Enfield 303-25 Sporter

[AGB-1]

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/780752580

Common or uncommon conversion?

Information

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[CINDERS]

Common as meat pies here in Australia not so much now days but with better bullets now they are a serious contender for a cheap shooter for ferals.

Some of the wildcats the old girls were converted into ~ Merideth 303/.22, 22/303 Varmint-R, 22 Wasp, 22/303 Epps, 22/303 Improved 40 degree, 220/303 British (Shannon), 243/303, 6mm/303 Epps, 25/303 British, 25/303 Epps, 6.5/303 Epps, 270/303, 270/303 Epps, 7mm/303, 7mm/303 Epps, **7.7 x 54 Rimmed**, 303 ICL Improved, 8mm/303 Epps, 338/303 Epps, 338 JDJ, 35/303 Epps and 375/303
(Source ~ The Accurate Lee Enfield By Stephen Redgwell Gun Plumber Press)

The 7.7 x 54mm was a way around the restriction of civilians owning military caliber weapons they shortened the case and made it a wildcat so therefore it sat outside that restriction, also there were 3 .22 ones namely the Falcon, Wasp and one other I cannot recall getting old....!

[Daan Kemp]

Not common with that stock and the age of that action. The calibre is not that uncommon, that would be 6.5 mm in other words.

[CINDERS]

Inch - .26

Metric Caliber - 6.5mm

Typical bullet dia - .264" - 6.7mm

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Looks like a "home-brew" more than a "commercial" conversion

LE bolt, and probably body?

The butt looks like someone's woodwork project, rather than the new, Monte Carlo style on my Oz-built "factory conversion", which, however, has a neatly "re-crafted" ex-mil coachwood fore-end.

Oz-built ones tend to have slow (1:14") twist barrels, all LH twist. This would suggest that they were made on the machines originally supplied to make .303 SMLE barrels. Thus, they are limited to short bullets. The "magic" one for mine is the old "Super" brand, 87gn, .257" soft-point. A dumpy looking "spitzer" if ever there was one, but they have the perfect combination of short length and thin jacket to work in those barrels at safe and realistic velocities. the 90gn HPBT Sierras are only 3gn heavier, but a LOT longer and will not stabilize at all. Speer make an 87gn bullet of similar shape and size to the old Supers, but it appears to have a somewhat tougher jacket and was probably intended for .25-06, .257 Roberts, etc.

Several versions of the .25/303 were also popular in Canada. Epps did some, including an "Improved" model that would be MUCH more at home on a P-14 action. Simplex here in Oz make (or made?) 7/8 x 14 die sets that work with MOST Oz versions of the cartridge. Case-forming is easy in the standard FLS die but, they MAY NEED to be trimmed. Chambers are known to vary slightly in neck and throat (leade) length.

[nijalninja]

Damn that is one customised gun. Like Cinders said its pretty common for guns like that, the .25 especially, but with a one piece stock on an MLE action. As far as I know Sportco were at the forefront of making the barrels for these, and even did their own kind of 'custom' rifles off the Enfield action. I have seen a sportco gun in .22 hornet with the charger bridge milled off and in sporting configuration built off an Smle before. Would have taken it but some idiot decided to cut the barrel back to about 15 inches so it looked terrible and likely would not have shot amazingly well.

And Cinders that is an impressive list there. For a second I thought that might all be off your head haha.

[CINDERS]

Here is a couple of nostalgic packets of 303/25 Super for Bruce both are full the red packet ones have a very small lead tip whilst the Black/white box have a more normal soft point, the thing on the red packet ones is they have crossed out the weight of the 303 round and put a sticky of 303/25 over the 303 on the packet so it may been reloaded on a commercial basis and they have re-directed the packets but no bullet weight all primers have been changed.
I have all of the Super coloured packets in various calibers mainly 303 or 303/25 some 243 and a 7.7 x 54 but the Black one I have is the only one I have ever seen and was lucky enough to get it has anyone else seen or have the black & white packets in any caliber.
I may go through my cartridge packets one day as a share, as a starter here are also a couple of 12Ga slug packets I got for the princely sum of $15/Au a little while ago.

As for that rifle you may also note the nice longitudinal split if that's what it is going under the bolt handle and down the wrist on the Rt side.

[user1]

Mick Smith's sports store Sydney 1958 catalogue

[CINDERS]

"Sprinter" thats the one

[browningautorifle]

Smith's deluxe rifle is sure a nice looking model...