Dominion of Canada Rifle Association (DCRA) Rifle

History

A Canadian Arsenals (Long Branch) DCRA Conversion Rifle

The DCRA rifle was the Canadian answer to the trend within Great Britain and the Commonwealth during the 1960's to table a bolt action target rifle chambered in the new 7.62 x 51mm NATO standard service round. This new cartridge, after much contention, was adopted as the standard service ammunition of all members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. For the UK and the Commonwealth (Canada included), this meant the 7.62mm round would replaced the .303 British as the standard chambering for military rifles. Coupled with the new round was the adoption of Self Loading Rifles (SLR’s), in the case of Britain and Canada this was in the form of the FN FAL. Any military and thus service rifle target shooters, by nature are conservative in its thinking and this holds true when applied to the new SLR’s. Many long-time military and civilian competitive service rifle shooters believed that a SLR was inferior in accuracy to the bolt rifle. This was especially true in England and Canada where efforts were made on a number of fronts to provide a target/competition grade, bolt action rifle firing the new standard military cartridge. Obviously preference was given to finding a suitable conversion of a Lee-Enfield for both economical and familiarity reasons. As had always been the case, military competition target match were conducted using the standard service rifle of the time firing current issue service ammunition. Accuracy improvements to these rifles were strictly regulated, usually allowing nothing more than approved bedding adjustments and the addition of target grade sights, provided that these sights did not alter the original integrity of the rifle (no drilling allowed) and that the rifle could be instantly restored to standard military configuration. As civilians were always encouraged to participate in these competitions, the move to self-loading rifles posed another problem. Self-loading rifles were cutting edge technology at the time, privately they would have been expensive and near impossible to purchase. The converted competition grade bolt action rifle would allow civilians to continue participating in this sport with little additional expense. Proof testing in both England and Canada showed that the No4 rifle could easily handle the increased pressures of the 7.62mm round and so the Lee-Enfield lived on. Canada's contribution to the 7.62mm competition Lee-Enfield was the DCRA rifle. So named because it was the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association in the early 1960’s that sold the idea to the Canadian government that a bolt actioned rifle chambered in the new round was needed for competition shooting. With the Canadian government’s endorsement, Canadian Arsenals Limited (Long Branch) developed a new barrel chambered in 7.62 x 51mm that could be fitted to the No4 receiver. This rifle retained its original .303 magazine and extractor (the rifle was set up as a single loader, which was all that was required for Service Rifle competitions of the time) and was stocked in standard No4 furniture. This first type of DCRA rifle that Canadian Arsenals produced was called the Rifle, 7.62mm No4 Mod (Competition Shooting). Only several hundred of these were built. With the Canadian Arsenals conversion design in place, beginning in or around 1965-66 it was the DCRA that instigated the true conversion program.

As commissioned by the DCRA, these rifles were converted by Canadian Arsenals (CA) formerly Canadian Small Arms Factory Ltd. Long Branch, Ontario. This conversion consisted of first ensuring any of the bolts and receivers used were in good serviceable condition before commencing. It followed with replacing the .303 British barrel with a new 7.62mm x 51 chambered barrel, replacing the bolthead with a stronger one, headspace was checked and the barreled action was proof tested. Each conversion was assigned a progressive conversion number and was stamped onto the barrel, receiver and bolt along with the new proof stamp. This in a nutshell was the conversion, further individual tweaking could be done by the rifles owner after initial CA conversion by replacing the 303 extractor with a 7.62mm extractor (which had a longer claw to facilitate the rimless cartridge) and adding a Sterling magazine and ejector. The Sterling magazine allowed feeding of the new cartridge and was a drop-in replacement for the 303 magazine, but required a hole be drilled in the left side receiver wall to accommodate the ejector. Another magazine option was to fit an Enfield magazine (the same as used on the Envoy or L42A1) to the rifle, but this required a small (milling) adjustment to the magazine well on the rifle, otherwise the mag did not sit deep enough in the well to allow the bolt to pick up rounds. Anecdotal evidence suggests that only British made receivers required this milling operation and that Long Branch receivers had sufficient tolerance in the magazine well to accommodate the Enfield magazine without modification. The most universal tweak to these rifle was the fitting of a Parker-Hale PH5C (303 British) or A.J. Parker TZ 4/47 (7.62mm) fully adjustable competition rear sight.

The DCRA rifle in the hands of competition shooters was greatly experimented with in the form of barrel packing and bedding. The most common types of bedding found would be fiberglass and hardwood doweling, some may be encountered with a center bedded barrel and this can be in the form of either fiberglass or a hardwood block. Location of the barrel bedding may vary as each position and weight of barrel lift produced its own particular results, be it short, intermediate or long range.

It should be noted that Canadian Arsenals had many leftover barrels that were sold after they stopped doing conversions. So not all CA marked 7.62mm barrels found on No4 rifles will actually be DCRA conversions done by Canadian Arsenals, many military armourers and civilian gunsmiths used these barrels and created their own target rifles. To be sure if a rifle was converted by CA, look for the conversion numbers.

As the DCRA rifle was not a military specific conversion, there is little solid information regarding the entire scheme. However, to the best of my knowledge, here is basically how the DCRA rifle found its way into the Lee-Enfield history of things.

The Canadian Army Rifle Team DCRA Rifle

These rifles were selected from Army Weapons Stores and will most always be converted on a Long Branch receiver and will display the C Broad Arrow government ownership mark on the wood and metal. The conversions were done at Canadian Arsenals Ltd as the others were however, again most if not all were further modified with an Enfield magazine and 7.62mm extractor. Combined with the basic conversion, these rifles were stocked with new furniture and accurized by CA. All of these rifles were fitted with AJ Parker TZ4/47 rear sights and hardwood dowel bedded. Rifles of this type were stamped with a C inside an Oval.

DCRA “Club Gun” Conversion

The DCRA "Club Gun" will generally consist of the same features as the shooters conversion and may be converted on any make of No4 action. It is difficult to say with any certainty but it is believed that these rifles will have a 5G inside a box electro-penciled onto the receiver left side buttsocket above the serial number. These rifles will more than likely be complete with the target sights and a target swivel, or should be. Some “club guns” may have also been accurized by CA as examples show both the 5G and C inside an Oval markings.

Shooters Conversion

Anyone interested in having a conversion done by Canadian Arsenals (CA) could submit there No4 barreled action complete with bolt, no stock, to their DCRA club and the rifle would be forwarded to CA where the conversion would be done and the piece was sent back in reverse order complete with removed 303 British barrel, the cost was under $50.00. Re-stocking and/or bedding were the individuals concern. It should be noted that CA would convert any No4 receiver, it did not have to be a Long Branch made one so any No4 rifle can be found converted. What distinguishes the CA conversion as authentic is the conversion number. Another type of “shooters conversion” will be those done up by armourers and gunsmiths using purchased barrels from CA. These particular rifles will not have CA conversion numbers and can be built on any type of receiver and be stocked in any type of No4 lumber.

General Notes

I have tried to lay out a reasonable chronologic order of this rifle’s development and conversion characteristics however, because of its nature as a more or less independent project it is difficult to pin point any specific guidelines. As these rifles were converted for the government, the DCRA and private individuals using any number of different receivers and being stocked, bedded and sighted by a variety of individuals there is no hard and fast rule, other than the conversion numbering used by CA converting a rifle, to say it is indeed a DCRA conversion. The examples found in the surplus market will be as varied as the individuals who originally owned them.

DCRA and Lee-Enfield No4 Rifle competition stock bedding.