DCRA 7.62 conversion

[P.E. Islander]

Last fall I purchased a rather nice 1945 Longbranch DCRA 7.62 conversion.






I realize that these rifles were intended to be used as single shots, however I really like the idea of having this rifle function as a repeater. To that end I purchased a 7.62 extractor and L42 type magazine from Collectors Source. The extractor was an easy install and appears to work quite well.

The magazine seats and locks but did not feed very well since the rounds did not sit high enough in the mag to be pushed reliably by the bolt face. In an effort to improve feeding I have carefully beveled the inside of the magazine feed lips so that the rounds sit a little bit higher, the rifle now seems to feed much better. Ejection seems positive. There was a notice taped to the magazine stating that the "ejector" (a tab spot welded to the left rear feed lip) might need to be fitted, however this was not necessary on my rifle.

I'm wondering what experiences other have had in getting a 7.62 conversion to operate properly as a repeater.

Information

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[stencollector]

There is an original conversion tag from CAL around the desk here somewhere.

I have had a few of these over the years. Every one is a little bit different and, to me, represents the DCRA shooter's preferences and aim towards excellence.

I have always had success by just modifying the original .303 extractors. By removing a little from the inside edge of the extractor, and allowing it to come inwards a bit more, reliable extraction and ejection of the spent cases results.

I was lucky in that I found a half dozen of the Sterling Enfield mags in a garbage can at the local milsurp yard, and managed to buy them for a whopping $10 each. These did not have the ejector on the mag lip, so it was crucial to get the regular 303 ejector screw just right. When using the PH5C sight unit, the screw often did not project quite far enough to do the job. I found that one of the screws issued for the no4T (#69 scope) bracket was just the right length to work with. I still have a few of these screws hanging around waiting for the next conversion.


My current DCRA rifle is an installation that was done on one of the mid 50s no4mk2 actions. Picked it up at the Calgary gunshow last year for $300....hard to go wrong at that price.

[P.E. Islander]

A friend of mine has two 7.62 converted rifles, one is a "proper" DCRA conversion and one was done at a later date by a gunsmith, presumably with a leftover barrel. His CAL converted rifle has the issue front and rear sights and the original .303 extractor. His other rifle has a PH5C rear sight and Parker Hale front sight, as well as a .303 extractor modified as you describe to function better with the 7.62.

My buddy has one sterling magazine between his two rifles, so he got one of the L42 mags when I ordered mine. The Stirling mag feeds much better and is much nicer finished than the reproduction L42 mags Collectors source are selling and while the Stirling mag feeds very smoothly there is no ejection when using it in either of his rifles. I have heard of a couple of ejector set ups in use with the Stirling type mag, it would be interesting to see a photo of these setups.

Stencollector, you got a heck of a deal on those Stirling mags - reminds me of the two like new No. 7 magazines I bought for $5 at a surplus store. And $300 for a 7.62 conversion is a deal as well, I thought I got a deal on mine at $325! With a 7.62 mag installed these rifles seem to be selling for $700-$800 on CGN.

[smle-man]

The Stirling magazines can be made to eject with a bit of careful bending of the left rear magazine lip. I have 3 converted #4s in 7.62, one with an original Enfield 7.62 magazine and the other two are repro Enfield magazines. With some swapping around I got all three to fit and feed fine between the three rifles. Skennerton shows in his book where material can be milled away on the underside of the #4 action to get a 7.62mm magazine to fit properly for good feeding. Another route is the Ishapore 2A magazine. I have one that with just a tiny bit of work feeds and ejects perfectly in all three of my converted 7.62 rifles.

Happy shooting!

[Curator]

I purchased 200 .307 Winchester brass cases in place of 7.62 NATO cases to reload for my Long Branch DCRA. These feed very well from a "standard" 7.62 magazine and do not require any modification of the extractor. They also are easy to keep segragated from my other 7.62 and .303 brass.

[Dimitri]

So the rimmed 307Win ammunition works well with the Enfield Bolt?

Dimitri