Greetings and Salutations!
So, it’s never going to be a ‘tack driver’.
I didn’t get pics of the target… call it ‘shewtin’ fever’ as I was just oh so pleased to be getting some recoil therapy, as it’s no where often enough that I get to get some trigger time. I purely forgot to.
That being said, well… the crap and shytte in the barrel is completely shot out now, and as I found out, so’s the rifling to a point.
My guess is too many corrosive rounds between 1939 and now.
I’d grade it at ‘fair’
My reasoning is I was still getting a 2-3 inch 5 round group at 50 yards off the bench rest, and a 4-5 inch group off hand but ‘strapped in’ with the sling.
The problem was the rounds were spinning and cantering like a pure dee motherfucker. Every 2nd or 3rd round was either hitting sideways, or at an angle. Like I’m not that heartbroken as I’m hitting what I aim at. There’s also the benny of a .303 Brit round that hits sideways? Talk about ‘scattering and splattering’ a motherfucker.
OK Bit of an emergency here… This time it’s Sapper. He’s ok, but he’s had this BIG fucking cyst on his ribcage for a few years now, and he just walked in from work and it seems it sort of burst like EUUUW!
Off to the VA to get that handled. (Never a dull fucking moment here I swear!)
More Later
Big Country
If’n it’s only a looker & a shooter & not a “keep it as original as possible for the resale value” collectible my $0.02 says to recrown the muzzle-lop off a 1/8th of an inch, use a diagonal stone wider than the bore, chucked up in a hand drill(not a Dremel) & run it around the inside of the front like you’re trying to scrape the last bit of peanut butter outta the jar with a fork, smooth down the outer diameter of the tube with files, sandpaper, etc until it looks rounded. Then reblue the end & Bob’s your uncle. You’d be surprised how much a little change to the last part the projo contacts on its way down range can make a huge difference.
The ammo makes a difference, velocity and twist rate have an effect on stability. Maybe get some consumables and a die set to work up a load. A chronograph would be nice but it aint necessary. The group size will tell the tale.
Bubbafix crown: Get a glass marble, coat it in valve grinding paste, sit it on the muzzle, and roll it around randomly, like the master lens grinders do……for a long time, until you see a bevel on all of the lands. Wash the paste and dreck off and out of the barrel, and go shooting again.
Mk VII ammunition terminal ballistics effect is inherently unstable. The tip of the bullet under the jacket is aluminium, it is meant to rapidly yaw and fragment but not infringe on the 1899 Hague treaty. Getting hit with Mk VII is so much nicer than Mks III to V, just ask around. If you want even nastier effects or to punch a hole in armour plate simply reverse the bullet in the case. Do not get captured with thusly modified ammunition. You are using 174 grain?
Your smelly is not likely to help you win accuracy competitions. If you can get 39 shots in one minute in a 12 inch square at 300 yards, make sure you have witnesses and evidence because the 38 shot record belongs to Instructor Sgt. Snoxall, circa 1914. For rapid shooting actuate the trigger with your middle finger and the bolt with forefinger and thumb.
If you are hunting razorbacks in scrub or Turks in trenches, keep your bayonet on. If you get a misfire stab the bastard through the middle, nail him to the local landscape, recock and fire again.
You might try fire lapping the barrel (neconos.com).
Oh, btw….it just ocurred to me your barrel harmonics are out of whack….the nosecap should be pressing down on top of the barrel. Fiddle about with the screw under the forestock that screws into the floating barrel ring. Amongst other things.
Holy shit, Tiny… I’ve see 8 mile oil lease roads that look better than the bore on that! And…key holes at 50 yards…??? What load are you shooting?
What are your scrounging abilities? These guns are just a joy to own and shoot – when they’re in shooting shape, that is. Can you scrounge a barrel…? Be a shame to see the thing hung up on a wall collecting dust…
A good Enfield up here starts at around 500.00 CDN… and pristine specimens are up around $800.00. It *might* be worth a barrel swap…? Rob at British Muzzleloaders on OyTube dabbles in modern suppository guns and if I recall…he’d worked up a cast lead load. A gas checked round nose patty cake 175-ish boolit… moving around 2400 FPS? I can’t remember the particulars but it made for some spectacular fun at the range…
Also check and see if any part of the barrel is touching the stock.
Some of them dont like the boattail bullets.
After reading all the comments, It appears that the groupies would like more time and money invested…. There’s probably a higher ‘return on investment’ with it than a case of beer. Probably…
Keyholing with a .303 can also point to undersized projectiles. .311 is the on-blueprint nominal but actual barrel diameters can cover the spread going as high as .318-ish.
As referenced above, correct nose cap tension and ensuring the barrel isn’t touching the wooden fore end are essential tune up checks.
I’ve had 2 P-17 Enfields that keyholed at 25m, put new barrels on. I tried shortening and re-crowning to no effect, they looked like yours too.
And for those that won’t get their medical issues taken care of, stupidity is a self curing problem.
I had throat cancer surgery 1 yr ago, (going in tomorrow for my 1 yr follow up) my surgeon told me he has patients who show up with a bowling ball growing out of their neck and wonder why their chances a slim to none. Procrastinating is a sure way to die soon.
Damn dude, bowling ball-sized? That’s insane!
I think I exaggerated for effect. He probably said grapefruit sized.
Did any of you accuracy experts look at the photo? The bullet can swap ends on its way down the bore. Fun to shoot, will never be accurate.
Please enlighten us with facts………..
I used to make gun barrels for GRRW in UT, I drilled the holes in the blank rod before the rifling cutter went thru.
I must have missed something in the photo.
I’ve seen bores rottener than that, that shoot like a house on fire. I’ve seen pristine bores shoot like chit…. I don’t get that at all.
But … yeah. Keyholes at 50 yards… something is seriously wrong and I’d suspect that barrel first. Some guns shoot better with barrel contact too… every rifle is a law unto itself…
That buzzing sound as an AK round passes you is it spinning the wrong way. But it will eff you up more if it hits you than a proper spinning round that might just pass through you.
Have you thought about reaching out to our cousins across the water? While they live under really stupid laws, there is still some very knowledgeable chaps over there.
BCE, have you had a chance to try the pmc spx 9mm?
Scipio may have the right of it. . If you have a dial indicator, check the bore at the end of the barrel. A good indicator will let you check the land depth and the groove depth. And mike one of the projectiles. A lot of “modern” .303 was/is loaded with .308-.310 projectiles.
A fun project regardless of the fact it’s not a tack driver. Fire lapping may improve accuracy but if you are going to recrown the barrel have it done properly by someone with the proper machinery. A great piece of history to have none the less.