Gun Proof in India - An Historical Account

[Peter Laidler]

That's intersting Amat. Like I said, we tested the rifle body steel from Indian 7.62 AND .303" SMLE's and contrary to popular belief, they were all the same...., within the realities/peramaters of steel mixing of course.

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[Alfred]

That's intersting Amat. Like I said, we tested the rifle body steel from Indian 7.62 AND .303" SMLE's and contrary to popular belief, they were all the same...., within the realities/peramaters of steel mixing of course.

Is the EN steel a Chrome Nickel Steel?
Skennerton's book , if that where the scanned page I saw earlier came from, stated that the Lithgow rifles that failed the tests when converted to 7.62 were (near as I remember) "degraded by use of Carbon Steel rather than Chrome-Nickel Steel".
Australia has large deposits of Nickel, so a Nickel Steel alloy would be logical for the Lithgow receivers. Nickel Steels are more elastic, and these alloys were invented by an Englishman.

If you have the specs for this alloy it would be useful.

I've found the specs for the US M1917 rifles, which I figured were the same as that used for the P-17. Its a high nickel content steel.

1917 Enfield Rifles

Receiver and Bolt:
Made of nickel steel specificed in US Army Pamphlet no. 3098.
This steel could be made by the acid process, or the basic process, both were accepted.

Acid Process:
Carbon .30% to .40%
Manganese .50% to .70%
Nickel 3.00% to 3.75%
Phosphorus under .05%
Sulphur under .035%

Basic Process:
Carbon .35% to .45%
Manganese .50% to .70%
Nickel 3.25% to 3.75%
Silicon .10% to .20%
Phoshorus under .05%

Barrel Steel specified in US Army Pamphlet no.3098:
Carbon .45% to .55%
Manganese 1.10% to 1.35%
Silicon .20% to .30%
Phosphorus under .06%
Sulphur under .06%