Imporving accuracy with a No4 Mk1

[D-BOMB]

Hi Guys,

So here is the story, I have a No.4 Mk1* Savage that appears to have been rebarreled at some point in its life (It has a 5 groove). It is a fun rifle to shoot however it seems to shoot high and I am tired of using Kentucky windage, So I would like to try and remedy this!

I have found a set of sight blades on ebay that I could experiment with, but before I order I would like to confirm that SMLE blades and No.4 Blades are interchangable.

Lee Enfield No.1 SMLE Rifle Sight Blades Set of 10 | eBay

Also the barrel seems to have a very mild amount of play at the muzzle, it can move about 1mm side to side in the forstock/barrel band...Is this normal? It seems to shoot straight enough but it just the problem of shooting high.

Thanks in advance!

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[Rumpelhardt]

As far as I know smle no.1 front sight blades will not fit. I believe the dovetail is different. I could well be wrong. If so I' sure some one will come along and correct me. There are also two different types of sight blades for the no.4. If the sight mounting block has a screw in the front to tighten the dovetail you need the blades with the solid dovetail. If no screw you need the ones with the split dovetail.
Split dovetail type Lee Enfield SMLE No.4 / 5 Sight Blades Set x8 UNISSUED | eBay
I could not find any solid type but there are usually some listed.
From what I have read side to side movement at the muzzle of the barrel is normal and even desirable as long as it readily springs back to center by itself when moved.

[newcastle]

So to springfield sporters. http://www.SSsporters.com they have bags of blades for No.4 and No.1 and they will sell you a set of different heights.

[Peter Laidler]

You never told us one important fact. What ammo are you using. Some dodgy home loads , factory spec, which factory, which spec? You really need to try some surplus ex UK Military. While this old stuff might not be any good for a first prize in a competition, it WILL tell you whether it's the rifle that needs adjusting or your (unknown as yet.....) ammo that needs adjusting.

The highest foresight blade you can get...................... There's a thread on it somewhere but it's worth a read!

[D-BOMB]

Ahh I guess thats pretty important info! So far I have only shot Factory Winchester 180 gr soft point. I really want to try some of that partisan FMJ because that seemed to make the world of difference in the groups in my M1 going from SP to FMJ.

[3mctoledo]

Stephan Redgwell has a book that I bought from his web site 303british.com. Tells how th accurize you III or IV. "The Accurate Lee Enfield" It covers stock, trigger and sights.