[owen]

I know that some M1 Garands were converted from .30-06 to 7.62x51 by inserting a plug in the chamber.

Does anyone make such a plug for shooting 7.62x39 in a .303 Brit? Looking at the case drawings, there would be a heck of a lot of free bore.

[owen]

Sadly, I don' think it will work. The rim on the 7.62x39 cartridge is too small. The bolt misses the cartridge when the bolt is closed. It may work as a single shot, but not as a magazine rifle.

[Mad Bodhi]

Don't know about a chamber sleeve for 7.62x39 but a No.4 can be modified to fire cheap and readily available 7.62x54R with a simple chamber reaming.

[owen]

Now that's interesting.

Looking at a reloading manual, it's a little more potent. With the headspacing problems that Enfields have, will the higher bolt thrust become a problem?

[Mad Bodhi]

Headspacing problem?

[mustanger98]

You know, I like to tinker with old guns as much as anybody, but it would be easier to go with an M10A2.

Theoretically, yeah, you could probably make a cast of the .303British chamber, lathe and mill an insert made to the dimensions of the cast and ream the insert's chamber to 7.62x39 dimensions, and insert it for a tight enough fit. In a bolt gun, there should be enough time for obturation to subside so ejection won't pull the insert out with the spent case. However, you would also have to modify the magazine and the clip guide isn't made for SKS strippers. There is no guarantee you won't see feeding problems because of the short cartridge case in the substantially longer action, especially considering the Lee Enfield is a pushfeed system as opposed to CRF.

http://www.tristarsportingarms.com/m10rifles.htm

http://www.tristarsportingarms.com/images/M10-A2.jpg

Turnbolt, bolt-action, detachable magazine feed rifle with 60 degree bolt rotation. Rear locking bolt with detachable bolt head. Safety catch locking both firing pin and bolt. Military style two-stage trigger. CNC milled receiver of military-ordnance steel. Hard chrome lined chamber and barrel. Stock of premium teak with steel buttplate and sling swivels. This model comes equipped with extra magazine (AK47), picatinny rail, leather sling, front sight adjustment tool and waxed canvas carry bag. Comes in 7.62 x 39 caliber, with 16.1" barrel with an average weight of 8.3 lbs.

[owen]

The Lee-Enfields are reputeed to lose headspace with time, because the locking lugs are located at the rear of the bolt. Everytime the gun is fired, the bolt compresses. Over time the bolt gets shorter.

The solution was to have different length bolt heads, so the difference could be made. If the rifle had a #1 bolt head, and failed headspace, then the armorer would replace it with a #2 bolt head.

[rbernie]

The rim on the 7.62x39 cartridge is too small.I agree. Enfields have been converted to fire 223/5.56NATO as well as many other rounds so they can be converted to fire 7.62x39 - just not via a simple insert. It would require a custom bolt face and extractor, as well as some means of creating a new chamber (via insert or rebarreling).

considering the Lee Enfield is a pushfeed system as opposed to CRFAs an FYI, the Enfield is not a pushfeed gun. It has been demonstrated by any number of folks to be a proper CRF design despite the fact that the extractor is spring-loaded. Just like a 1911 or Mauser or any other CRF design, if the extractor is not slipping over the cartridge rim during feeding, then the magazine lips need to be adjusted to fix the problem.

The Lee-Enfields are reputeed to lose headspace with time, because the locking lugs are located at the rear of the bolt. Everytime the gun is fired, the bolt compresses. Over time the bolt gets shorter.In my opinion, that's another chestnut that got started because oodles of Enfields got assembled every year for the last sixty years from parts bin bits-n-pieces and weren't headspaced properly before being sold. A properly headspaced Enfield will hold that headspace for many, many, many thousands of rounds. I have at least one No4Mk1 that had countless rounds thru it when I got it, and I've added well over four thousand rounds of MkVII (or equivilent) to that count on that rifle. It's headspace is as good today as it was the day that I got it. Now the throat, well, that's another story.... :rolleyes:

The rear locking lug 'weakness' is one of those things that got started to explain the short brass life for 303R reloads, when in reality the primary issue is the traditional Enfield overly-large chambers causing the brass to be overworked during full-length resizing. Rear locking lugs may not be as theoretically strong as forward locking lugs (don't get me started on the split left lug of a true Mauser). But if the bolt is demonstrably weaker, it doesn't commonly manifest itself via headspace issues insomuch as render the rifle less than optimum for benchrest shooting accuracy.

