to get the chip back out to the holes 4 times and resharpen the $28 tap which I still have. Every time I got into the case hardened portion of the outer and inner surfaces of the action it would snap the end of the tap off with the minutest application of force to the Tap Handle. I even had a Center in the tap handle on my Mill so it was going into the hole dead strait. It is on there now, and looks like I knew what I was doing. No one reading this is allowed to disseminate this story!!!!

I finished the wood in a somewhat controversial Color. I kind of went nuts with the Burgundy Tint in the Tru-Oil, but with the Black Action and Sling it looks pretty good out in the sunlight.

This Barreled Action has never been fired since it left the factory in 1943! I am looking forward to many enjoyable hours of shooting this one, and it will be my Nation Match Gun..

Pretty happy with the way this one came out, probably will do some more refinement on the wood as I've seen some small places that need some more attention.

Here's some pics.

Randy

[Mk42gunner]

...as I broke the tip of the same 6-48 Tap 4 separate times and managed to get the chip back out to the holes 4 times and resharpen the $28 tap which I still have. Every time I got into the case hardened portion of the outer and inner surfaces of the action it would snap the end of the tap off with the minutest application of force to the Tap Handle. I even had a Center in the tap handle on my Mill so it was going into the hole dead strait. It is on there now, and looks like I knew what I was doing. No one reading this is allowed to disseminate this story!!!!...

Golly gee whiz Randy,
If I had that happen, I would be demanding everyone shout the news everywhere.

Good looking projects, even if they don't look like they came from the factory.

Wood and metal always looks better than plastic and metal.

Robert

[ulav8r]

Two FINE rifles.

[deltaenterprizes]

I have a sporterized 03 Springfield but it doesn’t have the barrel band I picked up from a pawnshop for $150! I have not shot it yet but I think it will be a cast boolit gun!
I have gotten recoil sensitive in my old age!

[Texas by God]

I like them both. Good work!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[W.R.Buchanan]

Got the Lee Mold in for the .35-303 today, so it's off to the garage to Cast some Boolits! Mold # is C358-200RF 200 gr. Waiting for Gas Checks to arrive later this week.

Later::::

Boolits came out great!
Randy

[rintinglen]

OH my, those ARE rifles. That Springfield is exactly the way a rifle should look, at least to my eyes.

[Green Frog]

There are machinists and there are toolmakers and artists. You definitely fall into the latter category and I tip my hat to you! The reddish color on your NRA Sporter homage reminds me of an early Winchester color and I bet it will age beautifully to a darker shade. Nice work my friend.
Your ‘Pibian Phriend

[W.R.Buchanan]

Here's a .35-303 next to a regular .303 just for comparison. 200 gr boolit from Lee .358-200 RF These also get a Gas Check and probably PC as well.

Randy

[garandsrus]

The Springfield looks a lot like a M2, which is not a bad thing! They are great looking rifles.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have a Pristine M2,,, with wait for it,,,, 2 Magazines.

On the M2's the Barrel Band is the same, and the rear sight is the same as the NRA Sporters. The Stock is different in that it has Finger Grooves, however I just saw two M2's that were for sale at Rock Island Auctions, that had NRA Sporter Stocks with no Finger Grooves and the Sporter Butt Plate,

My gun was completely refurbished at the Benicia Arsenal in 1957. It has a new barrel, and a new stock, and as is common with these guns, the parts are all serialized but well mixed so nothing is from the original gun that was made in 1935. MY SN is 4604,,, IE: 1935 mfg.

The people that used these guns had a habit of mixing and matching parts until they got what they wanted for "their Gun."

Really wish I could get a letter from them stating it was Refurbed in 1957 for sure, but they say all the records are gone? If anyone knows anything about those Records, do speak up.

Randy

[fixit]

I have a #1 mk3 that I have gone back and forth with concerning the very sort of things you've done. That is a beautiful piece of work, and it adds to the idea of sending mine out to jes to become a 35-303. That aperture sight looks natural on the receiver, as it should. You do very fine work!

[W.R.Buchanan]

OK the guns are done but the ammo for the .35-303 is still in question? I bought a Lee 358-200RF mold and the boolits came out nice, but alas the cartridges don't feed right from the magazine. The boolits just aren't long enough. I can still single load them, and I found that if I run the bolt really fast most of them go in the hole, except for the last one which ejects as soon as the boolit gets past the Feed lip on the right.

I got some Sierra 225 gr Game Kings and put a few in some old cases that I opened up to .358. They feed just fine although there is a small amount of work I need to do on the underside of the Feed Lips to smooth them out so they don't scratch the bullets.

I am loading these with .358 Win Dies, as all I need to do is Open the Case Mouth to load them, and then Neck Size, Seat Bullets and Crimp. There is only .015 difference between the OD of the Neck and the Shoulder of the case

I will be using .35 Remington load data to start with and I Have found some Real Live .35-303 data from AUS for the Sierra 225 bullets using common powders that just have different numbers on them than what they are here. Talking W748, Varget, 3031 Etc. All made in AUS at one time before coming back here to the US now.

Here's a pic of the round. you can see there isn't much of a shoulder and what is there will probably change after firing. But it really doesn't matter since the round headspaces on the rim.

Randy

[pworley1]

Great work.

[Green Frog]

Randy, that 35/303 should be heavy enough for anything that walks or runs in the Western Hemisphere! What kind of recoil does that round give with that 225 gr bullet? Is it a lot more “rowdy” than the original 303?

Froggie

[W.R.Buchanan]

Froggie: I haven't shot it yet as my range has been closed due to a washed out road. But from reports I have dug up around the Internet, I am expecting .44 Magnum recoil at 2100 fps. The gun has nice fat Pachmayer Recoil pad on it which I'm sure will mitigate the recoil down to a very tolerable level. I might add, just for you, that I will be loading these cartridges with my BPM Hand Press, which should only make you want one more! Ha!

Included is a picture of a custom rifle made by some Gunsmith in the Western US. Never did get his name. The gun has been converted to .45-70 and this is the gun that inspired my gun. Obviously mine is not in the same class, but a true Sporting rifle from a Military Battle Rifle just the same.

Randy

[dverna]

Nice work Randy.

I have an article buried somewhere about accurizing the .303. If I can find it, I will get it to you. I like your choice of making into a .35/303. Growing up in Canada "converting" a .303 was something I wanted to do but never did. They were $15!

When I was in university (University of Toronto in Canada) our range officer was an old fellow who used to shoot .303's at 1000 yards and competed at the long range matches at Bisley. He was quite a character. He had Parkinsons when I met him and shook badly. But when he got into the prone position he settled down and the shaking stopped. It was amazing to see.

Hope you get the feeding issue sorted out.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Don: After the recent "gun control measures" passed in Canada in the last few weeks, I bet you are glad you moved south.

Randy

[elmacgyver0]

Very nice work.