New Relacement Barrels

[ptf18]

Doe anyone manufacture new replacement barrels for the No.4 Enfields?

Information

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[MKV111Z]

Hi

Yes there's an Australian Company MAB I think although it changed its name recently and Peter Sarony has the machinery to do so in the UK and may be up and running with it.

Cheers

H

[bigduke6]

Think peter sarony only has the machine for making barrel blanks.

[Brian Dick]

I think Fultons can get them from Lothar Walther but they are very expensive.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

The big issue is that No4 barrels are designed to be a "drop-in" fit.

Therefore, all the external features are machined such that when the barrel is wound up to the required position and torque, things like the sight base lugs, bayonet lugs, extractor slot etc are in the correct place. And on top of that, the chamber must be pre-cut so that when the barrel is correctly aligned, the headspace will be within tolerances to suit the available range of bolt heads.

Doing this on a "one-off" basis is VERY expensive. Here in Oz, the going rate for a fully featured No4 barrel replacement, using a new commercial blank, is close to a thousand dollars.

I suspect there is a market for new No4 barrels, but made with closer tolerances for bore and groove, and probably, chamber dimensions. A supply of the "higher numbered" bolt heads would be handy too.

So many projects, so little time and money!

[tbonesmith]

It surprises me that someone hasn't done some in quantity thus far outside of the major plants. Surely someone could see a buck in a run of 1000, or thousands. May be not.

[ptf18]

Gee...so disheartening to hear this. Do you all think there would be any demand for a replacement ? Or are these "old" rifles beginning to be "wall hangers"?

[mauser98nut]

This guy used to have barrels from a US maker. He used to do restorations I think,now he does conversions.Seems spendy to me but he may have barrels.Special Interest Arms

[Peter Laidler]

Is there REALLY a desperate shortage of good to perfect No4 barrels? To me, good/perfect is that they shoot like a dream. I've mentioned this before but because a barrel looks a bit rough and down at heel, doesn't mean that it shoots like a pig. Some of the old No4T sniper barrels looked as rough as guts and would just about every gauge available - but JUST enough to pass the test (and maybe a bit beyond.....) but shot like a dream. Some of the L42's had similar 'problems' too. On the other hand, even today, some rifles have barrels liie new that shoot like pigs.. including some L96's

[Brian Dick]

I agree with Peter. The proof is in the pudding. Clean and inspect your rifle, make sure the screws are all tight and that the forend is fitted correctly, get some decent ammo and go shoot it before you make any decisions. You might be pleasantly surprised. I know and have known so many people over the years that insist on fixing rifles that "ain't broke". I guess that's OK if you've got money to throw away but I never did and never will understand that type thinking. If you want a No.4 with a nice barrel, call me up and I'll sell you one. A shameless plug I know but what the Hell!