Don't know about a chamber sleeve for 7.62x39 but a No.4 can be modified to fire cheap and readily available 7.62x54R with a simple chamber reaming.It can be done, but it's more than just a ream job. The rim diameter of the Russian is larger and the extractor needs to be relieved by twenty thou to prevent overworking and work-fracturing the extractor spring. Moreover, the barrel needs to be pulled off and lathed to set it back enough to accomodate the shorter chamber dimension (.106") of the 7.62x54R. Given that the OAL difference is more than an tenth of an inch and the rims are almost identical in thickness, you just can't ream the chamber deeper and make up the difference by substituting a longer bolt head to reset the headspace. But yes, it can be done.

About the only reason to do this is because you *really* want to shoot surplus 7.62 Russian. After all, any gains in accuracy after the rechambering will be attributable to the fact that the barrel was shortened and a new throat cut, the benefit of which would be realized had the rifle been rechambered in 303R just as much as 7.62x54R.

[owen]

The reason I want to do this is I am having no luck whatsoever finding .303 ammo for less than $14/20

7.62X39 or 54 is less than half that price

[rbernie]

Just bear in mind that you'll spend a minimum of $150 (and probably more than that) to have the rifle rechambered to 7.62x54R. Investing your money in reloading gear and consumables is probably more cost-effective, if not quite as much fun to talk about. :D

By the way - I can buy PMP 303R for less than $8/20, and often for $6/20/. It's decent stuff.

[owen]

$6!! Where, Man, where!! I'll buy 4 cases today!

[dm1333]

They convert Enfields to shoot 7.62x39. The parts kit, including a new barrel, is $250 and they will convert the gun for another $100. They also have some nice sporter conversion, tanker models, synthetic stocks. I guess these guys do it because they love Enfields and just because they can.

[Mad Bodhi]

On the 7.62x54R conversion the barrel does not have to be removed and set back.Fired cases cannot be reloaded because they fireform but how much 54R is reloadable anyway.Reports are that it works very well despite the small jump and accuracy actually increases.http://www.jpfo.org/smle.htm
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/surplusrifle/vpost?id=721757&highlight=62x54r
EDITED TO ADD, Setting the barrel back is the proper way to convert BUT the quick and dirty chamber reaming does work.

[rbernie]

$6!! Where, Man, where!! I'll buy 4 cases today!I hear ya. I reload, so I'm a bit out of the loop on who's got the best prices. I used to get the $6/box price at Military Gun Supply. It looks like Century has the Ultimax fodder for $9.35/20, CheaperThanDirt has the new Wolf stuff for about the same, and J&G sells S&B for $9 and change. I can't find the PMP stuff at any of my old haunts, tho - sorry.

[rbernie]

Setting the barrel back is the proper way to convert BUT the quick and dirty chamber reaming does work.Yeah, I've seen this article. It's what got me interested in the conversion for my own Enfields. But thanks for the cite again...

And, as a clarification for my earlier post - just reaming the chamber out is not patently unsafe. The headspace will only be an issue if the barel is set back to allow for the shorter chamber dimension. Since both cartridges headspace on the rim and the rim on both is about the same thickness, the headspace will remain the same so long as the bolt-to-barrel relationshipo is not altered.

I just cannot imagine deliberately firing steel-cased 7.62 Russian in a chamber that's over a tenth of an inch too long as a normal course of affairs. Fireforming brass with reduced loads is one thing, but making a steady diet of full-house steel cased loads (the bulk of the available milsurp fodder) in such an oversized chamber just doesn't make me comfortable. YMMV.

[Crosshair]

Who is importing those M10 rifles and when will they be available?