New production Lee Enfield N0.4 Mk1 barrels

[Gyro]

New production Lee Enfield N0.4 Mk1 barrels

Good morning all,
I have emailed back and forth with Criterion Barrels here in the United States regarding producing some barrels for the Lee Enfield No.4 Mk1. When I contacted them, it was in regard to this posting on their web page:

Criterion Goes Global

Below is a copy of the email that I received this morning. If Criterion receives more requests, we could finally start seeing some new barrels





Good afternoon,

The No4 Mk1 barrel has still not yet been manufactured or released, so no price point is currently available. I will bring it up again this week at the production meeting, but at this time the release date is unknown. The best ways to track new product releases are to sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Facebook.

Josh Buege

CRITERION BARRELS
W172 N13050 Division Rd.
Germantown, WI 53076
ph: (262) 628-8749
fax: (262) 997-1137
contact@criterionbarrels.com
Criterion Barrels

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[flygrimm]

This has been an ongoing project with them for a couple of years. They even have a couple of my new No. 4 barrels as patterns that I bought years ago before the supply dried up. Just give them time. They are still swamped with orders from the panic caused by the Newtown mess.

Stuart

New production Lee Enfield N0.4 Mk1 barrels

Good morning all,
I have emailed back and forth with Criterion Barrels here in the United States regarding producing some barrels for the Lee Enfield No.4 Mk1. When I contacted them, it was in regard to this posting on their web page:

Criterion Goes Global

Below is a copy of the email that I received this morning. If Criterion receives more requests, we could finally start seeing some new barrels





Good afternoon,

The No4 Mk1 barrel has still not yet been manufactured or released, so no price point is currently available. I will bring it up again this week at the production meeting, but at this time the release date is unknown. The best ways to track new product releases are to sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Facebook.

Josh Buege

CRITERION BARRELS
W172 N13050 Division Rd.
Germantown, WI 53076
ph: (262) 628-8749
fax: (262) 997-1137
contact@criterionbarrels.com
Criterion Barrels

[Gyro]

If that is the case, I can understand the delay. With the sheer numbers of No.4 Mk1 Lee Enfields out there that have shot out barrels, I can't imagine that there would be a question of a need. My latest No.4 shoots so poorly that all 10 key holed the target at 100 yards and had a grouping of just under 18". I wish at the time I had a bore gauge or at least a .303 bullet with me.

[Peter Laidler]

I'mk sure that my views on the 'shot-out-bore' syndrome are well known. We had all manner of bore gauges, leed wear, muzzle wear and so on and on and on plus viewing standards - always a bit subjective in my opinion, but they were there none the less. And these criteria would very often condemn a barrel. But now, the acid test if the gauging or viewing criteria is in doubt is the RANGE test. If it is accurate and can hoid a group as laid down to the EMER standard, then that's good enough.

BUT, you have GOT to use the standard ISSUE spec ammo. No home loads or 'factory' spec ammo from dubious sources. Standard issue NATO ball if it's a Military rifle.

You try some well stored UK Military Mk7 ball Gyro and see how it performs.

I had a No4T with a bore that I couldn't even get a glimmer of a shine out of. Looked like someone had dropped their soup down but it shot perfectly.

As for those poor souls who think that the way to test for a shot out barrel/muzzle is to stick the nose of a round into the muzzle........ Words fail me!

[Detroit-1]

I am one of those poor souls who uses the bullet test! I do have a field gauge for headspace. Myself and most buyers of Enfields don't have the real gauges so when looking at a gun at a gunshow we do what we can to see if the barrel is worn. I know it is not the best but it is what we can do.

[Nailcreek]

I've also dropped off an SMLE barrel as well for them to measure and consider. Their shop is about 15 minutes away from me, so it's easy to drop over.

[CINDERS]

The ol' round in the muzzle while not the most glorious way to ascertain a barrels wear it is a start for us not so wise or travelled pelicans but it is somewhere to start so I will say if PL did the Mk VII Ball ammo test at the muzzle as an normal person with average firearms knowledge on 2 SMLE or No.4's his choice both of equal external appearances and the following happened in theory mind you.

In rifles not looking down the bore thats for later on this is first up -

A) The projectile inserted into the muzzle carefully and the amount of projie left showing was about a 3/16" gap to the neck of the case.

B) The projectile inserted into the muzzle carefully and the projie dissapeared with the muzzle touching the neck of the case.

And no other looking or poking was done to the rifles A or B based on that hypothetical inspection on visual face value of ones limited knowledge on firearms with no assistance from firearms experts all by ones todd then which rifle would PL buy ! (probably none but we as mere mortals have to try and rely on 2 things our sometimes poor knowledge base when confronted with a find and the integrity of the seller !)

Yes I have been burned so stiff cheese I move on but I can look anyone face to face and say any weapons I sell are functional with no qualms in operation or the way they shoot the only thing is I have only maybe sold 2 rifles as I like keeing all of my toys, I reckon PL has a nice collection that would rival the Smithsonian ? (just a bit of ribbing there as after working on zillions of weapons why would you want to look at another one at home)
Ahhh its all good in milsurps land

[WarPig1976]

I bring one of each caliber to a Fun show, it's the best way available to me to sorta check the barrel isn't completely shot out.

[CINDERS]

Just a gueery on those replacement barrels are they going to have the bayonet lugs on them, I am not real certain but I think MAB do the No.4 barrels in the parkerised without the bayonet lugs if you want to be semi pure you can have them put on as an extra.
There is another mob doing chrome moly Mk III barrels in stainless thinking of getting one as the standard profiles are hard to come by in any condition I got one complete from Canada 11 years ago but they sure have been scarce on the ground still I reckon theres people in the know that have inklings of where they are.

Years ago in one of our deserts in the West Au here a drilling exploration friend said they lost a drill rod down a hole when outa the blue some bloke rocks up with a bren on the bonnet of his SWB landie apparently WWII stuff was bunkered there and forgotten, do not know how true but a good yarn all the same.
I only managed 1 range session with the Bren and it was hell accurate a very narrow cone of fire and proportedly had the nice act of dragging you forward still it was very nice to shoot even on full auto just good old weapons manufacture

[Peter Laidler]

Here's a better alternative to the 'nose-of-a-round' trick and a good way forward. Ask your local machinist if he'll machine up a small, say 5" or so length of stainless steel bar .307" diameter for half its length. This MUST NOT enter the muzzle by more than 1/4". You could ask him to machine the other end to .308" and this end MUST NOT enter the rifled area of the leed by more then 1/4". Some of you will/might agree with this simple and cheap ploy on the basis that this is a) what the bible says and b) a slightly more accurate method of gauging muzzle wear that relying on the dubious curvature of a ball round/projectile to indicate, well......, anything really in my humble oipinion for what it's worth. And c) you've also got a sort-of substitute tapered .308" No2 SM-126 gauge.

If you want the other gauge limits while you're there, then a .301" MUST run freely. The No1 rifle allowed a .303" to run but this was changed later to standardise the bore criteria for the No1 and 4 rifles post war.

Like I say, or humbly suggest, then if your rifle - or the one you're looking to buy fails these tests then range/accuracy test it. It could be perfect. Anyone need to know the accepted accuracy criteria?