longbranch sniper build with modern scope. the purists are screaming..........

[Ridolpho]

Mr B: Personally I only undertake repairs or restorations to original military standards as guided by Capt. Laidler and other experts on the Forum. These experts have repeatedly stated that no accurizing techniques have been found by the military to enhance accuracy beyond the standard fitment. Pure target shooters have a different perspective and have tried many things. You might want to buy the book on accurizing by Forum member RJW who concisely summarizes the options (including "bedding"). He also points out that MOA precision is rarely achieved even with heavily modified rifles (unless I misunderstood) while you've already exceeded that goal with your free floating sporter................

Ridolpho

[mrbungle]

this rifle will not be free floating.

please read my posts.....




the first pic is how i got the rifle in post number one. , post number 5 is what the rifle looks like now.



when i got the rifle it was then i put it back the way an enfield should be.

check post number 5

[Ridolpho]

Mr. B: and I quote from your post: "this rifle was doing 3 inch groupings at 400 yards with that crap scope and stock". I was just hinting that you might want to leave it alone as the combo (synth stock/ free floated barrel) seems to have given remarkable accuracy- at least as good as a lot of "target rifles". Maybe we'll get some other testimonials about accurate free floated No. 4's- God knows there's a lot off them out there.

Ridolpho

[mrbungle]

i understand, but i think the rifle can shoot better with a real enfield stock and hardware and with a modern scope and good mount.


i wanted to restore this rifle to it's original look. i own a T and i own 2 other enfields. a NO4 MK2 , and a NO4 FTR

[ssj]

8><---------. Pure target shooters have a different perspective and have tried many things. You might want to buy the book on accurizing by Forum member RJW who concisely summarizes the options (including "bedding"). 8><---- Ridolpho

Hi,

Here in NZ ive talked to several "old enfield" hands, they seem pretty forthright that centre bedding is the way to go for the no4 for prone range work, so really 300m and outwards. It is however a lot of extra work so Im following Peter's advice and doing the std no4 thing for a std stock in the first instance. I aim to aquire another forend at some point and just experiment for the fun of it , std v modded see what I end up with, next winter's project I suspect.

If the book you refer to is
"The 2012 Complete Book on Lee Enfield
Accurizing
Copyright©Roger Wadham 2012"

I have it as a download, I have found it well worth reading if only for the general background on the non-war history of these fine old rifles, I am enjoying it greatly, this month's read for me. The price was also pretty reasonable around 19US.

[303Guy]

mrbungle, I'm very interested to hear how your rifle shoots shoots after full original bedding. It's looking real good. The No4 is the finest looking military rifle ever in my opinion and that side mount scope base is just dandy and requires no holes drilled right? That is the cartridge eject screw hole that's being used isn't it?

ssj, how does one get ahold of that download?

What is the expected accuracy of a properly bedded,scoped No4 (as in used for sniper rifles)? Is a 100 or 200m accuracy test enough to show the true accuracy of these rifles? What standard is used, 5 shot or 10 shot?

My accurate No4 as accurate as it was, was sensitive to how it was held. That actually makes it 'inaccurate' in military or even hunting terms. (I've fixed that now by re-bedding it properly).

Thanks, Peter. I'd suggest the effort involved in inletting of the action for free-floating would make it impractical for mass production even if it was equal to fore-end bedding. As it is they were corked packed which seems much simpler and quicker.

That 25-303 of mine has the same barrel profile and length as the SMLE. It did have a damping device on the muzzle in the form of a mini-suppressor. Maybe it was pure luck that the barrel harmonics were just right.

[mrbungle]

The moarunt goes through the sight holes and the ejection hole in the receiver. So no drill mount that is solid.
I zero rifles to 200 yards and if you are getting less than a MOA. You are doing good with milsurp rifles.

Putting the rifle back to original except the mount and scope is the idea.

I was going to glass bed it , but now i am going to bed it to mil spec. The action and barrel is in great shape.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

The only fly in the ointment with all this talk of bedding, is this:

ALL of the techniques were developed to extract consistent performance from Mk7 ball.

Not PMC

Not Mk8

Not ANYTHING but issue Mk7 ball; 174gn flat-based bullet driven by good old cordite.

If you have a stash of said "good stuff"; lucky you.

Anything else WILL produce different barrel vibration patterns.

Has anyone ever done a comparison between Mk7 (Cordite "sticks") and Mk7Z (Cooler burning Nitro-Cellulose "granules"). Exactly the same bullet.

RG vs FN?

[tbonesmith]

Thanks, Peter. I'd suggest the effort involved in inletting of the action for free-floating would make it impractical for mass production even if it was equal to fore-end bedding. As it is they were corked packed which seems much simpler and quicker.

It would be far easier to inlet for a floating barrel, than to hand fit to achieve proper bearing, and military barrels were never packed with cork.

[303Guy]

I have tried many times to shoot with a free barrel , always had bad results. That's my 2 cent.

I get the impression the full stocked rifle needs to be fully bedded. Is it even possible to free float a full length stocked rifle? Mine are all sporters so no muzzle end contact is possible, only mid-barrel. I did once try upward pressure at mid-barrel but it didn't work so I never tried again. I do have one rifle with a 14½ inch barrel with a Knox Form mounted suppressor tube, currently with no baffles. That rifle rings like a bell - like Peter says, it's a tuning fork. But I digress, this is about restoring or building a No4 T. I am most interested to hear how it will shoot with proper bedding.