No.4 300 Winchester Magnum Test

[Alan de Enfield]

Why bother? Salting explosives-loaded ammunition in enemy ammunition dumps is nothing new. So, just who is the enemy in all this testing?

I am curious why tempt fate rechambering a No.4 to .300 WM, when P14s in .300WM are a well known and long trusted conversion?

The argument from the NRA is that No4 actions are 'suspect'

There would be little point in using the argument that a P14 is 'OK'.

Compare Apples to apples !!!

[jmoore]

Mr Horton, I can send your local dealer a several SMLE barreled actions if you want to do the oiled 303 tests. I'll even throw in a suitable "Bubba'd" buttstock you can use as an attach point to whatever holding platform you construct.




I don't have a pile of No.4 barreled actions, just a few, and some of that is going for test purposes on my end.

As far as NDT goes, visual inspection and dye penetrant inspection can be performed on site. MPT and/or eddy current (plus need test samples made for this) tests aren't as feasible as the local hot rod shop moved about 90 miles away. Don't know of another "cheap" and easy source available that I can drag firearms parts into w/o drama.

Headspace testing can be done as well, but I'm thinking of making the barrel adjustable like a Savage 110 to keep case head separation issues minimized. I want to see how much the action will take under as uniform conditions as possible before something major fails. Bolts and bolt heads I think are the weak link, so I may have to round up some spares and fit them as required.


Don't know how long all this is going to take, folks! I hope y'all have long attention spans...

[jmoore]

I'm having a "bit" of trouble removing the '44 LB barrel from the selected action. The barrel vise is mounted onto a 1" plate table that's welded to a 12" column, so the support is rigid enough. Have used cheater bars, a 3lb sledge hammer, heat, penetrating oil, and combinations of those. Clamping bolts are tight enough that the 1/2-20 threads are starting to let go and I'm afraid that the wrench is going to break!

Letting it soak for several days in pentrating oil, if that doesn't work, might have to "ring"the barrel just fwd of the action w/ a parting tool. Really don't want to, as it's OK otherwise.

I've pulled a few barrels before, but never had an Enfield give so much trouble! Even got WBS2111 in on the "action", and together we still couldn't budge it. Errrr.

So: "Delays. delays!" (Marvin the Martian)

[Amatikulu]

I had the same problem with a 1943 No.4 Mark 1* LB. Eventually I had to choose between saving the receiver or the barrel

I read somewhere that they were fitted hydraulically (whatever fiendish device that was), but it sure puts the barrels on tight.

[shottist]

This either a spoof or just plain nuts, (and besides you will continue to rile up our resident curmudgeon, the infamous head space pro Edward Horton!), please stop!

[Edward Horton]

This either a spoof or just plain nuts, (and besides you will continue to rile up our resident curmudgeon, the infamous head space pro Edward Horton!), please stop!

Both cut and pastes are from the British "Textbook of Small Arms" 1929 War Office Manual and were printed before we were born.

Read number 4



Below greatly effects number 4



And the curmudgeon didn't write it.

"This either a spoof or just plain nuts"

P.S. Mr. jmoore isn't nuts, he is just bored because the CNC machines do all the work and he is suffering from overexposure to heavy metal discharge vapor. Keep up the good work Mr. jmoore but I think you would learn more by shooting oiled .303 cartridges due to their more tapered shape.

Signed
The Cranky Old Fart

[Bindi2]

Some how i think EDs comment about oiled tapered cases is spot on and easy to do.

[bigduke6]

I'm having a "bit" of trouble removing the '44 LB barrel from the selected action. The barrel vise is mounted onto a 1" plate table that's welded to a 12" column, so the support is rigid enough. Have used cheater bars, a 3lb sledge hammer, heat, penetrating oil, and combinations of those. Clamping bolts are tight enough that the 1/2-20 threads are starting to let go and I'm afraid that the wrench is going to break!

Letting it soak for several days in pentrating oil, if that doesn't work, might have to "ring"the barrel just fwd of the action w/ a parting tool. Really don't want to, as it's OK otherwise.

I've pulled a few barrels before, but never had an Enfield give so much trouble! Even got WBS2111 in on the "action", and together we still couldn't budge it. Errrr.

So: "Delays. delays!" (Marvin the Martian)

Go for the parting tool, had the same trouble few weeks back, i wanted the action but also the barrel, so i could relign it to .22

Just before the barrel removel took a measurement to give a rough guide so i could knock up a spacer, made the spacer to size plus a midge,s dick, just saves time for when i come to use the barrel.

Sounds an interesting project, Looking forward to the results.

[bearhunter]

Go for it. You can easily Magnaflux the recever with a decent horshoe magnet and some grinder left overs.

[jmoore]

I don't run the CNC stuff anymore, but it took about three years to escape its "evil"(read: either boring or tearing your hair out) grasp. Right now I'm waiting for a part to cool after having been "shrunk" onto a fixture. (Seems like a right good waste of eight years of engineering school, but it's really just a hobby gone horribly "wrong".)

Anyway, this is no spoof, I just reckon if the action can withstand repaeted firings w/ 300WM, then 7.62x51 is no worries...Unfortunately, I've no real use for the magnum caliber- deer die just fine using 55gr 223 rem loads- 303/7.62 seems a bit overpowered now.