Paper Patch Pig Gun Project

[303Guy]

The subsonic Pig Gun project has begun!

Mock-up.

The bore turns out to actually have 'square' rifling under the rust! I had to straighten the barrel before cutting it as the bend was right where the cut was to be. After fire-lapping it looks like I got it straight. More fire-lapping is needed but already a patched boolit shoots without cutting into the lead core.

The cartridge and some boolits.

The boolits in the pic are a 230gr hollow nose and a loaded 245gr flat nose from the same mold. That boolit is going to hurt a pig or any other critter real bad!

The scope mounts and suppressor are still to be built.

[phatman]

Now that is a nice Bulldog

Very fast handling and reliable as sin. Whats not to like.

Does it shoot pretty good?

Cheers, John

[Doc Highwall]

303Guy, the scope looks high I assume that is because of the bolt on the rifle.

[303Guy]

Does it shoot pretty good?

No idea at this point. You can't imagine my eagerness to test this little number on the range! (I'm still busy fire-lapping the bore and don't have any brass stock to make my magic fire-lapping bullets - the bore is real bad!)

Very fast handling and reliable as sin.

It does feel good in the hands and in the shoulder. And the old Lee Enfield is indeed so reliable!

303Guy, the scope looks high I assume that is because of the bolt on the rifle.

The bolt head requires a little hight but not as much as in the pic (that's a mock-up, remember). I like a high scope to suite my long neck. A high scopr also makes a shorter stock more comfortable and makes the whole gun easier pointing - for me anyway!

This thing fits in a folding camp chair carry back just neatly. That's handy!

[303Guy]

Boolit fit in pig gun muzzle. It does not fit at all!



The same boolit having been inserted into the breach to the correct chambering depth.



It takes a little force to insert the boolit but less force than the case neck exerts on the shank so it chambers and extracts just fine. BUT, it needs waxy lubrication to seat and chamber freely.

I tested one of these with a very small powder charge - not enough to actually penetrate the bundled catch rag - and there was the caught boolit with no unfragmented bits of patch! So I'm pretty hopeful.

I'll do the scope mount first so as to speed up testing on the range! (Me being impatient and all!)

I'm going to have fun with this project!

[475BH]

The subsonic Pig Gun project has begun!

Why don't you mount a low (2x or ?) power pistol scope up on the barrel, "Scout Rifle" style.
That would leave the action open for reloading if needed, and there would be no bolt interference w/ the scope problems.

http://www.bobtuley.com/jeffcooper.htm ---Check this out---



Like this. BTW I do know they hold (I think 10 rounds), I had to use all of them one morning deer hunting out in a birch grove. I shot the first doe and wanted the other two, so I fired away at them as they were retreating. There was much wood flying as I tried to hit them. It should have been easy, since there was snow covering the ground and w/ the white trees they stood out very well, but I guess there just was too many in the way. Fun, Fun.

[Geraldo]

The scope mounts and suppressor are still to be built.

I knew I hated you New Zealanders for a reason...your laws on suppressors. In the US your rifle would cost you an extra $200 for the stamp for the can, and $200 to register it as a short-barreled rifle (it looks like you've cut the barrel shorter than 16").

On a serious note, that's a great looking little rifle. I would second the scout rifle setup if it's possible. A section of Picatinny rail forward of the action would be the ticket if you wanted to swap between scope and red dot.

[303Guy]

Well, New Zealand is not quite perfect. We had a murder this past week-end! But they'll catch him!

Yup, we do have it good here.

I had a look at bobtuley.com, thanks. I did not know that Jeff Cooper had passed away! Nor did I realise just how big a man he was. (I just took his name for granted - one heard it so often). I also didn't know the scout rifle was his concept. I have seen pistol scopes mounted on rifles, those being Manlicher's. I considered it for my first Lee Enfield - a NoI MkI* which has no scope mounting facility. But I chose a high scope mount on a bridge base I made that was high enough to pass the bolt head and the bolt dust cover.



I have never shot with a forward mounted scope.

The last time I priced a long eye relief pistol scope, they were not cheap. The one shown on the scout rifle is a bit longer. It does make sense for rifles that have a balance point over the action but the Lee Enfield has the magazine protruding making that carry not an option. Still, I shall have a look at what my gunshop has (I know they have a very short, lightweight, close eye relief 4x).

[Bullshop Junior]

Cool Looking gun! You can buy bases for them things.

[303Guy]

You can buy bases for them things.

I don't think so. I have heard of a side mount arrangement. One can or could get bases for the SMLE and the No.4. I would rather make one. I can make it far stronger than any commercial one - my time is free (which is why it takes me so long to get things like that done! ) If I wanted to I could make a bridge type base quite low by making the rings integral with the base - more like rings that bolt or solder directly onto the action body. (I soldered two such bridge ones on).

[303Guy]

Ready for field testing with open sights and no suppressor.



This is early days and I don't want to go to too much trouble until I know it will shoot! So far all I know it shoots a PPCBoo without cutting through the patch i.e. no boolit core to bore contact. Now to see if it will actually group! And whether I can still shoot open sights.

[Bullshop Junior]

What model is that gun? I know you can get the clamp on style bases for most SMLE's.

[303Guy]

... bases for most SMLE's

When you say "SMLE's" I think of the No.I MkIII Lee Enfield. The No.4 is not an 'SMLE'. The No.I MkI is not an 'SMLE' either. Yet this one is as the pic shows.



Obviously it had a bolt head mounted clip charger guide but that is now gone.




The bolt number is a mismatch so it may or may not have been modified (it looks modified). The receiver body is not a modified one. Many MkI's were modified to MkIII by riveting a clip charger guide and making a cut-away. The No.4 had an intergral clip charger guide. I think that both the No.4 and the SMLE took the scope base. (Maybe it was just similar). My No.I MkI* is a 1902 model and this one is a 1904 but just has an 'I' stamped on it, so ..... ????

[Bullshop Junior]

I have only seen two kinds of bases. One for the actions with a sight, and one for a action without a sight.

[303Guy]

That means they are different for the SMLE (no receiver sight) and the No.4. I didn't know.

[Bullshop Junior]

Correct. We have both kinds, but I don't know where you would find one in New Zealand.

[Bullshop Junior]

We have one of these..........sort of.......... Civilian version.




http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=153089551

[303Guy]

Oh wow! A De Lisle carbine! I read somewhere that only a few hundred were made. That one - if it's an original - would be worth quite a bit. (I see it sold for US $720 - less than what I would have expected. Wasn't it wartime vintage?)

I am unable (so far) to find any history on my particular rifle. I'm still looking.

[WILCO]

Oh wow! A De Lisle carbine!

I learned something new today. Thanks guys!

[Nobade]

My only thought is, I don't think I would want to shoot paper patch bullets through a suppressor. They're bad enough through a muzzle brake.