7.62mm L4 series........

[c310pilot]

I think that you might find Brian abit more sympathetic now he's seen what you've done - and done so damn well! The font...... Ask Brian to do a pencil/tracing rubbing of his markings or a good close-up photo of the markings against a scale. He might have an original A3 as I understand.

Did you modify the butt slide too C130? Not that it makes any difference. Some of the foreign nations on a budget just sent in, say, 100 gun bodies and got 100 L4A3 bodies and matching/numbered breech blocks back to reassemble to the almost scrap and worn out butt slides and bipod assembliess that they had taken off earlier. Mind you, those equally hard-up almost bankrupt African nations that were on an aid budget from the benevolent UK just sent in complete scrap Brens in and got almost new, factory fresh L4A3's. Ghana being one such..... Oh, don't get me going...........

The bipod assembly was purchased from Kevin. Kevin also supplied me with pencil rubbings. With luck, the Gorton 3U will be here in a month. It's paid for but the logistics of shipping from Connecticut to Virginia is hampering things bit. The butt slide, I am unsure what mods were to be accomplished. Do you care to shed some light on those mods?

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[Brian Dick]

c310, I managed to scrounge some more Suncorite 259 since we last spoke.

[Peter Laidler]

Hey......, there you go. The power of the Forum for you C130! The original Mk2 butt slide side walls were reduced in thickness to .6" from the radius, and radiussed deeper, immediately in front of the trigger guard, milling forward to a similar radius, ending and almost following the front radius at the front end of the ejection opening. Effectively converting the Mk2 butt slide into a Mk3 gun lightweight butt slide. Additionally the bolt type Mk2 pistol grip retainer was converted to the Mk1 or 3 type using the hollow large diameter bolt with a new threaded sleeve brazed in place.

The reason in UK Military service was in the interests of standardisation with the existing Mk3 and L4A2 and 4 guns of course

But, hey....., with what you have done so far, this is just cosmetic stuff! And I doubt that the export buyers bothered with this

[c310pilot]

Well that's easy enough. It was built on a lower with the MKI type handle. I have a MKIII I can basically copy the contours off of and presto. I will have to give Brian a call on Monday and see if we can't work something out. Thanks guys.

[Peter Laidler]

If you're starting with a Mk1 butt slide then don't forget to shorten the front 1" or so, as per the Mk3 gun type you are copying. Great work so far. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it after my experience doing the same!

[Peter Laidler]

Maybe just caught up on something internally as it should remain forward under the control of the spring loaded plunger in the cocking handle. Worn spring plunger and the little vertical cam-pin. They get flats worn on them

[Brian Dick]

Harry mac, I enjoy mine, (Inglis Mk.II and Enfield L4A3). They are both post '86 dealer samples since I can't afford to shell out $25-30K for a transferrable one. I feel lucky to have them even though they are government rentals more of less!

[Peter Laidler]

I don't have magazine drawings but given the availability of magazines and platforms, the actual feeding geometry shouldn't pose too much of a dilemma if you use a few platforms to practice with. The only 'problem' I can see is with the fact that the round is slightly shorter than standard so there is a longer what we call 'no-mans land'. That is the time that the round is being pushed forwards IN the magazine until noses out it is cammed downwards and left or right and into the chamber.

The 'problem' as I would see it is that because the 7.62R rim is much thinner, it is sat inside the same depth cartridge seating in the bolt and therefore the now tightened up (by the extractor stay don't forget.....) extractor cannot exert the same leverage on the rim while the breech block is rotating downwards to unlock. In short, and cutting out the crap and waffle, you're short of most of the primary extraction.

If I had to reduce the excessive 762R gas, this is what I'd do - to a spare barrel first. Drill and tap the gas port slightly oversize. Insert a hexagon headed grub screw with a slightly smaller hole bored through, making sure of course that it is well clear of the bore of course. Back it off until it allows you to insert the gas regulator which will initially support the new undersize vent. Now test fire, adjusting the 'new' gas hole in assorted modified grub screws until it runs well on gas regulater hole 2. Leave it there and within a few more test firings it will be rock solid. (added a bit later..... There is a LOT of meat on all of the barrels at this point, certainly enough to drill and tap. Additionally, this part is also reinforced by the gas block sleeved on too don't forget

The last part is to never tell anyone that I suggested this dire, seemingly bubba course of action! But the only way to get less gas is to look at Boyles law s of gas. All you are doing is what everyone who uses blank firing weapons does every day. We used to have a couple of blank firing AK47's and an assortment of different sized apertures in the various BFA's.

As a matter of interest C130 Pilot. I've heard of a C-130 and jumped out of one 26(?) times, - but what is a C-310?

[Brian Dick]

c310, He can do it. Just waiting on you.

[Peter Laidler]

Good afternoon Joe. Good technical points and really got the grey matter ticking over............ Re the gas port in the barrel situation, I see the point. That a larger hole further down the gas passageway will have no effect in a physics theory lesson but in a situation like a Bren, we have to remember that the gas being delivered is an explosive force as opposed to a sustained 'push' such as you'd get in , say, a steam engine or even a high performance car engine. Here we have an impulse force which delivers almost mind blowing accelleration to the piston and with it, the associated inertia/momentum. And it's this momentum that we really want to control. And you HAVE to control/reduce it before it gets to the piston

Re the magazine. Mmmmmmmmmm. Perhaps the most difficult part of any weapon to design and even MORE difficult to get right! An apprentices classroom discussion about just this subject could go on for weeks but here goes....... At the end of any travel DOWN the magazine, however the rounds manage this, the only point that matters is that the top round in the magazine (the round waiting to be fed) must momentarily be positioned EXACTLY in the same position of the previously fired round and all of the other rounds before that. If not, it's doomed to fail. All that we need is for that round to be presented at the correct angle downwards and inwards and it will (?) work/feed...... yes?

I've never converted a .303 mag to 762R so I am theorising that the magazine radius of/for the requirement between the two rounds is marginal and even less so because they are double stacked. Thus, with a bit of titivating or perhaps adding a slightly more pronounced downward 'wedge' effect to the front of the platform should take up the slack so to speak.

This can work as the mag platform is able to 'articulate'* to some degree within the magazine so this should be able to cater for what's needed. After all, the good quality HK .;22" rifle magazines do a more difficult job really well.

* 'articulate' is the wrong word as it can't articulate as it's solid but I can't think of another word to express what I mean. Maybe 'level itself out' or 'able to accommodate' might be a better choice.