Is this an Inglis 8mm MkII barrel??

[TactAdv]

Bore diameter isn't the question in my mind......only way you could alter it to a "pure" value anywhere near nominal of .323" would be to bore, ream, and re-line. To do THAT, would require a damn thick liner once you bored out enough of the old .312 area with a cushion for thickness. I would almost be 99.9% certain whomever did this craziness, just re-chambered it for 7.92x57 JS and said good enough. Probably shoots just fine.......

Now having read all this, this speedy conversion sounds like something that would have come from the Middle East somewhere.......Syria, Libya, Lebanon or other equally modern shithole. ;-)

My main curiosity now is what mags did whomever did this attempt to use??

I gotta go pull the bolt and check the extractor tonight.......solve that mystery.
-TomH

[ActionYobbo]

its a JI 8mm barrel. I have had several of them.
I have not built an 8mm for myself but I did supply parts to a few builders who made their brens in 8mm. you only need a 7.62 or 7.92 bolt (same thing just different markings) a ZB 37 (? think thats the correct ZB number) magazine and the barrel.
the bolt is the hardest part to find but you can also just fit the 7.62/7.92 extractor to a 303 bolt and have at it

JI made them for china and some one made them for Greece and Turkey same as the 8mm vickers
yours is most likely from the Greece or Turkey or one that never made the voyage over there
read here about my 7.91 barrels etc
https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=37296

I have been digging through my research and what I concluded is..
the barrel was converted to 8mm from 303 and marked 7.91 instead of 7.92. I believe this was done( 7.91) to show that the barrel was converted from a used 303 barrel. I also believe they were done by a manufacturer of larger goverment armoury because of the number of identical barrels that have excellent bores. the bores have been broached out for the 8mm.
the extractors and ejectors I had were made at either JI or ED and here is the kicker. There is more meat on the 8mm extractor so they were made that way. hmmmmm??

[browningautorifle]

a damn thick liner once you bored out enough of the old .312

No...just drill out the 312 and rifle it to 323. 8mm is way bigger than 303. But I think Mr E is probably right...still I'd like to see it. Did you say you bought it as a .303? I smell refund...

[WallyG.]

You have, as previously identified, an 8mm barrel that was converted from a used .303 for and or by a military... probably one of the ones mentioned. Definitive evidence has yet to ID exactly who. I have two.. a MkI and a MkII... in my case the breech face is still in its 303 configuration so my .303 bolt and locking shoulder work just fine with a 7.62 extractor installed in the bolt... I use Zb 39 magazines (curved originally for the 8x56r) as they fit a standard .303 receiver's mag well... you could use the Zb26 8mm box mags but either the mag or the mag well of the receiver will have to be modified. These 8mm barrels are coveted as they allow for shooting 8mm in a .303 gun... without too much conversion expense... and you can convert right back to .303 with a barrel change and extractor change. I'm sure you'd have eager offers to take it off your hands if it were not to your liking.

[Peter Laidler]

On the other bloody hand, why not forget all the crap and just get a .303" barrel - or ask the supplier to send you the right one! That way, forever mpore you'll be able to use readily available by the ton .303" Bren parts......... Just my early morning, where there's a will, there's a simple way point of view

[Joe H]

Guys,

Like Wally G, I have a Lithgow barrel I had re-chambered and re-bored for 8mm Mauser. I had the headspace set so that the back face of the cartridge was at the same location as the .303 British so that the .303 bolt would headspace with no modification. I used a L4 extractor for the the 8mm Mauser.

The .303 will fit the chamber very sloppily and probably can be fired and extracted based on experience noted above although the case will come out in the shape of the 7.92. Not a good idea and accuracy would be non existent. I've attached pics of both the 7.92 & .303 in the the same 7.92 barrel. The pic on the left is the .303 and on the right the 7.92.

I think I read somewhere here that the Bren built as 7.92 had a different barrel and bolt face to preclude chambering a .303 round.

With some minor modification to the rear of the Bren mag well a 8mm ZB26-30 20rd magazine can be used. Also a ZB39 mag with some modifications can also be used.

If you want .303 just get another barrel. It doesn't appear to have any other mods than the barrel.


Joe

[browningautorifle]

I couldn't imagine deliberately firing a .303 in an 8mm barrel. Don't think that would be a good idea.

[ZGB]

Just out of interest I had a B.S.A.MKII Lewis air service gun come in for a long term rebuild and i was suprised to see it had been proofed 7.9 even though it is .303 chambered. As I later found out this was because the incendery rounds used for air service had a bigger diameter than standard MKVII ball. The chamber is stamped on the outside with crown BM 7.9 which is B.S.A British Military commercial proof.

[ActionYobbo]

Just out of interest I had a B.S.A.MKII Lewis air service gun come in for a long term rebuild and i was suprised to see it had been proofed 7.9 even though it is .303 chambered. As I later found out this was because the incendery rounds used for air service had a bigger diameter than standard MKVII ball. The chamber is stamped on the outside with crown BM 7.9 which is B.S.A British Military commercial proof.

quoted for future reference.

so the 303 was proofed at 7.9 because the incendiary was 11mm
thats priceless

[Peter Laidler]

Threads 18 and 19........... It's mind boggling isn't it................ You just couldn't make it up. Mind you, I always had my doubts about this BM proof mark and its supposed connection with Birmingham Military - whatever Birmingham Military is, or was or is or was supposed to mean!!!!!

To me it just indicates Birmingham Midlands as oppposed to Birmingham anywhere else..........

If it is Military, then let THEM say so. If it ain't........