New Manufacture No4 Barrels

[ssj]

I think you are dreaming, the 6.5mm wins for very good reasons. On top of that the old swedes with military spec 100 year old barrels v a new "match" grade after market barrel? that is fair? Here in NZ that isnt allowed.

regards

[ssj]

He probably means174gn bullets with a flat base for starters.

There is a couple of guys in the UK who make them but they appear to hand-swage the jackets on and so they are FAR from Cheap.

Hi,

Well barnaul already make a 174gr flat base, good for 1 1/4inch MOA out of a worn P14 at 100yds and are 32cents NZ.

[Colonel Enfield]

I was speaking for a previous thread that was posted by a chap married with 2 children and a mortgage and how the sport is getting expensive for Mr average, there are 1,000's out there like this person but I know years ago when I was on the bones of my arse how I longed to shoot every week end rather than one weekend a month.

Ammunition prices do seem to have gone up a lot in the last few years, as do the prices on the rifles that fire them. There's a couple of people I know who want to get into service rifle shooting but look at what a half-decent SMLE costs (about $550-750 or so, and that's without getting into the risk of getting a mismatched parts gun or something like that), then see it's more than $1 a round for the ammo and then decide they're maybe not quite as keen on getting into it all as they thought.

Sure, there are still some cheap rifles to be had out there if you know what you're looking for, but the people who want to get into shooting old rifles for the first time don't generally know what they're looking for.

I'm sure we've all had someone call us (or send a blurry, low-resolution pic) and say "I'm in a gun shop looking at an SMLE No 4* and it's $800, is that a good price?" and either had a lengthy conversation with them trying to work out what it is or just told them to leave it so you can check it out on their behalf later - because there's useful sums of money involved and no-one wants to see their friends or family out of pocket.

Even five years ago there were plenty of perfectly average SMLEs floating about for about the $350 mark, which is a sensible price for an entry-level rifle and not a huge capital outlay so if it turned out the rifle was a bit ordinary**. But now there's quite substantial sums of money (for the average person) involved, I do worry the hobby/sport is going to lose the younger members because they don't have the disposable income to buy increasingly expensive rifles and very expensive ammunition to make them go bang every month.

* I know the No 4 isn't an SMLE, but a surprising number of people don't.
** Terrible

[lee_enfield223]

I remember buying No4 enfields for $100 in very nice condition and that was all I could afford as I was a fitter and turner apprentice, and used to look at the guys shooting their $4000 delta HBAR ar15's that shot into 1/2 a minute of angle that I had to shoot against , but then we had port arthur and the playing field leveled right out (with the loss of the semi autos) and ever since then I wonder how much more we are going to loose, I have been rebarreling my own rifles for years and have all the equipment to do it, but I must admit those criterion barrels shoot like a laser beam, I have two of them in my 03A3 and A4 Springfields so I think an enfield would do well with one of them fitted

[Brian Dick]

Yes, they are supposed to be period correct with bayonet lugs.

[CINDERS]

I cannot say but the source that is the sole supplier for these barrels in Australia quoted @$800.oo ea I am not going to try and remember the name of the supplier in Aus as I may be wrong and get a whole lotta crap flung at me which frankly I am over.
We were in NZ in 2007 and back later this year you are lucky to be able to procure suppressed weapons straight off the shelf ssj, you orta come to Western Australia where it can sometimes it may take up to a year to get weapons at $176.oo per application that's real fun, took me 6 months to get my 6.5/284 on my open license.
On the other foot in Victoria you get your application processed in 10 days!

[Aussie48]

Not quite 10 days my last one took 3 hours, online PTA through my local LGS

[lee_enfield223]

in NSW (Australia ) it takes about Ten days and costs $30 ,,, Western Australia !!!! beautiful scenery and the rest but their gun laws are a reflection of their government, they are a police state. and I feel sorry for the poor bugger who buy firearms on loan there.

---------- Post added at 08:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:00 PM ----------

in NSW (Australia ) it takes about Ten days and costs $30 ,,, Western Australia !!!! beautiful scenery and the rest but their gun laws are a reflection of their government, they are a police state. and I feel sorry for the poor bugger who buy firearms on loan there.

[desky85]

Wow, $800! I bought one of the Criterion P14 barrels when they we imported. Cost me $440 posted to Queensland. I don't reckon they'd be much more than that, though there is a bit more machining involved for the front sight base and the bayonet lugs. We will see though.

If $800 is the case and then you have to pay a gunsmith to pull your old barrel, fit and finish ream the new barrel and fit sights, it will end up being a $900-$1000 excercise.

I was wondering if Criterion would ever do runs of profiled blanks say for MLE and SMLE heavy profile etc that could be fitted by a gunsmith to an individual action instead of being pre fit. Would be nice!

[CINDERS]

I am hoping if the market takes off then the prices will come down but then we have the problem of waiting and I can tell you it manifests itself rather badly here in Australia more so in Western Australia as the rest of Australia treats us like an appendage (pity we have bucket loads of iron ore, gas and oil in W.A sorry I digress).
I think it is great that Criterion have decided to branch out and do stuff for the Enfields and derivatives to keep them going but for us south of the Equator it surely becomes a supply issue
I have had on order from N**A over east some VV-165 for my 6.5 x 284 through my gunshop who gets reminded often and still it has been 2 years coming and still not in sight at all, years ago I sent my 444 Marlin in for warranty work and it had to go over east it took 2 years to get my rifle back! lost, found, supplier change, lost again, then found and shipped home hence I keep it to my local only 26 ks away not 4,000 ks......

Guess we all wait for developments in this new era that is slowly coming, as a footer do not try and get Lothar Walther barrels exported my friend told me he has tried and well how long is a piece of string apparently something to do with the changing and tightening of their export laws after Aus was flooded with illegal Glock pistols and parts.