Strength Of Lee Enfield Action

[smellie]

Had a guy over on CGN the other day, proposed rechambering a Number 4 to 7.62x54R in order to 'take advantage' of the inexpensive surplus ammunition.

So I got out my Radio Shack $6 "brain" (my organic one being defective) and calculated out bolt thrust per round, assuming standard Service pressures and no hot loads. It came out to being a little over a Proof round for every shot. Thankfully, that dissuaded him from the conversion and he is now setting up to handload his .303s.

I have been at this just about 50 years now and the ONLY thing I have seen which approached a "catastrophic failure" with a Lee rifle involved the rifle primarily as one of the VICTIMS. It was actually a Brain Failure in which the rifle was fired WITHOUT A BOLT-HEAD IN PLACE. When the rifle was brought to me, I unscrewed the fired casing from the split bolt-shank in order to take photos. The wonderful surgeons at the James Paton Memorial Hospital in Gander managed to get ALL of the brass splinters out of the boy's eye and saved his eyesight. The Rifle was given a new Bolt, WITH a bolt-head this time, and still is being used.

But that was hardly the fault of the RIFLE.

I would put the 1910 ROSS right up there with the M-1 Garand as to strength of the action. Ross fired the 1905 action at 125,000 psi and it didn't wreck it, so he then designed the much-stronger 1910 with the 7 forward locking-lugs. Bolts were factory lapped-in on these rifles and I know of NONE which has been destroyed through having a cartridge fired in it, given that the thing was properly assembled to begin with. Considering that the first Mark III ROSS Rifles were delivered to the Canadian Militia 100 years ago this year, that is a pretty impressive record.

Hope this helps.
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